Major Events from 1900 to 2000

  • Galveston Hurricane

    Galveston Hurricane
    Hurricane in Galveston, Texas leaves an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 dead.
  • Assassination of President McKinley

    Assassination of President McKinley
    President William McKinley is shot in Buffalo, New York. He dies on September 14, 1901 and is succeeded by his Vice President Theodore Roosevelt.
  • Start of World War I

    Start of World War I
    Assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand leads to the start of WWI.
  • End of World War I

    End of World War I
    The Treaty of Versailles brings an official end to WWI.
  • Eighteenth Amendment

    Eighteenth Amendment
    The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, prohibiting the distribution of alcohol.
  • Nineteenth Amendment

    Nineteenth Amendment
    The 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is ratified, giving women the right to vote.
  • The Spirit of St. Louis

    The Spirit of St. Louis
    Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo, nonstop transatlantic flight in his plane "The Spirit of St. Louis."
  • Black Tuesday

    Black Tuesday
    The United States stock market crashes, leading to a decade long Great Depression.
  • New Deal

    New Deal
    New Deal recovery measures are enacted by the U.S. Congress, helping to pull the United States out of the Great Depression
  • Twenty-First Amendment

    Twenty-First Amendment
    The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, repealing the 18th Amendment of Prohibition.
  • Start of World War II

    Start of World War II
    The Invasion of Poland marks the beginning of WWII.
  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Attack on Pearl Harbor
    The United States declares war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
  • End of World War II

    End of World War II
    WWII ends with Japan formally surrendering aboard the U.S. battleship "Missouri."
  • Start of the Cold War

    Start of the Cold War
    Political rivalrey between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) leads to the start of the Cold War
  • Korea War

    Korea War
    Korean War begins when Communist North Korea forces invade Non-Communist South Korea. The war lasts until an armistice agreement is signed in 1953.
  • Brown v. Board

    Brown v. Board
    The landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board declares that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional.
  • Start of Vietnam War

    Start of Vietnam War
    Conflicts between North and South Vietnam leads to the start of the Vietnam War.
  • "I Have a Dream"

    "I Have a Dream"
    Martin Luther King, Jr., delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech during the civil rights march in Washington, DC.
  • Assassination of President Kennedy

    Assassination of President Kennedy
    President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He is succeeded by his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
  • Moon Landing

    Moon Landing
    Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr., become the first men to land on the Moon.
  • Nixon Resignation

    Nixon Resignation
    Nixon resigns from the presidency after investigation begins to look into his involvement in the Watergate scandal.
  • End of Vietnam War

    End of Vietnam War
    The Vietnam War ends with South Vietnam's surrender after the Fall of Saigon.
  • End of the Cold War

    End of the Cold War
    The Cold War ends with the signing of the START I Treating, in which the U.S. and Soviet Union agree to reduce any further strategic nuclear arms.