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Period: to
Cold War 1947-1966
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The Treaty of Dunkirk
It was a treaty of alliance and mutual assistance between the United Kingdom and France, designed to deter potential German aggression. -
Pakistan gaining Independence
The idea that the Muslims in the subcontinent need a separate nation because their aspirations would be crushed in a Hindu-dominated India was first echoed in the Two-Nation Theory. -
India Gaining Independence
A growing Indian nationalist movement, the influence of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, the impact of World War II, and the increasing economic and political strain of maintaining the empire. -
The Creation of Israel
The Zionist movement, a desire for a Jewish homeland, and the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust. -
The Berlin Airlift
a massive resupply operation launched by the Western Allies (US, UK, and France) in 1948 and 1949 to counter a Soviet blockade of West Berlin -
The Presidential Election
Democratic President Harry S. Truman defeated heavily favored Republican New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey, and third-party candidates, in one of the greatest election upsets in American history. -
The Establishment of NATO
This treaty laid the foundation for the collective defense alliance between 12 founding members: the United States, Canada, and 10 Western European nations. -
Federal-Aid Highway Act
This act authorized the construction of the interstate highway system in the United States. -
The Soviet Union's First Atomic Bomb Test
At Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. This test marked the end of the United States' nuclear monopoly and the beginning of the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. -
The People's Republic of China
Following the victory of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War. Mao Zedong, the CCP chairman, proclaimed the PRC from Tiananmen Square in Beijing on that day. -
The Rise of McCarthyism
The rise of McCarthyism, a period of intense fear of communism in the United States, is generally considered to have occurred between 1950 and 1954. It was a time when Senator Joseph McCarthy, fueled by claims of communist infiltration in government and other institutions, conducted highly publicized investigations and hearings. -
Start of the Korean War
When the Northern Korean People's Army invaded South Korea in a coordinated general attack at several strategic points along the 38th parallel, the line dividing communist North Korea from the non-communist Republic. -
Attempted Assassination of Harry S. Truman
Puerto Rican pro-independence activists Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola attempted to assassinate President Harry S. Truman at the Blair House during the renovation of the White House. -
The Espionage Trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
The couple was charged with espionage, specifically conspiracy to commit espionage, for allegedly passing secrets about the U.S. atomic bomb project to the Soviet Union. -
Japanese Peace Treaty
This treaty officially ended the state of war between Japan and the Allied powers, and also terminated the Allied post-war occupation of Japan. -
Libya Gained Independence
It became the United Kingdom of Libya and was proclaimed a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris. -
The Death of King George
The King failed to recover from a lung operation, and died in his sleep on 6 February 1952 at Sandringham; he was aged 56. After lying in state at Westminster Hall, the King's funeral was held at St George's Chapel, Windsor, where he lies buried. -
"Mike"
The first thermonuclear weapon, codenamed "Mike," is detonated by the US Atomic Energy Commission at Enewetak Atoll. -
The Election of Dwight D. Eisenhower
American presidential election held on November 4, 1952, in which Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower easily defeated Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson. -
The Death of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1941 until his death. -
The End of the Korean War
After the signing of an armistice agreeing that the country would remain divided. At the end of the Second World War, Korea – which had formerly been occupied by the Japanese – was divided along the 38th parallel. -
First Launch of the Nuclear Submarine
The USS Nautilus, It was launched at Groton, Connecticut, at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Shipyard. -
Castle Bravo
Castle Bravo was the first in a series of high-yield thermonuclear weapon design tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as part of Operation Castle. -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the forces of the French Union and Viet Minh. -
Signing of the Warshaw Pact
The pact was formed in response to West Germany's entry into NATO and served as a counter-alliance to the Western bloc. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. -
Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement
The United States Supreme Court made segregation illegal in public schools in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. In 1957, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas asked for volunteers from all-Black high schools to attend the formerly segregated school. -
The Hungarian Revolution
marked the beginning of the ill-fated revolution that ended with the re-imposition of Communist rule and the flight of some 200,000 Hungarians to Western Europe and the United States. -
The Suez Crisis
The Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. -
1957 Civil Rights Act
The 1957 Act was the first federal civil rights legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1875, and the 1960 Act aimed to strengthen and address loopholes in the 1957 Act. -
The Integration of Little Rock Central High School
When nine Black students, escorted by federal troops, entered the previously all-white school -
The Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik
The world's first artificial satellite. -
The Launch of Explorer 1
the first satellite launched by the United States. -
Undersea Voyage of the North Pole
The USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, was the vessel that completed this historic feat. The Nautilus began its journey beneath the Arctic ice cap off the coast of Alaska on August 1st, 1958, and successfully reached the North Pole at 11:15 p.m. on August 3rd. -
The Integrated Circuit Invention
The integrated circuit, often referred to as the microchip, was invented in 1958. Jack Kilby, working at Texas Instruments, successfully demonstrated the first working integrated circuit on September 12, 1958. The first patent application for the IC was filed on February 6, 1959. -
Fidel Castro's Arrival in Havana
He entered the city following the downfall of Fulgencio Batista, marking the end of Batista's rule and the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. -
First Photographs of the Far Side of the Moon
The first photographs of the far side of the Moon were taken by the Soviet Union's Luna 3 spacecraft -
Antarctic Treaty
The Antarctic Treaty was signed on December 1, 1959, in Washington, D.C. by twelve nations. It entered into force on June 23, 1961. -
U-2 Spy Plane Incident
A United States U-2 spy plane was shot down by the Soviet Air Defense Forces while conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance inside Soviet territory. -
The First Televised Presidential Debate
Motion picture of the first presidential debate between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon from CBS studios, Chicago, Illinois. -
1960 Presidential Election Campaign
John F. Kennedy, 43, becomes the youngest man ever to be elected president of the United States, narrowly beating Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. He was also the first Catholic to become president. -
Kennedy's Inaugural Address
This was the 44th inauguration and marked the commencement of John F. Kennedy's and Lyndon B. Johnson's only term as president and vice president. -
Establishment of the Peace Corps
The U.S. Peace Corps was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to promote world peace and friendship through global service. -
Creation of the Berlin Wall
It was erected to stop East Berliners from escaping to West Berlin. -
First American Astronaut to Orbit Earth
John Glenn flew the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. -
Sino-Indian War
China and India fought a brief war in late 1962 over disputed territories in the Himalayas, but the conflict's consequences for China's relations with South Asia and the Soviet Union far exceeded its short duration. -
Beginning of Beatlemania
Beatlemania, the intense fan frenzy surrounding The Beatles, began in the UK in 1963 and spread to the United States in 1964, primarily after their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The term "Beatlemania" itself emerged in British media in late 1963, capturing the excitement surrounding their concerts and tours -
March On Washington
On August 28, 1963, more than a quarter million people participated in the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, gathering near the Lincoln Memorial. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Mortal shooting of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, as he rode in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. -
Civil Rights Act Signed
By President Lyndon B. Johnson, this landmark legislation prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
It authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson took any necessary measures to retaliate against North Vietnam and maintain peace and security in Southeast Asia. This resolution effectively launched America's full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. -
China's First Atomic Bomb Test
The test, code named "Miss Qiu" or Project 596, took place at the Lop Nur test site. It was a tower shot involving a fission device with a yield of 25 kilotons, using uranium 235 as the nuclear fuel. -
The Escalation of the Vietnam War
In essence, the Vietnam War was a postcolonial war of national liberation, a significant theater in the global Cold War, and, simultaneously, a civil war, with civil warfare as a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until its withdrawal in 1973. -
Assassination of Malcolm X
Civil rights activist Malcolm X, 39, was shot to death inside Harlem's Audubon Ballroom in New York. Three men identified as members of the Nation of Islam were convicted of murder and imprisoned; all were eventually paroled -
The Selma to Montgomery Marches
The marches, particularly Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, were a catalyst for the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in voting. -
The Palomares B-52 Crash Incident
A United States Air Force B-52G bomber collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refueling at 31,000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea, near the Spanish village of Palomares in Almería province. -
The Founding of the National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women was founded by a group of activists who wanted to end sex discrimination. Today, the organization remains as a cornerstone of the women's rights movement. -
The Signing of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
It has been signed by 187 states and ratified by 178 states. The CTBT bans all nuclear explosions, including those conducted underground.