Key events of the 20th Century By jvandendriest Jan 1, 1901 Federation of Australia Jan 22, 1901 Queen Victoria dies after 63 year reign Jul 28, 1914 World War I starts Period: Jul 28, 1914 to Jun 28, 1918 WWI Jun 28, 1918 World War I ends Oct 29, 1929 Wall Street Crash (triggers Great Depression) Sep 1, 1939 WWII starts Period: Sep 1, 1939 to Aug 14, 1945 WWII May 8, 1945 World War II ends in Europe Aug 14, 1945 World War II ends in the Pacific Jun 30, 1948 Indian independece leader Mahatma Gandhi assassinated Nov 1, 1955 Vietnam War starts Period: Nov 1, 1955 to Apr 30, 1975 Vietnam War Oct 14, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis starts Period: Oct 14, 1962 to Oct 28, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis Oct 28, 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis ends Nov 22, 1963 US President John F Kennedy assassinated May 27, 1967 Referendum gives citizenship status to Aboriginal Australians Apr 4, 1968 Civil Rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr assassinated Jul 20, 1969 Apollo 11 lands on the moon Apr 30, 1975 Vietnam War ends Jun 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre Nov 9, 1989 Berlin Wall Collapses Jan 19, 1990 Soviet Union dissolved Feb 11, 1990 Nelson Mandela released from prison in South Africa Apr 27, 1994 end of Apartheid in South Africa