7. Ellis Island Opens (1892)
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened as the United States’ first federal immigration station, processing nearly 700 immigrants on its first day. The first to be processed was Annie Moore, a 15-year-old from County Cork, Ireland, who traveled with her two younger brothers to join their parents in New York. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in American immigration history (nps.gov).
