Cold War Timeline

By s0378820
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    Cold War (1945-1991)

  • Truman Doctrine (1947)

    President Harry S. Truman articulated the doctrine in a speech to Congress, outlining U.S. support for countries threatened by communist expansionism. This policy marked the formalization of the containment strategy against the spread of communism.

  • McCarthyism (1950s)

    Senator Joseph McCarthy led a campaign to root out alleged communists and communist sympathizers from government, academia, and other sectors. The era was marked by hearings, accusations, and blacklisting of suspected individuals.

  • Korean War (1950-1953)

    North Korean forces, supported by China and the Soviet Union, invaded South Korea. The conflict escalated into a full-scale war when the United States and other UN member states intervened to support South Korea. The war ended in an armistice, with Korea remaining divided along the 38th parallel.

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

    The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established by the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

  • Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-1956)

    African American citizens, led by civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King Jr., boycotted the city's segregated bus system to protest racial segregation. The boycott ultimately led to a Supreme Court ruling declaring segregated buses unconstitutional.

  • Vietnam War (1955-1975)

    A protracted conflict between communist forces of North Vietnam, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and its allies. The war ended with the fall of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam under communist control.

  • Sputnik (1957)

    The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit, marking the beginning of the space age and initiating the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.

  • Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

    The United States discovered that the Soviet Union had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba, leading to a tense standoff between the two superpowers. After days of intense negotiations, the crisis was peacefully resolved, with the Soviet Union agreeing to remove its missiles from Cuba in exchange for a U.S. pledge not to invade the island.

  • March on Washington (1963)

    A massive civil rights demonstration in Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, calling for an end to racism and for civil and economic rights for African Americans.

  • JFK Assassination (1963)

    President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, sparking shock and grief across the nation. The circumstances surrounding his death remain the subject of debate and conspiracy theories.

  • Civil Rights Act (1964)

    Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended segregation in public places.

  • MLK Assassination (1968)

    Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray, prompting nationwide mourning and renewed efforts to advance the civil rights movement.

  • RFK Assassination (1968)

    Robert F. Kennedy, a U.S. Senator and presidential candidate, was assassinated in Los Angeles by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian immigrant. His death shocked the nation and altered the course of American politics.

  • Tet Offensive (1968)

    A series of coordinated North Vietnamese attacks on South Vietnam during the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet). Although the offensive was militarily unsuccessful for the North Vietnamese, it had a significant impact on public opinion in the United States, contributing to growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War.

  • Moon landing (1969)

    The Apollo 11 mission, commanded by Neil Armstrong, successfully landed the first humans on the moon. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin spent several hours exploring the lunar surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module.

  • Watergate Break-in (1972)

    Five men linked to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. The subsequent investigation uncovered a web of political espionage and corruption within the Nixon administration, leading to Nixon's resignation in 1974.

  • Roe v. Wade (1973)

    The Supreme Court ruled that a woman's right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to her decision to have an abortion, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide.

  • Iranian Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)

    The Supreme Court ruled that a woman's right to privacy under the due process clause of the 14th Amendment extended to her decision to have an abortion, effectively legalizing abortion nationwide.