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More than 1,400 scientists from 73 nations attend the first United Nations-sponsored International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy held in Geneva, Switzerland.
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The Soviet Union successfully launches Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite. Marking the dawn of the Space Age, the event pushes the US government into action and leads to the formation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
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The Shippingport Atomic Power Station, the world's first full-scale nuclear power plant, becomes operational at Shippingport, Pennsylvania.
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East Germany begins construction of the Berlin Wall, which closes all land routes between East and West Berlin.
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The U.S. resumes nuclear weapons testing, with an underground test at the Nevada Test Site.
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Richard M. Nixon is inaugurated President.
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The United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and forty-five other nations sign the Treaty for the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
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Gerald R. Ford becomes President.