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In the movie, Elvis is staying with Forrest and he plays his song. Forrest starts dancing with his hips and legs and Elvis likes his moves. Elvis later performs Forrest's dance on tv. The song Elvis performs is called "Hound Dog."
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JFK invites the best, young football players to the White House. They are honored on the Collegiate All-American Football Team. At the white house, Kennedy awards each person. The players and president exchange a few words, and the next person in line follows. It was also shown on the news.
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In 1963, the first black students went to Alabama schools. The president makes sure that the African American students have military protection. Many parents and students are unhappy about the desegregation but others like Forrest Gump do not mind and welcome them.
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In the same year as meeting the All-American team, President Kennedy is assassinated. The nation is devastated and Forrest even says that he was very sad about this. This happened in Dallas, Texas and JFK passed away in Parkland Memorial Hospital. He was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
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The Vietnam War was a long conflict between South Vietnam with America and the communist North Vietnam. It lasted from 1955 to 1975. 58,220 American soldiers died, and 75,000 Vietnam veterans were disabled like Lieutenant Dan. It was the only conflict that ended in defeat for American arms. Forrest Gump was in the war from 1967 to 1968.
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In the 1960s and 1970s, protest in Washington D.C. against the Vietnam War started. In one of the protests, Forrest speaks to the people in the movie. The people wanted the U.S. to pull out of the war. Some of the largest protests were in 1968.
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The Black Panther Party was a socialist political organization. It was founded in 1966. The goals of the Black Panthers were for a good education, all black men to be exempt from military service, and an end to police brutality and murder towards black people. Jenny takes Forrest to meet the Black Panthers.
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In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Medal of Honor to five soldiers. These soldiers got this medal for their outstanding service in the Vietnam War. The Medal of Honor is the highest award for the military against an enemy force. In the movie, Forrest Gump receives this.
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In the film, the moon landing of Apollo 11 is shown on a television. Nobody pays attention because Forrest is playing Ping-Pong. Apollo 11 was the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin were on the spaceship.
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The invitation to the U.S. team was a friendly invitation from China. The Chinese were hoping to ease tensions between the two countries. It was called the "Ping-Pong Diplomacy." Forrest accepts this invitation and competes in China along with his team.
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The Watergate Scandal was a political scandal. It involved president Nixon and later led to his resignation. Nixon was abusing his power and was stealing information to stay in office. The first crime was in a hotel in Washington D.C. In the movie, Forrest thinks it was a power outage.
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Carmen was one of the most intense hurricanes of 1974. It started in the Yucatan Peninsula and made its way to Louisiana. It cost more than $160 million in damage. It damaged many homes and boats. In the movie, only Forrest's boat survived and he got all the shrimp.
