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Forrest's ancestor, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was one of the first members of the KKK.
The KKK was a notorious group all the way through the early 1870's. They supported "white power", and hated other races. -
Forrest sees Elvis doing the dance that Forrest showed him when they met
Forrest sees this dance in 1956 on TV when Elvis is performing one of his greatest hits "Hound Dog." -
Forrest Meets JFK
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the U.S., and Forrest met him shortly before he was assassinated. -
Forrest was at the University of Alabama when the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door happened
George Wallace attempted to keep his promise of stopping the desegregation of schools by blocking the entry to the University's Auditorium from two black students. -
Forrest Mentions the Assassination of JFK
JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas, in what would end up being one of the most controversial assassinations ever. -
Forrest joins the Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was long and bloody war, in which the U.S. took on North Vietnam. -
Lieutenant Dan's family is shown participating in every war in U.S. history
This huge feat shows the family members fighting in every war that the U.S. ever fought in. -
Forrest meets the Hippie Counterculture after returning home from Vietnam
The hippies main goal in their movement was that life was about being happy, not about what others thought you should be. -
Forrest encounters a Black Panthers Party
The Black Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government, and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community based programs. They supported African Americans and were often shown working with many other "Black Power" groups. -
The U.S.'s first Moon Landing is shown on TV
The first moon landing happened with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on Apollo 11. -
Forrest participates in the Ping Pong Diplomacy
The Ping Pong Diplomacy happened in China, when the U.S. sent ping pong players to take on China's best players. Table Tennis also originated in China. -
Forrest sees the arrest of Charles Manson on the News
Charles Manson was convicted of first-degree murder for directing the deaths of the Tate/LaBianca victims. He was later sentenced to life in prison. -
Forrest Gump meets John Lennon
John Lennon was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. -
Forrest Witnesses the Watergate Scandal take place
The Watergate Scandal was a break-in, in the Watergate Complex that eventually resulted in the resigning of president Nixon -
Hurricane Carmen is shown hitting the Bayou where Forrest took his boat
Hurricane Carmen was very powerful and reached gusts of up to 175 mph. -
Forrest mentions the attempted assassination of Gerald Ford.
The Gerald Ford assassination attempt in Sacramento was an effort by Charles Manson Family cult member Lynette Fromme to kill U.S. President Gerald Ford in California. She wanted to make a statement to people who refused to halt environmental pollution and its effects on Air, Trees, Water, and Animals. -
Jenny is shown doing using cocaine and heroin in a dance club
This is significant because it references the boom in the market of cocaine and heroin during this time. -
Dan Tells Forest he invests their money in a fruit company
The "fruit company" was actually Apple that started the year that Gump and Dan invested in it. As you know, the company was highly successful which made Gump and Dan a lot of money. -
Forrest Invents the Smiley Face
The smiley face became widely popular throughout the late 70's and 80's, when Forrest unintentionally put his dirty face on a shirt which creates a smiley face that the guy with the shirt uses. -
Jenny explains to Forrest that she has a virus that doctors can't diagnose
The virus was HIV which had a huge breakout during this time.
