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G.I. Bill
Officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, the G.I. Bill was created to help veterans of World War II. From 1944 to 1949, nearly 9 million veterans received close to $4 billion from the bill’s unemployment compensation program. Through the Veterans Administration (VA), the bill provided grants for school and college tuition, low-interest mortgage and small-business loans, job training, hiring privileges, and unemployment payments. The Veterans’ Administration offered loans until 1962. -
Period: to
1950's
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Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was the name for the boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term iron curtain was coined by the British author Ethel Snowden in her book Through Bolshevik Russia. The borderline ran from Estonia in the north to Yugoslavia in the south. Winston Churchill’s 1946 Iron Curtain Speech is regarded as marking the start of the cold war between the Western world and the Eastern world. -
Little Boy
"Little Boy" was the codename for the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II. This is a gun-type device whose critical mass is achieved when a uranium projectile which is sub-critical is fired through a gun barrel at a uranium target which is also sub-critical. At over 9,500 pounds, 10 feet in length, and 28 inches in diameter, the Little Boy Bomb was the first neclear weapon used in war. -
Fat Man
"Fat Man" was the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki by the United States on 9 August 1945, a few days after the "Little Boy" bomb was dropped over Hiroshima. Weighing at over 10,500 pounds, almost 11 feet in length, and 60 inches in diameter, the "Fat Man" bomb was the second plutonium, implosion-type bomb. The effiency of this weapon was that of ten times more than the Little Boy bomb. -
Period: to
Cold War
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Marshall Plan
Also known as the European Recovery Program and the Economic Recovery Act, The Marshall Plan, channeled over 13 billion dollars to finance the economic recovery of Europe between 1948 and 1951. The Marshall Plan successfully sparked economic recovery, meeting its objective of restoring the confidence of the European people in the economic future of their own countries and of Europe as a whole. The plan is named after George Marshall, who announced it in a commencement speech on June 5, 1947. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine as announced during a dramatic speech to a joint session of Congress. President Harry S. Truman asked for U.S. assistance for Greece and Turkey to prevent communist domination of the two nations. It was an American foreign policy that stated to counter Soviet expansion during the Cold War. With the Doctrine, President Truman established that the US would provide political, military, and economic assistance to democratic nations under threat from authoritarian forces. -
Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was was President Harry S. Truman's liberal domestic program. He had outlined the basic tenets of this deal as early as 1945. After he won the Election of 1948 against Thomas Dewey, Truman reasserted he reform proposals in 1949. Truman had called for expanded social security, new wages-and-hours and public-housing legislation. Also, a permanent Fair Employment Practices Act that would prevent racial or religious discrimination in hiring. -
Korean War
The Korean War began when about 75,000 soldiers from the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, the boundary between the Republic of Korea to the north and the Republic of Korea to the south. This invasion was the first military action of the Cold War. By July, American troops had entered the war on South Korea’s behalf. The Korean War was relatively short but very bloody. Nearly 5 million people died and many were wounded. Since then it is known as the Forgotten War. -
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy was an American politician who served as U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. For many Americans, he was the most enduring symbol of the second Red Scare. McCarthy spent almost five years trying in vain to expose communists and other left-wing “loyalty risks” in the U.S. government. McCarthy’s accusations were so intimidating that few people dared to speak out against him. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. This war intensified the Cold War going on between the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people, including many Americans, were killed in the Vietnam War. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975. In 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was unveiled in Washington, D.C. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley and the Comets fused elements of country music, Western Swing, and black R&B to produce some of rock and roll's earliest hits. One of there most famous hits was "Rock Around the Clock." It was recorded in 1954 and is considered to be the song that made Rock 'n' Roll famous. However, their song "Crazy, Man Crazy" from 1953 was the first rock and roll record to make the top 20 on the Billboard pop charts. -
Little Richard
Born in 1932, Richard Wayne Penniman, best known as LIttle Richard, is known for his flamboyant performances. His songs during the mid-1950's are considered to be some defining moments in the development of rock and roll. He turned songs like “Tutti-Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally” into huge hits and influenced bands such as The Beatles. In recent years, Little Richard has taken a break from the concert stage. Still, his importance in the development of rock music has never been questioned. -
Beat Generation
Also known as the "Beats" or "Beatniks," The Beat Generation was a generation of artists, novelists, and poets starting in the 1950's. They rejected American materialism and culture, home ownership, marriage, careers. They enjoyed inividual freedom and pleasure, which consisted of drugs, alcohol, and sex. They were also the foundation for war protests going on the 1960's and would borrow slang from the black community such as "dig it" and "man." -
Emmett Till Tragedy
Emmitt Till was a 14 year old boy from Chicago who went down to Mississppi to visit his family; his mother wanted him to go to let him see how different it was from the North. In 1955, he was killed by the husband and brother of the white woman who accused him of flirting with her. They beat him badly, gouged out his eye, shot him in the head and threw his body, tied to the cotton-gin fan with barbed wire, into a river. His mother held an open-casket funeral to let people see what Jim Crow does. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil-rights protest in which African Americans refused to ride city buses in Montgomery, Alabama to protest segregated seating. The boycott took place from December 5, 1955, to December 20, 1956. Four days before the boycott began, Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, was arrested and fined for refusing to yield her bus seat to a white man. This boycott became successful when the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system. -
Television
During the 1950's, the television was one of the most popular products in the United States. More than half of the families in America were owners of a television. At the start of the decade, approximately three million people has T.V's and by the end of it, there were about fifty-five million people who were proud owners of a TV. The average price of TV sets dropped from $500 to $200 during the fifties. -
Period: to
Civil Rights
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Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of black students who enrolled at all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. Their attendance at the school was a test of Brown v. Board, a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in schools unconstitutional. On the first day of class at Central High, Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the nine students’ entry into school. President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the nine into the school. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King." Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis Presley came from very poor beginnings and grew up to become one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll. On August 16, 1977, he died of heart failure, which was related to his drug addiction. He is still widely known today. -
Civil RIghts Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 9, 1957. It began a new era in civil rights legislation and enforcement after more than three-quarters of a century of congressional inaction. The act initiated a greater federal role in protecting the rights of African Americans and other minorities. It also increased protection of voting rights and laid the foundation for federal enforcement of civil rights law -
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administraion, or N.A.S.A, was established on July 29, 1958. The establishment of NASA was a sign that the United States was committed to winning the “space race” against the Soviets. During the next decade, NASA became synonymous with the space race. In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would set a goal of putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. This goal was acomplished in 1969. -
Ike Turner
Born in 1931, Ike Turner is considered to be an R&B legend who grew up playing the blues. In the late 1940s, Turner started a group called the Kings of Rhythm. Their song, "Rocket 88," is considered by many to be the first rock & roll recording. He made a string of R&B hits with singer and wife Tina Turner. Later on, the two's cover of "Proud Mary" got them their first and only Grammy Award together in 1971. He struggled with drug addiction and died of an accidental cocaine overdose in 2007. -
Politics (Nixon, Kennedy)
The televised debates between candidates Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy were considered a crucial element in Kennedy’s narrow victory in the Presidential Election of 1960. Through these televised debates, a new era of creating a public image was introduced. Anyone who watched the debates would see that Kennedy was more prepared for the camera, wearing makeup and dressing nicely for the public eye. Nixon, on the other had, had a more pale complexion, making him look sick and unappealing. -
Period: to
1960's
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Polio Vaccine
Polio is a disease that debilitated thousands of children each year. Many people, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, felt the effects of the disease which consisted of paralyzation. A vaccine for polio was later developed by Doctor Jonas Salk. This vaccine deactivated the disease and an oral vaccine became available in 1961. By 1994, polio was moslty eradicated from the United States and the world. -
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was founded by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. It was established as a new agency within the Department of State. This association is made up of mostly young college graduates working on humanitarian projects in poorer countries. Within the week it the Peace Corps's creation, thousands of letters poured into Washington from young Americans hoping to volunteer. Eventually, about 750 volunteers were chosen to serve in 13 nations in 1961. -
Jack Ruby
Born in 1911, Jack Ruby was a Dallas nightclub operator. On November 24, 1963, shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the person accused as the assassin of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. As the suspect was being transferred from the city jail to the county jail, Ruby stepped out of a crowd of onlookers and gunned down the Oswald. The event was witnessed by millions of Americans on live television. Jack Ruby was convicted of murder in 1964. -
Assassination of JFK
The assassination of John F. Kennedy took place on November 22, 1963. He was killed while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy was beside him, along with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, for a 10-mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor of a building, fatally wounding President Kennedy. JFK was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Odwald was born in 1939 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Oswald was a former United States Marine and Marxist. Oswald allegedly assassinated President John. F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas from the sixth floor of a near by building while the President rode down the street in an open convertable vehicle. While being taken to county jail, on November 24, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby. -
March on Washington
The March on Washington was a massive protest march that occurred in August of 1963. About 250 thousand people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. This event aimed to draw attention to challenges and inequalities faced by African Americans.. It was also where MLK, Jr. gave his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. The March on Washington was held by civil rights leaders to protest racial discrimination and to show support for major civil rights legislation in Congress.. -
Birmingham Bombing
The Birmingham Bombing occurreed on September 15, 1963 when a bomb exploded before Sunday morning services at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The church had a predominantly black congregation and it also served as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. Four young girls were killed and many people injured. Outrage over the incident that followed helped draw national attention to the struggle for civil rights for African Americans. -
Barry Goldwater
Born in 1909 in Pheonix, Arizona, Barry Goldwater was a politician who served in the senate for 30 years. He gained recognition for his fiscal conservatism. He ran in the Election of 1964 as a Republican against Lyndon B. Johnson and lost with only forty percent of the votes. Unlike Johnson, Goldwater wanted to get rid of the New Deal and the Great Society. After losing the election, Goldwater ran for the senate again and won, serving from 1969 until his retirement in 1987. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. It is considered to be one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. It was first proposed by President Additionally, the act forbade the use of federal funds for any discriminatory program. John F. Kennedy, and was then signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Daisy Girl Ad
The Daisy Girl Ad was a sixty second political advertisment that aired on September 7, 1964. It portrays a little girls counting the petal of a daisy who then looks up and a nuclear weapon goes off, killing the little girl. This as was used for the Presidential Election of 1964; it was Lyndon B. Johnson's response to Barry Goldwater's comments on NATO. It is the asvertisment that played to the fears of the public over the cold war and is the ad that made LBJ win the election by a landslide. -
The Great Society
The Great Society was an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation and programs created by President Lyndon B. Johnson from 1964 to 1965. They were created with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality and improving the environment. He promised edication, good standards of living, and the beautification of areas. This plan is considered to have gone way beyond the New deal, even though LBJ wanted to continue the legacy of it. -
Malcolm X
Born on May 19, 1925 as Malcolm Little, Malcolm X was a human rights activist and prominent black nationalist leader. He was also a spokesman for the Nation of Islam during the 1950s and 1960s who believed that Islam was the religion of black people. In 1964, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and realized that the religion was not just for black people. Malcolm X often challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the nonviolent pursuit of integration championed by Martin Luther King Jr. -
Anti-War Movement
When the war in Vietnam began, many Americans believed that defending South Vietnam from communist aggression was in the national interest. As the war went on, more and more Americans grew weary of mounting casualties and escalating costs. This movement attracted members from college campuses, middle-class suburbs, labor unions, and government institutions. The small movement then grew into an unstoppable force. The Anti-War Movement gained national prominence in 1965 and peaked in 1968. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
Earl Warren was a prominent Twentieth century leader of American politics and law. The landmark case of his tenure was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. This was where the Court determined unanimously that the segregation of schools should be unconstitutional. The Earl Warren Supreme Court also sought electoral reforms, equality in criminal justice and the defense of human rights. The courts chief justice retired in 1969. -
Watts Riots
The Watts Riots took place from August 11-16 in 1965 in the neighborhood of Watts in Los Angeles, California. They began when after two white policemen arrested a black motorist suspected of drunken driving and a crowd of spectators gathered to watch the arrest and soon grew angry by what they believed to be another incident of racially motivated abuse by the police. Rioters eventually robbed stores, torched buildings, and beat whites as snipers fired at police and firefighters. -
Feminism
Feminism is the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. It includes the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes. Feminism goes back as early as the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Feminism in the 1960's is now known as what is called “second wave” of feminism. It was influenced and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and women of all ages began to fight to secure a stronger role in American society. -
Death of MLK
Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, MLK was standing on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel. King had led the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s. He used a combination of impassioned speeches and non-violent protests to fight segregation and achieve significant civil-rights advances for African-Americans. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning. -
Apollo 11
American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first humans ever to land on the moon on July 20, 1969. The Apollo 11 mission occurred eight years after President John Kennedy announced a national goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960's. While on the moon, Armstrong said the fanous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Over the next three and a half years, 10 astronauts would follow in their footsteps. -
Nixon's Presidency
Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the United States. Also known as Trickie Dicky, he is best remembered as the only president ever to resign from office. Nixon stepped down in 1974, halfway through his second term, rather than face impeachment over his efforts to cover up illegal activities by members of his administration in the Watergate scandal. Nixon’s involvement in Watergate tarnished his legacy and deepened American cynicism about government. -
Period: to
1970's
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Phyllis Schlafly
Born in St. Louis Missouri in 1924, Phyllis Schlafly was an American writer and political activist. She was best known for her opposition to the women’s movement and especially the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1967, Schlafly began publishing The Phyllis Schlafly Report, a monthly newsletter intended to mobilize her supporters and inform them about political issues and candidates. In a 1972 issue of the newsletter she announced her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. -
Watergate
The Watergate scandal began on June 17, 1972 when several "plumbers" were arrested in the office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate Hotel of buildings in Washington, D.C. The so-called "plumbers" were connected to Nixon’s reelection campaign, and they had been caught wiretapping phones and stealing documents. Nixon took aggressive steps to cover up the crime afterwards. In 1974, after his role in the conspiracy was revealed, Nixon resigned. -
Equal Rights Amendment
On March 22, 1972, Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment and was sent to the states for ratification; It was first proposed in 1923 by the National Women's political party. The Equal Rights Amendment was to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. What would have been the 27th amendment was ratifies by about 30 states, however, during the mid-1970s, backlash against feminism eroded support for the ERA, which failed to achieve ratification. -
Roe v. Wade
In the 1970's, Jane Roe was an unmarried and pregnant Texas resident. In Texas it was illegal to abort a fetus unless it would save the mother's life. Roe filed suit against Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, stating the statue on the grounds that it violated the guarantee of personal liberty and the right to privacy implicitly guaranteed in the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. In deciding for Roe, the Supreme Court legalized abortion during the first trimester. -
Endangered Species Act
Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The purpose of this act is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems on which they depend. It further expressed concern that many of our nation's native plants and animals were in danger of becoming extinct. Under the Endangered Species Act, species can be listed as either endangered or threatened. It's administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service. -
Gerald Ford's Presidency
Gerald Ford was the 38th President of the United Stated and took officed from 1974 to 1977. He was the President following the resignation of Richard Nixon, less than a year earlier, Ford had been appointed Vice President by Nixon. Ford became the first unelected president in the nation’s history as a longtime Republican. Ford is credited with helping to restore public confidence in the government after the disillusionment of the Watergate era caused by President Nixon. -
Jimmy Carter's Presidency
Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States who served from 1977 to 1981. As president, Carter struggled to respond to formidable challenges, which included a major energy crisis as well as high inflation and unemployment. He reopened United States relations with China and made headway with efforts to broker peace in the historic Arab-Israeli conflict. In 1980 he was soundly defeated in the general election by Ronald Reagan. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran Hostage Crisis occurred on November 4, 1979 when a group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. This event was caused by President Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s deposed Shah, a pro-Western autocrat that had been expelled from his country months before, to come to the United States for cancer treatment. It was a way for the student revolutionaries to break with Iran’s past and an end to American interference in its affairs. -
The Moral Majority
The Moral Majority was an American political organization that was founded in 1979 by Jerry Falwell, a religious leader and televangelist, to advance conservative social values. It was formed in response to the social and cultural transformations that occurred in the United States in the 1960s and ’70s. It remained a political force during the first half of the 1980s and although it disbanded in 1989, the Moral Majority helped to establish the religious right as a force in American politics. -
Election of 1980
During the Presidential Election of 1980, Jimmy Carter ran as a democrat and Ronald Reagan ran as a Reupblican, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent. Carter had defeated Ted Kennedy for the Democratic nomination and attacked Reagan as a dangerous radical. Reagan, aided by the Iran hostage crisis and a worsening economy at home, won the election in a landslide with 489 electoral votes and most of the popular votes, Carter only gaining 49 electoral votes. -
Jimmy Carter
Born on October 1, 1924 in Georgia, James Earl Carter was the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. During his presidency, 'Jimmy' Carter struggled to respond to formidable challenges, including a major energy crisis as well as high inflation and unemployment. He later lost the election of 1980 to Ronald Reagan. In 2002 Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize for diplomacy and adcovacy. -
Period: to
1980's
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Reagan Presidency
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States. Elected in 1980, Reagan served as President for two terms from 1981 to 1889. Being 69 when sworn into office, he is one of the oldest presidents in U.S. history. During his presidency, Ronald Reagan helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. His economis policies, Reaganomics, were associated with the reduction of taxes and the promotion of unrestricted free-market activity. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, Sandra Day O'Connor was Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve as a justice on the United States Supreme Court in 1981; she was nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan. She was considered to be a modern conservative and she was known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions. She served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court for about 24 years until her retirement in 2006. -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics is a popular term used to refer to the economic policies of the 40th President of the US, Ronald Reagan. During the campaign of 1980, Ronald Reagan announced a recipe to fix the nation's economic mess. He claimed an undue tax burden, excessive government regulation, and massive social spending programs hampered growth. These economic policies were introduced during the Reagan administration to combat Stagflation. By 1983, the US economy began to recover from Stagflation. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Also known as Star Wars or SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative was first announced by President Ronald Reagan in 1983 and was formed a year later in 1984. The goal of this program was to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistic missile system to prevent missile attacks from other countries such as the Soviet Union. The Strategic Defense Initiative was the United States' response to possible nuclear attack from other countries. However, the program was later set aside because of concerns. -
Iran Contra Affair
Also referred to as Irangate, the Iran Contra Affair occured August of 1985 to March of 1987. It was a secret U.S. government arms deal that freed some American hostages held in Lebanon but also funded armed conflict in Central America. In addition, this controversial dealmakingan d the ensuing political scandal threatened to bring down the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan himself acknowledged that selling arms to Iran was a mistake during his testimony before Congress. -
Space Shuttle Program
On April 12, 1981, John Young and Robert Crippen launched the space shuttle program by piloting Columbia to space and returning successfully two days later. This program was considered to be a very big success for NASA, however, their string of successful missions was broken in 1986 when the Challenger space shuttle explided seconds after liftoff, killing the seven people on board. Becuase of this accident, the Space Shuttle Prgram was suspended until it rebounded in 1990. -
Challenger Explosion
The Challenger was a space shuttle that was considered to be considered to be one of NASA's greatest triumphs. In April of 1983, it became the second to reach space and successfully completed nine milestone missions. However, on January 28, 1986, the Challenger became NASA's darkest tragedy. During its tenth launch, the suttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. The explosion killed all seven of the crewmembers on board, including the person that would've been the first civilian in space. -
Music Television
Also known as MTV, Music Television is a cable channel launched by Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment in 1981. In 1987, MTV was acquired by Viacom. It began as a service that provided music videos twenty-four hours a day in programs hosted by what are called "video jockeys." The programs for Music Television were supported by advertisments/commercials. Some time later, MTV began to diverify their programming with shows such as 'Beavis and Butt-Head' and 'Remote Control.' -
Period: to
Contemporary
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Period: to
1990's
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George H.W. Bush
Born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, George H.W. Bush fought in WWII and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966. He served as Ronald Reagan's vice president for two terms. In 1988 Bush won the U.S. presidential race and becam the 41st President of the United States. However, he lost his chance at a second term to Bill Clinton in 1992. Additionally, he is the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd president. -
Ross Perot
Son of a Cotton Broker, Henry Ross Perot was born on June 27, 1930 in Texarkana, Texas. He was an American businessman and philanthropist. In 1962 Perot quit IBM and formed his own company, Electronic Data Systems (EDS), to design, install, and operate computer data-processing systems for clients on a contractual basis. Perot also ran as an independent candidate for U.S. president in 1992 and 1996, losing both times to Bill Clinton. -
Election of 1992
The Presidential Election of 1992 had three major candidates: Republican President George H.W. Bush, Democrat Bill Clintion, and Independent Ross Perot. After already serving his 1st term as President, George H.W. Bush allienated much of his conservative base by breaking his pledge against raising taxes. He gained only 168 of the electoral votes and Perot zero. Bill Clinton, winning 370 of the electoral votes and the majority of the popular votes, became the 42nd President of the United States. -
Bill Clinton
William "Bill" Clinton was born in 1946. In 1978, he became the youngest governor in the country when he was elected governor of Arkansas. In 1992, he was elected as President of the United States and was re-elected in 1996. He enacted legislation including the Family and Medical Leave Act and oversaw two terms of economic prosperity. In 1998, Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives following the revelation of his affair with Monica Lewinsky but was acquitted by Senate in 1999. -
Internet
The Internet has no single inventor, it has evolved over time. The Internet got its start in the United States more than 50 years ago. Scientists and researchers used it to communicate and share data with one another. Today, the Internet is used for almost everything. In 1992, a group of students & researchers at the University of Illinois developed a sophisticated browser that they called Mosaic, it offered a user-friendly way to search the web. -
Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy
The Don't Ask Don't Tell Policy was the official United States policy on military service by closeted gays, bisexuals, and lesbians, instituted by the Clinton Administration in 1993. Clinton signed a law directing that military personnel “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue, and don’t harass.” The law had prohibited qualified gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military and sent a message that discrimination was acceptable. The policy theoretically lifted a ban on homosexual service. -
World Trade Center Attack - 1993
On February 26, 1993 a terrorist bomb exploded in a parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City. A crater created by the explosion 60 feet wide and causing the collapse of several concrete floors in the way of the blast. Although the terrorist bomb failed to critically damage the main structure of the skyscrapers, six people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. 50,000 people were evacuated from buildings and the World Trade Center suffered more than $500 million in damage. -
Lewinsky Affair
The Lewinsky Affair had to do with President Bill Clinton and young White House intern, Monica Lewinsky and their affair. In 1995, the two began a sexual relationship that continued sporadically until 1997. In 1998, when news of his extramarital affair became public. Clinton denied the relationship but later admitted to “inappropriate intimate physical contact” with Lewinsky. The House of Representatives impeached Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice, but was acquitted Senate. -
Defense of Marriage Act
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was a United States federal law that, prior to being ruled unconstitutional that was enacted in 1996. This act defined marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman, and allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. The Supreme Court later struck down a portion of DOMA that barred the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. -
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey was born in 1954 in Mississippi. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore, where she hosted a television chat show and was then recruited by a Chicago TV station and Winfrey later became the host of her own popular program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which aired from 1986 to 2011. In 1999, she co-founded Oxygen Media, a company that is dedicated to producing cable and Internet programming for women. She is considered to be one of the most powerful and wealthy people in show business. -
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore was born on March 31, 1948 in Washington D.C. Al Gore served as vice president of the United States under President Bill Clinton from 1992 to 2000, after a long tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Althoug he won the popular vote, in 2000, he lost the presidential election to George W. Bush in the electoral college vote. In 2007, Gore won a Nobel Prize for his work to raise awareness of global warming. -
George W. Bush
George W. Bush was born on July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut. He is the son of the 41st President, George H.W. Bush. Bush served as the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000. In 2000, he became the 43th President of the United States following in his father's footsteps. Winning the presidency after narrowly defeating Democratic challenger Al Gore, he served two terms from 2001 to 2009. Bush’s time in office was shaped by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against America. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
The No Child Left Behind Education Act, or NCLB, is the name for the most recent update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. NCLB passed Congress with overwhelming support in 2001 and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. This act significantly increased the federal role in holding schools responsible for the academic progress of all students. It put a focus on ensuring that states and schools boost the performance of certain groups of students. -
9/11 Attacks
The 9/11 Attacks occured on September 11, 2001. Militants associated Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out attacks against targets in the U.S. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and a fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. -
PATRIOT Act
The U.S.A. PATRIOT Act stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. It is an act of Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001 after the attacks of September 11. This act allows the branches of the U.S. government to research and "obstruct” any person, group, or idea believed to support or advertise any domestic or foreign terrorist activities. -
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honululu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. From 1988 to 1991, he was a student at Harvard Law School. Obama went on to become President of the Harvard Law Review and a U.S. senator representing Illinois. In 2008, he was elected President of the United States, becoming the first African-American commander-in-chief. He served two terms as the 44th president of from 2008 to 2016. When he took office, he inherited a global economic recession and two ongoing foreign wars. -
John McCain
Born on August 29, 1936, John McCain is the son of a decorated Navy admiral. He went on to enroll at the U.S. Naval Academy and was dispatched to Vietnam, where he was tortured as a prisoner of war between 1967 and 1973. After his release, McCain served as a Republican congressman and senator from the state of Arizona. He launched a bid for United States presidency in 1999 and earned the Republican nomination in 2008, where he then lost to President Barack Obama. -
The Great Recession
The Great Recession was a global economic downturn that devastated world financial markets and the banking & real estate industries. It caused millions of people to lose their life savings, jobs and their homes. It’s considered to be the longest period of economic decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Although its effects were definitely global in nature, the Great Recession originated and was most pronounced in the United States. It was also very pronounced in Western Europe. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Born on June 25, 1954 in New York City, Sonia Sotomayor went on to become the first Hispanic Sumpreme Court Justice in United States history in 2009; she was nominated by President Barack Obama. The nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in August 2009 by a vote of 68 to 31. In 1980, she graduated from Yale Law School and passed the bar. She became a U.S. District Court Judge in 1992 and was elevated to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in 1998. -
Affordable Care Act
Also known as Obamacare or ACA, the Afordable Care Act is the landmark health reform legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in March of 2010. This act includes a long list of health-related provisions that began taking effect in 2010. It is intended to extend coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and to implement measures that will lower health care costs and improve system efficiency.
