-
Eniac computer
The ENIAC computer was officially finished in the February of 1946. It was the first general-purpose reprogrammable computer. It weighed more than 30 short tons and took up 1800 square feet of space. -
Cold war
The Cold War was a long term conflict between the Unites States and the Soviet Union, though no military fighting occured. Most conflict occured in proxy wars, with each country backing a side in a smaller war, though they never met eachother in combat. -
Joseph Stalin
Communist dictator of USSR after WWII, attempted the Berlin Blockade, and tried to stop Germany from reindustrializing. -
Geneva Convention
A series of conventions that adressed certain protected persons, such as medical staff, wounded soldiers, and POW's during war time. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
One of the major first steps of the Civil Rights Movement. This act ruled segregation in schools unconstitutional and prohibited any further school segregation in all states. -
Rosa Parks
The iconic Rosa Parks bus event was a large part of the civil rights movement. By refusing to give up her seat in the colored section for a white passenger, she became a symbol of the unfair treatment towards the colored population. -
Sputnik
Sputnik 1 was the first man made object ever launched into orbit. The Sputnik program was ran by the Soviet Union, and this key event started the Space Race between the USSR and the United States. -
Alaska and Hawaii become states
Alaska officially became state on January 3, 1959. In the same year, Hawaii followed, also becoming a state on August 21. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major point of tension during the cold war. It was caused by Cuba allowing the Soviet Union to place nuclear missiles at locations in Cuba. The ensuing "crisis" was because these warheads were much too close to the United States. -
Russian Tsar Bomba detonation
The Tsar bomba was the most destructive nuclear weapon ever detonated. Russian developed, its explosive power was equal to 50 megatons of TNT, and more than ten times the force of every explosive used in WW2 combined, including both atomic bombs dropped on Japan. It was tested on an island to the north of western Russia. -
Martin Luther King Jr.
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in front of 250,000 civil rights supporters on the steps of the Lincoln memorial. -
Moon Landing
Even though the USSR had put an unmanned object on the moon nearly ten years before, Apollo 11 held much more impact. The first man on the moon was Niel Armstrong. -
Woodstock
Woodstock was one of the most important moments in music history. It was essentially a three day music festival surrounding the notion of peace and harmony. 500,000 people attended the event, which occured near Bethel, New York. -
Watergate Scandal
A massive political scandal involving president Richard M. Nixon, that came to light after a burglary at the Democratic National Commitee offices at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. It resulted in Nixon's resignation in 1974. -
Pol Pot
Pol Pot was a communist revolitonary who led the Cambodian Communist Party, otherwise known as the Khmer Rouge. He forced the population into labor camps and collective farms during his reign as dictator. Through execution and extremely poor working conditions, about 2 million Cambodian citizens died, which was 25 percent of the total Cambodian population. -
Star Wars
Not only was Star Wars an iconic member of the science fiction movie genre, but it elevated the popularity of the genre to general audiences. It enhanced the importance of special effects and digital editing in movie production. -
First "Test Tube Baby" born
Louise Brown was born in the UK as a result of a medical breakthrough known as in vitro fertilization. This process has resulted in millions of pregnancies for couples that could not have a child on their own. Robert Brown won the Nobel Prize in 2010 for this achievement. -
Iran-Iraq War
Sometimes known as the First Persian Gulf War, this conflict involved many border disputes between Iran and Iraq. Deaths total at approx. 500,000. This conflict's fighting was quite like that of WW1, specifically trench warfare. Chemical weapons were also used extensively. It ended officialy on August 8, 1988 -
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson has been referred to as "The King of Pop" because of his success in the music industry. Michael Jackson's Thriller album, released on November 30, 1982, was the best selling album of all time, with an estimated sales of at least 50 million copies sold. -
Live Aid
Live concert held in both London and Philadelphia at the same time to help Ethiopian famine. This event was broadcasted on television, with an estimated viewer count of about 2 billion. It raised 285 million US dollars. -
Chernobyl Disaster
The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, located in Russia, was the site of one of the two worst nuclear catastrophes in the world. A systems malfunction resulted in a sizeable explosion that released a large amount of radioactive particles into the atmosphere over eastern Europe. An estimated 4,000 deaths have occured due to radiation induced cancer and leukemia. -
Los Angeles Riots
Among the largest riots in U.S. history, the Los Angeles riots lasted more than 6 days. They started after the trial of four police officers that had brutally beaten Rodney King, who was in the black minority. The city was in an outrage because the officers got aquitted even after video footage had been shown depicting the whole scene. -
World Trade Center Bombing
On February 26, 1993, a group of conspirators detonated a truck bomb in the underground parking garage of the north World Trade Tower. The plan ultimately failed in taking down the towers, but substantial damage had been done. Six people died, and over 1,000 were injured. -
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first black South African president. He was in office from 1994 to 1999. Before he became president, he acted against segregation and racism in South Africa, known as Apartheid. -
First Cloned Sheep
Dolly the sheep was the first mammal to ever be cloned. She was born in Scotland after scientists had impregnated and egg with another sheeps exact DNA. This scientific breakthrough greatly increased progress in genetic research. -
Wikipedia
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001. It is the largest free internet encyclopedia resource. It contains over 26 million articles in 286 different languages. It has been a valuable resource for students all over the world. -
Invasion of Iraq
In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq, with the goal of removing it's WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction), and to remove Saddam Hussein from office, freeing the Iraqi people. By April 12, 2003, a total of 34 American soldiers and 2,320 Iraqi fighters had been killed. -
Human Genome Project
In April 2003, the Human Genome Project released a complete identification of human DNA. Started in 1990, the Human Genome Project's goal was to analyze and identify every gene in human DNA. The benefit of this project greatly increased progress in research of genetic disorders and how to treat them. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States. He was a Illinois senator from 1997 to 2004. He is also the first minority president.
