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Jazz Age
Although the actual history is altered in the movie because Forest gave the classic dance which Elvis adapted and popularized the dance of Elvis marks the growth of Jazz to mainstream. In actual U.S history the dance was adapted from black Americans. Rebellious teens were the main fan demographic and this also increased appreciation for black culture. Elvis Dance -
Cuban Missile Crisis
During the Nuclear weapon competition between the U.S and Soviets the soviets decided to place missiles in cuba. After a standoff that included a naval blockade of Cuba to stop the shipment of missiles, the Soviet Union withdrew it's missiles from Cuba in exchange for US withdrawal from Turkey. We didn't start the fire -
Assassination of JFK
In 1963 JFK was assassinated while he was in a car. This was shown in the movie. This came to the people as a shock and the people felt unsafe. JFK's assassination scene from the Kennedy's -
Desegregation of Universities
In supreme court case Brown vs. Board of Education the rule overturned Plessy v Ferguson which allowed for segregation. This major change in policy led to schools like University of Alabama to desegregate causing uproar. This change shows the continuous reduction of institutional racism. actual video footage of desegregation -
Vietnam War
Forest Gump was deployed to Vietnam in 1965. Although the war started in the late 50's it didn't escalate until the 1960's. The Vietnam influenced much of the domestic policy in much of the 60's and 70's. We didn't start the fire -
Counter Culture
In the movie Jenny is seen as part of the counter culture movement. Forest Gump also gives a speech at a counter culture rally. The counter culture movement went against conformity and the norms at the time. The counter Culture -
Black Panther Party
In the movie Jenny is seen with the Black Panther Party. The Black panther's were a party initiated to help and protect the black community by any means necessary. Overtime the party disintegrated but it was very significant during this time. The black panthers -
NASA and Moon Landing
After the Sputnik America worked to advance their technological innovations and increased competition with U.S.S.R. After a bunch of failed attempts to launch a satellite U.S was able to land on the moon. This was a turning point for technology in America. Moon landing footage -
Watergate Scandal
In the movie Forest was staying at the Watergate hotel and he saw a break-in. This was the watergate scandal in which people commissioned by Nixon broke in to the hotel to steal information from the DNC. After the break in there was a huge scandal leading Nixon to resign from office. Watergate scandal -
Oil Embargo Crisis
After the U.S support for Israeli post Yoam Kipur war Syria and Egypt influenced the OPEC to sanction the U.S from oil supply. This led to an increase in oil prices. Also a turning point in the type of cars people bought. OPEC Oil Embargo NBC Report -
Conservative Resurgence
After the rocky presidency of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan won the 1980 Presidential Election in a landslide with 489 electoral votes. He would run for a second term in 1984 and won again with 525 electoral votes. This was a major shift from liberal presidents of the time to a conservative one. Reagan as President -
AIDS epidemic
Diagnosed in US in 1981, the epidemic didn't receive much attention as perceived as a gay mans disease. over 32,000 died in a 7 yr period. In the movie Jenny was diagnosed with AIDS. AIDS Epidemic
