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| 1609 |
 The explorer Henry Hudson, commanding the "Half-Moon," puts in at Coney Island before continuing into what is now called New York Harbor. According to tradition, his right-hand man, John Coleman, is killed there by local Indians. |
| 1829 |
Coney Island House opens, marking the beginning of Coney Island's status as a seaside resort. |
| 1845 |
Samuel Colt erects a telegraph tower at Coney Island. |
| 1862 |
George C. Tilyou is born in New York City. His family moves to Coney Island three years later. |
| 1860s |
Mike "Thunderbolt" Norton opens a hotel at Norton's Point, on the eastern end of Coney Island, which caters to a corrupt clientele. |
| 1867 |
 Charles Feltman invents the hot dog at Coney Island. |
| 1869 |
John Y. McKane is elected town commissioner of Gravesend, beginning his career as a Coney Island politician. |
| 1875 |
Andrew Culver completes the Prospect Park & Coney Island Railroad. |
| 1876 |
Andrew Culver opens the Oriental Hotel, inaugurating the era of opulent hotels at Coney Island. |
| 1877 |
 Andrew Culver erects the 300-foot Steel Tower observatory at Coney Island.
Austin Corbin opens the Manhattan Beach Hotel. |
| 1878 |
The Camera Obscura Observatory, an import from the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, is installed at Coney Island.
William Engeman opens the Brighton Beach Hotel. |
