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Period: to
1970s major events (project example)
One event per year -
Kent State shooting
On this tragic day, the Ohio National guard fired on a group of unarmed college protestors and killed four of them. Students had protested the invasion of Cambodia by President Nixon. However, some students who were shot were just walking by or observing the protest. Neil Young wrote the classic folk song, "Ohio," that retells this event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FakLUusNlXc -
The first VCR (Video Cassette Recording) is introduced
A VCR was a major part of any household during the 1980s. It was the first time families could record live television to play back whenever they wanted. The first VCR (at the time called VTR) was called the U-Matic. It weighed almost 70 lbs, was way too expensive and was a commercial flop. However, it gave an introduction into the future of VCRs. Here's the U-Matic in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGR_sQqRfwI -
Terrorists Attack on Munich
The Munich Massacre was a terrorist attack during the 1972 Olympic Games. Eight Palestinian terrorists killed two members of Israeli Olympic team and then took nine others hostage. The situation was ended by a huge gunfight that left five of the terrorists and all of the nine hostages dead. Following the massacre, the Israeli government organized a retaliation against Black September, called Operation Wrath of God. -
Roe vs Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 decision, affirms the legality of a woman's right to have an abortion under the Fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. The ruling allows for legal abortions during the entire pregnancy, but set up conditions to allow states to regulate abortion during the second and third trimesters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q5AgCzPIuA -
Terracotta Army Discovered in China
In 1974, a life-sized, terracotta army was discovered near Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi, China. Buried in underground pits, the 8,000 terracotta soldiers and horses were part of the necropolis of China's first emperor, Qin Shihuangdi, to aid him in the afterlife. While work continues on escavating and preserving the terracotta army, it remains one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsUE-ZtcUFg -
Civil War in Lebanon
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon, lasting from 1975 to 1990 and resulting in an estimated 250,000 fatalities. Phalangist gunmen ambush a bus in the Ayn-al-Rummanah district of Beirut, killing 27 of its mainly Palestinian passengers. The Phalangists claim that guerrillas had previously attacked a church in the same district. These clashes start the civil war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml6MaJiD6C4 -
Apple is founded
Apple Computers, Inc. was founded on April 1, 1976, by college dropouts Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who brought to the new company a vision of changing the way people viewed computers. Jobs and Wozniak wanted to make computers small enough for people to have them in their homes or offices. Simply put, they wanted a computer that was user-friendly. -
Roots Airs
The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley's ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award, and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. history. -
Camp David Accords are signed
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. The final peace agreement–the first between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors–was signed in March 1979. Sadat and Begin were jointly awarded the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNGoBQXiZ2g -
Margaret Thatcher becomes first female Prime Minister
Born on October 13, 1925, in Grantham, England, Margaret Thatcher became Britain's Conservative Party leader and in 1979 was elected prime minister, the first woman to hold the position. During her three terms, she cut social welfare programs, reduced trade union power and privatized certain industries. Thatcher resigned in 1991 due to unpopular policy and power struggles in her party. She died on April 8, 2013, at age 87.
