Is there a way to look at photos by date taken in iPhoto?

Using the search functionality is usually the best way to find unknown options.

First select Photos from the sidebar. Then sort by date.

What I've done is created smart albums and organized them by year, then by month. You can create smart albums by going to File>New Smart Album. Then, select a date range.
IMO, this is the best way to do it. I've organized it exactly like your picture.

Yes! If you're in Events, you can go to the View menu, hover on Sort Events and check the By Date option. This will do the same thing for Photos if you're selected on Photos. This will sort the Events or Photos you're looking at by date taken. As you're scrolling though them, a HUD will show the month they were taken.

Hope this helps.