| 674 | Building of St. Peter's Church |
| 1183 | Bishop Hugh du Puiset's charter creates the first Borough of Sunderland |
| 1346 | Thomas Menvil authorised to build ships at Hendon |
| 1346 | The first recorded shipbuilding on the River Wear was in 1346. |
| 1634 | Bishop Morton's Charter created Sunderland's first Mayor and Corporation |
| 1698 | Formation of Sunderland Company of Glassmakers |
| 1719 | Holy Trinity Sunderland Parish Church opened |
| 1793 | Philip and John Laing established a shipyard on Monkwearmouth Shore. (The oldest surviving shipbuilding firm in Sunderland when it was absorbed into Sunderland Shipbuilders Ltd.) |
| 1796 | Wearmouth Bridge opened |
| 1822 | Opening of the railway line from Hetton to Sunderland coal staithes, one of the earliest uses of locomotive power. The engineer was George Stephenson |
| 1826 | Sinking of Wearmouth Colliery |
| 1831 | In October of this year the first outbreak of cholera in the United Kingdom occurred in Sunderland - two hundred people died |
| 1832 | Sunderland became a parliamentary borough under the Reform Act, returning two members of Parliament |
| 1835/6 | Establishment of the modern Borough Council, with the first modern Mayor |
| 1850 | Opening of Sunderland South Docks by George Hudson MP |
| 1856 | Sir William Mills, (1856 – 1932) inventor of the Mills Bomb of First World War fame, was born in Sunderland |
| 1858 | The tongue of 'Big Ben' was forged at Hopper's foundry, Houghton |
| 1873 | Foundation of Sunderland Echo |
| 1881 | Sunderland Association Football Club was founded. It was based on a club known as The Teachers which had started playing in 1879 |
| 1875 | A record of 64 days was set for the Australia run by the Wear built sailing vessel 'The Torrens'. Launched in 1875, the novelist Joseph Conrad served on her for a time as mate |
| 1888 | Sunderland granted County Borough status |
| 1903 | Roker Pier - the harbour's northern breakwater is 2,790 feet long. It was opened in 1903. The southern breakwater was never completed due to declining trade |
| 1909 | The then heaviest bridge in Britain was opened. The Queen Alexandra Bridge carried road and rail traffic, the railway deck remained in use for barely 12 years |
| 1923 | Police Boxes, model for the TARDIS pioneered by Chief Constable Frederick Crawley |
| 1937 | Sunderland AFC won the FA Cup |
| 1964 | Washington designated as a New Town |
| 1967 | Ryhope, Silksworth, Tunstall, East & Middle Herrington, South Hylton, part of Offerton, Castletown and Whitburn South Bents added to the County Borough of Sunderland |
| 1969 | Sunderland Technical & Art Colleges merged to form Sunderland Polytechnic (now the University of Sunderland) |
| 1970 | Opening of new Town Hall & Civic Centre by the Princess Margaret |
| 1973 | Sunderland won the FA Cup for the second time |
| 1974 | Washington, Hetton and Houghton joined the new Borough of Sunderland |
| 1984 | Nissan chose Sunderland for their new European manufacturing base |
| 1988 | Announcement of closure of the shipyards on Wearside |
| 1992 | The City of Sunderland was created a by Her Majesty The Queen on 23 March |
| 1993 | Her Majesty the Queen & His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh visit Sunderland to unveil the City's new coat of arms |
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