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Japan sweeps away French rule in Indochina. In Vietnam, it places Emperor Bao Dai in power,
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The United States drops an atomic bomb—the first to be used in warfare—on Hiroshima, killing 75,000 people instantly, and injuring more than 100,000.
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A second atomic bomb is dropped in Nagasaki.
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President Harry S. Truman is elected to a second term.
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The Viet Minh launches its first assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The battle will rage for over two months
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Democrat John F. Kennedy defeats Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon to become the 35th president of the United States.
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South Vietnamese police fire shots into a crowd of Buddhist monks demonstrating against President Diem's regime. The event will inspire others to protest.South Vietnamese Protests
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While riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumes the presidency.
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In an attempt to spur negotiations with North Vietnam, President Johnson orders a halt in the bombing. The pause will last just over a month
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Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated at the Lorra Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassin, James Earl Ray, pleads guilty and is sentenced to 99 years in prison.