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Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact, which establishes a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe (including the USSR) -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks remains seated on a bus, the incident which evolves into the Montgomery bus boycott -
National Motto
"In God We Trust" adopted as national motto -
Desegregation of Schools
President sends federal troops to Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., to enforce integration of black students. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
Eisenhower Doctrine, wherein a country could request American economic assistance and/or aid from military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state -
Civil Right Act of 1957
primarily a voting rights bill, becomes the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress since Reconstruction -
Explorer I
Explorer I, first American satellite, is launched. -
Two New States
United States added Hawaii and Alaska. -
Civil Rights Act of 1960
establishing federal inspection of local voter registration polls and penalties for those attempting to obstruct someone's attempt to register to vote or actually vote -
1960 Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 1960: John F. Kennedy elected president, Lyndon B. Johnson elected vice president -
Cut ties with Cuba
U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Cuba. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)-sponsored rebel group Brigade 2506 on 17 April 1961. -
Engel v. Vitale
Engel v. Vitale, determines that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and require its recitation in public schools -
I Have a Dream Speech
March on Washington; Martin Luther King, Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech -
President Kennedy Assassination
President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson becomes the 36th President. -
24th Amendment
24th Amendment, prohibiting both Congress and the states from conditioning the right to vote in federal elections on payment of a poll tax or other types of tax -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing major forms of legalized discrimination against blacks and women, and ended legalized racial segregation in the United States -
1964 Presidential Election
United States presidential election, 1964: Johnson elected president for a full term, Hubert H. Humphrey elected vice president -
Immigration Act
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 also known as the Hart–Celler Act, is a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Malcolm X an African-American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist is assassinated in Harlem, New York -
25th Amendment
25th Amendment establishes succession to the Presidency and procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President -
Assassination of MLK Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated -
1968 Election
United States presidential election, 1968: Richard Nixon elected president, Spiro T. Agnew elected vice president; Shirley Chisholm becomes first black woman elected to U.S. Congress -
Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency is created by Nixon. -
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment is ratified, allowing 18-year-olds to vote. -
Watergate Scandal
Watergate scandal: Five men arrested for the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. -
1972 Presidential Election
U.S. presidential election, 1972: Richard M. Nixon re-elected president, Spiro T. Agnew reelected vice president -
Nixon's Second Term Begins
President Nixon and Vice President Agnew begin second terms. -
Vice President Agnew Resigns
Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigns in disgrace as part of a plea bargain. Representative Gerald R. Ford of Michigan becomes the first person to be appointed Vice President under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. -
Watergate Scandal
Watergate scandal: The House Judiciary Committee votes to impeach the President -
Vice President Ford Becomes President
President Nixon resigns, becoming the first and only U.S. President to step down. Vice President Ford becomes the 38th President. Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York becomes the second person to be appointed Vice President under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. -
End of Vietnam War
The Vietnam War ends. -
Microsoft
ill Gates founds Microsoft, which will eventually dominate the home computer operating system market.