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Harry Truman
Harry S. Truman became U.S. President when President Roosevelt died in 1945. He was responsible for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan and ending World War II. Truman started the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the war.
Important People -
H-Bomb
The hydrogen bomb was many times more powerful than an atomic bomb and in fact required an atomic bomb to detonate.
Political/ Economic -
Liberache
He was famous for playing the piana and he had his own TV show in the 50's
Cultural Events -
Vaccine
The vaccine to the dreaded disease polio was discovered by Jonas Salk and distributed to the world.
Major -
Rockfeller
Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller were grandsons of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller.Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Nelson as chair of the President's Advisory Committee on Government Organization. He served as Governor of New York and he was the 41st Vice President of the United States of America.
Important Peoples/ Cultural -
Communist Block
USSR and their satellite countries formed what was called the Communist bloc.
Political/Economics -
Stalin
Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union. He was a harsh leader who had millions of his people executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia. On his way to political power, he changed his name to Stalin, which means "steel" in Russian.
Important People -
Disneyland
Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. It was a theme park, developed by Walt Disney and based around his cartoon characters. It was designated as a place for family entertainment.
Cultural -
Peter Pan
Peter Pan was a top Broadway play starring Mary Martin, who flew through the air as Peter Pan.
Cultural -
Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev emerged as a leader in the Soviet Union after the death of dictator Josef Stalin. In 1956, he advocated reform and indirectly criticized Stalin and his methods. He became the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1974.
Important People -
Princess Grace
Actress Grace Kelly left Hollywood to marry Prince Ranier of Monaco. She then attained the title of Princess Grace.
Important People -
Chou En-Lai
He was the Premier and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China.
Important People -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the name of the first orbiting satellite sent into space by the USSR.
Poliitical/Economic -
Hula Hoop
Hula Hoops became a national fad. Everywhere, you would see children and even adults trying to spin the large plastic hoop around their waist. TV celebrities would also display their skills with the hoop. The fad peaked and died out quickly.
Cultural -
Mafia
Mafia leaders met in upstate New York to get better organized.
Politics/Economic -
Castro
He became involved in political activism and led the revolution to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. He was then sworn in as the Prime Minister of Cuba
Important People -
U-2
The United States had been sending the secret U-2 high-flying spy plane over the Soviet Union to take pictures and gather information, when one was shot down by a Russian missile.
Political-Economic -
Syngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee was the first President of South Korea, serving from 1948 to 1960. His method of rule became unpopular, and he was forced to resign by a student-led democratic movement.
Important People -
Berlin Wall
The Soviets erected the Berlin Wall, dividing the city into the Russian-controlled part and the area controlled by the U.S., British and French.
Major -
JFK Dead
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Kennedy was riding in an open-top automobile in a presidential motorcade when Lee Harvey Oswald shot him through the head with a sniper rifle from a sixth floor window of a nearby building.
Important People/ Major Event -
Reagan
Former movie actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United States.
Inportant People -
Birth Control
Birth Control became an issue with the advent of the birth control pill.
Cultural -
Richard Nixon back again
Nixon was elected President in 1968.
Important People -
Ho- Chi Minh
Was the leader of the Communist North Vietnamese, who first fought the French and then the Americans.
Important People -
Moonshot
The United States landed the first man on the moon.
Major/Political/Economic -
Woodstock
A farmer in the Woodstock area of New York state donated his land for a rock concert. Surprisingly, 600,000 rock fans showed up, making it the biggest rock concert ever held.
Major/Cultural -
Attack on Israel
Egypt and Syria attack Israel; Egypt requests Soviet aid.
Major -
Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune TV show became a favorite.
Cultural -
Palestine
Palestinians protested unfair treatment by the Israelis.
Political/Economic -
Crack
A potent form of the highly addictive drug cocaine called "crack" or "rock" had been rapidly spreading in the United States, especially in troubled neighborhoods.
Cultural -
Russians in Afghanistan
The Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to "protect" Communist interests in the country. Rebels were supported by the United States, and finally after a long, costly war, the Soviets were forced to withdraw from the country.
Major -
Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Important People -
AIDS
AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) disease started to spread throughout the world.
Cultural -
Rock and Roller Cola Wars
Pepsi and Coke battle for supremacy in the marketplace.Each hired musicians to promote their drink.They then started to try to outdo each other by getting other musicians and celebrities to help promote their drinks.
Cultural -
Homeless Vets
Many veterans of the Vietnam conflict became homeless. A major problem with them was drug addiction or alcoholism.
Cultural -
Hypodermics On the the Shore
News reports showed how hundreds of carelessly discarded hypodermic needles had washed up on the New Jersey shoreline.
Major -
Foreign Debts
Foreign debts were causing an increase in inflation, as well as a burden on American taxpayers.
Political/Economic -
China's Martial Martial Law
In June 1989, thousands of protesters marched in Tiananmen Square in Bejing, China. Many were killed and China went under martial law until order was restored.
Major
