First Explorer
The Gift of Land
Becoming a State
The Liberty Bell Crack
Vaccine Discovered!
Although Native American tribes such as the Shawnee and Erie inhabited the land for years, European explorer Henry Hudson claims much of the land for the Dutch in 1609.
English Quaker leader, William Penn, is given the deed to the land by King Charles II of England. Penn named the land after his family name, and wanted the colony to be a place of religious tolerance and freedom.
Pennsylvania was the 2nd state to be admitted into statehood on December 12, 1787.
Although it is unclear when exactly the crack was formed, the most popular theory is that it cracked during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.
On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced on the radio that he has discovered a vaccine for Polio.
Pennsylvania History