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Kent State Shootings
On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guard Troops fired into a crowd of unarmed college students at Kent State University. The students were protesting the recent United States Invasion of Cambodia which President Richard Nixon had annouced the previous month. In total, 67 rounds were fired, killing 4 students and leaving 9 others wounded. Most importantly, this event showed the U.S. governments choice to punish the demonstating students who were well within thier right to express their views freely. -
SALT 1 Signed
The first of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, SALT1 was the result of a Soviet proposal on Nixon's first day in office (1969). The meeting took place in Helsinki, Finland and ultimately resulted in the signing of an "Interim" agreement. The agreement stated that nuclear arms levels could not exceed their current limit. It did, however, allow for the replacement of old missiles with new ones. This meeting marked the first serious step between the two powers to scale back the nuclear arms race -
Water Gate Break In
On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex. The men, Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James W. McCord, Jr., Eugenio Martínez, and Frank Sturgis, were later found to have affiliation with the republican commitee "The Commitee to Re-elect the President." This event is significant because it demonstrated the extent that President Nixon was ready to go to in order to win the election. -
Munich Olympics Attack
At the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, members of the terrorist group Black September took athletes from Israel's teams hostage. By the end of the event, 11 Israelis, 5 terrorists and one German officer were dead. This led to Israeli retalliation, adding to the tension in the Middle East between the Arab countries and their neighbor. Most importantly, it created the need for counter-terrorism units and technology that is so present in everyday life today. -
Election of 1972
The 1972 Election consisted of Democrat nominee George McGovern running against Republican nominee Richard Nixon. McGovern ran his campaign on a "anti-war" message, but it was not enough to overcome Nixon's use of emphasizing a good economy and his successes in foreign affairs to convice the country and the electoral college to choose re-election. -
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade was a landmark case for deciding a women’s right to have an abortion. The court decided that a right to privacy under the due process clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion. However, this right was balanced by the length that a child had been in the womb. Roe v. Wade prompted a national debate that continues today, about issues including whether and to what extent abortion should be legal. -
War-Powers Act Passed
This law is an attempt to ensure that the President can not engage in war without the explicit approval of Congress. It was a result of the "Secret" bombings in Cambodia authorized by Nixon, and the Act's main purpose is to limit the power of the President to enage in war. Regurarly ignored by president's in both parties, this act has been in a debate on its constitutionality since it was passed. -
U.S. Withdrawl from Vietnam
In addition to the already unsupportive American view of the war, the capturing of Saigon by North Vietnamese forces and the signing of the Case-Church Amendment, ended all United States military involvement in Vietnam. The Case-Church Amendment essentially prohibited further U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This event is important because it marks a great military defeat, as well as a loss in the ultimate goal of communist containment for the U.S. -
Resignation of President Nixon
With the loss of support from the majority of the public and facing almost certain inpeachment, President Richard M. Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on August 9, 1974, after actually holding his resignation speach the previous evening on national television. When asked to comment about his brother's resgination, Ed Nixon said that his brother did not resign "in disgrace" but "resigned in honor. It was a disappointment to him because his missions were cut short." -
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Formed
After the U.S. withdrawal, the Vietnam War ended with a Northern (communist) victory. The two countries were re-united under the Northern ideology, and would ultimately begin to smooth over foreign relations by the late 80's. This event marked the failure of the U.S. intervention, and resulted in the hesitation seen with U.S. involvement in later, similiar wars. -
Love Canal
Love Canal, New York was the location of a chemical dumpsite for Hooker Chemical for twenty years, later sold to Niagra Falls School Board on April 28, 1953. Elementary schools (93 and 99) were built on top of the old landfill, which had been covered up years prior. Heavy rain turned the old landfill into a water basin, which leaked and spread throughout the communities, laced with oils and chemicals from the landfill. -
Viking 1 Mars Landing
Viking 1 was the first of two American Spacecraft sent to Mars as part of the "Viking Program" by NASA. 25 seconds after the initial landing, transmission of the first surface images from Mars began to appear back on earth. The landing of Viking 1 marked a victory for the United States in a still very much alive Space Race between the USSR and the U.S. -
Election of 1976
Jimmy Carter wins over Gerald Ford, closest election since 1916 -Carter recieved 297 electoral votes, while Ford recieved 240. Ford was hurt by his pardon of Nixon, along with the slow economy under his brief time as president. This marked the first Deep-South president since Zachary Taylor, and put Jimmy Carter into office - the man who would make many forgien policy steps towards peace. -
U.S. Gives Up Rights to Panama Canal
The Torrijos-Carter Treaties gave the control of the Panama Canal over to Panama (By 2000) in return for a promise that the Canal remain always neutral. This act of foreign policy by Carter demonstrates his desire to re-kindle and maintain healthy relations with the U.S.'s Latin neighbors, althought it went against Domestic popular opinion. -
Camp David Accords
The Camp David Accords were agreements between Israel and Egypt signed on September 17, 1978, that in the following year, led to a peace treaty between those two countries. It was the first peace treaty between Israel and any of its Arab neighbors. Led by U.S. President Jimmy Carter, discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat formed what would later be called the "Framework for Peace in the Middle East." -
U.S. recognizes Communist China
President Jimmy Carter recognized Communist China, a reversal of 30 years of foreign policy. Carter's decision was primarily due to to the economic potential, as well as the political - using China as a way of softening relations with the Soviet Union. The event ultimately was a big step towards a "cool-down" of the stand off between the Soviet Union and United States, while also giving birth to the superpower China has become. -
Three Mile Island Accident
A core meltdown in reactor 2 occurred in this nuclear power plant, located near Harrissburg Pennsylvania. A combination of mechanical and human error resulted in the release of radioactive gases. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission attempted to aid in the issues, ultimately granting permission for 40,000 gallons of nuclear waste to be dumped into the Susquehanna River. This event marked on of the most significant accidents in U.S. nuclear history, and helped spark the still present backlash. -
Salt 2 Signed
President Jimmy Carter and General Secretary Brezhnev signed this treaty in Vienna, Austria, the culmination of talks that had begun in November of 1972. Salt 2's main purpose was to replace the older "Interim" agreement in favor of ensuring an equal number of nuclear delivery vehicles for either side. Salt 2 also intended to reduce the amount of those vehicles, while stopping further advancements into desructive technology. Though Carter signed it, the agreement is never officially ratified. -
Iran Hostage Crisis Begins
Sixty-Six Americans are taken hostage in the U.S. Embassy by a group of Iranian militants in support of the on-going revolution. 13 hostages are eventually released on November 19-20 (1979) while one is released in 1980 and the rest in 1981. This event displays the turn of U.S. influence in Iran, which has been preminent during the former government's reign. It also provided an tremendous challenge for Jimmy Carter, possibly costing him the 1980 election. -
Soivet Union Invades Afghanistan
The Soviet 40th army enters Afghanistan, to aid the Soviet-friendly government that was under attack by the mujahideen rebels. The U.S. un-officially aided the rebels, prolonging the conflict until the Soviet withdrew without any resolution in 1989. Both costly in manpower and money, this war helped bring about the demise of the Soviet Union. It furthermore displays the effectiveness of covert tactics employed by the U.S. during the Cold War.
