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The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the second longest conflict the U.S. has ever participated in. The war was unpopular with many Americans, costing thousands of lives with little gains to show for it. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
After Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white person on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, blacks in the city boycotted the public transportation system for over a year, until the Supreme Court struck down bus segregation on December 20, 1956. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The CIA, with President Kennedy's approval, coordinated and financed an effort by Cuban exiles to invade Cuba and depose Communist dictator Fidel Castro. The invasion force was made up of mostly Cuban émigrés, and the attempt was defeated within days by Communist forces, resulting in a major humiliation for the United States on the world stage. -
First American Astronaut in Space
After several years of lagging behind the Soviet Union in the so-called "space race," Alan Shepard finally became the first American citizen to reach outer space aboard the Freedom 7 capsule on May 5, 1961. This event was a major step for America's progress in the space race. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviet Union attempted to place nuclear missiles within close range of the United States by shipping and installing nuclear missiles in Communist Cuba, but President Kennedy intervened with a naval blockade to prevent Soviet shipments. This event was the peak of the Cold War, as the threat of nuclear war ran higher than ever before, but the crisis was ultimately resolved with a Soviet withdrawal and a major propaganda victory for the United States. -
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
President Kennedy was shot while in Dallas. The Vice President Lyndon Johnson was inaugurated in his place. -
Signing of 1964 Civil Rights Act
After more than a decade of work by the Civil Rights Movement, President Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed racial and other forms of discrimination in public accommodations, effectively bringing the Jim Crow era to a close. -
The American Moon Landing
The Apollo 11 mission, led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, successfully touched down on the surface of the moon, and the Apollo 11 astronauts became the first humans in history to walk on the moon. The landing was a massive propaganda victory for America in the space race. -
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The Watergate Scandal
Five men were arrested for attempting to install bugging equipment in the Democratic Nation Committee building in Watergate complex. The scandal was eventually traced back to Nixon. Overwhelmed by the controversy and facing the prospect of almost certain impeachment, Richard Nixon became the first president in American history to resign, leaving the office to Vice President Gerald Ford. Nixon was later pardoned by Ford and did not face prosecution. -
The Fall of Saigon
Following more than a decade of American involvement in Vietnam, the South Vietnamese war effort collapsed and Communist forces closed in on the capital, Saigon. The city fell on April 30, 1975, ending the Vietnam War and unifying Vietnam under a Communist regime.