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Bay of Pigs
On January 1, 1959, a young Cuban nationalist named Fidel Castro drove his guerilla army into Havana and overthrew General Fulgencio Batista the nation’s American-backed president. -
John F. Kennedy elected president
John F. Kennedy becomes the youngest man ever to be elected president of the United States, narrowly beating Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. -
U.S. involvement in Vietnam War begins
In late January, 1968, during the lunar new year (or “Tet”) holiday, North Vietnamese and communist Viet Cong forces launched a coordinated attack against a number of targets in South Vietnam. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. -
John F. Kennedy Assassinated
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed
The United States Congress overwhelming approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson nearly unlimited powers to oppose “communist aggression” in Southeast Asia. -
The Beatles perform in U.S. for the first time
The Beatles' first visit to the United States came at a time of great popularity in Britain. -
Tet Offensive
On January 31, 1968, some 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched the Tet Offensive a coordinated series of fierce attacks on more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam. -
Election of 1968 (who ran? who won?)
MaCarthy ran and Johnson won -
U.S. involvement in Vietnam War ends
Paris peace talks open with the U.S., South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Viet Cong all in attendance. -
Richard Nixon visits China
In an amazing turn of events, President Richard Nixon takes a dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) by traveling to Beijing for a week of talks. -
Watergate Affair
Early in the morning of June 17, 1972, several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. -
Richard Nixon resigns from presidency
This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. -
Jimmy Carter elected president
Jimmy Carter took his first step on the road to the White House in 1972 by becoming chair of the Democratic Governor's Campaign Committee, and then his second step in 1974 by getting himself named as the campaign chairman of the Democratic National Committee. -
Camp David Accords (between Egypt and Israel)
At the White House in Washington, D.C., Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign the Camp David Accords, laying the groundwork for a permanent peace agreement between Egypt and Israel after three decades of hostilities. -
Iranian Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. -
Ronald Reagan elected president
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), a former actor and California governor, served as the 40th U.S. president from 1981 to 1989.
