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Kennedy becomes US President
In 1960 John F. Kenndey defeated Richard Nixon in the presidental election. In the presidential election campaign of 1960, John F. Kennedy promised to move the nation into "the New Frontier." After narrowly winning the election, Kennedy succeeded in getting only part of his agenda enacted. -
Peace Corps is created
Aimed to help less-developed nations fight poverty. Organization that sent Americans to provide humanitarian services in less-develope nations. -
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Bay of Pigs invasion
Kennedy faced foreign policy crisis with Cuba. The first mishap occurred on April 15, 1961, when eight bombers left Nicaragua to bomb Cuban airfields. The CIA had used World War II B-26 bombers. The bombers missed many of their targets. President Kennedy canceled the second air strike. The disaster at the Bay of Pigs had an impact on the Kennedy administration. Administration initiated Operation Mongoose, a plan to sabotage and destabilize the Cuban government and economy. -
World Event- Construction of Berlin Wall
Kennedy faced another foreign policy with Berlin. President John F. Kennedy traveled to Vienna, Austria, for a summit with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Not only was the meeting unsuccessful in its goal of building trust, but it also increased tensions between the two superpowers (particularly in discussions regarding the divided city of Berlin). -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two countries came closest to nuclear conflict. The crisis was numerous in a number of ways, calculations, and miscalculations as well as direct and secret communications and miscommunications between the two sides. -
Kennedy is assassinated
Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of shooting Kennedy twice while Kenndey was riding in a topless car slowly on a crowded street in Dallas. Lee was shot to death while in police custody. This led to theories. Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Oswald to protect others involve Kennedys assassnation. -
Lnydon Johnson becomes President
Kennedy's Vice President becomes US President. Johnson sets out to promote many of the programs that Kennedy left unfinished. This included to moved quickly on pushing for passage of a civil rights bill and antipoverty. -
South Africa's Nelson Mandela sentenced to life in prison
Nelson Mandela received a life sentence for committing sabotage against South Africa’s apartheid government, avoiding a possible death sentence. -
Election of 1964
Johnson won in a landslide, gaining more than 61% of the popular vote and winning all but six states in the Electoral College. -
Congress established Medicare and Medicaid
The President wanted to make the society a better place. This included programs, among those programs, were Medicare and Medicaid. Health care reform had been a major issue since Truman was president. By 1960s health care benefits had solidified. Medicare had strong support since it was directed at all senior citizens. -
Indira Gandhi
Gandhi invited Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to the city of Simla for a meeting.The two leaders signed the Simla Agreement, agreeing to resolve territorial disputes in a peaceful action. October 31, 1984, Gandhi was shot and killed by two of her bodyguards, in retribution for the attack at the Golden Temple. -
Congress passes the Child Nutrition Act
Established a school breakfast program and expanded the school lunch and milk programs to improve nutrition. -
Lyndon Johnson decides not to run for reelection
Johnson was personally suffering at the American casualties, and he wept as he signed condolence letters and even prayed with Catholic monks in a nearby church—at night, secretly. And, the fact that North Vietnam had almost taken over Saigon in a blistering attack called the Tet Offensive didn't help either. Johnson also saw a challenge for the Democratic ticket from Eugene -
Student riots paralyze France
In France, the May 1968 crisis escalates as a general strike spreads to factories and industries across the country, shutting down newspaper distribution, air transport, and two major railroads. By the end of the month, millions of workers were on strike, and France seemed to be on the edge of radical leftist revolution. -
The Great Society
Johnson worked with Congress to create the "Great Society", in the same year he achieved through the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This Act barred discrimination of many kinds and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protected voters from discriminatory practices.
