1798

President John Adams signed "an Act for the relief of sick and disabled Seamen," which led to the establishment of the Marine Hospital Service.

1803

The first permanent Marine Hospital authorized to be built in Boston, Massachusetts.

1836

Library of the Office of Surgeon General of the Army established.

1870

President Grant signed a law establishing a "Bureau of the U.S. Marine Hospital Service, " Treasury Department, which created central control over the hospitals, and a Supervising Surgeon (later Surgeon General).

1887

Laboratory of Hygiene established at Marine Hospital, Staten Island, New York, for research in cholera and other infectious diseases.

1891

Laboratory of Hygiene redesignated the Hygienic Laboratory and moved from Staten Island to the Marine Hospital Service Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

1902

Advisory Board for Hygienic Laboratory established; later became National Advisory Health Council. Act of Congress changed name of Marine Hospital Service to the Public Health and Marine Hospital Service. Hygienic Laboratory authorized by Congress to regulate laboratories that produced "biologicals." The Hygienic Laboratory expanded to four divisions: Bacteriology and Pathology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Zoology.

1912

Public Health and Marine Hospital Service renamed Public Health Service.

1921

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Laboratory established in Hamilton, Montana, as field station of Public Health Service.

1922

Library of the Office of Surgeon General renamed Army Medical Library.

1930

Hygienic laboratory renamed National Institute of Health (NIH). Congress authorized construction of two buildings for NIH and a system of fellowships.

1937

Congress authorized National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the awarding of research grants. Rocky Mountain Laboratory became part of NIH.

1938

National Institute of Health moved to land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Luke I. Wilson at Bethesda, Maryland. Cornerstone for Shannon Building laid.

1939

Public Health Service became part of newly created Federal Security Agency; until this time it was part of the Treasury Department.

1946

Division of Research Grants established to process NIH grants and fellowships to non-federal institutions and scientists. (Originally established as Research Grants Office, renamed Research Grants Division and, finally, Division of Research Grants.)

1948

National Heart Institute authorized. Several laboratories (including Rocky Mountain Laboratory) regrouped to form National Microbiological Institute. Experimental Biology and Medicine Institute, and National Institute of Dental Research established. National Institute of Heath became National Institutes of Health.

1949

Mental Hygiene Program of Public Health Service transferred to NIH and expanded to become National Institute of Mental Health.

1950

"Omnibus Medical Research Act" authorized the establishment of the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness and the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, and the latter absorbed the Experimental Biology and Medicine Institute.

1952

Army Medical library renamed Armed Forces Medical library.

1953

Public Health Service became part of newly created Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Clinical Center opened.

1955

National Microbiological Institute renamed National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Laboratory of Biologics Control renamed Division of Biologics Standards. Division of Research Services created.

1956

The Armed Forces Medical Library renamed the National Library of Medicine and placed in the Public Health Service.

1957

The Center for Aging Research established.

1958

Division of General Medical Sciences created. The Center for Aging Research transferred from the National Heart Institute to the Division of General Medical Sciences.

1961

The Center for Research in Child Health established in Division of General Medical Sciences.

1962

Division of Research facilities and Resources created. National Library of Medicine moved to NIH reservation.

1963

Division of General Medical Sciences renamed National Institute of General Medical Sciences. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development created.

1964

Division of Computer Research and Technology established.

1966

Division of Environmental Health Sciences created.

1967

National Institute of Mental Health separated from NIH and became separate bureau of PHS.

1968

John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences created. National Institutes of Health, previously a bureau of the PHS, established as an agency. Bureau of Health Manpower and the National Library of Medicine became part of NIH. National Eye Institute created. National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness renamed National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. Division of Regional Medical Programs transferred to Health Services and Mental Health Administration.

1969

Bureau of Health Manpower renamed Bureau of Health Professions Education and Manpower Training (BEMT). Functions of the Division of Research Facilities and Resources transferred to the newly established divisions within the Bureau: Division of Research Resources and Division of Educational and Research Facilities Division of Environmental Health Sciences renamed National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Heart Institute renamed National Heart and Lung Institute

1970

Bureau of Health Professions Education and Manpower Training renamed Bureau of Health Manpower Education, with six divisions. Division of Research Resources transferred out of this Bureau.

1972

National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases renamed National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases (NIAMDD). Division of Biologics Standards transferred from NIH to Food and Drug Administration, PHS. National Cancer Institute and National Heart and Lung Institute gained bureau status.

1973

Bureau of Health Manpower Education transferred from NIH to Health Resources Administration, PHS. National Institute of Mental Health rejoined NIH and then transferred after 3 months to the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration.

1974

National Institute on Aging created.

1975

National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke renamed National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke.

1976

National Heart and Lung Institute renamed National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

1981

National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases renamed National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIADDK).

1982

National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases gained bureau status.

1986

National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases renamed National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Notional Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases created. The Center for Nursing Research transferred from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and renamed the National Center for Nursing Research. All research institutes, as well as divisions and centers reporting to the Director, NIH, given formal second-echelon (bureau-level) status.

1989

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders established. National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke renamed the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Center for Human Genome Research established. National Center for Biotechnology Information established within the National Library of Medicine.

1990

National Center for Research Resources was created by consolidating the Division of Research Services and the Division of Research Resources.

1991

National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research established within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

1992

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and National Institute of Mental Health were transferred to NIH from the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration.

1993

National Center for Nursing Research was re-titled as the National Institute of Nursing Research.

1994

The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1993 mandated establishment of an Office of Dietary Supplements within NIH to conduct and coordinate NIH research relating to dietary supplements and the extent to which their use reduces the risk of certain diseases.

1997

Division of Research Grants (DRG) was renamed the Center for Scientific Review and Division of Computer Research and Technology (DCRT) became the Center for Information Technology.

1998

The National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a name change to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

1999

NIH convened the first meeting of the Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR), which consults with the NIH Director on medical research, NIH's policies and programs, and public participation in NIH's activities.

2000

The international Human Genome Project public consortium - funded by NIH, DOE, and others - assembled a working draft of the sequence of the human genome.