| -/-/1900 | The New Orleans School Board eliminates education of black children beyond the fifth grade. This complies with a U.S. Supreme Court decision (Cumming vs. School Board of Richmond County) allowing unequal education based on race. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Education | Race |
| 7/23/1900 | Robert Charles kills a white police officer which results in an extensive manhunt and race riot that lasts for 5 days. Charles is ultimately cornered and kills several people before he is killed by an angry mob. During the riots several innocent blacks are attacked and killed. | Prince | Book | Click Here | Race | Racial Violence |
| 8/7/1900 | In a series of articles in his widely read newspaper the Daily States, publisher Henry Hearsey promulgates racial hatred, segregation, and the possible “extermination” of the Negro race. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Race | Racial Violence |
| 9/-/1900 | The Yellow Fever Commission, headed by Walter Reed, present its findings that yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes. Many in the South, doubt this conclusion. | Trask | Book | Click Here | Epidemic | Healthcare |
| -/-/1901 | The convict lease agreement with S.L. James's successors is not renewed. | Cardon | Paper | Click Here | Race | - |
| 8/4/1901 | Louis Armstrong is born in the neighborhood known as the "Battlefield" - an African American red-light district. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 9/-/1901 | The first successful Louisiana oil field is completed in Jennings. The discovery begins a century-long exploitation of the state's natural resources. | Horowitz | Book | Click Here | Commerce | - |
| -/-/1903 | The Drainage Commission and the Sewerage Board are merged. | | Web Page | Click Here | Levees | Infrastructure |
| -/-/1905 | One of the last major outbreaks of yellow fever occurs resulting in 452 deaths. Local businesses attempt to minimize publicity of the outbreak to maintain tourism. | Trask | Book | Click Here | Epidemic | Healthcare |
| -/-/1906 | The Louisiana primary law allows the Democratic party (a private organization) to exclude members based on race. Since political candidates are selected from the primary, blacks are effectively excluded from the voting process. This law is not ruled unconstitutional until 1944. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| -/-/1907 | President Theodore Roosevelt creates the Inland Waterways Commission to review the nation's river system as a "natural resources of the first rank." The Intracoastal Waterway was later created by the Commission. | Alperin | Report | Click Here | Levees | Infrastructure |
| -/-/1908 | The Gay-Shattuck law criminalizes interracial fraternization in bars, saloons, and restaurants. Permit applications require the applicant to specify the race they will serve at their establishments. | Long | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 1/1/1909 | The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club is founded this year as a marching club. | Smith | Press Release | Click Here | African American | Culture |
| 2/23/1909 | The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, although formally incorporated in 1916, marches for the first time as "Zulus" with William Story as king. | | Web Page | Click Here | African American | Culture |
| 4/29/1910 | In State v. Treadway, the Louisiana Supreme Court defines racial classifications such as mulatto, octoroon, quadroon, and griff. The case dealt with mixed race cohabitation. | Long | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 12/7/1910 | Band leader, singer, and songwritie, Louis Prima, is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 10/26/1911 | One of the most widely respected gospel singers of the twentieth century, Mahalia Jackson, is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1912 | Several cities throughout the U.S. pass laws permitting segregated residential areas. Louisiana enacts similar legislation this year. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 2/20/1912 | A tradition of women dressing up as "Baby Dolls" on Carnival Day begins this year. The women worked in the dance halls and brothels in the vice district of New Orleans. The tradition continues in various forms to the present day. [Date estimated.] | Vaz | Book | Click Here | Women | Race |
| -/-/1914 | Due to protests by black citizens, the school board reinstates education in grades 6-8 for black children and in 1917, the creation of high school for black children. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| -/-/1915 | D. W. Griffith's 1915 film The Birth of a Nation is released. The film opens in New Orleans in March 1916. The film summarizes the “Lost Cause” and the Dunning School narrative of the civil war. | Wetta | Book | Click Here | Race | - |
| -/-/1916 | Local businessman William Irby donates funds to save St. Louis Cathedral that had been damaged in a 1915 hurricane. | Stanonis | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/20/1916 | The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club is incorporated. The club's formation probably dates to 19009 when a group of African American men formed the group out of neighborhood organizations. The group first parade march is believed to have occured in 1909. | | Web Page | Click Here | African American | Culture |
| -/-/1917 | The Sewerage and Water Board installs screw pumps to speed drainage of city groundwater. | Colten | Book | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| -/-/1917 | The city of New Orleans passes Ordinance 4118 mandating racial segregation in Storyville. | Long | Book | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| -/-/1917 | The School Board changes a white elementary school to a school for blacks resulting in widespread backlash among white and Jewish residents of the neighborhood. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 7/-/1917 | The Louisiana Supreme Court finds the Storyville racial segregation ordinance unconstitutional. | Long | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 10/9/1917 | At the insistence of the secretary of the Navy, Mayor Behrman introduces an ordinance to close Storyville. | Landau | Book | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 11/12/1917 | Storyville closes. | Landau | Book | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1918 | The city begins construction of the Industrial Canal. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Infrastructure | Canals |
| -/-/1918 | An entire block of the Vieux Carré is demolished and replaced with a courthouse | | Report | Click Here | - | - |
| 2/10/1918 | A committee is formed to study an industrial basin (later called the Industrial Canal) "connected with the river by a lock, and ultimately to be connected with the lake by a small barge canal. Ships could be built on the banks of this basin…" | Dabney | Ebook | Click Here | Infrastructure | Canals |
| 6/6/1918 | Construction of the Industrial Canal begins. | Dabney | Ebook | Click Here | Infrastructure | Canals |
| 6/11/1918 | Shortly after construction begins, the Industrial Canal plans are revised to expand the width of the canal. | Dabney | Ebook | Click Here | Industrial Canal | Canals |
| -/-/1921 | The throwing of beads begins this year with the Krewe of Rex. Prior to this, parade members would only "throw" kisses. | Bak | Paper | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1922 | In a push back against "black" music, the Orleans Parish School Board prohibits jazz and jazz dances. | Bak | Paper | Click Here | Race | - |
| 1/6/1923 | The renowned Queen of creole cuisine Leah Chase is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 1/29/1923 | Construction of the Industrial Canal is completed. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Infrastructure | Canals |
| 8/30/1923 | Huey Long announces his first candidacy for Governor. Long would lose the election, finishing third. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1924 | Col Marcel Garsaud of the New Orleans Levee Board completes his plan for transformation of the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain. Garsaud's plan entails a seawall along Lake Pontchartrain and the creation of habitable land behind the seawall. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| -/-/1924 | Grace King and others form Le Petit Salon with an aim to preserve historic buildings in the Quarter. They lobby Mayor Behrman who is able to secure passage of an ordinance creating the View Carré Commission. | Stanonis | Paper | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/-/1924 | New Orleans passes a law that prevents blacks from moving into white neighborhoods. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 9/30/1924 | Novelist and playwright Truman Capote is born in New Orleans. Openly gay in a time when this was uncommon, Capote would become a celebrity for his highly acclaimed works Breakfast at Tiffany's and In Cold Blood. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | LGBTQ |
| 3/-/1925 | Black New Orleans' resident Anna Beck is sentenced to either a $50 fine or 60 days in jail for moving into a white neighborhood in violation of a segregation ordinance passed in 1924. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Housing |
| 1/12/1926 | New Orleans' Mayor Behrman dies shortly after his reelection. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | - | - |
| 8/-/1926 | Author Sherwood Anderson writes a parody criticizing New Orleans' efforts to raze the French Quarter and other historic sites. | Stanonis | Book | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 10/30/1926 | A series of bombs near Kruttschnitt school target black owned properties in protest over the school board's indecision over building more facilities for white children. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Racial Violence |
| 3/14/1927 | As a result of unprecedented rains throughout the Midwest, State officials in Louisiana dynamite levees south of New Orleans to relieve flooding upriver. The deliberate flooding causes catastrophic economic and human damage. Some estimate that over half a million blacks lost their homes. | Barry | Book | Click Here | Levees | HOT |
| 4/-/1927 | In Harmon v. Tyler, the U.S. Supreme Court rejects New Orleans's residential racial segregation law as a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. | | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| -/-/1928 | The Vieux Carré Commission does not object to the demolition of the French Opera House. The decision is controversial and diminishes the Commission's reputation. | Stanonis | Paper | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1928 | The Louisiana Separate Transport Act is passed by the legislature. The Act modifies similar legislation passed in 1890 but it extends the "separate but equal" doctrine to buses and other forms of transport. | Reed | Paper | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 1/17/1928 | Huey Long wins the primary for the governor's office. | Wall | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 2/26/1928 | Antoine Dominic "Fats" Domino, one of the first performers admitted to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, is born on this day | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 5/21/1928 | Huey Long is inaugurated as governor. As governor, he will institute the "deduct" system whereby state employees contribute part of their pay to Long's political organization. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 7/1/1928 | Zora Neale Hurston arrives in the Algiers section of New Orleans where she will collect folklore that will eventually be used in her writings - Mules and Men and Dust Tracks on a Road: An Autobiography. [T.E.*] | Saloy | Article | Click Here | Culture | Women |
| 7/11/1928 | At the direction of Huey Long, Act 99 is passed by the legislature. The Act creates the State Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation. The Bureau would be independent of all sheriffs, police, and other agencies and could make arrests without warrants. See R.D. White. | Bailey, Sec. of State | Legislation | Click Here | Culture | |
| 3/25/1929 | A state legislator alleges that Huey Long offered money for the assassination of a house member. Known as "Bloody Monday," the allegations result in pandemonium in the legislature. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 3/26/1929 | Impeachment charges are brought against Huey Long in the state legislature. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 3/27/1929 | The Times-Picayune publishes an editorial calling for the impeachment or recall of Governor Huey Long since he is "temperamentally and otherwise unfit to hold the office." | Editorial Board | Article | Click Here | | |
| 5/15/1929 | The Senate rejects the one count of impeachment against Long and 15 senators then sign a document (called a "Round Robin") saying they would not vote for impeachment under any circumstance. This effectively ended the impeachment efforts. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 10/28/1929 | The stock market plunges almost 13% on what is later known as Black Monday, ushering in the depression. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | - | - |
| 5/5/1930 | T. Semmes Walmsley is inaugurated as Mayor of New Orleans. He is the candidate of the "Old Regular" faction of the city and would spend much of his administration fighting political battles with Governor Long. | | Web Page | Click Here | | |
| 7/16/1930 | Governor Huey Long announces he will run for the U.S. Senate. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/9/1930 | Governor Huey Long wins the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate. Long would go on to win the election that is held on 11/4/1930 but would not take his seat in the Senate until 1932. | White | Book | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 9/11/1930 | After Long's win in the primary for Senate, Mayor Walmsley and his allies capitulate and agree to Long's demands for loyalty in exchange for improvements in New Orleans' infrastructure. | White | Book | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 9/16/1930 | Just a week after his win in the senatorial primary, Long calls the legislature into special session and passes a wide variety of spending measures to placate New Orleans Regulars. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1931 | The Bonnet Carre Spillway construction is completed. Per the ACE description, "Located in St. Charles Parish..the spillway reduces risk for New Orleans...This risk reduction is accomplished by diverting a portion of the floodwater into Lake Pontchartrain and then into the Gulf of Mexico..." | | Pamphlet | Click Here | Levees | Infrastructure |
| 10/30/1931 | The dedication ceremony is held for new location of the Flint Goodridge Hospital. The facility was one of only four hospitals in the nation that was black owned and operated. City leaders encouraged the new construction in order to maintain racial segregation of healthcare. | McQueeney | Book | Click Here | Healthcare | Race |
| 1/25/1932 | Huey Long is sworn in as the U.S. Senator from Louisiana. He is absent for the next 81 out of 137 days that Congress is in session. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 1/25/1932 | Governor Huey Long resigns his position as Governor in order to assume his position as a U.S. Senator. | | Web Page | Click Here | | |
| 3/12/1932 | Ambassador, Congressman, Atlanta Mayor, and civil rights advocate Andrew Young, is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 6/27/1932 | At the Chicago Presidential Democratic convention, Long’s group is selected as the Louisiana delegation. Long helps FDR secure the presidential nomination by persuading the delegations from Mississippi and Arkansas to remain with Roosevelt. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1933 | Huey Long meets with Frank Costello and later allows organized crime’s slot machines to operate in Louisiana in return for payments to Long’s slush funds. | Hair | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| -/-/1933 | Café Lafitte’s in Exile bar on Bourbon Street becomes one of the first gay-oriented establishments in the Quarter. Lafitte's would later serve as a “dividing line” between straight and gay Bourbon street – a so called “lavender line” at St. Ann Street. [See also Cafe website.] | Campanella | Book | Click Here | LGBTQ | Culture |
| 12/19/1933 | The City Council reenacts the ordinance creating the Vieux Carré Commission in the hope of getting federal funds for historic preservation. | Stanonis | Paper | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1934 | James Noe, one of Huey Long's cronies, founds Win or Lose Corporation that acquires mineral rights in Louisiana. Long's allies became stockholders and Noe "donates" thirty-one shares to Huey Long. The mineral leases and royalties paid to Win or Lose will remain controversial for decades to come. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 2/10/1934 | Lakefront Airport is opened. Over 10,000 people attend the dedication ceremony. | | Web Page | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| 7/30/1934 | Former Governor Long sends National Guard troops to New Orleans to confiscate voting lists. Long then orders Governor Allen to declare "partial" martial law." The next day, Mayor Walmsley sends police to defend the building where the records were kept. Long then ordered Governor Allen to declare martial law. | White | Book | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 7/30/1934 | Late this night, Mayor Walmsley calls for 400 police to report for duty the next day in response to Governor Allen's declaration of partial martial law. | | Article | Click Here | | |
| 8/1/1934 | J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI begin a daily reports on Huey Long's activities, copies of which are sent to the White House. [Exact date not reported.] | White | Book | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 9/1/1934 | Senator Huey Long begins a series of hearings in New Orleans aimed at eliminating vice and corruption in the city. Long's true aim was to wrest control of the city from the "Old Regulars" and Mayor Walmsley. The press and public were barred from the hearings although the proceedings were broadcast over radio. | | Article | Click Here | | |
| 9/7/1934 | 2,500 National Guard troops occupy New Orleans on the order of Governor Allen. | | Web Page | Click Here | | |
| 9/8/1934 | Mayor Walmsley and Governor Allen reach an agreement for the peaceful conduct of elections scheduled for September 11. | | Web Page | Click Here | | |
| 11/14/1934 | Ellis Marsalis Sr. is born in New Orleans. Marsalis was the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family as his sons Branford and Wynton would also go to have very successful music careers. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 1/18/1935 | Led by Ernest Bourgeois, a former Standard Oil employee, the Square Deal Association is formed to oppose Huey Long's rule. Standard Oil had recently fired 3,800 workers due to Long's imposition of an oil tax. (Exact date unknown.) | White | Book | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 9/8/1935 | Dr. Carl Austin Weiss, in a fit of rage over racial lineage accusations against his in-laws, shoots Huey Long as he leaves the capital building. Weiss is killed by Long's bodyguards and Long is gravely wounded. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/10/1935 | Huey Long dies at our Lady of the Lake Hospital. 175,000 people attend his funeral on September 12. | Hair | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1936 | A state Constitutional Amendment is passed, and the Vieux Carré Commission is given effective powers to preserve the Vieux Carré . | Stanonis | Paper | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1936 | The federal government agrees to provide funding for the construction of a new Charity Hospital. Opened 3 years later, the facility would be the second largest in the country. | McQueeney | Book | Click Here | Healthcare | Race |
| 1/21/1936 | Richard Leche, with the backing of Huey Long's machine, wins the Democratic primary and with no Republican challenger, the Governor's office. | Rodrique | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 2/-/1937 | The first great flood occurs since the Bonnet Carré Spillway was completed in 1931. The Spillway was constructed in response to the flood of 1927. When opened, the Spillway diverts river water into Lake Pontchartrain where it drains into the Gulf of Mexico. | | Pamphlet | Click Here | Levees | Infrastructure |
| -/-/1938 | The Federal Housing Administration issues an Underwriting Manual that grades neighborhoods on a scale from A to D. D areas are the least desirable and cannot receive federal mortgage insurance. D areas are invariably black neighborhoods, thus precluding home ownership by blacks. [See also Woods, Stern] | Kimble | Paper | Click Here | Race | Housing |
| 4/21/1939 | Death penalty critic and activist, Sister Helen Prejean, is born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 6/9/1939 | The New Orleans States reports that windows were delivered to a new house allegedly being built by Governor Leche. The article would eventually lead to the exposure of numerous instances of corruption and the resignation of Leche. | | Article | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 6/25/1939 | James Smith, President of LSU, abruptly resigns and "disappears." Smith had been involved in numerous types of corruption and unauthorized trading of wheat futures. Smith will eventually be convicted of embezzlement and forgery and sentenced to prison. | Wade | Paper | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 6/26/1939 | Governor Richard Leche resigns amid scandal and tax-evasion allegations. As a result, Lt. Gov. Earl Long serves as Governor. Leche will serve four years in jail. See also Wade. | Wall | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 10/18/1939 | The assassin of President John Kennedy, Jr. Lee Harvey Oswald is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1940 | The city's 16,000 white students attend 13 different high schools while 5,000 black students can only attend one of 4 schools, only one which affords a four-year high school diploma. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 2/20/1940 | Sam Jones narrowly defeats Earl Long 52% to 48% in the second gubernatorial primary. Jones would go on to undo many of the corrupt and unfair practices instituted under the Longs. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 7/13/1940 | Paul Prudhomme, executive chef at Commander's Palace and owner of K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen is born in Opelousas, Louisiana. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1941 | The city opens the Lafitte Housing project as a blacks-only housing site. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Housing |
| 2/18/1941 | Grammy winner Irma Thomas is born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Arts | - |
| 10/4/1941 | Gothic fiction writer Ann Rice is born in New Orleans. Rice's books would sell over 100 million copies. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | Women |
| 12/6/1941 | Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii ushering in U.S. participation in World War II. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | - | - |
| 11/28/1943 | Composer, singer, and pianist Randy Newman, was born in New Orleans. Newman would released 12 albums and wrote the soundtrack to many movies. He has received twenty-two academy award nominations (with two wins), 3 Emmys, seven Grammys. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| -/-/1944 | James H. "Jimmie" Davis is elected governor after winning the second Democratic primary. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1944 | Preservationists rally against the conversion of whites-only Senator Hotel into a facility that would allow both races. The activists included Elizabeth Werlein. Preservationists are concerned that a mixed-race establishment will "threaten" the French Quarter. | Bak | Paper | Click Here | Race | - |
| -/-/1946 | Schwegmann's opens the first supermarket in New Orleans. | McCulla | Book | Click Here | Commerce | |
| 8/9/1946 | The body of John Cecil Jones, a black army veteran, is found near Minden, Louisiana. Jones had been arrested, released, abducted, and murdered for a suspected "peeping tom" incident. Jones's murderers included law enforcement personnel who were indicted but acquitted of the crime. | Kline | Report | Click Here | Race | Racial Violence |
| 10/1/1947 | Two black men attempt to register to vote in Avoyelles Parish but are refused by the registrar. [Exact date not reported.] | Plauche | Paper | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 12/3/1947 | A Streetcar Named Desire opens on Broadway. The play, written by Tennessee Williams, would portray a gritty side of New Orleans and would be one of the most popular plays of the twentieth century. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 2/24/1948 | Despite being written off for years, Earl Long wins the second Democratic primary for governor with almost 66% of the vote. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 5/3/1948 | The Supreme Court rules in Shelley v. Kraemer that state enforcement of restrictive zoning covenants violate the Fourteenth Amendment's right to due process. | Kimble | Paper | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 5/11/1948 | Earl Long is inaugurated as governor. An enormous public celebration is held at LSU stadium. Long goes on to enact expanded benefits for teachers, retirees, and others. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 6/-/1948 | The New Orleans NAACP files suit over the vast disparity between educational opportunities available to whites versus blacks. The suit rekindles white opposition to equal education. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 9/-/1948 | Governor Long deals a blow to fairness in state employment practices when he abolishes civil service in order to install his loyalists. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 9/10/1948 | The Louisiana Democratic party adopts Leander Perez's resolution backing the Dixiecrats (Strom Thurmond) over Harry Truman in the 1948 Presidential election. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 12/18/1948 | WDSU is on the air - the first television station in the state of Louisiana. | Rousseau | Web Page | Click Here | | |
| -/-/1949 | The federal government seeks to settle litigation with Louisiana concerning offshore oil rights. Leander Perez, who has a personal interest in large tracts of land in Louisiana, persuades Governor Earl Long to reject the deal. The decision will ultimately cost Louisiana billions of dollars. | Horowitz | Book | Click Here | Commerce | - |
| -/-/1949 | Black students are allowed to attend Edward D. White School. Nearby white residents protest that this will destroy the composition of the neighborhood. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| -/-/1949 | President Truman signs legislation funding low-income housing. The Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) expands the number of units at existing low-income locations (Magnolia and Calliope) rather than siting new units in other neighborhoods. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Housing |
| -/-/1949 | The Fat Monday Luncheon Club is formed as one of the earliest gay men’s associations in New Orleans. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | LGBTQ | Culture |
| 3/1/1949 | Louis Armstrong serves as King the Zulu's Mardi Gras parade despite segregation policies in New Orleans. | Stanonis | Book | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| -/-/1950 | Two black police officers are hired by the New Orleans Police Department. They are the first black officers in the department since 1913. | McLaughlin-Stonham | Book | Click Here | African American | Police |
| 6/12/1950 | The New Orleans Item begins a series of articles critical of the administration of Leander Perez. | Baldwin | Article | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 6/1/1953 | Leon Zany creates the Steamboat Club, a private group of older and influential gay men. [ Exact date unknown.] | Smith | Book | Click Here | Culture | LGBTQIA |
| -/-/1954 | In response to Brown v Board of Education, the State of Louisiana creates the Joint Legislative Committee on Segregation. The government-funded Committee was tasked with maintaining segregation practices throughout the state. | McLaughlin-Stonham | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 5/17/1954 | The Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education rules that separate but equal educational facilities are inherently unequal and are therefore a violation of the 14th Amendment. | Warren | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 6/-/1954 | Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie visits New Orleans. Local officials ensure that segregation practices are observed. | Bak | Paper | Click Here | Race | - |
| 12/14/1954 | A bond issue is approved by voters in Avoyelles Parish in order to fund a new all black high school. The new high school is necessary in order to provide "equal facilities." | | Article | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 11/15/1955 | Larry Borenstein invites black musicians (Kid Thomas, Charlie DeVore, Eddie Moris, and others) to play during the evenings at his art gallery at 726 St. Peter Street. The concept and the location eventually evolved into Preservation Hall. [T.E.*] | Carter | Book | Click Here | Culture | |
| -/-/1956 | The Pontchartrain causeway is completed. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| -/-/1956 | In response to Brown v. Board of Education, Governor Long and the legislature in 1956 and 1958 pass legislation designed to strengthen racial segregation in Louisiana schools. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 3/29/1956 | Congress passes legislation to build the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO). The MRGO links the Industrial Canal and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico. The Waterway will provide a more direct route to the Gulf of Mexico. | | Web Page | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| 5/21/1956 | The Desire Projects low-income housing is opened. The construction is poor but by 1957, 14,000 residents are living in this facility. | Arend | Book | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 6/-/1956 | Abraham Lincoln Davis and others create the New Orleans Improvement League. The group is formed to support the work of the NAACP. | McLaughlin-Stonham | Book | Click Here | Race | African American |
| 11/13/1956 | In Browder v Gayle, the U.S. Supreme Court affirms a lower court ruling that held that racial segregation on public transportation is unconstitutional. | McLaughlin-Stonham | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 1/15/1957 | The New Orleans Police Department "raid" an art gallery that eventually evolved into Preservation Hall. The police arrest several black musicians. The raid was due to a law that forbid mixed race entertainment. [T.E.*] | Carter | Book | Click Here | Culture | Race |
| 2/18/1958 | The first gay Mardi Gras ball is held by the Krewe of Yuga at the home of Douglas Jones. | Smith | Book | Click Here | Culture | LGBTQIA |
| 5/31/1958 | Mayor Morrison removes all Jim Crow dividers from city buses due to the decision in Morrison v Davis. In that decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public transport is unconstitutional. [See also McLaughlin-Stemp.] | | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 5/26/1959 | In the first of many bizarre incidents, Huey Long loses control of himself at a state committee hearing and verbally assaults State Representative Willie Rainach. Rainach opposes the desegregation mandated by Brown v Board of Education. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 5/27/1959 | Governor Long's out-of-control speech in the Legislature is so disturbing that his confidants have Long committed to a psychiatric hospital. Long is only released when he it appears he will win a competency hearing. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 6/18/1959 | After being released from a psychiatric facility, Governor Long is again diagnosed as incompetent and is placed in a different psychiatric facility. Long gains his release when he fires the director of the state hospital board. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 8/3/1959 | The FBI believes the Louisiana White Citizens Council (State Senator Willie Rainach and Leander Perez) will attempt to purge all blacks from the voting rolls in Louisiana. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | Race | - |
| 5/27/1960 | Jimmie Davis is inaugurated as Governor of Louisiana. Earl Long finishes third in the primary for Lieutenant Governor. | Kurtz | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/5/1960 | Earl Long dies shortly after winning a primary runoff for the U.S. House of Representatives. | Rodrique | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/17/1960 | Three black protestors attempt to sit and the lunch counter at McCrory Five and Ten Cent Store in New Orleans. They are refused service and are arrested for trespass. | Warren | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 10/15/1960 | Author Michael Lewis is born in New Orleans. Lewis's books would include Moneyball, Liar's Poker, The BIg Short, and many others. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 11/14/1960 | Ruby Bridges attends William Frantz Elementary School. Bridges and three other African American children are the first non-whites admitted to previous segregated public schools in New Orleans. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 11/15/1960 | A "Citizens' Council" holds a rally with over 5,000 people in attendance to resist school integration while 10,000 out of 38,000 white students are absent from school on this day. | | Article | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 2/24/1962 | Police raid the gay Krewe of Yuga Mardi Gras ball. | Smith | Book | Click Here | Culture | LGBTQIA |
| 5/20/1963 | The U.S. Supreme Court reverses the Louisiana Supreme Court and find that three black protestors could not be refused service at a public restaurant and that their conviction for trespass would be reversed. | Warren | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 9/30/1963 | At least 8,000 people march on New Orleans City Hall asking for the end of segregation and other discriminatory practices in the city. | - | Article | Click Here | Race | African American |
| 12/8/1963 | Actor and activist Wendell Pierce is born in New Orleans. Pierce would establish his actor prowess on The Wire and would go on star in Treme and series of movies based on Tom Clancy's books. Pierce's activism in Louisiana centered around rebuilding historically black neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 10/1/1964 | Because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Charity Hospital begins the desegregation of the hospital and the treatment of patients. | McQueeney | Book | Click Here | Healthcare | Race |
| 9/9/1965 | Hurricane Betsy (Category 4 at landfall in Louisiana) causes the floodwalls of the Industrial Canal to fail flooding the Ninth Ward. Later reports show that city officials took active measures to concentrate flooding in the Ninth Ward in order to minimize flooding in the rest of the city. | Horowitz | Book | Click Here | Meteorology | Levees |
| 9/9/1965 | Hurricane Betsy makes landfall in Louisiana just west of Grand Isle. The storm would cause 81 deaths in Louisiana, force the evacuation of 250,000 people, and become the most destructive hurricane to date in Louisiana. | | Report | Click Here | Meteorology | - |
| 9/10/1965 | President Johnson arrives in New Orleans to survey the damage from Hurricane Betsy. Johnson's primary motivation was to improve his standing with Louisiana voters. [See also B. Williams.] | Johnson | Diary | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/10/1965 | Senator Russell Long calls President Johnson in the White House and convinces him to visit New Orleans after Hurricane Betsy. Long appeals to Johnson's desire to improve his standing with Louisiana voters. | Johnson | Audio | Click Here | | |
| 10/27/1965 | Congress authorizes the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity, Hurricane Protection Project (LPVHPP). The authorization comes shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Betsy. The project, designed to protect the New Orleans from hurricanes of "average" intensity, is 80% complete by 2005. | Horowitz | Book | Click Here | Levees | HOT |
| 7/19/1966 | The U.S. Attorney General files a Complaint alleging Plaquemines Parish has not desegregated its school as required by Brown v. Board of Education. | Christenberry | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 10/18/1966 | Gary Duncan, hoping to avert a fight between black and white high school boys in Plaquemines Parish, allegedly touches the arm of a white boy. Duncan is eventually arrested for battery and the incident would be the basis for a Supreme Court decision in 1986. | Van Meter | Book | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| 6/27/1967 | The federal District Court issues an injunction requiring Plaquemines Parish to desegregate its school by the beginning of the 1967 school year. The filing outlines the steps the Parish must take to desegregate the schools. | Christenberry | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Education |
| 9/11/1967 | Singer, pianist, and actor Harry Connick Jr. is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 9/17/1967 | The New Orleans Saints begin their first season of play. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | - | - |
| -/-/1968 | The Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet construction is completed. | | Web Page | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| -/-/1968 | Methodist Hospital opens in New Orleans East. City planners developed the area but a decline in employment and white flight caused the area to be a mostly African American section of the city by 2000. The hospital closed after Katrina but reopened under a different name in 2014. | McQueeney | Book | Click Here | Healthcare | Race |
| 3/1/1968 | The elevated I-10 expressway, constructed over Tremé, opens to traffic. Sited over an historically African American neighborhood, the expressway destroys much of the community and later becomes a target for removal to restore racial justice. [T.E.*] | Henry | Dissertation | Click Here | Race | Infrastructure |
| 5/20/1968 | The Supreme Court rules in Duncan v. Perez that trial by jury is required in criminal cases. The case involved a black man (Gary Duncan) in Plaquemines Parish who allegedly committed battery against a white teenager. | White | Court Doc. | Click Here | Race | Legal |
| -/-/1969 | The Orleans Levee District raises the lakefront levee to 12 feet. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Levees | - |
| 8/17/1969 | Hurricane Camille hits New Orleans on similar a path similar to Katrina. Camille is a stronger storm than Katrina when it makes landfall with winds of up to 200 mph. | Perez | Article | Click Here | Meteorology | - |
| 12/-/1969 | Breaking with long-standing segregationist policies, the New Orleans City Council bans racial discrimination in bars and public transport. Bar owners would file suit to prevent enforcement of this law. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Race | Commerce |
| 9/15/1970 | The New Orleans police and the Black Panther Party exchange gunfire in the Desire area of the city (3542 Piety). The Times Picayune reports that one person was killed, many were injured, and several Panther Party members were arrested on charges of attempted murder. | | Article | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 11/19/1970 | About 250 New Orleans police officers, supported by an armored vehicle, move into the Desire area to force protestors out of their new headquarters. After assessing the risk of many deaths to both officers and residents, the NOPD decides to call off their efforts. | Arend | Book | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 1/11/1971 | Two buildings associated with the Black Panther protests of 1970, burn to the ground on the same night. | Arend | Book | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 7/6/1971 | Louis Armstrong dies of a heart attack at the age of 71 in Queens, New York | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 8/6/1971 | All 12 defendants who were charged with attempted murder after a confrontation between police and the Black Panther Party in the Desire neighborhood are found not guilty. [See also Arend.] | Anderson | Article | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 1/7/1973 | A Navy veteran goes on a mass murder spree beginning on 12/31/1972 and is later cornered and killed by police atop the Howard Johnson hotel on Loyola Ave (now Holiday Inn). During the spree, Mark Essex kills 5 police officers and 4 other people. | McCoy | Video | Click Here | Race | Police |
| 3/-/1973 | The largest flood since the flood of 1927 occurs and the Bonnet Carré Spillway is fully opened for 75 days. | | Web Page | Click Here | Levees | Floods |
| 6/24/1973 | An arsonist set a fire lighter on the stairs of a New Orleans gay bar resulting in the deaths of 32 people. The crime at the Up Stairs Lounge was the largest mass murder of gays to date. | Fieseler | Book | Click Here | LGBTQ | |
| -/-/1975 | Containerization reduces jobs at the Port of New Orleans while manufacturing jobs are also in decline. | Stern | Book | Click Here | Commerce | - |
| 8/-/1975 | The Superdome is completed. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Infrastructure | - |
| 3/22/1976 | Actress, Academy Award winner, and Golden Globe winner Reese Witherspoon is born in New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | Culture | - |
| 11/12/1977 | Ernest Nathan Morial is elected as the first African American mayor of New Orleans. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | African American | - |
| 12/30/1977 | U.S. District Court Judge Charles Schwartz issues an injunction halting construction of a barrier plan that would have stopped water from entering Lake Pontchartrain through the Rigolets and Chef Menteur Pass. The impact of this decision will be hotly debated when Hurricane Katrina strikes the area. | Vartabedian | Article | Click Here | Levees | HOT |
| 12/8/1979 | David Treen wins the Louisiana gubernatorial runoff. He is the first Republican governor since Reconstruction. | Common Fact | Other | Click Here | - | - |
| 5/15/1980 | The United Houma Nation submits additional material in support of its petition for recognition as an Indian Tribe. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 12/5/1980 | WWOZ, a non-profit radio station goes on the air after receiving its license from the FCC the day before. The first song played on air was Keep Cool Babylon by Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus. [Also based on an interview with Jerry Brock, one of the founders of the station.] | Brock | Web Page | Click Here | Culture | |
| -/-/1981 | The Orleans Levee District raises the lakefront levee to 16 feet. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Levees | - |
| -/-/1985 | C. Ray Nagin, born in Charity Hospital, returns to New Orleans and begins work at Cox Communications. He eventually earns an MBA at Tulane and enters the New Orleans mayoral race in 2001. | Nagin | Book | Click Here | African American | - |
| 2/28/1985 | Governor Edwards is indicted on criminal corruption charges relating to a hospital and nursing home development scheme. | Ostrom | Article | Click Here | Corruption | |
| 5/1/1985 | National Medical Enterprises, which had purchased Flint Goodridge Hospital from Dillard University, closes the hospital after 90 years of operations. Flint Goodridge had been the city's only black-owned hospital. | McQueeney | Book | Click Here | Healthcare | Race |
| 7/18/1985 | The United Houma Nation submits it petition for recognition as an Indian Tribe. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 4/16/1986 | The Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court affirms the lower court decision barring the recovery of mineral leases that had been awarded decades ago by Leander Perez. | Williams | Court Doc. | Click Here | Corruption | Legal |
| 5/10/1986 | Governor Edwards is acquitted of all criminal charges related to nursing home and hospital licenses. | Maraniss | Article | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 12/12/1986 | The United Houma Nation receives its first letter of deficiency in regard to its petition for recognition as an Indian Tribe. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| -/-/1987 | The Orleans Levee District raises the lakefront levee to 18 feet. | Campanella | Book | Click Here | Levees | - |
| 5/14/1988 | The United Houma Nation submits additional material in support of its petition for recognition as an Indian Tribe. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 2/19/1989 | David Duke, a former member of the Klu Klux Klan, is elected to the Louisiana legislature representing Metairie. | Maraniss | Article | Click Here | Race | |
| 8/7/1990 | The Select Committee on Indian Affairs holds a hearing on the Houma Recognition Act. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 8/7/1990 | Jack Campisi testifies before Select Committee in Indian Affairs in support of Federal recognition of the United Houma Nation. He argues that the branch reviewing the Petition as applied inconsistent standards. | Select Committee on Indian Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 9/26/1990 | As part of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990, the Orleans and London Avenue Canals are transferred to federal authority, reducing the financial burden on local residents for improvements. [See also Woolley 2008.] | Rogers | Paper | Click Here | Levees | - |
| 11/7/1990 | At a meeting of the Orleans Water Board, the Army Corps of Engineers states that a "gates" plan was preferred by the Corps because it was less expensive than building higher levee walls. | Rosenthal | Book | Click Here | Levees | - |
| 11/29/1990 | President George H. W. Bush signs the Coastal Planning, Protection and Restoration Act. The Act provided for a 75%/25% split of funding between the federal government and the state. | | Legislation | Click Here | Wetlands | Infrastructure |
| 11/17/1991 | Edwin Edwards defeats former Klu Klux Klan member David Duke in the Louisiana governor's election by a margin of 61% to 39%. | Brownstein | Article | Click Here | Race | |
| 12/19/1991 | The New Orleans City council unanimously approves an ordinance which effectively banned discrimination in business and professional life. The law was aimed to open Carnival Krewes to all races. | Vennman | Paper | Click Here | Race | |
| 1/11/1992 | The Knights of Momus announce they will not parade on Shrove Tuesday as they had since 1872. The groups action is in response to New Orleans' City Council legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in social groups. | Gill | Book | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| 2/6/1992 | The City Council modifies the penalties it could impose on social clubs that do not conform to its anti discrimination ordinance. The law was aimed at the Carnival Krewes that parade during Mardi Gras. | Vennman | Paper | Click Here | Race | |
| 5/7/1992 | The New Orleans City Council further relaxes anti discrimination policies aimed at social clubs and allows gender discrimination. | Vennman | Paper | Click Here | Race | |
| 8/26/1992 | After devastating Florida, Hurricane Andrew strikes Louisiana causing over $1 billion in damage. | Colten | Book | Click Here | Meteorology | - |
| 8/27/1992 | President George H.W. Bush orders the Army to Florida to aid with relief efforts due to Hurricane Andrew. Bush is accused of being late in his response to the storm and indifferent to the suffering of storm victims. | Krishnaiyer | Article | Click Here | HOT | - |
| 9/17/1992 | The New Orleans City Council rejects placing a referendum on the ballot that would have removed the City Council's ability to regulate social clubs. | Gill | Book | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| 3/7/1993 | David Duke, the former Klu Klux Klan member, organizes a rededication ceremony for the reinstallation of the Liberty Monument as a less prominent location in New Orleans. Duke's supporters clash with black protestors who see the Monument as a symbol of white supremacy. | Gill | Book | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| 3/10/1994 | Federal Court Judge McNamara rules that the City of New Orleans cannot investigate strictly private Mardi Krewes for alleged racial discrimination. | Finch | Article | Click Here | Race | Culture |
| 12/13/1994 | The Bureau of Indian Affairs approves a report recommending that the United Houma Nation Inc. application for tribal status be denied. | Deer | Report | Click Here | Indigenous | |
| 5/6/1997 | The Louisiana State Legislature transfers management of Charity Hospital to LSU. Throughout the remaining years of the hospital, state funding for hospital would decline precipitously. [See also McQueeney.] | | Legislation | Click Here | Healthcare | |
| 11/7/1998 | Former Governor Edwards is indicted in federal court for conspiracy to extort payments in exchange for riverboat gambling licenses. | Sack | Article | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 12/15/1998 | The St. Bernard Parish Council passes a resolution asking for the eventual closing of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet because of environmental damage and the likelihood of storm surges. | Braden | Court Doc. | Click Here | Legal | Canals |
| 5/9/2000 | Former Governor Edwards in convicted of extortion stemming from the award of casino licenses. He will be sentenced to 10 years in jail. | Waters | Transcript | Click Here | Corruption | - |
| 5/20/2000 | Jazzland theme park opens in New Orleans East. | | Press Release | Click Here | Commerce | - |
| 12/13/2001 | Just before midnight, Officer Kenneth Bowen is involved in a police shooting and death of a fleeing suspect. Sylvester Scott was killed in the incident and Officer Bowen was exonerated for the shooting. In 2005, Officer Bowen would be involved in a police shooting on the Danziger Bridge for which he would ultimately serve prison time. | Greene | Book | Click Here | Racial Violence | Police |
| 3/2/2002 | Ray Nagin, a former cable company executive, wins a runoff race for mayor of New Orleans. He defeats Richard Pennington, Superintendent of New Orleans police department, who former mayor Marc Morial had hired to reform the police department. | | Web Page | Click Here | African American | - |
| 5/6/2002 | After a failed bid for mayor, Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department Richard Pennington finishes his contract with the City of New Orleans and leaves the department. | | Web Page | Click Here | Police | - |
| 5/21/2002 | Mayor Nagin appoints Captain Edwin Compass III as the Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Dept. | | Web Page | Click Here | Police | - |
| 6/23/2002 | The Times-Picayune publishes a series of articles entitled "Washing Away." The articles highlight the dangers facing New Orleans in the event of a major hurricane strike. | McQuaid | Article | Click Here | Meteorology | Levees |
| 7/16/2002 | President Bush announce his plan to create a new Department of Homeland Security. | Bush | Paper | Click Here | - | - |
| 9/26/2002 | Hurricane Isidore hits Southeastern Louisiana. Flooding causes the closure of Interstate 10 as city's pumps cannot handle the storm's rainfall. | | Web Page | Click Here | Meteorology | - |
| 9/28/2002 | Mayor Nagin meets with Senators Landrieu and Jeffords about infrastructure failings during Tropical Storm Isidore. | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - U.S. Senate | Transcript | Click Here | Evacuation | Infrastructure |
| 9/29/2002 | Garey Foster writes a memo to other city officials indicating the need to send a follow-up letter to Senator Landrieu detailing infrastructure needs that come to light during Tropical Storm Isidore. | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - U.S. Senate | Transcript | Click Here | Evacuation | Infrastructure |
| 10/1/2002 | Mayor Nagin writes Senator Landrieu about "glaring problems" that came to light in the aftermath of Hurricane Isidore. Pumping stations, communications equipment, generators, and many other infrastructure items need major improvements. The letter also note that hospital generators need to be moved above ground level. | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs - U.S. Senate | Transcript | Click Here | Evacuation | HOT |
| 11/3/2003 | New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin endorses Republican Bobby Jindal for Governor over Democrat Kathleen Blanco. | | Web Page | Click Here | - | - |
| 11/15/2003 | Democratic Lt. Governor Kathleen Blanco wins the gubernatorial election becoming the first female governor of Louisiana. | | Web Page | Click Here | Women | - |
| 7/23/2004 | The Department of Homeland Security appears before Congress to request funds for catastrophic planning. | Brown | Book | Click Here | - | - |
| 7/23/2004 | The Hurricane Pam emergency preparedness exercise concludes. The simulation highlights the devastation a hurricane could cause in a worst-case scenario. | | Press Release | Click Here | Preparation | FEMA |
| 8/13/2004 | Hurricane Charlie (Category 4) strikes the Gulf Coast causing extensive damage in Florida. Charlie is one of four hurricanes to hit Florida this year. | Brown | Book | Click Here | Meteorology | - |
| 9/16/2004 | Hurricane Ivan threatens New Orleans, and an evacuation order creates massive traffic jams. The storm eventually bypasses the city. | Colten | Book | Click Here | HOT | Meteorology |
| 11/29/2004 | Michael L. Brown (not Michael D. Brown of FEMA) Deputy Director of the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security is indicted in Federal court on charges of obstructing a federal audit. The experienced director of the office is therefore not at his job during Hurricane Katrina. | Federal Emergency Management Agency | Report | Click Here | HOT | - |
| 2/15/2005 | Michael Chertoff is appointed Secretary of Homeland Security. | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | FEMA | - |
| 5/19/2005 | Dr. Hassan Mashriqui makes a hurricane presentation in Jefferson Parish. His research shows that the Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet could focus storm-surge waters into the city. [See also Freudenburg.] | Mashriqui | Report | Click Here | Levees | HOT |
| 7/-/2005 | At a FEMA planning session, it is noted that New Orleans does not have the capabilities for mass evacuations. | Lipton | Web Page | Click Here | Evacuation | - |
| 7/15/2005 | Michael Chertoff informs Michael Brown that unless he can agree to management changes at FEMA and HSD, he should resign. [Exact date estimated.] | Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs | Transcript | Click Here | FEMA | - |
| 7/30/2005 | NOPD Officers Melvin Williams and Mathew Dean Moore are involved in an altercation with Tremé resident Raymond Robair. The officers are later tried and convicted for the death of Robair. | McCarthy | Article | Click Here | Racial Violence | Police |
| 8/21/2005 | This is the last full day of operations for Six Flags New Orleans (Jazzland) theme park. At the end of the day, the park closes in anticipation of Hurricane Katrina and is never reopened due to the damage caused by hurricane Katrina. | Williams | Video | Click Here | Commerce | - |
