-
1957
President Eisenhower's second term begins. -
1957
President Eisenhower sends federal troops to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce integration of black students. -
1958
The Explorer I, the first American satellite, is launched. -
1959
Alaska becomes the 49th state. -
1959
Hawaii becomes the 50th state. -
1961
Freedom Rides begin. -
1961
The U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Cuba. -
1961
John F. Kennedy becomes the 35th president. -
1961
Bay of Pigs invasion fails. -
1962
Lt. Col. John Glenn becomes first U.S. astronaut to orbit the earth. -
1962
Cuban Missile Crisis. -
1963
Martin Luther King Jr. gives his, "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington D.C. -
1963
President Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Tx. Vice president Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president. -
1964
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act. -
1964
North Vietnam attack U.S. destroyer in the Gulf Of Tonkin. -
1964
Congress approves the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, letting president Johnson take any measures necessary to defend the U.S. forces. -
1965
The U.S. begins bombing raids of North Vietnam. -
1965
At the state of the Union address, President Johnson proposes his "Great Society" program. -
1965
President Johnson's second term begins -
1965
State troopers attack peaceful protesters led by Martin Luther King Jr., while crossing a bridge in Selma, Alabama. -
1965
First U.S. troops arrive in South Vietnam. -
1965
Voting Rights Act is signed prohibiting discriminatory voting practices. -
1965
Six-day riot in Watts, Los Angeles, 35 people are killed and 883 are injured. -
1966
Miranda v. Arizona: Landmark Supreme Court decision further defines due process clauses of the 14th Amendment and establishes Miranda rights. -
1967
25th Amendment is ratified to the Constitution outlining the procedures for filling vacancies in the presidency and vice presidency. -
1968
American Soldiers kill 300 Vietnamese in My Lai massacre. -
1968
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. -
1968
Senator Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated in Los Angele, California. -
1969
Richard Nixon becomes the 37th president. -
1969
Neil Armstong and Edwin Aldrin Jr. are the first men to land on the moon. -
1970
The U.S. troops invade Cambodia. -
1970
Four students shot to death by the National Guardsmen at an antiwar protest at Kent State University. -
1971
The 26th Amendment is ratified to the Constitution, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18. -
1972
Nixon makes a historical visit to Communist Chine. -
1973
Nixon's second presidential term begins. -
1973
Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. -
1973
North and South Vietnam, the Viet congress and the U.S. sign a Ceasefire agreement in Paris. -
1973
The last U.S. troops leave Vietnam. -
1973
Senate Select Committee begins televised hearings to investigate Watergate cover-up -
1974
Nixon is impeached due to obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. -
1974
Nixon resigns, Vice president Ford becomes President. -
1975
South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam, U.S. embassy Marine guards and last U.S. civilians are evacuated.