A lot of people, including teachers, say date memorization isn't important in history. Dates definitely give a sense of context and continuity that are indispensable.
i suppose the point is that it's not very useful to memorise exact dates down to the year, compared to having a general sense of what sort of period things happened in compared to one another. i don't imagine many people benefit from knowing that queen victoria ascended the throne in exactly 1837 (ie if they thought it was 1836 it would probably make no difference to them), but knowing she was around for most of the 1800s is very useful information to contextualise other historical events, you're right.
I agree. It isn't important to know the exact years of US Grant's presidency if you know know he followed Lincoln and Johnson, and oversaw Reconstruction while cleaning up Johnson's mess.
Absolutely. Of course, history is way, way more than just dates, but the dates are still incredibly important. From their significance throughout history and popular consciousness (Remember, remember, the fifth of November...) to just having a grasp on chronology, you gotta know your dates.