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End of WWII
Final, official surrender from the Germans came on this date after a long and terrible war. -
Brown v. Board of Education Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation between blacks and whites in public schooling was not appropriate and would no longer be tolerated. -
Rosa Parks Incident
African American Rosa Parks was arrested on this date for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
Began with the Rosa Parks incident and went until the federal ruling of Brown v. Gayle took effect. -
Little Rock Nine
Nine black students were enrolled into a previously all white school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The school district's superintendent wanted to start a gradual integration of blacks into the school system. This did not go over well with the students and people of the town. Each student eventually had personal, armed escorts to accompany them throughout the school day. -
Sputnik Launched
History was changed this day when the Russians launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial orbiting satellite. Americans were afraid because they believed this would give Europe all power when it came to space travel and some also thought it was a missile. The launching of Sputnik also led to the creation of the Explorer and NASA. -
U-2 Incident
An American plane was shot down while flying over the Soviet Union. This was a part in increasing the severity of the Cuban Missile Crisis. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Unsuccesful attempt by CIA-trained Cuban exiles to overthrow the Cuban government. They were supported by the United States. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
The closest the world has ever been to nuclear war. The Cubans and Soviets became allies and threatened to bomb the east coast of the United States. -
Letter From a Birmingham Jail
A letter Martin Luther King Jr. wrote from his Birmingham jail cell. He wrote it to his fellow Alabama clergymen who were not in favor of his protesting methods in order to convince them of supporting him and his demonstrations. -
March on Washington
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., along with many other powerful African American leaders, led over 200,000 people to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to peacefully protest the discrimination against blacks.
