| 1843 | William McKinley's birth | William was born in Niles, Ohio and lived there his entire childhood. He was named after his father, and his official name was William McKinley, Jr. |
| 1859 | School graduation | Eventually, William's parents moved the family to a different town in order for the children to attend better schools. William graduated and moved to Pennsylvania to attend college. |
| 1861 | The Civil War | Along with several other young men in his family, William enlisted as a private in the Union Army. He went through a month of training before shipping out to the battle field. |
| 1863 | Advancement in rank | William continued fighting in the army during the war. After two years of service he was promoted to second lieutenant. |
| 1864 | Victory in the war | The fighting went on, and William and his regiment won several victories as they made their way south. They were stopped and sent back north in West Virginia. |
| 1865 | McKinley the lawyer | When the war ended, William went into practicing law. He also met and married his wife, Ida Saxton. |
| 1876 | A successful career | McKinley's career moved forward, and he continued to have success. When he took a big case defending a group of coal miners, and won, his standing in the community was raised. |
| 1877 | Congressman | McKinley moved into politics as a US Congressman. He worked under President Hayes, though he learned to keep his distance since many didn't like Hayes. |
| 1880 | Continuing in politics | McKinley's political career continued advancing. He served on the Republican National Committee for several years, and made many friend during that time. |
| 1891 | Governor of Ohio | With McKinley's growing respect in the political community, he was able to secure the nomination for governor of Ohio. He won the election by over 20,000 votes. |
| 1896 | A Run for President | McKinley's political hopes grew ever larger. Soon he found himself nominated to run for president. |
| 1897 | President! | McKinley found himself president of the United States of America. He promised to focus on tariff (or tax) reform and currency reform. |
| February 1898 | Spanish-American War | A year into his presidency, President McKinley found America under attack from the Spanish in Cuba. The US declared war. |
| September 1898 | The Treaty of Paris | President McKinley was able to lead the country to the end of the war, and the Treaty of Paris was signed as a peace agreement. During this time, McKinley also looked into the annexation of Hawaii. |
| 1901 | Assassination | McKinley was elected for a second term, due in part to his success during his first term. However, in September 1901 McKinley was assassinated while giving a speech at a fair ground in New York, and his second term as president quickly ended. |
