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Harry Truman wins the 1948 presidential election in a stunning upset, and is inaugurated the following January.
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The Marxist forces of Mao Zedong win the Chinese Civil War, proclaiming China to be a Marxist state.
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The North Korean Army invades South Korea. The following war involves the UN, US, USSR, and PRC and lasts for 3 years.
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Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union since the 1924 death of Lenin, dies.
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The Viet Minh defeats the besieged French military at Dien Bien Phu, bringing the First Indochina War to a close.
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Citizens of Montgomery, Alabama boycott the Montgomery Bus Lines in reaction to the arrest of Rosa Parks.
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The Soviet Union launches Earth's first artificial satelite, Sputnik-1.
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The 26th of July revolutionary movement wins the Cuban Civil war and establishes Cuba as a Marxist State.
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East Germany creates a wall dividing East and West Berlin.
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US President John Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Oswald in Dallas, Texas.
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The United States lands astronauts on the Moon, winning in the Space Race.
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Following almost a year of revolution, the Shah agrees to leave Iran. Soon after, an Islamic Theocracy is established.
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To support the pro-Soviet government, the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan.
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Chinese soldiers open fire on students protesting the Chinese Government at Tiananmen Square. The students had been occupying the square since April.