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Period: to
Contemporary
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Atomic Bomb - Hiroshima
An American B-29 bomber dropped the world’s first deployed atomic bomb over a Japanese city in 1945, Hiroshima. The bomb was called "Little Boy," a uranium bomb that exploded 13 kilotons of force. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and killed 80,000 people. Thousands more would die later, due to their exposure to radiation. -
Atomic Bomb - Nagasaki
A few days after Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, another city in Japan, killing approximately 40,000. Emperor Hirohito announced his surrender and that of Japan in World War II through the radio, claiming how powerful this new and cruel bomb was. Although this bomb was bigger than the other one, there were less casualties, due to the warning and effective evacuation. -
Period: to
Cold War
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Cold War - Truman Doctrine
President Harry S. Truman stated that the United States would aid all democratic nations under threat from authoritarian forces, either politically, militarily, or economically. The Truman Doctrine changed U.S. foreign policy, away from its usual neutral stance in external conflicts to the possible intervention in far away conflicts, to be more up close and into other's problems when needed. -
Cold War - Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American initiative to aid Western Europe. The United States gave over $13 billion to finance the economic recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951. It successfully stimulated economic recovery and restored the confidence Europeans had in their future economy. -
1950's - Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was President Truman's proposal to Congress to congress to continue New Deal liberalism. Many have said the fair deal is similar to the New Deal, only newer and modified a little. When he proposed it, only a few of its major initiatives became law. The most important ones were education, health insurance, and the Fair Employment Practices Commission. -
Television - TV Shows
There is no exact date, but actual TV shows for entertainment did not air until 1950, usually there were just news broadcasts. This was when TVs became a need in the home. Fathers would come home and the first thing they would do is turn on the TV. They saw another means of entertainment and it became very common. The first broadcast of Broadway Open House was aired in 1950. -
Period: to
1950's
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2nd Red Scare - McCarhyism
McCarthyism is the practice of accusing people of being communists without enough evidence. It refers to a U.S. Senator named, Joseph McCarthy and has it takes place during the Second Red Scare. It lasted from 1947 to 1956 and represented a heightened political repression and a campaign that spread fer of communism. -
Cold War - Korean War (The Forgotten War)
World War II caused Korea to divide into a Communist, northern half and an American-occupied southern half, divided at the 38th parallel. The Korean War started when the Northern Communists crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded non-Communist South Korea. As the Northerners were clearly overrunning South Korea, the United States came to South Korea's aid. While North Korea was aided by China and the Soviets. -
Rock 'n' Roll - Ike Turner
Ike Turner was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer. He became famous in the 1960's and 70's. He started playing instruments at the age of eight. He soon formed a band and released his fist recording in 1951. He recorded for many of the key R&B record labels of the 50's and 60's. -
Television - News
News has been on the TV for a long time. It all started around the 30's, but TVs were not very popular then. Also, Television news in the United States went from being 10-15 minutes to an hour. And people can watch news from all around the world. The very first TV news broadcast was in 1940 by NBC. It was only seen in NYC. First modern tv newscast was in 1951. -
1950's - Polio Vaccine
Dr. Jonas Salk announces that he tested a vaccine against polio that was successful. In 1952, were 58,000 cases reported and 3,000 died from polio. He was notorious for promising to get rid of the disease that affected many kids in the United States for a long while. -
Polio Vaccine - Albert Sabin
A Jewish man from Poland came to America to escape persecution. He got his M.D. in New York and dedicated his entire career into the Polio disease. He figured out that polio also could live within the small intestine and eventually created a vaccine that could be taken orally, breaking barriers that had never been broken before. Sabin aided in calming the huge and horrid polio epidemic down. -
Period: to
Civil Rights
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Civil Rights - Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared that states that separated schools because of race were unconstitutional. The ruling overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state segregation. This ruling paved the way for integration and was a major victory of the Civil Rights Movement. -
1950's - Beat Generation
Beatniks are novelists, poets, and artists that rejected American materialism and culture in the mid 1950's. They stood for individual freedom and pleasure, which is why they used a lot of drugs. While rejecting home ownership, careers, and marriage. They lay the foundation for many war protests. -
Civil Rights - Emmet Till Tragedy
While visiting family in Money, Mississippi, 14-year-old Emmett Till, an African American from Chicago, was brutally murdered for flirting with a white woman four days earlier. The white men made Emmett carry a 75-pound cotton-gin fan to the bank of the Tallahatchie River and ordered him to take off his clothes. There they brutally attacked him and threw him into the river. -
Civil Rights - Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott, in which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating, took place in 1955-56. It is regarded as the first large-scale demonstration against segregation in the U.S. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refused to give her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. She was arrested and fined. -
Rock 'n' Roll - Elvis
As Elvis was growing up, he was very poor, but discovered his singing ability when he was in elementary school. He participated in many talent contests and released his first song in 1956. This was the birth of rock 'n' roll. His music changed many American lives. From the way they dressed, the hairstyles they had, and even their behavior he influenced their lives. -
Rock 'n' Roll - Little Richard
Richard Penniman is a musician, singer, and songwriter. He influenced music and culture in the United States for over 6 decades. The work he is most famous for was written in the mid-1950's. His influence was also important in the creation of other music genres, like soul and funk. He made into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. -
Civil Rights - Civil Rights Act of 1957
President Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 on September 9th. It was the first time after Reconstruction that the government took action to protect civil rights. Many southern congressman took away from the bill, but it still came with a lot of important changes for the African Americans. It protected voting rights and most importantly showed the government's commitment to civil rights. -
Civil Rights - Little Rock 9
Despite the opposition, nine students registered to be the first African Americans to attend Central High School. On their way inside, they confronted many people that were not okay with their entry into school. They were being protested and had stuff thrown at them. -
Cold War - Space Race
As World War II was ending, another conflict seemed to be rising. It was the Cold War. A battle that pitted the world’s two great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. Space would become another place for them to compete. Each nation was trying to show its technological advancements and power. -
1960's - Feminism
Many women during this century split from Civil Rights and looked towards Feminism. Many famous authors encouraged women to explore their sexuality. Women influenced each other to believed they could do everything men could. The movements focused on equal treatment, opportunity and pay. -
1960's - Counter Culture
Members of the counter culture or hippies were thought to be out of touch. Because of this, many new drug laws were passed in the 70's. They also made heroin and LSD popular and commercialized rock music and marijuana. Hippies were turned off to their own culture. All in all, they rejected middle class values. -
1960's - New Frontier
In his acceptance speech, John Kennedy introduced the idea of a new frontier to gain American support. JFK was the youngest president elected in American history. He wanted to raise the minimum wage, relieve overcrowded schools, to cut business taxes, and to increase spending to alleviate a downturn. Most importantly, he challenged America to land a man on the moon. -
Period: to
1960's
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Civil Rights - Sit-Ins
On February 1, 1960, four African American college students went to a white only lunch counter in North Carolina and asked for coffee. When service was refused, they sat patiently. Despite other's words and feelings they waited quietly. This was the birth of the civil sit-in. -
1970's - OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
This permanent intergovernmental organization created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960 by Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nine other members were added as the years passed. Their objective is to co-ordinate and unite petroleum policies among its members to secure stable prices for petroleum producers. -
1950's - Politics (Nixon, Kennedy)
The presidential election of 1960 consisted of Richard Nixon and John Kennedy. Nixon was going for the re-election and he probably would have won if he and Kennedy did not face each other on the televised debate. Many were set to vote for Nixon, but Kennedy's image on the TV changed their perspectives. So, when it came down to the elections, Kennedy won. -
1960's - LSD
LSD is a powerful drug that came to prominence with the counter culture. It caused addiction and spread from the United States to the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. It remains a poplar drug in the UK. Here in the US, it was used to escape the problems of society. -
1960's - Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was founded by president Kennedy. It inspired young college grads to work in poor countries and humanitarian projects. Unfortunately, his plan did not carry out as planned because he was only in office for 3 years. Conservatives were against his liberal agenda. -
Race To Space/Moon - Kennedy's Speech at Rice University
On September 12th of 1962, President Kennedy gave a speech that changed the space race. His speech marked the beginning of a new technological era for America. His "we go to the moon speech" marked the beginning of the space race and the U.S was determined to get there first. -
Assassination of JFK - Lee Harvey Oswald
Oswald was an ex-marine that associated with the communists. He was defected to the Soviet Union. He came back to the United States with a special permission. He is responsible for killing the president and was claimed to be the only shooter in the assassination. -
1960's - Assassination of JFK
Kennedy flew to Love Airfield in Dallas and planned on travelling through downtown Dallas. He wanted maximum exposure to crowds to generate excitement. The route was publicized for several days ahead of schedule. Lee Harvey Oswald took advantage of this and waited on the 6th floor of a book depository. Five shots were made, while only 2 hit the president. He died at Parkland Hospital. -
Assassination of JFK - Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby lived in Dallas, Texas where he owned a nightclub. On November 24, 1963, just two days after the assassination of JFK. He shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald. He was found guilty of murdering Oswald, and was sentenced to death. His conviction was appealed, but as he got his new trial, he died of pulmonary embolism. -
Civil Rights - Civil Rights Act of 1964
This act ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was first proposed by JFK, but he died before it could be passed. So, his successor LBJ signed it into law. As the years have passed, the act has been expanded for the purpose of bringing equality to African Americans. -
1960's - Great Society
The Great Society was a set of democratic programs for the United States introduced by president Lyndon B. Johnson. It promised education, good standard of living and beautification. While going further than the New Deal. It also fought for Civil Rights and got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed. Also, it declared a war on poverty and made domestic programs to fight it and got Kennedy's agenda passed. -
Ascendency of Lyndon Johnson - Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad plays to the fears of Cold War mentality. Because of this many feared this war and its consequences. It was also a response to Gold water's NATO comments that commanders should have authority to use nuclear weapons. -
Civil Rights - Voting Rights Act of 1965
This voting act was aimed to overcome all voting barriers on state and local levels that did not allow African Americans to vote. It showed that the government was helping African Americans and is a very important legislation passed. It also prohibits literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory laws. -
Vietnam War - Tet Offensive
In 1968, about 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers launched the Tet Offensive. Which were many attacks on over 100 cities in South Vietnam. General Vo Nguyen Giap planned the attack to stimulate South Vietnamese rebellion. But South Vietnam and America were successful in holding off the attacks. This was a turning point for the Vietnam war and the beginning of America getting out of this region. -
Civil Rights - Death of MLK
MLK traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to give a speech at a local Church. He stayed at the Lorraine Motel, where he stayed a lot. But on April 4, 1968 he was shot talking to someone from the balcony. James Earl Ray shot him from a distance and was later arrested in London. The bullet went through King's cheek and it severed a major artery. -
1970's - Warren Burger Supreme Court
Warren E. Burger was the 15th chief justice of the US from 1969-1986. Although he considered himself a conservative and many conservative decisions were given in court, many liberal decisions were made as well. Like, decisions on abortion, capital punishment, religious establishment, and school desegregation. In 1969, he was nominated by President Richard Nixon to be Chief Justice. -
Civil Rights - Stonewall Riot
At 3 a.m. in New York City, in a gay club the Stonewall Riot becomes violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against the police. There was then a series of riots by members of the LGBT community. These events are considered the most important ones leading to the gay liberation movement. -
Period: to
1970's
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Nixon's Presidency - Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA was created to protect human health and the environment by making regulations based on laws passed by congress. The order that establishes the EPA was ratified by committee hearings in the House and Senate. The agency is led by somebody appointed by the president. -
Technology - E-Mails
Email was never really invented. It just evolved from simple beginnings. Early email is what we know today as file directory. It simply put a message in another user's directory where they could see it. Now we can have many emails and for different uses. I for example have a personal email and a school email. They allow for faster communication and the sharing of information online. -
Jimmy Carter’s Presidency - Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was to provide legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination dependent on sex. There were many supporters of this amendment that won the required two-thirds vote from the US House of Representatives and approved by the US Senate. -
Nixon's Presidency - Watergate
On this date, burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. This burglary did not consist of actually taking things. They were accused of wiretapping phones and stealing secret documents inside the hotel. It was all part of president Nixon's reelection campaign. -
Nixon's Presidency - Title IX
Title IX basically states that no person in the US should be excluded form or denied benefits because of sex. Or be discriminated under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. -
1970's - Endangered Species Act
This act serves to carry out all the changes outlined in the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is designed to protect critically endangered species from extinction as a consequence of economic growth and development by adequate concern and conservation. -
1970's - Nixon’s Resignation
While being televised, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation. Becoming the first president in American history to resign from office. He felt pressured to resign because of all the impeachment proceedings against him for the Watergate scandal. -
1970's - Federal Election Commission (FEC)
It is an independent regulatory agency that regulates the campaign finance legislation in the US. It was a provision of the 1974 amendment of the Federal Election Campaign Act. Its duty is to enforce provisions of the law and to oversee the public funding of Presidential elections. -
Jimmy Carter’s Presidency - Panama Canal
President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian dictator Omar Torrijos signed a treaty agreeing to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the US to Panama at the end of the 20th century. It also abolished the Canal Zone which intersected the Republic of Panama. -
Entertainment - Rap Music
This music genre was developed in the US by African Americans. It consists of stylized rhythmic music that accompanies rapping. DJ Kool Herc is considered the father of rap music. It is basically a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. -
Entertainment - Satellite Entertainment
This is a service that delivers TV programs to the viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth. The signals are received from an outdoor parabolic antenna referred to as a satellite dish and low-noise block down converter. -
Period: to
1980's
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Election of 1980 - Jimmy Carter
Carter was the 38th president of the US. He faced many challenges, including a major energy crisis as well as high inflation and unemployment. He also reopened US relations with China and attempted to make peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, but was not successful as the hostage crisis in Iran approached. -
Election of 1980 - Ronald Reagan
In the 30's, Reagan became a Hollywood actor. His films and TV career not only earned him public recognition, but it also helped in making his good-guy reputation. He was a conservative. During his presidency, he redefined the center in American politics towards Republicans. -
Reagan Presidency - Reagan Doctrine
The Reagan Doctrine was created by the Reagan Administration to overcome the global influence the Soviet Union had to end the cold war. It was the centerpiece of the US foreign policy until the end of the cold war. Under this doctrine, the US offered aid to anti-communist groups and resistance movements in an attempt to stop Soviet influence. -
1980's - A.I.D.S. Crisis
AIDS had been around for a while now, but not in the US. It was discovered in Sub-Saharan Africa and was discovered in young gay men in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco in 1981. They soon discovered it could be transmitted in other ways. -
1980's - Sandra Day O’Connor
She was an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the US and was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was a moderate conservative and was known for her researched opinions. For 24 years she was an important part of the SCOUTS. -
Entertainment - Music Television (MTV)
MTV is an American cable and satellite TV channel. It originally aired music videos, but today is aimed primarily towards teenagers. Its showings now consist of reality comedy and drama instead of music videos. It has received criticism because of this change of focus. -
1980's - Video Head System (VHS)
VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes. When they were first invented they were used only in expensive professional environments, but soon entered home use and were used for entertainment. -
Cold War - Fall of The Berlin Wall
In 1961, East Germany began to build a wall between East and West Berlin. The purpose of this wall was to keep fascists from the West from entering East Germany. Instead it caused many problems among both sides of the nation. The wall stood until November of 1989. On November 9, mobs crowded against the wall and some crossed into W. Berlin while others began to bring down the wall by their own means. -
Technology - Internet
Unlike other common things we use today, the internet does not have a single inventor or a specific date of invention. Similar to emails it evolved over time and continues to change now. It got its start over 50 years ago in the Cold War. Many used it to communicate and share date, now it is part of our daily life. -
Period: to
1990's
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1990's - Rodney King Incident
Rodney King became known after he was beat by the LAPD. A witness videotaped the beating and sent footage to a local news station. It shows 4 officers surrounding King, hitting him repeatedly, while other officers just watched. This raised modern concern about police treatment of minorities in the US. -
Bill Clinton Presidency - Balkans Crisis
This crisis was a series of wars fought from the early 1990's to the end of the decade. They facilitated the breakup of the Yugoslav state when its republics declared independence. The ethnic issues of minorities in some of those states had not been resolved yet. Thus leading to this crisis. -
1990's - Oprah Winfrey
Oprah is an American media proprietor, talk show host, producer, actress, and philanthropist. She is best known for her personal talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show. IT has been around since 1986-2011. She has won many awards like Best Talk Show Host at the Daytime Emmy Awards in 1992. -
1990's - Election of 1992
The US election of 1992 was held on November of that year. The major candidates were George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot. Bush hoped he would win by saying he would get the US out of recession and by introducing his foreign policy. Clinton won this election and Ross Perot came in last place, taking only 18.9% of the popular vote. -
Election of 1992 - George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush was the 41st president of the US. He was a member of the Republican party and a congressman, ambassador, and director of central intelligence. In 1988 he beat Reagan for the presidency and as president conducted military operation in Panama and the Persian Gulf. Also, the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the Soviet Union did too. -
Election of 1992 - Bill Clinton
Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the US. He was also the Governor of Arkansas for two terms. He also served as the Arkansas Attorney General. Being the democrat he was, his ideas reflected a new democrat and political philosophy. -
Bill Clinton Presidency - World Trade Center Attack - 1993
Six suspects were convicted of participating in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. Six people were killed and over a 1,000 were injured. The explosion created a hole 200 feet by 100 feet and was several stories deep. The 1,200 pound bomb was in a Ryder truck parked in the garage under the Trade Center. -
Technology - Affordable Cell Phones
Mobile phone have become an important part of our daily life. Many cannot imagine life without it. Phone have not always looked like that though. Mobile phones came around in 1995 and seemed like huge bricks. Now they can be put almost everywhere. 30 years ago, the first mobile phone sold for $4,000. Over the years this number has decreased. -
Contemporary - Election of 2000
The US presidential election of 2000 consisted of George W. Bush and Al Gore. Bush was quickly favored as the Republican nomination and Al Gore was able to secure the Democratic nomination because Clinton could not run for a third term. The both focused on domestic issues like, tax, social insurance programs, and foreign policy. Bush won because of the say of one state, Florida. -
George W. Bush Presidency - War on Terror
This war was a result of the attacks on 9/11. It is a war against terrorists organizations and regimes accused of helping them. It was focused on countries associated with Islamic terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda, which is responsible for the 9/11 attacks, and organizations similar to that one. -
Contemporary - PATRIOT ACT
This act was also passed by George Bush which actually stands for "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001." It is intended to avoid incidents like 9/11 from happening again. It was a hard time for America. So, in 2011, President Obama signed an extension of the act to further ensure the safety of America. -
George W. Bush Presidency - 9/11 Attacks
On this day, 4 airplanes were hijacked with the intent of knocking down the twin towers, the pentagon, and the white house. Thankfully only 3 of those spots were successful. The 2 twin towers were knocked down causing a lot of damage. Both mentally and physically. Many died and were injured. One other plane did hit the pentagon, but the damage was not nearly as bad and the last hit a field in Pennsylvania. -
Contemporary - No Child Left Behind Education Act
This act was passed by President George Bush to reauthorize the elementary and secondary education act. It also included help for disadvantaged students and supported standards-based education reform. The act required states to make tests based on skills. In order for schools to receive federal funding, they must test all the students. -
Contemporary - Hurricane Katrina Disaster
On August 29, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the US. When it hit it had a category of 3 with winds of 100-140 miles per hour and was 400 miles across. The storm caused a lot of damage. Like mass flooding, which was a huge struggle for many. And the federal government was slow to help the people in need. It is estimated that this hurricane caused damages worth more than $100 billion. -
Election of 2008 - The Great Recession
It was a sharp decline in the economy of the US during the late 2000s. It considered the largest recession since the Great Depression. It began when the US housing market went from being all successful to large amounts of mortgage-backed securities and derivatives lost a lot of value. -
Election of 2008 - Barack Obama
The election of 2008 consisted of Barack Obama and John McCain. It is one that will be marked in history because it is the first election in which an African American becomes president. After a campaign that lasted almost 2 years, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States. -
Obama Presidency - First Hispanic SCOTUS judge - Sonya Sotomayor
Sonya Sotomayor became the first Latian Supreme Court Justice. In 2009 president Obama nominated her for this position. It was then confirmed a few months later making her fall into supreme court history. In the years before that she was nominated for US District Court for the Southern District of New York and the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. -
Obama Presidency - Affordable Care Act (ACA) “Obamacare”
Obamacare is the informal way of saying Affordable Care Act passed by president Obama. The most important thing about this act is that it requires you to have health insurance for at least 9 months out of the 12 in a year. Otherwise you get taxed 2.5% of your income. -
Entertainment - Robert Johnson
He is an African American entrepreneur, media magnate, executive, philanthropist, and investor. He is the founder of BET and RLJ companies. He became the first black billionaire and is most known for his founding of the Black Entertainment Television (BET).
