-
Elvis Presley
This event is one of the most well known in Elvis's history as he also sang jail house rock one of his top albums. Elvis's career sky rocketed from this event onward. In the film Forrest Gump young Forrest dances to Ain't nothing but a hound dog with his leg braces on giving the artist the idea for his famous dance. -
University of Alabama Desegregation (Stand in the school house door)
The president had to order the national gaurd to force Wallace to step aside and allow the students to enter and in doing so making them the first African American students to ever attend the university. In the film Forrest witnesses this event and picks up something that was dropped. -
All American football team meets president Kennedy
This honor is bestowed apon ameture sports teams that are the best in their particular sport. President kennedy meet many sports teams that were declared all American and so did many presidents after him. -
President Kennedy Assasination
The president was assinated in Dallas Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald. The assasination of the president was a tramendouse disturbance to the American people as it was teh first in many Americans life times, the man who assasinated him was killed by Jack Ruby before his trial. Both men claimed to be acting alone. In the film Forrest watches the assasination on TV. -
The Black Panther Party
The group expressed their desire for equal rights through a rhetoric millitary posture. The way that this came up in the movie is when Jenny takes Forrest to meet her friends or the crowd taht she is now hanging around with which turn out to be part of the Black panther orginization. -
Vietnam War 1955-1975
One of the biggest issues that was brought up by the media back here in the US in regards to this war was the age of all of the young men that were sent to die most of them were barely 18 years old. In the film Forrest joins the army straight out of highschool and is deployed to vietnam where his very good friend died. -
Robert F Kennedy Assasination
This happened right after the brother of Robert Kennedy the president of the united states was assasinated. He was running for president and was killed shortly after midnight during his champeign. In the film Forrest mentions this event right after mentioning the death of president Kennedy. -
The Hippie Movement: Protest in Washington DC
The hippie movement was a very big deal in the 1960's they were against many things including war. This protest in Washigton DC was against the vietnam war. Forrest a speech at this protest i the film from his experience as a soldier that fought in the vietnam war. -
Watergate Scandal and Nixons resignation
This scandal involved a break into the Democratic National Commities headquarters at the Washington Complex in Washington D.C. After extensive investigation the president at the time Nixon was found to have knowledge of the Scandal and soon after tapes of what was happening in the oval office but there were gaps in the tapes though and Nixon was found to be withholding evidence; after this event The president resigned, In the film Forrest witnesses the break in. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
The term ping pong diplomacy comes from the event when and American table tennis table player named Glenn Cowan missed his bus and had to ride with the Chinese team and he talked with them. After this event the American governmant agreed to use the ping pong team for foriegn affairs by playing against the chinese team. In the film Forrest is on the American Ping Pong team and participates in games against China. -
Hurricane Carmen
During its rampage the huricane destroyed much of the coast. In the film this hurican came while Forrest was on his shrimping boat and it greatly helped his shrimping buisness making him a millionare. -
John Lennon interview (Dick Cavett show) and death
Lennons criticism was so harsh against the Nixon administration that they tryed to have him deported back to England so that he wouldn't cause any morre trouble. In the film Forrest is interviewed along side Lennon in a TV interview before Lennon was killed.
