1678 -

Franciscan monk and explorer Louis Hennepin becomes the first European explorer to encounter the falls. Impressed, Hennepin estimates the falls to be an incredible 600 feet high—though in reality they rise 170 feet.

1846 -

Now one of the most famous tourist attractions in Niagara Falls, the Maid of the Mist makes its maiden voyage as a ferry, charging a fee to transport people, cargo, and mail across the river. When the completion of a bridge starts to erode business in 1846, the Maid of the Mist becomes a sightseeing boat, taking visitors close to the Horseshoe Falls.

March 1848 -

For the first time in recorded history, the falls go dry due to strong westerly winds keeping water in Lake Erie, in addition to an ice jam that dams the river's water near Buffalo, New York. Townspeople happily explore the riverbed and the edge of the falls, finding, among other things, relics from the War of 1812.

July 1848 -

Under the direction of engineer Charles Ellet, the first service bridge across the Niagara gorge is completed. Seven years later, John Roebling completes another suspension bridge, with two levels for carriage and railway traffic. It is the first suspension bridge suspended by wire cables to carry the weight of a train.

May 1857 -

Widely considered to be the first painting to adequately capture the beauty and power of Niagara Falls, Frederick Church displays his landscape masterpiece, The Great Fall, Niagara for the first time in New York City.

Summer 1859 -

Jean Francois Gravelet, known as the "The Great Blondin," begins a famous series of tightrope walks across the Niagara gorge, over the rapids about a mile downriver from the falls. The act draws crowds as large as 25,000 people. Blondin even manages to carry his manager over the rope on his back.

July 15, 1885 -

The Niagara Reservation State Park opens, attracting 750,000 visitors. It is the first state park established in the United States.

July 11, 1920 -

Charles Stephens, the first man—but second person —to go over the falls takes the plunge in a 600-pound oak barrel. The force of the water rips the barrel apart and Stephens is killed. His right arm is the only part of him to be recovered.

July 9, 1960 -

A seven-year-old boy named Roger Woodward is swept over the falls after a boating accident. He survives with only minor injuries and is rescued by the Maid of the Mist. He is the first person known to go over the falls without any sort of protection—and survive.