Rosa Parks remains seated on a bus, the incident which evolves into the Montgomery bus boycott
Warsaw Pact,
Rock and roll music enters the mainstream
The U.S. refuses to provide military support the Hungarian Revolution
1956 United States presidential election: Dwight D. Eisenhower is reelected president, Richard Nixon reelected vice president
Eisenhower Doctrine,
Civil Rights Act of 1957,
Soviets launch Sputnik; "space race" begins
Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the first commercial nuclear power plant in the U.S., goes into service
– Little Rock, Arkansas school desegregation. Eisenhower recruits the U.S. National Guard to escort the Little Rock Nine
NASA formed as the U.S. begins ramping up efforts to explore space
Cuban Revolution
Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th U.S. states; as of 2021, they are the final two states admitted to the union.
U-2 incident, wherein a CIA U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over Soviet Union airspace
Civil Rights Act of 1960,
1960 United States presidential election: John F. Kennedy elected president, Lyndon B. Johnson elected vice president
23rd Amendment, which grants electors to the District of Columbia
Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon
Cuban Missile Crisis, the closest nuclear confrontation involving the U.S. and USSR
Engel v. Vitale, determines that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and require its recitation in public schools
Atomic Test Ban Treaty
March on Washington; Martin Luther King Jr. "I Have a Dream" speech
Assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson becomes the 36th President.
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, outlawing major forms of legalized discrimination against blacks and women, and ended legalized racial segregation in the United States
1964 United States presidential election: Johnson elected president for a full term, Hubert H. Humphrey elected vice president
Voting Rights Act
Department of Transportation created
Miranda v. Arizona established "Miranda rights" for suspects
Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali (formerly known as Cassius Clay) declared himself a conscientious objector and refused to go to war.
Detroit race riot precipitates the "Long Hot Summer of 1967", when race riots erupt in 159 cities nationwide.
25th Amendment establishes succession to the Presidency and procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President
Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act
Apollo 8 and its three-astronaut crew orbit the Moon, Earthrise photograph taken
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the Moon on the Apollo 11 mission
Kent State and Jackson State shootings occur during student protests which grow violent.
President Richard Nixon ends the United States Gold standard monetary policy, known as the Nixon Shock
The 26th Amendment is ratified, allowing 18-year-olds to vote.
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is signed with the USSR.
Watergate scandal: Five men arrested for the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C.
Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling overturns state laws against abortion.
The Paris Peace Accords ends direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
Watergate scandal: The House Judiciary Committee votes to impeach the President
– President Nixon resigns, becoming the first and only U.S. President to step down.