1955-1975

By timetoastisp2w

  • Elvis Presley

    A Rock and Roll star that would capture a generation.

  • Warsaw Pact

    Soviet Union responds to NATO by establishing Warsaw Pact which would provide support between the Soviets and the countries of Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, & East Germany.

  • Bus Boycotts

    Rosa Park's refusal to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama to a white man sparks a years worth of bus boycotts.

  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference

    A group organized with the help of Martin Luther King, Jr. to establish civil rights groups across the country to better organize and sustain protest for the Civil Rights movement.

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower

    President Eisenhower is sworn in for his 2nd term.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1957

    Legislation signed by President Eisenhower became the first law since Reconstruction to protect civil rights by protecting voting rights and creating the Civil Rights Division in the Justice Department.

  • Little Rock Nine

    The first black students to attend an all-white school received protection when President Eisenhower orders U.S. army troops to Little Rock, Arkansas.

  • Sputnik

    Soviet Union launched first artificial satellite called Sputnik which increased American fears during the Cold War.

  • NASA Founded

    NASA founded to further America's research and development of satellites and rockets to compete with the Soviet Union.

  • John Birch Society

    An anti-communist group which attacked political leaders for being communists and opposed many of the civil rights programs of the time.

  • Fidel Castro

    After defeating American backed Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro marches through Havana to become the new Cuban ruler.

  • Luna 2

    Luna 2, a Soviet Union capsule, became the first human designed object to touch the moon's surface.

  • "Sit-Ins" Start

    Sit-Ins, which began in North Carolina, were held to protest segregated counters by African American students and further bring attention to the civil rights movement.

  • U-2 Plane Downed over Soviet Territory

    Francis Gary Powers, American pilot, what shot down while flying a recon mission in his U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union.

  • First Televised Presidential Debate

    John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon become the first American presidential candidates to hold televised debates.

  • John F. Kennedy Becomes 35th President

  • Peace Corps

    Peace Corps was formed by President Kennedy to assist underdeveloped countries.

  • Soviet Cosmonaut

    Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first human to orbit the earth

  • Bay of Pigs Invation

    A failed attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro by Cuban exiles aided by the U.S. CIA operatives.

  • "Freedom Riders"

    A successful attempt to end segregation on interstate bus rides. Although met with violence, the Freedom Riders laid the framework for civil rights action to ban segregated buses.

  • First American in Space

    Alan Shepard safely orbits the Earth in Freedom 7 capsule which helps boost American's involvement in the Space Race.

  • James Meredith

    James Meredith becomes the first African American student at the University of Mississippi.

  • Cuban Missle Crisis

    The U.S. public panics after spy planes reveal a missile base in Cuba leading to a standoff between President Kennedy, Soviet Union and Fidel Castro. Eventually, an agreement was reached for the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba and the U.S. to remove their missiles from Turkey.

  • Birmingham Campaign

    A combination of various Boycotts, marches, and sit-ins were held to rid the city of segregation. In the midst, Martin Luther King, Jr was jailed.

  • Governor George Wallace Makes His Speech

    Wallace, elected governor of Alabama, proclaims "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.”

  • Nuclear Test Ban

    The Soviet Union and the United States agree to ban nuclear testing underwater, in the atmosphere and in outerspace.

  • "I have a Dream" Speech

    Martin Luther King, Jr gives his renowned speech on the steps of the Lincolns Memorial during the March On Washington

  • Lyndon B. Johnson becomes 36th President

    After the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

  • President Kennedy Assassinated

    Assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas

  • Great Society

    Various reforms to end poverty and racial injustices approved under President Johnson.

  • 24th amendment passed

    Amendment prohibits a poll tax in federal elections.

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Legislation to prohibit job discrimination and integrated public accommodations signed into law by President Johnson.

  • Lyndon B. Johnson elected as President

    Johnson sworn in as newly elected president.

  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Banned all discrimination and obstacles for individuals attempting to vote.

  • Watts Neighborhood Riots

    Residential segregation and police brutality led to riots in the Watts neighborhood in California.

  • Black Panther Party Formed

    A group of radicals who demanded reparations and exemptions of black men from the military draft. Activists initiated "survival programs' in inner cities and paraded around in military type clothing armed with military weapons.

  • Cuban Adjustment Act

    This Agreement allowed for Cuban Refugees to enter the U.S. after being separated from their families for years.

  • Thurgood Marshall

    Marshall becomes Supreme Court Justice of African American descent.

  • Tet Offensive

    A loss for America in the Vietnam War as North Vietnamese troops overtake Southern cities causing a loss of hope of a quick end to the war.

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated

    King was killed in Memphis, Tennessee/

  • Richard Nixon Becomes 37th President

  • Apollo 11 Moon Landing

    Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land the first human mission to the moon, take the first steps on the moon, and plant an American flag on the moon.

  • Woodstock Concert

  • Native American Civil Rights Plight

    Native American activists occupy Alcatraz to bring attention to the needs of their people.

  • National Enviromental Policy Act

    federal legislation to regulate the clean-up of air and water.

  • Earth Day is Created

    A celebration of the Earth and the need to protect the environment.

  • Shootings at Kent State

    Ongoing student protests against the Vietnam War lead to shootings by National Guard troops of students on the Kent State campus.

  • Environmental Protection Agency

    EPA was established by President Nixon to study and guard the environment.

  • Pentagon Papers Published

    The true facts about the Vietnam War were revealed in a series published in the New York Times. It reveled the large amount of deception from the American government to the public.

  • President Nixon Visits China And Russia

    Nixon was the first president to visit communist China while in office and the first president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to visit the Soviet Union in May of the same year.

  • Watergate Scandal

    A bugging attempt by Nixon associates was foiled at the Democratic National Committee office. The scandal resulted in massive coverup until a couple of years later additional information prompted House Judiciary Committee to approve articles of impeachment for President Nixon.

  • OPEC's Embargo

    OPEC leaders place an oil embargo on the United States because of its support of Israel.

  • Richard Nixon

    Nixon is sworn in for 2nd term as preident.

  • Roe vs Wade

    A case that legalized abortion.

  • Paris Peace Accords

    Agreement marks the official end to the Vietnam War.

  • Nixon Resigns

    Nixon's resignation from office was the first and only time a U.S. president has resigned from office.

  • Gerald Ford Becomes 38th president

  • Jimmy Carter Becomes 39th President