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korean war
Cold war conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces on Korean Peninsula. -
twenty-second admendment
to the Constitution is ratified, limiting the president to two terms -
Betty Chapman
becomes the first black American professional softball player as an outfielder on the Admiral Music Maids of the National Girls Baseball League out of Chicago. -
Althea Gibson
becomes the first black player to comete at Wimbledon.Gibson also won the women’s doubles championship later in the day. -
the international softball
The International Softball Federation is established to govern worldwide softball competition.
The first National Softball Week was declared for July 22 -
president truman
President Truman authorizes the seizure of United States steel mills in order to avert a strike, but his action is ruled illegal by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 2. -
pat McCormick
Pat McCormick becomes the first diver to ever win all five national championships. She took a gold in springboard diving and a gold in platform diving at the Helsinki Summer Games, as well. She also wins AAU's James E. Sullivan Memorial Award. -
first softball meeting
The first meeting was held for the International Softball Federation, which would govern the sport around the world. -
hydrogen bomb
At Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the first hydrogen bomb, named Mike, is exploded. -
General Dwight D. Eisenhower
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, a newcomer to politics, but popular due to his role in winning World War II as European commander, gains an easy victory over Democratic challenger Adlai E. Stevenson. The Electoral College vote was 442 to 89. -
President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower
President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower travels to Korea to try and end the conflict. -
double helix DNA
The description of a double helix DNA molecule is published by British physicist Francis Crick and American scientist James D. Watson. They, along with New Zealand born scientist Maurice Wilkins, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery in 1962. -
Fighting ceases in the Korean War
Fighting ceases in the Korean War. North Korea, South Korea, the United States, and the Republic of China sign an armistice agreement. -
overthrow of the government in Iran
The United States CIA assists in the overthrow of the government in Iran, and retains the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to the throne. -
The Cold War
The Cold War continues in earnest when President Dwight D. Eisenhower approves a top secret document stating that the U.S. nuclear arsenal must be expanded to combat the communist threat around the world. -
color television0
The first color televisions go on sale. -
Racial segregation in public schools
Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th Amendment's clause that guaranteed equal protection. The Monroe School in Topeka, Kansas had segregated Linda Brown in its classes. -
ray kroc
Ray Kroc founds the idea for the McDonald's corporation, agreeing to franchise the idea of Dick and Mac McDonald, who had started the first McDonald's restaurant in 1940 and had eight restaurants by 1954. -
U.S governemnt
The United States government agrees to train South Vietnamese troops. -
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States orders that all public schools be integrated with deliberate speed. -
disneyland
Disneyland, the brainchild of Walt Disney, whose father had worked at previous world's fairs and inspired his son to build the iconic Magic Castle and other exhibits, opens in Anaheim, California, with the backing of the new television network, ABC. Disneyland California remains today as one of the greatest theme park capitals of the world and some say is second only to his second park built some years later on the other side of the country, Disney World Florida. -
rosa parks
Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, prompting a boycott that would lead to the declaration that bus segregation laws were unconstitutional by a federal court. -
The two largest American labor unions
The two largest American labor unions, the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, merge to form the AFL-CIO, boasting membership of fifteen million. -
The first major world's fair
The first major world's fair since the end of World War II opens in Brussels, Belgium and evokes a Cold War debate between the pavilions of the Soviet Union and the United States. -
Alaska is admitted to the United States
Alaska is admitted to the United States as the 49th state to be followed on August 21 by Hawaii. -
president johnson
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act -
Twenty-Fifth Amendment
Twenty-Fifth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, outlining the procedures for filling vacancies in the presidency and vice presidency -
martin luthe king
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th president -
national gaurdsmen
our students are shot to death by National Guardsmen during an antiwar protest at Kent State University -
House Judiciary
House Judiciary Committee recommends to full House that Nixon be impeached on grounds of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress -
President Carter
President Carter meets with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin at Camp David -
President Carter
President Carter announces that U.S. athletes will not attend Summer Olympics in Moscow unless Soviet Union withdraws from Afghanistan -
Deadline for ratification
Deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution passes without the necessary votes -
U.S. invades Caribbean island
of Grenada after a coup by Marxist faction in the government -
inauguration
Reagan's second inauguration -
Space shuttle Challenger explodes
space shuttle challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members (Jan. 28). It is the worst accident in the history of the U.S. space program. U.S. bombs military bases in Libya in effort to deter terrorist strikes on American targets -
congress
Cngress holds public hearing in Iran-Contra investigation (May 5–Aug. 3). In a speech in Berlin, President Reagan challenges Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” and open Eastern Europe to political and economic reform -
41st president
george H. W. Bush is inaugurated as the 41st president (Jan. 20). Oil tanker Exxon Valdez runs aground in Prince William Sound, spilling more than 10 million gallons of oil -
iraq troops
Iraqi troops invade Kuwait, leading to the Persian Gulf War
