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Republican Majority in Congress
In the middle of Harry Truman's term, the Republican party had regained majority in both the House and the Senate. The GOP played off the fears of Americans in order to get elected. -
First Levittown Announced
William Levittown, the mind behind these housing plans announced the first Levittow in New York. Four in different locations throughout America would see the light of day. -
Desegregation of Armed Forces
With Executive Order 9981, Harry Truman ordered the United States armed services to end segregation inside its ranks. This was a stepping stone for civil rights in the United States. -
Minimum Wage Raised
President Truman raised the minimum wage for workes from 40 cents to 75 cents, an 87.5% increase. -
Pulitzer Prize goes to...
Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for her work in poetry. (Date not exact) -
UNIVAC
UNIVAC - the first commercial computer available for sale. The first one was sold to the United States Census Bereau. -
See It Now
The popular TV show, See It Now, was launched by CBS. It was a adaption of the radio program Hear It Now. -
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The classic movie was released as metaphor for the Cold War and Soviet threat. -
McDonald's Double Arches
The double arch design was chosen for the McDonald's fast food restaraunt stores. They are part of the stores up to this day. -
Brown vs BOE
In a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court decided that segeregation of schools was unconstitutional. -
Polio Vaccine
Jonas Salk made a medical breakthrough by discovering a polio vaccine. -
Montogomery Bus Boycott
Boycott of the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama began after they ejected Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat -
Interstate Highway System
Eisenhower passed legislation to create today's Interstate Highway System. This makes travel to various metropolitan areas that the system connects to easy. -
Game Show Scandal
Charles Van Doren became famous for being on the game show Twenty One. It was revealed in 1959 that he had cheated by being given knownledge of answers to questions before the show. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
Primarily a voting rights legislation, it was the first civil rights bill since reconstruction. Strom Thurmond filibustered this bill for over twenty four hours, but failed. -
Launch of Sputnik I
The Soviet Union became the first successful nation to launch an artificial sattelite into space. -
FORTRAN Programming Language
IBM developed the punch-card based programming language for its computers around the world. -
Explorer I Launched
In response to the Soviet Union, the United States launched Explorer I, their first missle to get off the ground and successfully into space. -
NASA
In reponse to the launch of Sputnik, the US organized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration -
Greensboro Sit-ins
A group of African American students staged a sit in at a store that refused to serve blacks.
