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22nd Amendment Passed
The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is passed, limiting the president to a maximum of two terms in office. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to four terms beginning in 1932. He died within months of beginning his fourth term. He was the first and only president to be elected to more than two terms. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower President
Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected president of the United States, the first Republican president in 20 years. Richard Nixon is his Vice-President. -
Rosa Parks is arrested
Rosa Parks, an African American woman, is arrested after refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest sparks a bus boycott led by local minister Martin Luther King, Jr., and sets the American civil rights movement in motion. -
NORAD is developed
The U.S. and Canada develop NORAD, a radar system close to the North Pole to detect and provide the U.S. with an early warning of a Soviet missile attack. -
Sputnik satellite is launched
The Soviet Union launches the Sputnik satellite, the first man-made object to orbit the earth. About the same time, the Soviets test their first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that's capable of delivering nuclear warheads in minutes to the U.S. -
Luna 2 rocket reaches the moon
The Soviet Union's unmanned Luna 2 rocket reaches the moon. This same year, the U.S. launches into space and safely retrieves two monkeys. -
Kennedy and Nixon run against each other
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon run against each other for the U.S. presidency. In the first televised presidential debate, Kennedy is credited with winning the debate. In November, Kennedy wins a close election becoming the youngest person ever elected president. -
Invasion at the "Bay of Pigs."
U.S. trained Cuban exiles attempt to overthrow the Castro government in Cuba with an invasion at the "Bay of Pigs." The invasion fails badly. It's a major embarrassment to the Kennedy administration. -
Nelson Mandela is arrested
He is the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC). He is arrested in South Africa for agitating against apartheid laws. -
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated
Shortly after noon, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. That same day, President Kennedy's flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by one riderless black horse. -
U.S. Civil Rights Act is passed
The U.S. Civil Rights Act is passed, ending legal discrimination in public places, promising equal voting rights and creating the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. -
Martin Luther King, Jr. leads march
Martin Luther King, Jr., leads 4,000 people on a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. 600 civil rights marchers are attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas. Only the third, and last, march successfully makes it into Montgomery. In New York, Black Muslim leader Malcolm X is assassinated. -
Miranda rights
Miranda rights come into being after the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the conviction of a confessed rapist because he had not been properly informed of his right to counsel and to not testify against himself. -
Suez Canal is closed
After the Six-Day War, the Suez Canal is closed for security reasons, until 1975. -
SALT
The Soviets begin Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) on limiting both ABM defensive systems and strategic nuclear offensive systems with U.S. President Nixon. The first real exploration of possible packages began in the spring of 1970.
