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William McKinley wins 2nd term
McKinley defeats William J. Bryan to win his second term in office and the first term of the 20th Century. -
The American League is declared part of the MLB
After 1 year in the minors, the American League now competes against the National League -
Cuba declares independence
The island of Cuba becomes independent of the United States -
The Wright Brothers Make Flight
The plane, mechanically propelled with a petroleum engine, flew 120 feet in 12 seconds, and later the same day, flew 852 feet in 59 seconds -
Theodore Roosevelt Wins
Roosevelt wins election, defeating Democrat, Alton Parker -
Earthquake hits San Francisco
Registering a 7.8, the subsequent fire that followed the quake and aftershocks left 478 reported death, although estimates in the future peg that figure at nearly 3,000. Between $350-$400 million in damages were sustained. -
Oklahoma Becomes a State
The Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory are combined to form Oklahoma and are admitted into the Union as the 46th state -
First Model T
Built in Detroit, Michigan, the first affordable car is made -
William Howard Taft elected President
Once again William Bryan is defeated, however, this time by Taft -
Woodrow Wilson elected President
In the first election of a Democratic candidate since 1892, Woodrow Wilson overcame a three way race for the presidency when former President Teddy Roosevelt donned the nomination of the Progressive Party to tackle the election against Wilson and incumbant President and Republican William Howard Taft -
16th Amendment Ratified
allowing the Federal government treasury to impose an income tax -
US is neutral
President Woodrow Wilson announces that the United States will stay officially neutral in the European conflict that would become World War I -
Lusitania sinks!
The British ship Lusitania was sunk by a German U-boat submarine, causing 128 American passengers to be lost. Germany, although it warned of the pending crises to passengers, issued an apology to the United States and promised payments. -
Woodrow Wilson gains 2nd term
Defeats Charles Hughes for second term -
US declares war on Germany
After a request from Wilson, Congress officially declares war on Germany and joins the Allies -
Prohibition comes into effect
With the state of Nevada becoming the 36th state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibition becomes the law of the land. It would remain illegal to consume and sell alcoholic beverages in the United States -
WW1 offically ends
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending the war -
19th amendment passed
women gain the right to vote -
Harding elected President
defeats James Cox, and also represents the first election where women can vote -
Harding dies in office
Harding dies in office after becoming ill following a trip to Alaska, and is succeeded by his Vice President, Calvin Coolidge -
Coolidge elected President
Coolidge wins his first election as President, retaining the White House for the Republican Party over his Democratic foe, John W. Davis, and Progressive Party candidate Robert M. LaFollette -
Lindbergh does first Transatlantic non-stop flight
Lindbergh leaves Roosevelt Field, New York on the first non-stop transatlantic flight in history. He would reach Paris thirty-three and one-half hours later in the Spirit of St. Louis, his aircraft -
Hoover elected President
Hoover wins election as President of the United States with an Electoral College victory, 444 to 87 over Democratic candidate Alfred E. Smith, the Catholic governor of New York -
Stockmarket Crashes
The plummeting stock prices led to losses between 1929 and 1931 of an estimated $50 billion and started the worst American depression in the nation's history -
Franklin Roosevelt elected President
Roosevelt defeats incumbent President Hoover in the presidential election for his first of an unprecedented four term -
21st Amendment Passed
Prohibition ends -
Roosevelt Reelected
Roosevelt overwhelms his Republican challenger, Alfred Landon, for a second presidential term -
Roosevelt Secures 3rd term
Roosevelt continues his dominance of presidential politics with a 449 to 82 Electoral College victory over Republican candidate Wendell Wilkie, winning his third presidential election. Roosevelt becomes the first man to hold office for three terms. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
This attack, which took the greatest amount of U.S. naval life in history with 1,177 sailor and marines perishing in the attack, as well as the loss or damage to twenty-one naval ships, led to the entry of American troops into World War II -
D-Day!
Allied soldiers stormed the beaches of France to begin the World War II invasion of Europe that would lead to the liberation of Paris -
Roosevelt Wins 4th term
Roosevelt narrowly defeats Dewey for 4th term -
Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
President Harry S. Truman gives the go-ahead for the use of the atomic bomb with the bombing of Hiroshima. Three days later, the second bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. On August 15, Emperor Hirohito of Japan surrenders -
Truman elected President
capturing his first president election from the supposed winner Thomas E. Dewey. He won with less than 50% popular vote -
NATO is established
the North American Treaty Organization, is formed by the United States, Canada, and ten Western European nations (Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom). The treaty stated that any attack against one nation would be considered an attack against them all -
Korean War Begins
The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invade South Korea. This act leads to U.S. involvement when two days later, the United States Air Force and Navy are ordered by President Truman to the peninsula -
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of conspiracy of wartime espionage and sentenced to death. They were executed June 19, 1953 -
Eisenhower elected President
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a newcomer to politics, but popular due to his role in winning World War II as European commander, gains as easy victory over Democratic challenger Adlai E. Stevenson -
Disneyland Opens
Disneyland, the brainchild of Walt Disney, whose father had worked at previous world's fairs and inspired his son to build the iconic Magic Castle and other exhibits, opens in Anaheim, California, with the backing of the new television network, ABC. -
Eisenhower re-elected
A repeat challenge in the presidential election between Eisenhower and Stevenson gains a similar outcome, with easy victory for the incumbent presiden -
Racial Segregation in Schools Declared Unconstitutional
Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th Amendment's clause that guaranteed equal protection. The Monroe School in Topeka, Kansas had segregated Linda Brown in its classes -
Alaska becomes a State
Alaska becomes 49th state -
Hawaii becomes a State
Admitted as the 50th state to the union -
JFK elected President
The presidential race to succeed two term president Dwight D. Eisenhower is won by Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate from Massachusetts, over incumbent Vice President Richard M. Nixo -
Bay of Pigs
The "Bay of Pigs" invasion of Cuba is repulsed by Cuban forces in an attempt by Cuban exiles under the direction of the United States government to overthrow the regime of Fidel Castro -
"I Have a Dream"
The Civil Rights march on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom culminates with Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Over 200,000 people participated in the march for equal rights -
Assassination of JFK
In Dallas, Texas, during a motorcade through downtown, President John F. Kennedy is mortally wounded by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald -
Lyndon Johnson elected President
President Lyndon B. Johnson wins his first presidential election with a victory over Barry M. Goldwater -
Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated
Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on a motel balcony by James Earl Ray -
26th Amendment Passes
Lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 -
Nixon re-elected
In one of the most lopsided races in American Presidential election history, incumbent President Richard M. Nixon beat his Democratic challenger George S. McGovern -
Roe V. Wade
The United States Supreme Court ruled in Roe vs. Wade that a woman can not be prevented by a state in having an abortion during the first six months of pregnancy -
Nixon Resigns
President Richard M. Nixon resigns the office of the presidency, avoiding the impeachment process and admitting his role in the Watergate affair. He was replaced by Vice President Gerald R. Ford, who, on September 8, 1974, pardoned Nixon for his role. Nixon was the first president to ever resign from offic -
Carter elected President
Challenger Jimmy Carter, a relatively unknown former Democratic governor from Georgia, bests Gerald Ford in a closely contested electio -
Reagan elected President
Reagan beats Carter to become President. -
Reagan re-elected President
President Ronald Reagan wins reelection over Democratic challenger Walter F. Mondale -
Most Important Day Ever In the History of the Universe
I was born -
George Bush elected President
Vice President under Ronald Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, claims victory in the presidential election over Democratic challenger Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts -
Operation Desert Storm Begins
Five days after the U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait, Operation Desert Storm begins with air strikes against Iraq -
Bill Clinton elected President
In a three way race for the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats incumbant President George H.W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot of the Reform Party -
Bill Clinton re-elected
President William J. Clinton defeats Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole, as well as the second run of businessman Ross Pero -
Clinton Acquitted
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice -
Nixon elected President
Richard M. Nixon recaptures the White House from the Democratic party with his victory of Hubert H. Humphrey, Democratic, and 3rd Party candidate George Wallace
