-
Period: to
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
-
Period: to
Vietnam War
a protracted conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam and its allies in South Vietnam, known as the Viet Cong, against the government of South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. With large opposition from the general public, the Americans eventually withdrew resulting in complete failure. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, prompting a boycott that would lead to the declaration that bus segregation laws were unconstitutional by a federal court. -
Sputnik is launched into space
Soviet Satellite Sputnik is successfully launched into space spreading fear throughout the US and initiating the Space Race -
Period: to
President John F. Kennedy
-
The Berlin Wall begins contruction
The construction of the Berlin Wall begins by the Soviet bloc, segregating the German city, previously held in four sectors by Allied forces, including the United States. The wall would last for twenty-eight years. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crises begins. In response to the Soviet Union building offensive missiles in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy orders a naval and air blockade of military equipment to the island. An agreement is eventually reached with Soviet Premier Khrushchev on the removal of the missiles, ending the potential conflict after thirty-eight days, in what many think was the closest the Cold War came to breaking into armed conflict. -
John F. Kennedy Assassinated
The president is assassinated in Dallas Texas during a parade -
Period: to
President Lyndon B. Johnson
-
Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on a motel balcony by James Earl Ray. -
Period: to
President Richard Nixon
-
The United States lands the first man on the moon effectively winning the Space Race
The Apollo program completes its mission. Neil Armstrong, United States astronaut, becomes the first man to set foot on the moon four days after launch from Cape Canaveral. His Apollo 11 colleague, Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. (Buzz Aldrin) accompanies him. -
SALT Pact
President Richard M. Nixon makes the first trip of the U.S. President to Moscow. The week of summit discussions would lead to a strategic arms pact, SALT I that would be signed by Nixon and Premier Leonid Brezhnev on May 26. The pact prohibited either side from building more nuclear weapons and laid terms to diminish the stockpile of them. -
Nixon Resigns after Watergate
President Richard M. Nixon resigns the office of the presidency, avoiding the impeachment process and admitting his role in the Watergate affair. He was replaced by Vice President Gerald R. Ford, who, on September 8, 1974, pardoned Nixon for his role. Nixon was the first president to ever resign from office. -
Vietnam war ends
America withdraws from Vietnam and Communist forces complete their takeover of South Vietnam, forcing the evacuation from Saigon of civilians from the United States and the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam.