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Vietnam War.
After removing the French, the now independent Vietnam was split between a communist north and a pro-west south. For 20 years the North Vietnamese tried to conquer South Vietnamese, fighting intervening Americans until 1973. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott.
In a famous moment, black woman Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white passenger. Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. kicked off his civil rights career leading protesters in a boycott of the bus system, resulting in a Supreme Court decision that bus segregation was unconstitutional. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower reelected.
A repeat challenge in the presidential election between Eisenhower and Stevenson gains a similar outcome, with easy victory for the incumbent president by a 457 to 73 margin in the Electoral College vote. -
First Civil Rights Bill.
On April 29, 1957, U.S. Congress approves the first civil rights bill since reconstruction with additional protection of voting rights. -
President sends federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas.
President sends federal troops to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce integration of black students. -
Explorer I, first American satellite, is launched.
Explorer I, the first U.S. space satellite, is launched by the Army at Cape Canaveral. -
Alaska becomes the 49th state.
Alaska is admitted to the United States as the 49th state. -
50th state of U.S.
On August 21, Hawaii becomes 50th state of U.S. -
Census of 1960
April 1, 1960, The 1960 census includes a United States population of 179,323,175, an 18.5% increase since 1950. -
First weather satellite.
On April 1, 1960, Tiros I, the first weather satellite, is launched by the United States. Twelve days later, the navigation satellite, Transat 1-b is launched. -
John F. Kennedy wins Presidential Election.
The presidential race to succeed two term president Dwight D. Eisenhower is won by Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic candidate from Massachusetts. -
John F Kennedy became the thirty-fifth American president.
John F Kennedy(D) became the thirty-fifth American president. He worked with Martin Luther King to bring about the Civil Rights movement. -
March on Washington.
The Civil Rights march on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom culminates with Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Over 200,000 people participated in the march for equal rights. -
Trade Expansion Act
In order to stimulate international trade, JFK lowered the American protective tariff. -
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn into office.
Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson takes charge of Presidency after the assassination of President Kennedy. -
President Kennedy is assassinated.
November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, during a motorcade through downtown, President John F. Kennedy is mortally wounded by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn into office later that day. -
President Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act
An omnibus legislation in the U.S. Congress on Civil Rights is passed. It banned discrimination in jobs, voting and accommodations. -
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.
The civil rights movement lost its de facto leader to James Earl Ray, who killed King in his motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The killing set off a spree of riots and saw the end of the nonviolent protest movement, with the militant black power phase picking up pace -
Richard Nixon Becomes 37th President of U.S.
Richard Nixon(R) is inaugurated as the 37th president of United States. -
First men to land on Moon.
Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, Jr., become the first men to land on the Moon. -
26th Amendment.
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution reduced the legal voting age to 18 from 21, bringing in a generation of young voters. -
Equal Rights Amendment.
Although sex discrimination in education was banned by Title IX of the Education Opportunities Act, the Equal Rights Act, which would outlaw sex discrimination in the workplace, was passed by Congress but failed to be ratified by the states. -
President Nixon nominates Gerald R. Ford as VP.
Ford is confirmed by Congress and sworn in. He is the first vice president to succeed to the office under the terms laid out by 25th Amendment. -
Richard Nixon resigns.
Gerald Ford (R) became the thirty-eighth president. He came into office after President Nixon resigned.
