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Klu Klux Klan (KKK) 1944
Forrest Gump was named after the leader of this Klan. The KKK gave motivation to the Civil Rights Act and it exposed the issue of racism in American after slavery had ended. Also showed how cruel people can really be and how violence started to break out and become worse. -
Elvis Presley & his dance moves- Ed Sullivan Show
Elvis Presley became popular during mid 1950's. The Ed Sullivan show became popular also. Forrest was said to have taught Elvis his moves and Elvis used them. Elvis was important to history because he had some great music hits and dance moves during this time that influenced what people started to listen to and who they looked up to, famous wise. -
College Football Game- Alabama State University Won
Forrest played for Alabama football during his college time and won the game while playing with the legendary "Bear" Bryant. This event was major in history because it was a big game for the rival teams and Alabama won it. -
Alabama Desegregation- African Americans trying to start school with whites
Forrest went to Alabama University. Here, the African Americans were trying to get into the schools because there was segregation and Forrest ran up to the steps and handed one of the blacks trying to get in something they had dropped and was on live tv. Gov. Wallace called in troops to block the doors to the school, this event was important because Alabama was home to the Civil Rights Movements and the only state that had not desegregated schools yet. -
Forrest meets JFK
Forrest Gump gets to meet current President JFK. Kennedy confronted mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere. He also led a renewed drive for public service and eventually provided federal support for the growing civil rights movement. To this day, historians continue to rank him among the best-loved presidents in American history. -
Assassination of RFK and JFK
Forrest Gump was a young man when this assassination of JFK and RFK happened. The U.S. suffered a basic breakdown after JFK was assassinated, everyone was depressed. This put the nation under a depressed time and was a major impact on history. RFK was assassinated shortly after his brother and this shocked the nation. -
Drafted into the Vietnam War 1967
Forrest was drafted into the Vietnam war and shipped overseas. He fights in Vietnam while saving some soldiers and losing his best friend. The Vietnam War killed 2 million Vietnam civilians and 1.1 million troops. Vietnam gained their freedom from Cambodia and China because of this war, after fighting hard. -
Peace March/ Protests against war
Forrest spoke at the peace march/ protests in Washington D.C. and the mic was cut off so nobody heard his short speech. The peace movements started small, and gained interest after the U.S bombed North Vietnam. Anti-war marches gained a lot of support afterwards. Marches occurred at Lincoln Memorial with over 100,000 people gathering there. -
President Johnson awards Vietnam Veterans
Forrest was awarded the Vietnam medal from President Johnson and moons him (showing where he was shot). The medal of honor honored those who fought in the war and influenced American history in the way of making people realize war and what these soldiers did. -
Landing on the moon!
President Kennedy had a challenge to put a man on the moon by the decade’s end, and by then launched Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong. Armstrong was the first man to take the first human steps on the moon with over half a billion people watching on television. As he steps, he says the famous line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” -
Tour of China for Ping-Pong
Forrest became good at Ping-Pong so he went to China to play. Ping Pong Diplomacy, this was designed to become friends between China and the United States. China offered U.S Ping Pong team to visit during their World Championship in Nagoya, Japan. The Americans played exhibition matches (Forrest was on the team in the movie) -
Dick Cavett Show with John Lennon
Forrest was on the show with John Lennon. John Lennon and his wife appeared on the Dick Cavett show to premiere their new work. Fun discussions and play part of a song from Yoko’s double album “Fly” -
Nixon's Election
Forrest meets Nixon, prior to Watergate Scandal. One of the closest elections in U.S history, Nixon beat VP Hubert Humphrey. Nixon appealed to the “silent majority” and promised peace and honor in Vietnam, along with changes in the Cold War with the Soviets. -
Watergate Hotel Scandal
Forrest witnesses the Watergate break-in. Men attempted to wiretap phones and steal documents during Nixon’s re-election campaign. Nixon desperately tried to hide the crimes that he had committed with “hush money” and burning evidence until it was finally revealed that Nixon was, indeed, part of the scandal. -
Nixon resigns
The only us president to resign from office- Nixon was and is the only president to ever resign from office. He hoped to send healing to America, because of the Watergate Hotel Scandal. Newly President Ford later pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed in office. -
Hurricane Carmen
Forrest owns a shrimp boat. His shrimp boat is the only boat not destroyed during the hurricane, he had been praying for God to help him. Struck Mexico and gulf of Mexico as a level 5 hurricane. Destroyed everything in its path. In the movie, after the hurricane the Jenny was the only boat still intact and Forrest was able to catch enough shrimp to start the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. -
Apple Computers come about
Lt. Dan invests in the Apple company- Two Steves - Jobs and Wozniak - had been friends since high school. Both drop outs, they created Apple Computers as a hobby but didn’t take it seriously until after 1976. People loved the computers and the company grew until it was selling computers abroad with a huge company invested in Apple computers. -
Reagan assassination attempt.
Forrest watched on tv at home. Outside the Hilton Hotel, John Hinckley Jr. shoots Reagan with a .22 revolver. Hinckley hit a few men before hitting Reagan but was not killed from the incident. Lots of confusion on who was in charge at the white house after the attempt. -
HIV/AIDS breakout
Jenny, Forrest lover/ eventually wife got AIDS and died. People were unaware on how HIV/AIDS was spread through humans. Californian gay men were diagnosed with the disease and it was suggested AIDS was spread through sexual contact. People all around were contracting it and eventually dying.
