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Albert Sabin
Albert Sabin was a Polish American medical researcher. He was born on August 26th, 1906. He's most known for developing the oral polio vaccine. He's very important because this oral vaccine has played a great role in closely getting rid of polio. He got awarded a role in the Polio Hall of Fame a ew years later. -
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater was born on January 2nd, 1909. Goldwater was a politician, businessman, and author. He served as Senator of Arizona five times. He was a nominee in the presidential election of 1964 representing the Republicans. Even though Goldwater lost, he is still given credit to bringing back the American conservative movement throughout the 1960's. -
Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus was born in January 7th, 1910. He was an American politician who served as the Governor of Arkansas from 1955 through 1967. He is best known for his stance against desegregation of the Little Rock School District. He did not want any blacks in his schools. -
Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby was born in March 25th, 1911. He was a nightclub owner who shot Lee Oswald in November 24th, 1963. Lee Oswald was the one accused of assassinating John F. Kennedy. When Ruby was put in trial, a judge found him guilty and was sentenced to death. His conviction was later appealed and was able to get another trial, unfortunately, he didn't make it since he died from lung cancer. -
Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson was born on May 8, 1911. He passed away on August 16, 1938. Johnson was an American blues singer-songwriter. Robert also had guitar skills. Johnson had little recognition in his lifetime. -
Hector P. Garcia
Hector P. Garcia was born on January 17th, 1914. Garcia was a Mexican-American physician, surgeon, World War II Veteran, and civil rights advocate. He was also founder of the American G.I Forum. Garcia did many great things for this country, he even received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk was born on October 28th, 1914. Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He developed the first successful polio vaccine. He greatly helped the United States since Polio was considered one of the most deadly epidemics. Salk died on June 23, 1995. -
Malcolm X
Malcolm X, born as Malcom Little, was born on May 19th, 1925. He was an African-American Muslim minister and civil rights activist. Instead of provoking desegregation, he provoked isolation from all whites. He believed it was better if blacks and whites lived completely separate. Malcom later died on February 21st, 1965 due to several gunshots against him. -
Cesar Chavez
Cesar Chavez was born on March 31, 1927. He was an American labor leader and activist. Chavez co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. He was very popular among his Hispanic community. He used tactics of unionism and non-violence, and it all seemed to work. -
Ike Turner
Ike Turner was born on November 5th, 1931. He was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter and other things. Turner is mostly known for his work in the 1960's and 70's he produced with his wife Tina Turner. Ike's first recording was the song "Rocket 88", which we all know was reproduced many times after that. It is debatable he produced the first rock and roll song. -
Little Richard
Little Richard was born on December 5th, 1932. He is and American musician, songwriter, singer, and actor. His other nickname is the "Architect of Rock and Roll." Richard has been very influential in popular music since he's been around for a long time. He's influenced artist ranging from rock and roll all the way to Hip-hop. He's still alive today. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935. He is referred as the "King of Rock and Roll." His musical career began in 1954, when he started recording at Sun Records. Elvis was also a movie star. He made his film debut on November of 1956, in the movie Love Me Tender. -
John McCain
John McCain was born on August 29th, 1936. He serves as senior U.S senator of Arizona. He ran in the 2008 Presidential election, but lost against Barrack Obama. McCain also served in the Navy, just like his father and grandfather. -
Lionel Sosa
Lionel Sosa was born in 1939. He is a Mexican American executive. He grew up in San Antonio, Texas. Lionel served in the United States Marines Corps. Sosa became active in presidential politics. He was an adviser of the Republican campaigns. -
Smith Act
The Smith Act was enacted on June 29th, 1940. This act punished anyone who spoke about overthrowing the U.S government, and also required adult U.S non-citizens to register with the federal government. Close to 215 people were punished under this act, including alleged communists, anarchists, and fascists. It mostly took effect during the red scare. -
GI Bill
The GI Bill was effective as of 1944. This Act gave returning World War II Veterans benefits. Among these benefits were better loans, education, etc. This was available to all World War II Veterans that were active for at least 90 days. The GI Bill was a way to avoid the protests that happened after WWI. -
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Cold War
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Atomic Bomb
The Atomic Bomb all started with the Manhattan Project. It took the U.S four years to make this bomb, since they were desperately competing with the Germans. The first bomb test was in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where they tested the Trinity Bomb. Later on August 6th, 945, the U.S uses Little Boy to bomb Hiroshima. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was born on July 6th, 1946. Bush served as the 43rd president from 2001 through 2009. Bush was also the Governor of Texas from the year 1995 to 2000. Bush had to deal with bringing America back up after the 9/11 attacks. He came up with the Bush Doctrine afterwards. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was announced by President Harry S. Truman on March 12th, 1947. He announced this when he vowed to contain Soviet threats to Greece and Turkey. This Doctrine was a foreign policy to stop Soviet imperialism during the Cold War. The U.S. once again helped financially to both Greece and Turkey to aid their military. -
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton was born on October 26 1947. She was the first lady of the United states from 1993 through 2001. Clinton was an advocate for gender equality and healthcare reform. She ran for the presidency in 2008 against Obama, but unfortunately lost. Once again, she ran in the election of 2016, and also lost. -
Al Gore
Albert Gore was born on March 31, 1948. He is an American politician. Gore served as the 45th Vice President of The United States. He served as vice president from 1993 to 2001. Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate in their 1992 campaign. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was signed by President Truman on April 3rd, 1948. It was first known as the Economic Recovery Act, but was changed in favor of the Secretary of State George Marshall. Marshall was the one who suggested to provide economic assistance to Europe in 1947. He gave the speech to help Europe at Harvard University on June 5th, 1947. During the next few years, the U.S. helped with $13.3 billion dollars. -
Berlin Airlift
The Berlin Airlift happened in June 24th, 1948. The U.S. took part in a massive airlift of food, water, and medicine to the citizens of West Berlin. The United States decided to do this after the Soviets performed a blockade of Berlin. The supplies brought was able to keep sustain the 2 million people for a little over a year. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was the basis of Truman's presidency. The Fair Deal had propositions to continue the New Deal liberalism, along with Conservative views. The most iconic, or effective ones were aid of education, universal health insurance, and the Fair Employment Practices Commission. All of these were aims to make the U.S become better. -
Period: to
The 1950's
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Korean War
The Korean War began on June 25th, 1950. It was a War between North, and South Korea. The North had first invaded South Korea, but the United Nations came to aid the South Koreans. The U.S was a principal force to the South Koreans while the Chinese and Soviets aided the North. The Korean War finally ended on July 27, 1953. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets were an American rock and roll band. From the years 1954 through 1956, Bill Haley's Comets put nine singles in the top 20's chart. Bill Haley was a country singer before, but decided to change music genre. Bill Haley's Comets were very loved with their matching jackets and energetic shows. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
The Earl Warren Supreme Court was the period in history where Earl Warren served as supreme justice. Warren came after Fred M. Vinson passed away in 1953. Warren stayed in office until he retired from court in the year 1969. During his time, he led a liberal majority. -
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Civil Rights
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Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954. She is a talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She has her own talk show and is a very talented woman. She was the richest African American of the 20th century. She was born in Mississippi and raised in Milwaukee. -
The Beat Generation
The Beat Generation were a movement that began with literary authors. They began around mid 1950s. This Beat Generation influenced American culture and politics after World War II. They published many books to get their point across, along with rejection of materialism. Some of their works include Naked Lunch, and On the Road. -
Polio Vaccine
The first Polio Vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk. It was developed in 1955, though this vaccine was the inactivated kind. When this vaccine was used, 90% of the users developed protective antibody to all three types of polio after two doses. After three doses, 99% of users are immune to the polio. -
Emmett Till's Tragedy
Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi in 1955. Till was a fourteen year old boy who was accused by a white woman. The woman accused him of whistling at her in an improper manner. Emmett was found dead, with his face completely destroyed. The only way to identify him was by the ring his mother gave him. The killers were not punished at all. You could say Emmett's death sparked the Civil Rights Movement. -
Eisenhower Highway System
The Eisenhower Highway System Began on June 29th, 1956. President Eisenhower had an idea for this. One of the main reasons for building these highways was for military movement. Take in mind this was all around the time where Atomic bombs put a lot of fear in people. The U.S citizens though, didn't think about it this way, they thought it was great to have highways to take them places they have never been before. They finally felt freedom to roam anywhere. -
Space Race
The Space Race began on the year 1957. The Space Race was a competition between the Soviet Union and the U.S. It all began when Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit around earth was launched. Americans were fearful that their technology was being left behind. Then, The U.S created NASA, or the "New American Scientists Astronauts." They were scrambling to develop satellite technology as well to catch up. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was enacted on September 9th. It was the first federal civil rights legislation passed since the year 1875. The purpose of this act was to show how the federal government supported racial equality. It was a protest against the decision made in Brown v. Board of Education. -
New Frontier
The New Frontier was used in President Kennedy's administration. He used the "New Frontier" as his slogan just like the "New Deal." Kennedy wanted to end poverty in the U.S, and look towards space, the New Frontier helped him achieve that. The New Frontier allowed expanse on unemployment benefits, and to improve living conditions in the cities. -
OPEC
OPEC began in September of 1960. OPEC is a intergovernmental organization. OPEC also consists of 14 countries. Their mission is to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies. They have been working together to make the world a better place with little to no wars. -
LSD
LSD is a drug known for psychological effects. It was first made by Albert Hofmann in 1938. The CIA then brought up the idea to test the drug on young people because they thought it could be used to do mind control. Later in the 1960s, the drug was used constantly by young adults in the 1960s, which resulted in its prohibition. -
Period: to
The 1960s
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Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was established on March 1st, 1961. This program was issued by President John F. Kennedy during his presidency. The Peace Corps is a program filled with volunteers primarily. Their duty is to provide assistance to the people in, and out of the U.S. -
Bay of Pigs
The invasion of the Bay of Pigs happened on April 17, 1961. President Eisenhower had approved an operation to overthrow Castro. This then was carried out when Kennedy was in presidency. The CIA had assured Kennedy it would be a success, but fail miserably. Kennedy takes the blame for the operation publically but privately blames the CIA. -
Freedom Rides
Freedom Riders were an activist group who rode buses down to the south where it was extremely segregated. Their plan was to challenge the law and hope for a better change for the colored community. When getting to the South, some were arrested. But unfortunately, the KKK were waiting for them and threw a cocktail into the bus which caused a fire. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama was born on August 4th, 1961. He was the 44th president of the United States. He served office form 2009 to 20017. Obama was the first African American to win the presidency. Obama tried to do many things for the people, including immigrants. He also brought upon Obama Care, something many people have today. -
JFK Assassination :'(
The 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated on November of 1963 at 12:30 pm. He was going through Dallas Texas in Dealey Plaza. He wanted to have the top of the vehicle off so that people got a better look at him. Unfortunately, so did the killer(s). There was no way to save the president, he was announced dead thirty minutes later. -
Warren Commission
The Warren Commission was established on November 29, 1963. It was order by President Johnson to begin investigating the assassination of JFK. This brought congress to allow witnesses to speak, and begin gathering evidence to solve the case. Three days later, the cases was concluded and was made public. -
The Great Society
The Great Society was created by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson first used this term during his speech at Ohio University. The Great Society was a program that was focusing on education, medical care, poverty, etc. This program was then made popular later on through Johnson and other Democrats in Congress. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted on July 2nd. This act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It forbid unequal application when it came to voting. It also forbid segregation in schools, employment and other public locations. -
Anti-war movement
The Anti-War movement began around the year 1965 after the U.S bombed Vietnam. The U.S began to send troops to that country and many people protested. The protesters consisted of young ones in particular. They were the ones being drafted to go. They protested by burning their draft cards, and doing big speeches on college campuses which sometimes resulted violent. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted on May 26. This act outlawed racial discrimination when it came to voting. Before, there were purposeful questions to get the blacks not to vote if they weren't that smart. This Act was passed under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Native-American Civil Rights Movement
The Native-American Civil Rights Movement, also called Indian Bill of Rights, was passed on 1968. When this act passed, native Americans were guaranteed many things they were denied before. They received the right of free speech, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, etc. Basically, they were granted all the rights we have today, good for them. -
Warren Burger Supreme Court
President Nixon named Warren Burger as chief of the supreme court in 1969. He served from 1969 to 1986.Burger helped establish the National Center for State Courts. -
New Right
New Right had a combination of Christian leaders. They claimed that environmental and labor regulations were undermining the competitiveness of American firms. Other New Right leaders were very organized and understood the potential in mass communication. -
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The 1970s
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Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was passed on March 22, 1972. It bans from discrimination based on sex. It was originally known as Lucretia Mott Amendment. In 1979 only 35 states ratified the Equal Right Amendment. -
Watergate
Watergate scandal occurred in the early 1970's. It was a major political scandal. Nixon ordered investigations using the FBI, CIA, and IRS as political weapons. -
Title IX
Title IX is a federal law. No person shall be denied from benefits or be discriminated. Title IX was introduced in Congress by Senator Birch Bayh. He worked on constitutional issues regarding employment. -
Roe V Wade
Roe V Wade was a decision made in 1973. It continues today about whether if abortion should be legal. Planned Parenthood rejected Roe's trimester firework. It affirmed that woman has a right to abortion. -
The Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a public policy based in Washington, D.C. Heritage is a conservative organization in the U.S. Paul Weyrich was one of the men who founded Heritage in 1973. He created an organization that would supply policymakers. Heritage began using direct mail fundraising. The income grew to 1 million. -
War Powers Resolution Act
The War Powers Resolution Act took effect on November 7, 1973. This act was intended to check the president's power to send the U.S to armed battles without consent of Congress. This resolution was taken in by allowing the president to send U.S Forces into battle abroad only by declaration of war by Congress. -
Endangared Species Act
Endangered Species Act is a law passed in 1970's. It is designed to protect species from extinction. President Nixon signed it into a law in December 28 1973. It is administered by United States Fish and Wildfire Service and Commerce Departments National Marine Fisheries Service. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran Hostage Crisis was held for 444 days. It lasted from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981. It was described as an "entanglement". Jimmy Carter said November 4, 1979 was a day he would never forget. -
AIDS CRISIS
The AIDS crisis began in the 1980's. They began to spread like wildfire. Many people tied the aids crisis with the homosexual community. Several religious groups said that aids was a way that God was punishing the community. -
Reagan Doctrine
Reagan Doctrine started in 1981 and ended in 1987. Under Reagans administration the doctrine was quickly embraced. Reagan was a vocal proponent. He labeled the contras "the moral equivalent of our funding fathers". It was controversial because it had shown disregard for human rights. -
Election of 1980
Election of 1980 was held on November 4, 1980. It was the 49th quadrennial presidential election. Republican Ronald Reagan defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter. Carter warned that Reagan would cut Medicare and Social Security. Reagan was 69 when he won presidential election. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve on Court. She served from 1981 to 2006. She was born on March 26 1930. Sandra was a judge in Arizona serving as the first female. O'Connor was named as a powerful woman in the world. -
Space Shuttle Program
The Space Shuttle Program was carried out by the NASA. Its official name was Space Transportation System. The Shuttle was the only reusable space vehicle. It made multiple flights into orbit. The concept had been explored since the late 1960's. -
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter was born on October 1, 1924. He was the 39th president of the United States. He served from 1977 to 1981 as president. Before becoming president he was the 76th Governor of Georgia. He was governor from 1971 to 1975. -
Period: to
The 1980s
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Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was a system to protect the United States from attack by ballistic. President Reagan first announced the concept. SDI was controversial throughout its history. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Iran Contra Affair started in August 20,1985 and ended on March 04, 1987. It was a political scandal during the Reagan Administration. They planned that Israel would ship weapons to Iran. Iranian promised to ship the release of the hostages. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He served as president from 1981 to 1989. Before becoming president he was a Hollywood actor. From 1967 to 1975 he was Governor of California. -
Balkan Crisis
The Balkan Crisis began in 1990. It consisted of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia. The reason why this happened is because these countries were looking for independence from Yugoslavia. There was certain resistance, but then Albanians agreed to the terms of independence. -
Persian Gulg War/ 1st Iraq War
The Gulf War started on August 02, 1990 and ended on February 28, 1991. The War had several names such as Persian Gulf War, First Gulf War and First Iraq War. It also earned the name of Video War Game. -
Period: to
The 1990s
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Rodney King
Rodney King was born on April 2, 1965, and passed away on June 17, 2012. King was a taxi driver of Los Angeles. He was a victim of Los Angeles Police Department when officers beat him during his arrest. The news about his incident was around the world. Two of the officers were found guilty and were sentenced to prison. King was awarded $3.8 million in damages. -
Election of 1992
The Election of 1992 was the 52nd quadrennial presidential election. The Election was held on November 03, 1992. Governor Bill Clinton defeated Republican President George H. W. Bush. Clinton was a leader of the Democratic Leadership Council. Clinton defeated Governor Jerry Brown. -
World Trade Center Attack- 1993
World Trade Center Attack carried out on February 26, 1993. It was a terrorist attack. It was intended to send the North Tower to crash into South Tower. It would bring both towers down and kill tens of thousands of people. Its mission failed but still killed 6 people and injured thousands. -
North American Free Trade Agreement
North American Free Trade Agreement took effect on January 1st 1994. It was made between United States, Canada, and Mexico. It is to increase fairness of trade among three nations. It has two supplements (NAAEC) and the (NAALC). NAFTA has been beneficial to the North American economies. -
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act was enacted in September 21, 1996. It allowed states to refuse to recognize same sex marriages. DOMA was introduced in May 1996. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. -
Period: to
Contemporary
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No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act was created on 2001. This program was created to help disadvantaged students. Their way of thinking was that if standards and goals were set to students, students would thrive to get them. This act then required to give tests testing certain skills in each grade. -
9/11 Attacks
The 9/11 attacks happened in 2001. Four planes were captured by al-Qaeda members crashed into several important buildings. These attacks caused a total of 2,996 deaths. It also caused over 10 billion dollars of damage. It is an event that will always be remembered. -
Patriot Act
The Patriot Act was signed by President Bush on 2001. This act was created primarily after the 9/11 attacks. It was a call to the country to begin strengthening security. Even though it was passed, there are still critics today saying it is unfair towards immigrants. -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina first formed on August 23rd, 2005. It was very destructive since it was category 5. It made much of the damage along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas. Crazy thing is, it also hit on my birthday. And I'm sure many other people lost many things, including homes. -
ARRA
The ARRA was signed into effect by Barrack Obama in 2009. It was created as a response to the Great Recession that happened in 2008. Their main objective was to save existing jobs, and to keep creating new ones to keep the economy going. -
Obama Care
Obama Care was in effect since March 23, 2010. It was an idea, of course, from President Barrack Obama. It was created primarily to help the people who couldn't afford health insurance before. It took more serious effect in the year 2014, when more people had singed up. Now, President Trump wants to take it away.
