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United States drops the atomic bombs on Japan causing the end of World War II
Hiroshima was the first city in Japan that was bombed by the United States. Three days after Hiroshima was bombed, then Nagasaki is bombed and April 15, 1945 Japan surrenders causing World War II to end. Some historians believe that the end of World War II caused the beginning of the Cold War. The United States was one of the first countries to drop the atomic bomb during the wartime and is called the most cruel bomb. The bomb wiped out ninety percent of the city's population. -
United States Supreme Court rules Brown vs Board of Education and that segregation of schools is illegal
Before this supreme court case, United States had segregated schools and they were "separate but equal". After the Brown versus Board of Education, the justices ruled segregation of schools unconstitutional. -
Alaska and Hawaii are admitted as states
Alaska was admitted first as a state before Hawaii and Alaska had multiple useful resources. Alaska has oil, but Dwight Eisenhower feared that possessing the territory closest to the Soviet Union. Eight months after Hawaii is admitted as a state. -
The Berlin Wall is built between East and West Germany
East Germany decided to build the Berlin Wall to permanently close off access to the West side of Germany. The Berlin Wall stood for twenty-eight years and symbolized the "iron curtain" during the Cold War. The Soviet Union leader suggested that East Germany build the wall because so many people moved from East to West. East Germany was under communist rule while West Germany was the gateway to democratic rule. -
The Soviet Union deploys nuclear missiles to Cuba, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union threatened to deploy missiles onto Cuba, but the United States decided to surround Cuba to show the Soviet Union that they will bring military into the mix. The standoff of the Cuban missile crisis was gotten rid of when the Soviet Union agreed to not explode the missiles as long as the United States did not invade Cuba. -
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his speech in front of 250,00 people in Washington D.C. King wanted to voice his opinions about equal rights and uses references to United States founding fathers and the Bible. The main purpose was to gain equality and it was a century ago on the date of the speech, that the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. -
John F. Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson assumes the presidency
John F. Kennedy was campaigning and was riding in his motorcade when the shots were fired to his car. Kennedy was shot in the neck and head. Despite the efforts of the driver of the car, President Kennedy was dead. The assassin of Kennedy was Lee Harvey Oswald and originally was from Russia and devoted to Fidel Castro. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed any discrimination of any kind. No more segregation based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or anything else. The act outlawed segregation in public places like bathrooms, parks, restaurants, and theaters. -
Neil Armstrong is the first person to walk on the moon
Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon ever and it took about six-and-a-half hours to arrive to the moon. Armstrong said this as walking on the moon "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." The Apollo program sent the astronauts to the moon and John F. Kennedy spurred the idea of going to the moon for the first time. -
The Paris Peace Accords ends United States involvement in the Vietnam War
The Paris Peace Accords was signed by the United States, Viet Cong, South Vietnam, and North Vietnam to make amends and stop the Vietnam War. The Vietnam war did not end, because of South Vietnam not recognizing Viet Cong as an important participant in the actions of ending the war.
