adapted from: Sattler, 2000; Schecter, 1992; Refuge House, 1992; National Woman Abuse Prevention Project's Timeline, and various other sources

ca. 1820	Harriet Tubman born.
ca. 1849	Harriet Tubman escapes and begin leading slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
	Colonial American women form networks to assist women in fleeing from abusive husbands.
1865	Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed and ratified, emancipating the slaves.
1920	Women get the right to vote in the U.S.
	Battering Wives is made illegal in the U.S.
1964	Refuge House, the first women's shelter, is formed in London.
1970	The Journal of Marriage and Family cites family violence for the first time.
1971	Chiswick Women's Aid, the first recognized shelter, opens in England.
1972	Women's Advocates, in St. Paul, Minnesota, start the first hotline for battered women.
	Women's Advocates and Haven House in Pasadena, California, establish the first recognized shelter for battered women in the United States.
1974	Erin Prizzley publishes Scream Quietly or the Neighbors Will Hear in England, the first book about domestic violence from the battered woman's perspective.
1975	The Jacksonville Women's Movement purchases Hubbard House, the first emergency shelter specifically for battered women in the Southeast and thirteenth in the nation.
1976	National Organization for Women announces the formation of a task force to examine the problem of battering. It demands research into the problem and funding for shelters.
	Del Martin publishes Battered Wives, which originates the idea of a "cycle of violence." This book becomes a major source of information and validation for the movement.
	Betsy Warrior publishes Working on Wife Abuse, the first national directory of individuals and groups helping battered women.
	Former battered women and members of the radical feminist collective "Cell 16" establish Boston's Transition House.
	Nebraska becomes the first state to abolish the marital rape exemption.
	Pennsylvania establishes the first state coalition against domestic violence. It also becomes the first state to create a statute providing for orders of protection for victims of domestic violence.
	The Women's Legal Defense Fund's Task Force on Abused Women was founded in Washington D.C. Their goals were to provide services and support to abused women, educate the general public about domestic violence, and raise funds for a shelter for battered women and their children. The Task Force establishes a project named My Sister's Place.*
	First national conference on battered women is held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Conference. Attendees from all over the US envision a newsletter, titled The National Communication Network for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (NCN), that would function to network domestic violence activists.
1977	National Communication Network for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the first national newsletter on battered women, is published. The responsibility of publishing this journal rotates bi-monthly among groups of battered women activists and shelters across the country.
	Oregon becomes the first state to enact legislation mandating arrest in domestic violence cases.
1978	National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), a grassroots organization, forms to be the voice of the battered women's movement on the national level. NCADV establishes the vision and philosophy which will guide the development of hundreds of local battered women's programs and state coalitions. It initiates the introduction of the Family Violence Preventions and Services Act in US Congress.
	Minnesota becomes the first state to allow probable cause (warrantless arrest in cases of domestic assault, regardless of whether a protection order has been issued against the offender).
	National Communications Network merges with the Feminist Alliance Against Rape and changes its name to Aegis: The Magazine on Ending Violence Against Women, a grassroots feminist forum on rape, battering, and other issues on violence affecting women.
	US Commission on Civil Rights holds "Consultation on Battered Women" in Washington, DC to bring together hundreds of activists resulting in Battered Women: Issues of Public Policy, which offers more than 700 pages of written and oral testimony.
1979	Refuge House opens in Tallahassee, Florida.
	After three years of planning and building community support, the Task Force opens My Sister's Place in Washington, DC. A confidential shelter with beds for up to 15 battered women and their children. MSP provides a hotline program, counseling and advocacy for residents, coordinates a children's program and day care, trains volunteers, and provides community education presentations and workshops.*
	Office of Domestic Violence is established in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services but is closed in 1981.
	First congressional hearings on the issue of domestic violence are held.
1980	National Coalition Against Domestic Violence organizes its first national conference, which over 600 advocates attended from across the US and Puerto Rico.
	First National Day of Unity in October is establishes by NCADV to mourn battered women who have died, celebrate women who have survived the violence, an dhonor all who work to fight domestic violence. Becomes Domestic Violence Awareness Week and in 1987 expands to a month of awareness activities.
1981	My Sister's Place moves to a new shelter site and increases the number of beds for women and children to 24.*
	My Sister's Place incorporates as a nonprofit organization, independent from the Women's Legal Defense Fund.*
1983	A Police Foundation study in Minneapolis, funded by the National Institute of Justice, finds arrest more effective than two non-arrest alternatives in reducing the likelihood of repeat violence. The study findings are widely publicized and provide the impetus for many police departments to establish pro-arrest policies in cases of domestic violence.
1984	U.S. Attorney General establishes Task Force on Family Violence to examine the scope and nature of the problem. Nearly 300 witnesses provide testimony at public hearings in six cities. The final report offers recommendations for action in many areas, including the criminal justice response, prevention and awareness, education and training, and data collection and reporting. Passage of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act is due to grassroots lobbying efforts and earmarks federal funding for programs serving victims of domestic violence.
	Florida becomes the first state to enact legislation mandating consideration of spouse abuse in child custody determinations.
1985	Thurman v. Torrington is the first case in federal court in which a battered woman sues a city for police failure to protect her husband's violence. Tracy Thurman, who remains scarred and partially paralyzed from stab wounds inflicted by her husband, wins a $2 million judgment against the city. The suit leads to Connecticut's passage of its mandatory arrest law.
	U.S. Surgeon General issues a report identifying domestic violence as a major health problem.
1987	National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Woman opens within the ACLU.
	NCADV establishes the first national toll-domestic violence hotline.
1988	State v. Ciske is the first case to allow the use of expert testimony to establish the mental state of an adult rape victim. The testimony is used to show why a victim of repeated physical and sexual assault by her intimate partner would not immediately call the police or take action. The jury convicts the defendant of four counts of rape.
1989	My Sister's Place opens transitional housing, a program that prepares women and children for an independent living environment while still providing group and individual counseling. *
1990	The Clothesline Project, display of shirts created by survivors of gender-related violence, begins in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
1991	First woman is granted clemency under the battered women's syndrome; the National Clearinghouse estimates that 39 women have been granted clemency between 1991-1998.
1993	Defending Our Lives, which documents the stories of battered women, wins an Academy Award for best short documentary.
1994	Violence Against Woman Act passed as part of 1994 Crime Bill, forming the Violence Against Women Office in the U.S. Department of Justice.
1995	Violence Against Women Office opens.
	Trial of O. J. Simpson for the murder of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
1996	Acquittal of O. J. Simpson.
	Civil trial of O.J. Simpson
1997	My Sister's Place initiates DC Clothesline Project.*
1998	O. J. Simpson convicted in civil court.
	My Sister's Place and the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence opens the Supporting Our Survivors (SOS) Center, a nonresidential counseling program providing free support to women and their children.*
	My Sister's Place develops a scholarship fund for survivors of domestic violence in the Washington, DC area.*
1999	My Sister's Place pilots Latino Outreach Program, translating educational materials, recruiting bi-lingual volunteers, facilitating workshops, and raising consciousness in the Latino community.*
2000	My Sister's Place, along with other community groups, coordinates the first ever Latino vigil and march against domestic violence in DC.*