1945 to Present Timeline By emma_marlowyo Period: Jan 1, 1945 to Mar 7, 2013 Dates Dec 26, 1946 Mao Tse Tung leads communist revolution in China Mar 12, 1947 Gandhi founded the modern nation of India Apr 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson becomes the first black to play in the major league Feb 9, 1950 Sen. Joseph McCarthy claims the State Dept. is full of communists Jun 25, 1951 First color TV show Aug 5, 1952 Marilyn Monroe commits suicide Mar 5, 1953 Joseph Stalin Dies Jun 19, 1953 Rosenbergs are executed for spying Jul 27, 1953 Treaty signed ending Korean War Apr 12, 1954 Bill Haley records "Rock Around the Clock" Apr 18, 1955 Albert Einstein dies Oct 25, 1955 First microwave open Dec 1, 1955 Rosa Parks begins bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama Apr 1, 1956 US leaves Vietnam Feb 3, 1959 Buddy Holly dies in plane crash Jan 7, 1961 Pres. Eisenhower warns of the dangers of the 'military- industrial complex' Apr 12, 1961 Yuri Gargarin orbits Earth May 5, 1961 Alan Shepard goes into space Aug 13, 1961 Berlin wall goes up May 20, 1962 John Glenn orbits the Earth Oct 16, 1962 Cuban missile crisis resolved peacefully Feb 9, 1963 Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show Aug 28, 1963 Dr. Martain Lther King says "I have a Dream" Oct 1, 1963 James Meredith enrolls at Univ. of Alabama Nov 2, 1963 Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated Nov 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy is assassinated Nov 24, 1963 Lee Harvey Oswald is murdered Apr 28, 1965 US invasion of Dominican Republic Jun 30, 1966 Bety Freidan finds the National Organization of Women Aug 22, 1966 Cesar Chavez unionizes farm workers in California Jan 15, 1967 First Superbowl Jun 20, 1967 Muhammed Ali goes to jail Nov 1, 1967 Sen. Eugene McCarthy mobilizes the youth vote against the Vietnam war Jan 13, 1968 Pres. Johnson refuses to run for a second term of office Apr 4, 1968 Dr. Martain Luther King is assassinated Jan 7, 1969 Vice Pres. Spiro Agnew resigns from office Jul 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong walks on the Moon Sep 2, 1969 Ho Chi Minh dies Dec 1, 1971 Gloria Steinem publishes first edition on 'Ms.' Magazine Feb 21, 1972 Nixon visits Red China Jun 17, 1972 Watergate Hotel broke into Sep 5, 1972 Isreali athletes slaughtered at Olympics Aug 9, 1973 Pres. Nixon resigns Apr 8, 1974 Henry Aaron breaks Babe's records Aug 9, 1974 Gerald Ford becomes the first unelected president in history Jul 15, 1975 Dad's Birthday Jan 3, 1977 First Apple Computer sold Aug 16, 1977 Elvis dies Jan 5, 1978 Mom's Birthday Sep 17, 1978 Jimmy Carter presides over Camp David Accords Nov 12, 1978 Jim Jones leads followers into mass suicide Feb 11, 1979 Ayatollah Khomeni takes power in Iran Sep 20, 1979 Lee Iacoca takes over Chrysler Dec 8, 1980 John Lennon murdered Jan 20, 1981 Ronald Reagan becomes president Apr 12, 1981 Christa McCauliffe is first civilian to ride space shuttle Jun 14, 1982 Britian wins Falklands war Oct 25, 1983 US invasion of Grenada Nov 12, 1989 Berlin Wall goes down Dec 12, 1989 US invasion of Panama Sep 2, 1997 My Birthday Mar 19, 2003 US invasion of Iraq