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Ku Klux Klan
Founded in 1866, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) extended into almost every southern state by 1870 and became a vehicle for white southern resistance to the Republican Party’s Reconstruction-era policies aimed at establishing political and economic equality for blacks. Its members waged an underground campaign of intimidation and violence directed at white and black Republican leaders. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was fought in Southeast Asia.The war was fought between the Communist government of North Vietnam and the armies of South Vietnam.The United States were determined to prevent Communist aggression and provided the South Vietnam government with considerable aid and support.The US finally sent in troops to fight as well and the prolonged Vietnam War escalated in 1965. The Vietnam War resulted in victory for the Communists when American troops were withdrawn in 1973. -
Elvis Presley
Several factors made Presley’s second performance on the Milton Berle Show different from his previous TV appearances. First, there was the decision to perform “Hound Dog” on the show. Elvis had been using the provocative number in his stage show for some time, but this was the first time the entire country would see it on the small screen. -
University of Alabama Desegregated
A federal district court in Alabama ordered the University of Alabama to admit African American students Vivien Malone and James Hood during its summer session. Alabama Governor George Wallace blocked the students' entrance by positioning himself before the doorway of Foster Auditorium. -
JFK's Assasination
President Kennedy was travelling in an open top car through the streets of Dallas when three loud rifle shots rang through the air. Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of assassinating the President -
Nike Shoes
In 1963-1964 when University of Portland track coach, Bill Bowerman, and Phil Knight, a mid-distance runner joined forces to import and provide low-cost, high tech running shoes from Japan in order to provide alternatives to the German-dominated athletic shoe market. Operating under the name Blue Ribbon Sports, Bowerman and Knight began to sell the Japanese Onitsuke Tiger (now known as ASICS) running shoes. -
Black Panther
On this date in 1966, the Black Panther Party was founded. It was a Black political organization; originally known as the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.The BPP originated in Oakland, California, by founders Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. They adopted the Black Panther symbol from an independent political party established the previous year by Black residents of Lowndes County, Alabama. -
Robert F. Kennedy Assassination
Senator Robert Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan. He died a day later. -
Richard Nixon's Election 68'
Winning one of the closest elections in U.S. history, Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeats Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Neither Nixon nor Humphrey received more than 50 percent of the popular vote; Nixon beat Humphrey by less than 500,000 votes. Nixon campaigned on a platform designed to reach the “silent majority” of middle class and working class Americans. He promised to “bring us together again,” and many Americans were happy to hear of peace returning to their streets. -
Armstrong on the Moon
American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles from Earth, speaks these words to more than a billion people listening at home: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of the moon. “Buzz” Aldrin joined him on the moon’s surface and together they took photographs of the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, ran a few simple scientific tests, and spoke with President Richard M. Nixon via Houston. -
Charles Manson Arrested
Manson and his Family were arrested not on suspicion of the murders but simply on the belief that they had vandalized a portion of the Death Valley National Park while they were hiding out in the Mojave Desert. But it was the confessions of Susan Atkins, while held in detention on suspicion of murdering Gary Hinman during an unrelated incident, that led detectives to realize that Manson and his followers were involved in the Tate/LaBianca killings. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
Ping-pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of table tennis (ping-pong) players between the United States and People's Republic of China (PRC) in the early 1970s. The event marked a thaw in Sino-American relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon. -
General Interest 1972 Governor George Wallace shot
During an outdoor rally in Laurel, Maryland, George Wallace, the governor of Alabama and a presidential candidate, is shot by 21-year-old Arthur Bremer. The next day, while fighting for his life in a hospital, he won major primary victories in Michigan and Maryland. However, Wallace remained in the hospital for several months, bringing his third presidential campaign to an irrevocable end. -
Watergate Scandal
On June 17, 1972, several burglars were arrested inside the office ofthe (DNC), located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. The prowlers were connected to President Nixon’s reelection campaign,and they had been caught wiretap phones and steal secret documents.Historians are not sure whether Nixon knew about the Watergate operation before it happened, he took steps to cover it up afterwards, raising money for the burglar and trying to stop the FBI from investigating the crime. -
Hurrican Carmen
Hurricane Carmen was the most instense cyclone in history. The Hurricane happened on the Atlantic hurricane season. The hurricane started on August 29, 1974 to September 10, 1974. The Highest winds were 150 mph. The Event was important to history because it shows how violent a Hurricane really is. -
President Ford Assassination Attempt
President Ford was in Sacramento, California to discuss violent crimes. He was walking across the California capitol grounds to meet with the governor of California. He was shaking hands and greeting people along the route. Ford saw a small woman in a red dress and hat keeping pace with him. When he reached out to shake is hand he saw the .45 caliber gun. Secret Service agent, Larry Buendorf grabbed the gun.The gun was loaded, but there wasn't a bullet in the firing chamber. -
Apple Computers
Apple started life in 1976, with Steve Wozniak designing and building the Apple Computer. Steve Jobs, a friend of Wozniak, said they should try and sell the computer — and went out and secured an order from a local computer store for 100 units. Wozniak hand-built around 200 of the original computers in Steve Jobs’ parents’ garage, which was the company’s headquarters at the time. Jobs also sold some computers directly to customers from the garage. -
Nixons Resignition
On the evening of August 8, 1974, Nixon sat at his desk in the Oval Office and announced that he was resigning the office of the president. The next day, he submitted his letter of resignation to Henry Kissinger and left for Yorba Linda, California. In his immediate wake, Nixon left a shattered and confused nation, a host of spurned aides, and an accidental president. -
HIV
It is widely believed that HIV originated in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo around 1920 when HIV crossed species from chimpanzees to humans. Up until the 1980s, we do not know how many people developed HIV or AIDS. HIV was unknown and transmission was not accompanied by noticeable signs or symptoms. By 1980, HIV may have already spread to five continents. In this period, between 100,000 and 300,000 people could have already been infected. -
Shooting of John Lennon
The Beatles' musician John Lennon was shot and killed outside of his New York City apartment on the night of Dec. 8, 1980. Lennon and wife Yoko Ono were returning from the recording studio to their home at The Dakota when 25-year-old crazed fan Mark David Chapman shot him at close range. Earlier in the day Chapman had been hanging around The Dakota with other fans and asked Lennon for an autograph. -
Ronald Reagan's Assassination Attempt
On March 30th, 70 days into his presidency, Reagan delivered yet another pitch to a union convention at the Washington Hilton Hotel. He left the meeting and approached his limousine. A deranged lone gunman, John Hinckley, Jr., had fired six bullets at the president. One ricocheted off Reagan's limousine, and tore into his left lung missing his heart by an inch. -
Space Shuttle Launch
Astronaut John Young, a veteran of four previous spaceflights including a walk on the moon in 1972, commanded the mission. Navy test pilot Bob Crippen piloted the mission and would go on to command three future shuttle missions. The shuttle was humankind's first re-usable spacecraft. The orbiter would launch like a rocket and land like a plane. The two solid rocket boosters that helped push them into space would also be re-used, after being recovered in the ocean.
