-
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was the intense air battle between the Germans and the British over Great Britain's airspace from July 1940 to May 1941, with the heaviest fighting from July to October 1940. -
peacetime draft
The U.S. Congress approves and enacts the first peacetime conscription draft. -
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt continues his dominance of presidential politics with a 449 to 82 Electoral College victory over Republican candidate Wendell Wilkie, winning his third presidential election. Roosevelt becomes the first man to hold office for three terms.
-
lend lease act
The Lend-Lease Act is approved, which provided $7 billion in military credits for American manufactured war supplies to Great Britain and other allies; in the fall, a similar Lend-Lease pact would be approved for the USSR with a $1 billion loan. -
The attack on Pearl Harbor
Japanese fighter planes launch a surprise attack on United States soil, destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet docked at the base. -
First Modern Credit Card Introduced
The first Diners Club credit cards were given out in 1950 to 200 people (most were friends and acquaintances of McNamara) and accepted by 14 restaurants in New York. The concept of the card grew and by the end of 1950, 20,000 people were using the Diners Club credit card. The Diners Club credit card is considered the first modern credit card. -
china officials
The United States recalls all consular officials from China after the seizure of the American consul general in Peking. -
cinderella
Famous animated film from Walt Disney Pictures was produced for the first time. -
invasion of south korea
The Korean War begins its three year conflict when troops of North Korea, backed with Soviet weaponry, invade South Korea. -
Winter olympics
The 1952 Winter Olympics open in Helsinki, Finland with thirty participating nations. During these games, the first triple jump in figure skating history is performed by Dick Button, who won one of the four gold medals gained by U.S. athletes. -
toys
Mr. Potato head first manufactured and sold by hasboro -
hydrogen bomb explosion
At Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the first hydrogen bomb, named Mike, is exploded. -
color television
The first color televisions go on sale. -
McCarthyism
McCarthy hearings held by US Senate subcommittee find communist in America -
foundation of mc.donalds
Ray Kroc founds the idea for the McDonald's corporation, agreeing to franchise the idea of Dick and Mac McDonald, who had started the first McDonald's restaurant in 1940 and had eight restaurants by 1954. -
racial segregation
Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court in Brown vs. the Board of Education. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th Amendment's clause that guaranteed equal protection. -
rosa parks
Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, refuses to give up her seat on the bus to a white man, prompting a boycott that would lead to the declaration that bus segregation laws were unconstitutional by a federal court -
civil rights
Montgomery bus boycott is sparked after Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. -
first cable telephone
The first transatlantic telephone cable began operation. -
Dan Larsen
Dan Larsen pitches the first no-hitter, a perfect game, in post-season baseball history when his New York Yankees best the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 5th game of the 1956 World Series. -
european economic city
organization established (1958) by a treaty signed in 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany (now Germany); it was known informally as the Common Market. The EEC was the most significant of the three treaty organizations that were consolidated in 1967 to form the European Community. -
american satellite
Explorer I, first American satellite, is launched (Jan. 31). -
vietnam war
Nationalist try to unify country under communist control -
barbie
the first Barbie is created by Ruth Handler in 1959. Around 350,00 Barbie dolls sold in the first year -
breakup
U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba -
John H. Glenn,
John H. Glenn, Jr., is first American to orbit Earth—three times in 4 hr 55 min -
chips ahoy
Chips Ahoy! makes its debut in 1963 and sole widely in the US -
Nuclear Test Ban treaty
On August 5, 1963, after more than eight years of difficult negotiations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. -
President Kennedy
President Kennedy shot and killed by sniper in Dallas, Tex. Lyndon B. Johnson becomes president same day -
Black barbie
Barbie's first black friend Christie was introduced to the market. -
Kent state university shooting
Kent State University shooting of four students by National Guard.
General Charles De Gaulle dies. -
Animal Kingdom
October 1, 1971 Disney's Animal Kingdom opens its gates to the public -
first hanheld phone
Motorola was the first company to produce a handheld mobile phone. April 3, 1973 first handheld mobile phone call was made -
microsoft
Coporation founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975 -
Disco
Genre of musci that peaked in the late 70's. Initial audiences were African American, Italian-American, gays, and psychedelic -
Mt. St. Helens
The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 was the worst volcanic disaster in U.S. history; however, it offered scientists an exceptional opportunity to examine and study a large volcanic eruption, which has enriched scientific knowledge of volcanoes. -
Rubics Cube
Erno Rubik designed a small cube, with moving pieces, to help his students study three-dimensional geometry. Once the original was built, Rubik turned and twisted the sides, pleased with his invention. It wasn't until he tried to put the cube back to its original configuration that he discovered it was an obsessive puzzle. The Rubik's Cube (originally called "Magic Cube") was first sold in Hungary in 1977 and then sold internationally in 1980. The simple cube immediately became immensely popula -
HIV AIDS
The United States became the first country to recognize the strange illness among a small number of gay men in 1981 -
War on drugs
From 1981-1990 across the United States crack cocaine was used often. There was a huge glut of cocaine powder in Miami, the Bahamas and Dominican Republic throughout the 1980’s, which caused money/economy to drop by 80%. As early as 1981 crack cocaine appeared throughout big cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami, Houston, and the Caribbean. -
Sandra O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first woman Supreme Court justice -
United states invades granada
Brooklyn Bridge is one hundred years old. United States invades Granada. -
World Wide Web
Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist studying at a research facility in Switzerland. He invented a method of organising information which he called the world-wide-web (www). His system linked documents from different sources and guided users to related information. The www was first used by the public in 1991 and it allowed the transfer of text, sound, images and video clips. -
World trade center
the World Trade Center is bombed by Islamic terrorists when a van parked below the North Tower of the structure explodes. Six people are killed and over one thousand are injured. -
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan retires from the NBA to play minor league baseball. He returns to the NBA 17 months later. -
Bill Clinton
President Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban, which bars the use of these weapons for ten years.
