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The Rise of the NRA
in 1871, militia and army veterans created a new organization to train American men to shoot safely and accurately. The NRA expressed unease with gun laws but did not object to first federal gun control measure. -
Atomic Bomb: Hiroshima
During the final stage of World War II, President Harry S. Truman ordered to drop nuclear weapons on Japanese cities, one being Hiroshima which at the time, was the primary target for a nuclear bombing. -
Iron Curtain
The term "Iron Curtain" was used as a metaphor in the 19th century to describe the division of Europe. It was divided into two separate areas in order for the Soviet Union to block itself from contact with the West and non-Soviet areas. It all began from the end of World War II up until the end of the Cold War in 1991. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy that would provide democratic nations under the threat of authoritarian forces economic, military, and political assistance. This policy was first announced on March 12, 1947 by President Harry S. Truman during a speech after the British government announced they would no longer assist the Greek government. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was a way in order to assist European to recover economically during 1948 and 1951. It was successful in doing so and helped restore the confidence of the Europeans for their country as a whole. -
Berlin Airlift
After the ending of World War II in the late 1940's Germany was divided into two, locating Berlin onto a Soviet-controlled area in the Eastern area of Germany. The Soviets then blockaded good access so in response, a military operation was created by the United States and United Kingdom in which they airlifted fuel and food to Berlin. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal contained many proposals for the United States by President Harry S. Truman. It offered proposals such as continuing the New Deal liberalism, recommend that all Americans have health insurance, increase in minimum wage, and all Americans be guaranteed equal rights. -
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman, also known as Little Richard was an American singer whose most popular work was during the 1950's. His music not only popularized the Rock 'n' Roll genre, but influenced it among others singers do engage in this genre as well. -
Korean War (38th Parallel)
The Korean War began in June 25, 1950 after North Korea invaded South Korea. Short after, the 38th parallel was created as a temporary division of the country where it passed through Europe, Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. -
Ike Turner
Ike Turner was an African-American singer who was also a musician, songwriter, and even record producer. He was most recognized for his work with his then-wife Tina Turner in the Ike & Tine Turner Revue. -
Bill Haley and the Comets Spark on Rock 'n' Roll
Bill Haley and the Comets were an American rock and roll band within the 1950's. They were the earliest white musicians to bring upon rock and roll to Americans, popularizing it with their top hit singles. -
Television: TV SHOWS
During the 1950's, television came among the Americans to the point where two-thirds of American households. The reason for this was because of the TV shows they began to broadcast such as "I Love Lucy", "The Wild West", etc. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who opposed the non-violence protest. To support civil rights, he actually had his name change to Malcolm X, with the "X" representing the unknown name of his African ancestors and their lost culture during slavery. -
Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was a literary movement that started by authors in which their work consisted of and even influenced American culture and politics dealing with post-World War II. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
The Warren court outlawed segregation within public schooling, transforming American law. It ended public school-sponsored prayers, and required a one man-one vote. -
Dr. Jonas Edward Salk
Jonas Salk was a medical researcher and virologist. During the 1950's he made one of the biggest discoveries and developments in medical history; the polio vaccine. The discovery was made on March 26, 1953, helping many with polio. -
Brown vs. Board
Brown vs. Board is declared one of the greatest Supreme Court decisions ever in history. It held that racial segregation of children within public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which later declared it to be unconstitutional. -
Elvis Presley: Spark in the Rock 'n' Roll
Elvis Presley was an American singer and actor; he was one of the most significant cultural icons within the Rock 'n' Roll era. He sparked this era on July 5, 1954 when Elvis decided to perform a song where at the time, his dance moves were sexual, which changed Rock 'n' Roll. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
Emmett Till was an African-American 14 year old boy living in Mississippi. At that same age he was lynched by a group of white mine after being accused of "flirting" with a white woman. The brutality of the murder sparked the civil rights movement, making it more of a goal to fight for what was right. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was a civil rights activist during the movement. On a particular day, Parks rode the public bus and was later told by a white man to get up in order for him to sit down although, she refused to give up her seat just for him, thus, resulting in Rosa Parks getting arrested. -
GI Bill
The GI Bill was created in order to assist World War II veterans which also granted them stipends, covering tuition and expenses if they were to attend college. Not only that, but it also established hospitals while making low-interest mortgages available. -
Space Race - Sputnik
Space exploration played a huge role in American technology as Cold War competition. Unfortunately, on October 4, 1957 the soviets launched Sputnik from an intercontinental ballistic missile which became the first ever satellite to be placed into the Earth's orbit. -
Dolores Huerta
Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta was an American labor leader and civil rights activist. Her goal was to improve social and economic conditions for farm workers as well as fighting discrimination. She created the Agricultural Workers Association in 1960. She then became the co-founder of National Farm Workers Association, but was later known as the United Farm Workers. -
Chicano Mural Movement
The Chicano movement began in the 1960's in barrios throughout the Southwest primarily as an act of civil rights. It was a movement extending the Mexican American Civil Right in effort to achieve Mexican American empowerment. -
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
OPEC is a permanent intergovernmental organization. It was created in the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14 in 1960 all by Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Its purpose is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries as an effort to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers -
Television: Politics
Although television was used for entertainment purposes, it was also used for politics. On September 26, 1960, the first ever televised Presidential debate was broadcast-ed to the country. It allowed for the American people to watch their candidate address issues head on. -
New Frontier
The New Frontier was used by democratic candidate, John F. Kennedy within his acceptance speech during the 1960 presidential election. He used this slogan in order to describe his goals and policies as President of the United States. -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was a volunteer program run by the United States government whose sole purpose was to provide technical assistance, assist people outside of the United Stated in getting a greater knowledge of American culture, and also helping Americans gain more knowledge about the culture of other countries as well. -
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American union leader and labor organizer. He was a migrant worker who thrived for better working qualities. So, Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. -
Feminism
Feminism became a big factor within the 1960's through the 1970's. The feminist movement solely focused on taking down what was unfair to women such as workplace inequality all in all including the opportunity for better quality jobs and salary inequity. -
Cuban Missile Crisis: Naval Quarantine
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a confrontation during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union getting close to nuclear conflict. Kennedy had issues so he called for a naval quarantine on all offensive military equipment. -
Birmingham Bombing
On September 15, 1963, bombs were implanted in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a black congregation that primarily served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. The bombing resulted in the death of four young girls while injuring many as well. -
Assassination of JFK
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated in Dallas, Texas while riding in a motorcade. He was shot from a distance, by Lee Harvey Oswald, right in front of his wife. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. When Oswald was sent to the police station, he was murdered by a nightclub owner, Jack Ruby. -
Warren Commission
The Warren Commission was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson on November 29, 1963 through the Executive Order 11130 in order to investigate the assassination of John F. Kennedy. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Advertisement was a political advertisement used by President Lyndon B. Johnson during his campaign. It was aired on television in order to grasp the attention of the American people, motivating them to vote for Johnson. -
The Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs within the United States meant to eliminate poverty and racial injustice. It was brought upon by President Lyndon B. Johnson himself. -
Selma March
The Selma March began with 600 people planning a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama as what they called, a demonstration. But, once state troopers met the demonstrators at the edge of the city by the Edmund Pettus Bridge, it became Bloody Sunday. -
LSD
LSD is a psychedelic drug popular for the psychological effects it creates once consumed. This drug was highly used during the 1960's giving people altered awareness, perceptions, and images that are not real. -
Hippies
Hippies were members of a liberal counterculture. Originally, it started off as a youth movement within the United States during the mid 1960's but eventually spread all over the world. -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most acknowledged civil rights activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He was known for his thrive of equal rights and his speeches. On April 4, 1968, Martin was assassinated while standing on a balcony outside his second-floor room in the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that succeeded to land two humans, Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin, on the moon for the first time ever, making history. The mission began by launching Apollo 11 by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida which in all lasted 8 days. -
Watergate
Watergate was a major political scandal during Nixon's presidency, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C. Eventually, Nixon was forced to resign due to this scandalous act.
"I'm not a crook!" - Nixon -
Stagflation
Stagflation is the persistent high inflation that is combined with a very high unemployment along with a stagnant demand within a country's economy. It got its name during the 1973-1975 recession -
Gerald Ford's Presidency
Gerald Ford became President after Richard Nixon was forced to resign due to the Watergate scandal. He was the 38th president, taking office on August 9, 1974 but was mainly known as the first unelected president in national history -
VHS
VHS is a consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes which were developed by Victor Company of Japan. It was released in 1976 in Japan and later released in the USA in 1977 -
Panama Canal
Panama Canal is an artificial 48-mile waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. It is run by an autonomous agency of the Government of Panama. -
The Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was a prominent American political organization associated with the Christian right and the Republican party as well. It was founded by Jerry Falwell, a baptist minister, and associated. -
The New Right
The New Right is a movement referring to two distinct conservative movements which is also the current alt-right movement. It consists of right-wing ideologies that are an alternative to mainstream American conservatism. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson is an African-American entrepreneur along with being an executive philanthropist, investor, and media magnet. He was the founder of BET in 1979, a black entertainment program. -
A.I.D.S Crisis
A.I.D.S was heard about once five young men were diagnosed with AIDS who were claimed to have been healthy before. This scared the American people leading to protests demanding for it to be further investigated and a cure to be found. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra was a retired associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1930 she was elected for two terms in Arizona state senate. Later, she was nominated by Ronald Reagan for the U.S Supreme Court -
Reaganomics
These were economic policies during Ronald Reagan's presidency such as increasing interest rate, reduction of taxes, and regulation of businesses -
MTV
MTV was an American cable and satellite television channel. It broadcasted music that at the time were highly acknowledged and popular. -
Rap Music
Rap music is a type of genre that was developed in the United States. It consists of a rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping while rhyming and chanting. It was mainly developed by inner-city African Americans in the 1970's. -
SDI
The SDI was a missile defense system in effort to protect the United States from any possibly attack under nuclear weapons. It was first publicly announced by President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 -
Iran Contra Affair
Iran Contra Affair was a political scandal in the United States that took place during the second term of Reagan's Administration. Senior administration had secretly facilitated the sale of armed weaponry to Iran. -
Challenger Explosion
The Challenger Explosion occurred on January 28, 1986. It broke apart seventy-three seconds after the shuttle took off into flight which resulted in the immediate death of the seven crew members on board. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall stayed in place for a long period of time up until November 9, 1989, when the head of the Eastern German Communist Party had announced that the citizens were now able to cross the border freely. -
Internet
During the late 1990's technology began to become highly advanced. Soon enough CERN scientists worked hard in order to create the first actual form of internet of the World Wide Web which turned out to be successful. -
Balkans Crisis
The Balkans Crisis was a series of events involving violent actions from 1991-2001. It consisted of ethnically based wards inside the territory of the former Yugoslavia. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy was the United States official policy for military service by the LGBT community. This was instituted by the Clinton Administration on February 28, 1994 but did not take full effect until December 21, 1993. -
Election of 1992
This was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election which was held on November 3, 1992. The three major candidates were George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot. -
E-Mail
E-mail was a new form of technology during the 1990's. It was able to send digital messages to people using digital devices , typically computers, but mobile phones were also able to have access to this. -
World Trade Center Attack
This was a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. A truck bomb detonated below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. This resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. -
Lewinsky Affair
This was an American political sex scandal that occurred between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. The sexual relations took place during 1995-1996 and were eventually caught, leading to the impeachment of Clinton. -
Lionel Sosa
Sosa was an independent marketing consultant and artist. He is the founder of Sosa, Bromley, and Aguilar & Associated which became the largest Hispanic advertising agency. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is a talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist but she is most popular for the Oprah Winfrey Show; which had the highest rating on television in history. -
DOMA
This law declared that defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. -
Bush vs. Gore
This was the United States Supreme Court decision that resolved conflict with the 2000 presidential election. It was issued on December 12, 2000 but on December 9, the court halted the Florida recount that occurred eight days earlier. The Electoral College scheduled to meet December 18 for the election. -
No Child Left Behind
This was an Act of Congress within the Unites Stated reauthorizing the Elementary Secondary Education Act. This included the Title I provisions that applied to disadvantaged students. -
9/11 Attacks
This was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by and Islamic terrorist group on a Tuesday morning. These attacks killed 2,996 people and injured over 6,000. -
War on Terror
This is a metaphor of war referring to the military campaign that began after the 9/11 attacks on the Unites States. It served to argue a global military, legal, and conceptual struggle against both terrorist organizations. -
Patriot Act
This was an Act of Congress that was signed into the law by George H. W. Bush on October 26, 2001. It's full title is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001." -
Hurricane Katrina
This was one of the biggest natural disasters ever being one of the five deadliest hurricanes in history within the United States. At least 1,245 lives were lost during this tragedy due to its destructive winds and floods. -
The Great Recession
This was a time period of economic decline in world markets during the 2000's which the scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country. -
Sonia Sotomayor
She is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving since August 2009. She was the first ever Hispanic/Latina woman to be on the supreme court. -
A.C.A
This is also known as Obamacare which was enacted by the 11th United Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 -
Undoing of DOMA
The Supreme Court decided to strike down a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act declaring legally married couples of the same sex deserve equal rights.
