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Albert Einstein first published his theory of relativity, which has been an essential component to our ability to understand and study space, time, and movement. Without this theory, it is possible that man may have never understood our place in the universe. -
Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle is not only a literary classic, but also had a huge impact on the health and sanitation standards in the USA. This book provoked public outrage by providing an unfiltered look into the disgusting conditions of the meat-packing industry, which provoked the passing of the Pure Food and Drug Act as well as the Meat Inspection Act -
Due to Germany's continued submarine attacks of US ships, the US officially joined the first world war on the side of the allied powers (Russia, France, and the United Kingdom) -
When the financial success of the roaring 20's began to nose-dive, the US was plunged into the worst financial crisis to date - The Great Depression. The stock market crash of October 1929 was the first major crisis within 12 of the darkest years in US history. On that Monday, the Dow declined a record setting 13%, only to continue to fall by 12% the following day. This was the moment that really showed the US people the dark consequences of the fiscally irresponsible roaring 20s. -
Due to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, which killed 2,403 people, The United States officially entered World War II - which tipped the power greatly in the favor of the allied powers. -
The US involvement in the Vietnam War is one of the most (justifiably) criticized decisions in our history. Lyndon B Johnson, retaliating against the perceived threat of communism and a desire to best the Soviet Union in a proxy war, sent our troops to fight in the war that would result in nearly 60,000 US casualties. -
On this day, one of the most influential men to ever live gave one of the most influential speeches ever spoken. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech brought black men and women together in a moment of true camaraderie. It also, unfortunately, cemented King as an enemy of the FBI, which many believe may have been the thing that lead to his death several years later. -
On this day, the Civil Rights Act was passed by congress. It "prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin" (dol.gov). The request for an act of this nature was originally put forth by Kennedy, but after his assassination, Lyndon B Johnson was the one to sign the act into law. -
Man's first steps on the moon represented a new high in scientific advancement for humanity, as well as a decisive success for the USA in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. -
The break in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington DC became a national scandal when they were linked back to President Nixon's re-election organization, leading to an internal investigation of the president. This lead to Nixon's resignation from office after he was certain he was caught and going to be impeached