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Click here for more infoHarry Truman is inaugurated as U.S. president after being elected in 1948 to his own term; previously he was sworn in following the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He authorized the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan during World War II, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, respectively.
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Click hereJoe McCarthy, the US Senator, gains national attention and begins his anti-communist crusade with his Lincoln Day speech.
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Click HereThe Rosenbergs, Ethel and Julius, were convicted on March 29 for espionage
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click hereAlbert Einstein dies on April 18 at the age of 76.
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Click HereBrigitte Bardot appears in her first mainstream film And God Created Woman and establishes an international reputation as a French "sex kitten".
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Click HereBuddy Holly dies in a plane crash on February 3 with Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, in a day that had a devastating impact on the country and youth culture.
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click hereMoonshot: Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing, successfully lands on the moon
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click herePunk rock: The Ramones form, with the Sex Pistols following in 1975, bringing in the punk era
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click hereHeavy metal suicide: In the 1980s Ozzy Osbourne and the bands Judas Priest and Metallica were brought to court by parents who accused the musicians of hiding subliminal pro-suicide messages in their music.
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click hereBernie Goetz: On December 22, Mr. Goetz shot four young men who he said were threatening him on a New York City subway. Goetz was charged with attempted murder but was acquitted of the charges, though convicted of carrying an unlicensed gun.
