1890s - Development of ragtime
1903 - Bessie Smith makes her singing debut at the age of nine
1920s - King Oliver and Jerry Roll Morton develop New Orleans Jazz in Chicago and New York
1927 - The Jazz Singer released in US cinemas
1940s - Start of the Bebop revolution
1955 - Miles Davis stars at the Newport Jazz Festival
1960s - Development of avant garde "Free Jazz
1970s - Early Jazz-Rock fusion experiments