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Space Race
The Space Race refers to the 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union and the United States, to achieve firsts in spaceflight capability. -
Jonas Salk
He developed Polio. Soon after Salk's vaccine was licensed in 1955, children's vaccination campaigns were launched. The results were amazing: 60 – 70% prevention. The vaccination program saved more than $5 in direct costs and approximately $11 in additional costs to society. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland between the Soviet Union and seven Eastern Bloc satellite states of Central and Eastern Europe during the Cold War. -
Stock Market Suffers
As a result of the President's heart attack, the stock market suffers. The market that had seen stocks triple on Wall Street in the previous seven years went into a tailspin. -
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Vietnam War
In Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 -
Rosa Parks
It was the first example of the economic clout that the community had because eventually, the bus company had to desegregate their buses or face serious financial difficulties as very many black Americans used the buses. -
Interstate Highway Act
The government gave the “okay” to build an interstate. From this people were allowed to transport goods quicker across the country and that reduced cost of the overall price. If they got it there faster, it was less cost to the consumer. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a country could request American economic assistance/aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression from another state. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The goal of the 1957 Civil Rights Act was to ensure that all Americans could exercise their right to vote. The U.S. Congress approves the first civil rights bill since reconstruction with additional protection of voting rights. -
"Sputnik"
Sputnik was the first artificial Earth satellite. This affected the U.S. economy because there was a new emphasis on science and technology in American schools. -
Explorer 1
Explorer I, the first U.S. space satellite, is launched by the Army at Cape Canaveral. It would discover the Van Allen radiation belt. We were one step closer in the space race. -
NASA formed
NASA created many jobs for the economy. NASA also selects the first seven military pilots to become the Mercury Seven, the first astronauts of the United States. -
National Defense Education Act
This act funded education institutions at all levels. America was competing with the Soviet Union in areas of science & technology. This affected the economy because they were making breakthroughs. It was important because it encouraged students to continue their education after high school. -
Cuban Revolution
During the Cuban Revolution it transformed the relationship between Cuba and the United States. Castro took over Cuba and from that the U.S. lost trade with them. -
Tax Rate
Eisenhower recommends continuation of a 52 percent tax rate on corporate profits. -
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was built along with borders that sealed East and West Germany. -
Stock Market
The stock market was falling and unemployment still hovered at 7%. This showed instability in America’s economy. It was thought that there was a rapid growth of loans and bank credit. -
Great Inflation
The great inflation begins - a period of time in which that the inflation is unusually high. The rise of inflation is what allowed for an excessive growth in the supply of money. -
Floppy Disk
Invented by Alan Shugart -
MLK Assassination
Martin Luther King Jr. was always working to form a coalition of poor Americans–black and white alike–to address such issues as poverty and unemployment. Ames Earl Ray ended up shooting Martin Luther King Jr. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
The Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law by President Johnson.This provided for equal housing opportunities regardless of race, religion, or national origin and made it a federal crime to force or by threat of force, injure, intimidate, or interfere with anyone, by reason of their race, color, religion, or national origin. -
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment is ratified, allowing 18-year-olds to vote. Not all people believed that this amendment had a positive effect on our nation. In fact, some people thought (and still think) that it is to blame for major governmental and economic collapses due to the under-educated voting. -
Trans-Alaska Pipeline
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is 800 miles of pipeline that conveys oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, Alaska. The pipeline was built after the 1973 oil crisis that caused a sharp rise in oil prices in the United States. This rise made exploration of the Prudhoe Bay oil field economically feasible. In the end, it cost the economy billions. -
Microsoft
Bill Gates founded Microsoft, which in time dominated the home computer operating system market.
