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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War, and more than half of the dead were Vietnamese civilians. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year. -
Hovercraft Invented
British inventor and engineer Christopher Sydney Cockerell invented a swift water-transport vehicle that was not quite a boat, not quite a plane, but a hybrid of sorts: the hovercraft. The Hovercraft is designed for traveling over land or water on a supportive cushion of slowly moving, low-pressure air. -
Explorer 1 Launched
Explorer 1 became the first successfully launched satellite by the United States when it was sent to space. A quick response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1, Explorer 1's success marked the beginning of the U.S. Space Age. -
Battle of Ap Bac
The Battle of Ap Bac was a major battle that took place during the Vietnam War and was fought between the US and South Vietnamese ARVN against Viet Cong. The US and South Vietnamese ARVN launched an operation to capture a Viet Cong radio transmitter from the village of Ap Tan Thoi, but they were ambushed and forced to retreat in a major Viet Cong propaganda victory. -
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War was a brief but bloody conflict fought between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. This brief war resulted in a U.N.-brokered ceasefire, but it significantly altered the map of the Mideast and gave rise to lingering geopolitical friction. -
Portable Calculator Invented
The hand-held pocket calculator was invented at Texas Instruments, Incorporated (TI) by a development team which included Jerry D. Merryman, James H. Van Tassel and Jack St. Clair Kilby. A basic patent for miniature electronic calculators was issued to Texas Instruments Incorporated. The patent is for personal-sized, battery-operated calculators which have their main electronic circuitry in a single integrated semiconductor circuit array, such as the popular "one-chip" calculators. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among Black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era. -
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Richard M. Nixon Presidency
Richard Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States after previously serving as a U.S. Representative and a U.S. Senator from California. After successfully ending American fighting in Vietnam and improving international relations with the U.S.S.R. and China, he became the only President to ever resign the office, as a result of the Watergate scandal. -
26th Amendment Ratified
The 26th Amendment lowered the legal voting age in the United States from 21 to 18. The long debate over lowering the voting age began during World War II and intensified during the Vietnam War, when young men denied the right to vote were being conscripted to fight for their country. Amid increasing support for a Constitutional amendment, Congress passed the 26th Amendment and the states promptly ratified it. 4 months after it was passed, President Richard M. Nixon signed it into law. -
Battle of Xuân Lộc
The Battle of Xuân Lộc was the last major battle of the Vietnam War and was fought between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the North Vietnamese Army. The Battle of Xuân Lộc ended when the town of Xuan Loc was captured by the PAVN 4th Army Corps.