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The Cold War
After World War II, there was a long period of intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. Lasting from 1947 – 1991, the Cold War was a period of tension between the two nuclear – the United States, and the communist government of the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet government collapsed in 1991. -
The Cold War: The Iron Curtain
Erected by the Soviet Union, the Iron Curtain was a physical political, military, and an ideological barrier that divided Europe into two different sides - the Communists and its dependent eastern and central European allies, and the West and the other noncommunist areas. The Iron Curtain was present from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War in 1991. -
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The Cold War
After World War II, there was a long period of intense rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States. Lasting from 1947 – 1991, the Cold War was a period of tension between the two nuclear – the United States, and the communist government of the Soviet Union. The Cold War ended when the Soviet government collapsed in 1991. The dates are approximated -
The Cold War: 2nd Red Scare: HUAC
The 'House-Select Un-American Activities Committee,' commonly known as HUAC, was a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives and investigated allegations of communist activity in the U.S. during the early years of the Cold War, which lasted from 1945 to 1991. Though founded in 1938, in 1969 HUAC announced a new focus - domestic terrorism. During the Cold War, HUAC targeted communism and investigated those who seemed likely to have communistic support or beliefs. (Note: Approx. Date) -
The Cold War: Berlin Airlift: West Berlin Supplies
On June 15, 1948, the Soviet authorities announced that the Autobahn, the highway connecting western Germany to Berlin, would be closed indefinitely “for repairs.” Then, all road traffic from west to east was halted, and barred all barge and rail traffic from entering West Berlin. Thus began the Berlin blockade. The western Allies decided withdrawal from the city was not an option. By spring 1949, it was clear that the Soviet blockade of West Berlin had failed, and the city was opened again. -
1950s: Fair Deal
The Fair Deal was a set of proposals enacted by US President Harry Truman during his January 1949 State of the Union address. The term characterizes Truman's entire agenda during his presidency from 1945 - 1953. His Fair Deal speech was addressed on Jan 05, 1949. Examples of his Fair Deal Act included the "Federal Highway Act." -
1950s
In the United States, the 1950's was a time of economic boom, but also consisted of great conflicts such as the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. These two conflicts exposed the facade of 'how great the 50's were,' and revealed the underlying divisions in American society. -
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The 1950's
The 1950s was a decade of communist and capitalist tension and was the beginning of the Cold War. The United States was now the world's strongest military power, with a booming economy - with new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods were more available to people than ever before. Despite all these positives, the 1950s were a great era of conflict, with the Civil Rights movement and the Cold War. -
The Cold War: Atomic/Hydrogen Weapons: Duck & Cover
During this time, many were not informed of the actual effects of a nuclear bomb. "Duck and Cover" was propaganda enacted by the United States and showed a method of 'protection' against the effects of a nuclear explosion. The official video for 'Duck and Cover' was created in 1951, and portrays a ducking turtle named Bert. "Duck and Cover" gained its first public screening in January 1952 during the era after the Soviet Union began nuclear testing in 1949 and the Korean War was in full swing. -
1950s: Television
In the 1950s, one of the most popular products available was the TV. At the start of this decade, there were about 3 million TV ownders, but there were 55 milion TV owners by the end of this decade, with 530 stations available for TV watchers. The average price of TV sets dropped from about $500 to $200 in 1953. A popular show from this time was "I love Lucy," with its first episode airing on October 15, 1951. -
The Cold War: Atomic/Hydrogen Weapons
In the 50's, the Arms Race became the focus of the Cold War. America tested the first Hydrogen bomb in 1952, beating the Russians in the creation of the "Super Bomb." The United States and the Soviet Union had major conflicts with each other, and the creation of bombs helped each other feel 'safe' against each other. The first hydrogen bomb was detonated on November 1, 1952 by the United States. -
1950s: Polio Vaccine
In the 50s, there was a massive polio epidemic. Polio had a high death rate and left millions paralyzed, and the Polio Vaccine helped save countless lives all over the world. The vaccine can be credited to Jonas Salk, and the first polio vaccine was created and made public in the 50's. On February 23, 1954, children were able to recive the first polio vaccine. -
The Cold War: 2nd Red Scare: McCarthyism
Taking place during the Cold War, McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. More specifically, Joseph McCarthy used this tactic to accuse countless the known and unknown citizens of the United States of being Communist. McCarthyism was most popular from the late 1940s to 1950s. McCarthyism ended in 1954, around the time when the Korean War ended in 1953. In 1954, Joseph McCarthy begins his investigation on the US Army. -
Civil Rights
The American Civil Rights Movement was an era of mass protest against racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern United States that began to gain prominence during the mid-1950s. This movement had its roots in centuries of slavery in the United States. -
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The Civil Rights Era
The Civil Rights Era was an era where the United States battled racial tension and segregation, especially between whites and African Americans. Nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans in Southern states still inhabited a starkly unequal world of disenfranchisement, segregation and various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence. -
Civil Rights : Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The date that this was decided was on May 17, 1954. -
1950s: Rock 'n' Roll
Rock and roll, often written as rock 'n' roll, was a popular genre of music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s from African American musical styles such as gospel, the blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and country. Though often claimed by whites as its origin, many popular genres of American music originated from African-American musical styles. Example: Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock," released on May 20, 1954. -
1950s: Polio Vaccine: Dr Jonas Salk
Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He discovered and developed one of the first successful polio vaccines. 3,145 people died and 21,269 were left with mild to disabling paralysis, with most of its victims being children out of nearly 58,000 cases in 1952 alone. The polio vaccine was made public on April 12, 1955, and Salk was hailed as a "miracle worker," and the day almost became a national holiday. (Side Note: Please vaccinate your children.) -
1950s: Television: TV Shows
Television struggled to become a national mass media in the 1950s & became a cultural force in the 60s. For the first time in 1952, television was able to broadcast the Republican and Democratic conventions live to the rest of the nation.
Accomplishments with TV during this decade included:
- TV signals could reach the most remote corners of the US
- Shared national experiences with TV, such as TV shows, news & sports events
- High ratings and views on shows (Ex: $64,000 Question; date attached) -
Civil Rights: Montgomery Bus Boycott: Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. By doing so, Rosa Parks spurred a city-wide bus boycott from the African American community, and indirectly sparked the American Civil Rights movement of the 20th century. -
1950s: Rock 'n' Roll: Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American actor and singer. In 1954, Elvis began his singing career with the legendary Sun Records label in Memphis. In late 1955, his recording contract was sold to RCA Victor. By 1956, he was an international sensation. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll," or sometimes simply as "the King." Though known for his talents in singing, he was also a good actor, making his film debut in 'Love Me Tender' on November 15, 1956. -
Civil Rights: Civil Rights Act of 1957
Signed by President Eisenhower and enacted on enacted September 9, 1957, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 was also Congress's show of support for the Supreme Court's Brown decisions, the Brown v. Board of Education, which had eventually led to the integration of public schools. -
The Cold War: The Space Race: Sputnik
Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to orbit Earth. This satellite was launched on October 4, 1957 at 7:28 PM by the Soviet Union, thus beginning the Space Race between the Soviet Union and the United States. -
The Cold War: The Space Race: NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, was created through the executive branch of the United States. NASA is responsible for the United States spae program, aeronautics and aerospace research. Established in 1958 by President Dwight Eisenhower, NASA was more of a civilian rather than a military orientation that encouraged peaceful applications into space science. The National Aeronautics and Space Act was passed on July 29, 1958. -
1950s: Beat Generation
The Beat generation was a group of American writers and artists popular in the 1950s. The people in the Beat movement often referred to as Beatniks, were influenced by eastern philosophy and religion and famous for their use of interesting forms of writing and their rejection of traditional social and artistic principles. This movement was centred in the bohemian artist communities of San Francisco’s North Beach, Los Angeles’ Venice West, and New York City’s Greenwich Village. -
1960s
The 1960s were dominated by the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Events that stood out most during this period included the assassinations of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. Other known events that happened during this time included the Cuban Missile Crisis and the first man who landed on the moon. -
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1960s
The 1960s were a decade of more civil rights, as well as a time where new democratic ideals came into the works. Many Americans believed this time period to be the dawn of the Golden Age. However, it seemed as if the nation was falling apart by the end of this decade. -
Civil Rights: Sit-Ins
The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests (civil disobedience) in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1960, which led to the Woolworth department store chain removing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States. The sit-ins were successful, thankful to the overflowing of all the jails. -
1970s: Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
OPEC was a permanent, intergovernmental organization that was created at the Baghdad Conference from September 10, 1960 to September 14, 1960. The goal of this conference was to coordinate and unify petroleum policies among member countries, and to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers. -
1950s: Television: The Kennedy-Nixon Debate
The presidential debate of 1960 was a landmark event that proved the effectiveness of media and good impressions. Thanks to television, the debate allowed Kennedy to project his youth and vigor to the country, and took advantage of Nixon's physical appearance to win the election. -
1960s: The New Frontier
Founded under President John F. Kennedy, the New Frontier was elected promising to raise minimum wage, relieve overcrowded schools, cutting taxes for business from 90%, advances in space technology, and increases in spending to alleviate a downturn. However, the New Frontier's agenda was largely unaccomplished. -
1960s: Peace Corps
On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order #10924, establishing the Peace Corps as a new agency within the Department of State. Newly elected President John F. Kennedy issues an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Set up by the United States, this executive order was proven to be innovative and contained highly publicized Cold War programs. -
Civil Rights: Freedom Rides
The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961, and challenged the non-enforcement of the United States in non-integration betwen whites and blacks on public bussing. -
Civil Rights: Birmingham March
The Birmingham campaign, or Birmingham movement, was a movement organized in early 1963 by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, often called the SCLC to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. The Birmingham March lasted from April 3 – May 10, 1963, which lasted 1 month and 1 week. -
Civil Rights: MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail
On April 16, 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was imprisoned in a Birmingham Jail, completed work on one of the seminal texts of the American Civil Rights Movement. In this jail, Dr. King's wrote Letter which left a lasting legacy. -
1960s: March on Washington: "I Have a Dream Speech"
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In this speech, he calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement. -
1960s: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode through Dealey Plaza in Downtown Dallas, Texas. President Kennedy's main aim for this trip was to bring Democrats together, but was also aware of a small but vocal group of extremists that contributed to the political tensions in Texas. Kennedy wanted his presence felt—particularly in Dallas, where US Ambassador to the UN was physically attacked a month earlier after a speech there. -
1960s: Ascendency of Lyndon Johnson
On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. Johnson was sworn in as president later that day aboard Air Force One, and immediately reassured a shocked and grieving nation that he would make Kennedy’s progressive vision for America a reality. He declared a “war on poverty” and pushed Congress to pass legislation attacking illiteracy, unemployment and discrimination. -
1960s: The Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The main goal was the elimination of poverty and racial injustice. Johnson's first public reference to the "Great Society" took place during a speech to students on May 7, 1964, at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio: "And with ... courage and ... compassion and your desire, we will build a Great Society." -
1960s: The Counter Culture
The Counterculture was a cultural phenomenon and was embraced by individuals and young rebels known as Hippies,whom seceded from the Beat Generation. and consisting of unorganized youth rebellions against mainstream institutions, values, and behavior that more often focused on cultural radicalism, highlighting peace, love, and restrictionless living, rather than political activism. -
1960s: Ascendency of Lyndon Johnson: Daisy Girl Ad
The "Daisy Girl" ad portrayed a little girl in a field when a nuclear bomb goes off, implying an unstated message that a vote for Barry Goldwater results in the death of Daisy Girl and many others.
This ad was a controversial and political advertisement that was aired only once on the media during the 60s, encouraging and urging the nation to vote for Lyndon B. Johnson. -
1960s: The Counter Culture: Hippies
Hippies, members of the liberal counterculture, was originally a youth movement that started in the United States and the United Kingdom during the mid 1960s. This hippy movement spread to other countries around the world, such as Great Britain. -
1960s: Stonewall Riot
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay, or LGBT community against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. They are widely considered to constitute the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States. -
The Cold War: Race to Space/Moon: Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the two first ever humans on the Moon. Both American, Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin both landed the lunar module Eagle on July 20, 1969. This was a major feat for the United States, and gave Americans great pride over the Soviet Union in the Space Race. -
1960s: Counter Culture: LSD
Albert Hofmann, a chemist working for Sandoz Pharmaceutical, synthesized1 LSD for the first time in 1938, in Basel, Switzerland, while looking for a blood stimulant. However, its hallucinogenic effects were unknown until 1943 when Hofmann accidentally consumed some LSD. LSD is a synthetic crystalline compound, lysergic acid diethylamide, and is a very potent hallucinogenic drug. In the 60s, LSD was commonly used amongst those of the counterculture in the 60s. -
The 1970s
Historically, the 1970s were seen as a "pivot of change" in world history, especially following its economic upheavals.In the Western world, social progressive values began in the 1960s, such as increasing political awareness and economic liberty of women continued its growth. The 1970s also saw an increase in violence in the Middle East as Egypt and Syria declared war on Israel. In the late 1970s however, this was fundamentally altered when Egypt signed the Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty. -
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1970s
The 1970s were a tumultuous time. In some ways, the decade was a continuation of the 1960s. Women, African Americans, Native Americans, gays and lesbians and other marginalized people continued their fight for equality, and many Americans joined the protest against the ongoing war in Vietnam. -
1970s: Nixons Presidency: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Founded on December 2, 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA for short, is an agency of the Federal government of the United States which was created for the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA and it began operation on December 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. -
1970s: Nixon's Presidency: Watergate
Watergate was a major political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s, following a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. in 1972 and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. When the conspiracy was discovered and investigated by the U.S. Congress, the Nixon administration's resistance to its probes led to a constitutional crisis, and Nixon's resignment. -
1970s: Heritage Foundation
Founded on February 16, 1973, the Heritage Foundation is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, whose policies were taken from Heritage's policy study Mandate for Leadership. After the 2016 election of Donald Trump as U.S. President, Heritage played a major role in shaping his transition team. -
1970s: Beginnings of the Personal Computer
The first ever computer was created in 1975, when Ed Roberts coined the term "personal computer" and introduced the Altair 8800, although the first personal computer is considered by many to be the KENBAK-1, which was first introduced for $750 in 1971. The history of the personal computer as a mass-market consumer electronic device began with the microcomputer revolution of the 1980s. -
1970s: Nixon's Presidency: Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973is one of the few dozens of US environmental laws passed in the 1970s during Nixon's presidency. It's purpose is to provide for the conservation of endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants, and for other purposes, and was made effective on December 27, 1973. -
1970s: Gerald Ford’s Presidency
America's 38th president, Gerald Ford took office on August 9, 1974, following the resignation of President Richard Nixon who left in disgrace over the Watergate scandal. Ford became the first unelected president in the nation’s history. Before his Presidency, Ford launched his career in politics in 1948, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the House for the next 25 years, earning a reputation as a friendly, honest, loyal and hardworking Republican -
1970s: Jimmy Carter's Presidency: Three-Mile Island
During Carter's presidency, a partial nuclear reactor meltdown occurred on Three-Mile Island in Eastern Pennsylvania in 1979, after a fuel core became uncovered after shutting down a fission reaction. Nuclear radiation leaked out into a nearby town, and residents were affected. The incident made Americans wary of nuclear power and was the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. -
1990s: Technology: Affordable Cell Phones
Prior to the 90's, portable phones were bulky & inconvenient. This began to change in the 90's. In the 90s, the 'second generation' mobile phone systems emerged. In 1993, IBM Simon was introduced, possibly being the world's first smartphone. The IBM Simon was a mobile phone, pager, and fax machine all rolled into one. It included a calendar, address book, clock, calculator, notepad, email, and a touchscreen with a QWERTY keyboard. It also had a stylus along with touchscreen. (Note: Approx. Date)
