Phoenix History Timeline - Important Dates & People

Events in Phoenix History

Indians Prepare for 1st Black Players

1947-03-01 MLB Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck sets up spring training camp in racially tolerant Phoenix, AZ in anticipation of signing team's first black players; Larry Doby is first acquisition later in the season

Baseball Hall of Fame Outfielder Larry Doby

1953-05-02 KYTL (now KPNX) TV channel 12 in Mesa/Phoenix, Arizona AZ (NBC) begins broadcasting with a telethon to benefit United Cerebral Palsy
1953-10-24 KOOL (now KTSP) TV channel 10 in Phoenix, AZ (CBS) begins broadcasting
1957-10-21 Giants purchase Class-A Phoenix team
1957-12-02 Pacific Coast League franchises forced to relocate when Dodgers and Giants confirm their move to California for 1958 MLB season; Hollywood Stars move from LA to Salt Lake City; LA Angels move to Spokane, and San Francisco Seals transfer to Phoenix
1958-09-22 KTVK TV channel 3 in Phoenix, AZ (ABC) begins broadcasting
1961-01-30 KAET TV channel 8 in Phoenix, AZ (PBS) begins broadcasting
1966-12-29 Pirate Radio Phoenix, 1st transmission (Worcester, Massachusetts)
1967-09-16 KPAZ TV channel 21 in Phoenix, AZ (IND) begins broadcasting
1968-07-01 The CIA's Phoenix Program is officially established.

Grammy Awards

1969-03-12 11th Grammy Awards: "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" by Glen Campbell wins best record

Sports History

1971-10-03 American tennis star Billie Jean King becomes first female athlete to win $100,000 in prize money in a single year; wins the $4,000 Virginia Slams Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona

NBA Record

1972-02-16 Wilt Chamberlain of the Los Angeles Lakers becomes first player in NBA history to reach the career 30,000 point mark during a 110-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns

1980-02-02 Mexican boxer Salvador Sánchez dethrones Danny “Little Red” Lopez as WBC world featherweight champion with a 13th-round TKO in Phoenix, AZ; Lopez champion since November 1976, 8th defense
1985-12-09 Phoenix, Arizona, gets 3" of snow
1988-01-16 NFL St Louis Cardinals announce move to Phoenix
1988-03-15 NFL's St Louis Cardinals officially move to Phoenix
1988-09-04 The relocated Phoenix Cardinals play first regular-season NFL game; lose 21-14 v Bengals at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati
1988-09-12 1st NFL regular-season game played in Phoenix; Cowboys beat Card
1989-01-17 Phoenix Suns cancel game at Miami Heat, due to racial unrest in Miami
1989-07-20 93°F, highest overnight low ever recorded in Phoenix, Arizona, until heat wave of 2023
1990-06-25 120°F in Phoenix, Arizona
1990-06-26 122°F in Phoenix Arizona

Super Bowl

1991-03-19 NFL owners strip Phoenix of the 1993 Super Bowl game due to Arizona not recognizing federal holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr.

1991-03-31 Danny Bonaduce attacks a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix, Arizona
1992-06-06 America West Arena opens in Phoenix, Arizona; home court of NBA Phoenix Suns

NBA Trade

1992-06-17 Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to Phoenix Suns

1992-12-12 NY Giants lose 19-0 to Phoenix Cardinals
1993-03-23 NY Knicks & Phoenix Suns get into a major brawl
1994-12-31 This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC-11 to UTC+13 and UTC-10 to UTC+14, respectively.
1995-03-06 Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Phoenix AZ on KEDJ 106.3/100.3 FM
1995-03-19 Arizona outside of Phoenix begins using new telephone area code 520
1996-11-01 Shaquille O'Neil makes his Hollywood debut as Los Angeles Lakers beat Phoenix Suns, 96-82 at the Forum, Inglewood; O'Neil scores 23 points and pulls down 14 rebounds in 35 minutes
1997-03-13 Phoenix lights seen at night over Phoenix, Arizona by hundreds of people, and by millions on television. Now a hotly debated controversy.
1998-04-05 The Arizona Diamondbacks record their first win in team history with a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants in Phoenix, AZ; ends second-worst start ever (0-5) by an expansion team
2001-11-04 Baseball World Series: Arizona beats New York Yankees, 3-2 in Game 7 at Bank One Ballpark, Phoenix for Diamondbacks' first title; co-MVP: Arizona pitchers Randy Johnson & Curt Schilling
2004-09-30 The AIM-54 Phoenix, the primary missile for the F-14 Tomcat, retired from service. Almost two years later, the Tomcat retires.
2007-07-27 Two News helicopters from Phoenix, Arizona television stations KNXV and KTVK collide over Steele Indian School Park in central Phoenix while covering a police chase; there were no survivors. Worst civil aviation incident in Phoenix history.

Super Bowl XLII

2008-02-03 Super Bowl XLII, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: New York Giants beat New England Patriots, 17-14; MVP: Eli Manning, New York, QB

2009-01-18 NFC Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: Arizona Cardinals beat Philadelphia Eagles, 32-25

WrestleMania

2010-03-28 WrestleMania XXVI, Uni of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ (72,219): Chris Jericho defeats Edge; John Cena downs Batista; The Undertaker beats Shawn Michaels

Professional Wrestler and Actor John Cena

2011-01-10 College Football, 13th BCS National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #1 Auburn beats #2 Oregon, 22-19
2011-07-12 82nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-1 at Chase Field, Phoenix

NFL Pro Bowl

2015-01-25 NFL Pro Bowl, University of Phoenix, Glendale, AZ: Team Irvin beats Team Carter, 32-28; MVPs: J. J. Watt, Houston Texans, DE; Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions, QB

Super Bowl XLIX

2015-02-01 Super Bowl XLIX, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ: New England Patriots beat Seattle Seahawks, 28-24; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB

2016-01-11 College Football National Championship, University of Phoenix Stadium: #2 Alabama beats #1 Clemson, 45-40

John McCain Lies in State

2018-08-29 John McCain is only the third person to lie in state at the Arizona state capital rotunda in Phoenix

2019-06-17 Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, Kate Gallego apologies for local police threatening to shoot African American family after their four-year shoplifted a doll

Venice Film Festival

2019-09-07 "The Joker" directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix wins the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival

Famous People from Phoenix

1909-02-13 M. Vasalis [Margaretha Droogleever Fortuyn-Leenmans], Dutch poet (Phoenix), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1998)
1909-03-24 Thomas "Tommy" Trinder, British radio comedian and actor (Save a Little Sunshine, Phoenix), born in Streatham, London, England (d. 1989)
1914-05-01 John Henry Lewis, American boxer (World Light-Heavyweight champion 1935-38), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 1974)
1917-12-01 Geraldine McCullough, American painter and sculptor (Phoenix), born in Maywood, Illinois (d. 2008)
1923-01-23 Horace Ashenfelter, American athlete (Olympic gold 3000m steeplechase 1952), born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (d. 2018)
1923-04-17 Solly Hemus, American baseball infielder (St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies) and manager (St. Louis Cardinals 1959–61), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2017)
1927-04-04 Bob Stump, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona, born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2003)
1929-11-30 Joan Ganz Cooney, founder of the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1931-02-17 Buddy Ryan, American football coach (Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals), born in Frederick, Oklahoma (d. 2016)
1936-03-05 Dale Douglass, American golfer (3 x PGA Tour titles; 11 x Champions Tour titles; US Senior Open 1986), born in Wewoka, Oklahoma (d. 2022)

Glen Campbell (1936-2017)

1936-04-22 American Grammy Award-winning country-pop singer ("By The Time I Get to Phoenix"; "Wichita Lineman"; "Rhinestone Cowboy"), session guitarist (The Beach Boys; Elvis Presley; The Monkees; Phil Specter), television personality (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour), and actor (True Grit), born in Delight, Arkansas

1938-03-07 Homero Blancas, American golfer (US Ryder Cup 1973), born in Houston, Texas
1939-06-26 Chuck [Charles] Robb, American politician, 64th Governor of Virginia, born in Phoenix, Arizona
1943-05-25 Jessi Colter [Miriam Johnson], American country singer ("I'm Not Lisa"), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1943-09-10 "Superstar" Billy Graham [Eldridge Coleman], American pro wrestler (WWWF Heavyweight Champion 1977-78), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2023)
1947-02-06 Charles Hickcox, American 200m/400m medley swimmer (Olympic-3 gold-1968), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2010)
1947-07-04 Bill Schnee, American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning audio engineer (Steely Dan; Bette Midler; Natalie Cole), and music producer (Pablo Cruise; Huey Lewis; Boz Scaggs), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1948-03-09 Jaime Lyn Bauer, American actress (Young & Restless, Centerfold Girls), born in Phoenix, Arizona

Stevie Nicks (75 years old)

1948-05-26 American rock singer-songwriter (Fleetwood Mac - "Rhiannon"; "Landslide"; Bella Donna - "Edge Of Seventeen"), born in Phoenix, Arizona

Joaquin Phoenix (49 years old)

1974-10-28 American actor (Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Master), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico

1975-11-20 (Frederick) Dierks Bentley, American country singer ("What Was I Thinkin'"; "Drunk On A Plane"), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1976-01-31 Buddy Rice, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 2004, 24 Hours of Daytona 2009), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1976-03-20 Chester Bennington, American singer and songwriter (Linkin Park), born in Phoenix, Arizona (d. 2017)
1976-10-05 J. J. Yeley, American race car driver, born in Phoenix, Arizona
1980-01-08 Rachel Nichols, American actress, born in Phoenix, Arizona
1981-12-08 Jeremy Accardo, American baseball player, born in Phoenix, Arizona
1982-04-10 Andre Ethier, American baseball player, born in Phoenix, Arizona

Diana Taurasi (41 years old)

1982-06-11 American basketball player (10 x WNBA All Star, Phoenix Mercury; Olympic gold 2004, 08, 12, 16, 20), born in Glendale, California

1984-10-23 Meghan McCain, American columnist, author, and TV host (The View, 2017-21), born in Phoenix, Arizona
1989-12-22 Jordin Sparks, American singer and American Idol winner, born in Phoenix, Arizona