1851 – Born on January 19th in Gainesville, New York. A naturalist, educator, and the foremost American ichthyologist of his time.
1872 – Jordan studied biology at Cornell University.
– Jordan was inspired to specialize in ichthyology by the Swiss-born American naturalist Louis Agassiz.
1876 – With B.W. Evermann he wrote the authoritative “The Fishes of North and Middle America,” and his Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States went through 13 editions between its publication.
1879 – He became professor of biology at Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana, before being appointed professor of natural history at Indiana University, Bloomington.
1885 – He became president of Indiana University.
1891-1913 – He became the first president of the newly opened Leland Stanford Junior University (now Stanford University), in Stanford, California.
– Jordan devoted his later career mainly to the cause of international peace, acting as chief director of the World Peace Foundation.
1931 – Died on September 19th in Stanford, California.