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Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white passenger and she was thrown in jail. -
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The Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest during which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama, to protest segregated seating. -
The Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School. -
Sputnik l
The Soviet Union successfully launches Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite. Marking the dawn of the Space Age, the event pushes the US government into action and leads to the formation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). -
The Presidential Election of 1960
In a closely contested election, Democrat John F. Kennedy defeated incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican Party nominee. -
The Berlin Wall
East Germany begins construction of the Berlin Wall, which closes all land routes between East and West Berlin. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
Reconnaissance reveals Soviet missiles in Cuba. The United States blockades Cuba for 13 days until the Soviet Union agrees to remove its missiles. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy/Lyndon B. Johnson Becomes President
John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Not soon after Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president. -
The Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., an American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He later died at the St. Joseph's Hospital. -
The Moon landing
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon. -
The First Earth Day
Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems, is celebrated in the United States for the first time. -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal began when several burglars were arrested in the Watergate complex of buildings. The burglars were connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign, and they had been caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents.