Event in American History

  • Finding of DNA

    Finding of DNA
    On April 25, 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick were the first to describe the structure of DNA. They described it as the double helix being the structure with patterns for assembling protein in the body. Watson and Crick determined that the double helix of the deoxyribonucleic acid is two strands linked together. Roseland Franklin provided further information of the double helix of nucleic acids with the famous x-ray image of DNA.
  • Mt. Everest

    Mt. Everest
    At 11:30 am on May 29, 1953 New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world. They dreamed about it for several years before taking the dangerous climb. They then climbed for seven weeks before reaching the peak and achieving their dreams. They were the first people to ever reach the summit of Mt. Everest.
  • Disneyland

    Disneyland
    Construction for Disneyland began on July 21, 1954. Some 160-acres of citrus trees had been cleared and 15 houses moved to make room for the park. The magical little park was really a $17,000,000 Magic Kingdom when it was ready to open. It included 5 different “lands” in Disneyland.
  • Rock and Roll

    Rock and Roll
    The first rock 'n' roll record to get national popularity was "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets in 1955. Haley created a music that appealed to youth because of its exciting back beat, its call to dance, and the action of its lyrics. The melody was clearly laid down by electric guitar, and the lyrics articulated teenage problems: school, cars, summer vacation, parents, and, most important, young love. The main instruments of early rock 'n' roll were guitar, bass, piano, drums,
  • Rosa Parks

    Rosa Parks
    Mrs. Parks boarded the Cleveland Avenue afternoon bus on December 1, 1955. After riding the rout of the bus, white people started filling in and the bus became crowded. After asking four African American’s to stand and let whites have their seats, the bus driver realized Rosa’s refusal and called the police. Though Rosa was sentenced chapter 6, section 11, Montgomery boycotted and they had no choice but to lift the law of segregation.
  • March on Washington

    March on Washington
    On 28 August 1963, more than 200,000 people took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in the nation’s capital. The march was successful in pressuring the administration of John F. Kennedy to pass a strong federal civil rights bill in Congress. During this event, Martin Luther King delivered his memorable ‘‘I Have a Dream’’ speech.
  • John F Kennedy Assasination

    John F Kennedy Assasination
    On the afternoon of November 22, 1963 ,around the time of President John F. Kennedy’s approaching motorcade through Dallas, Oswald was seen on the sixth floor of his work building, holding a rifle. At 12:30 p.m., three shots were fired, with the second and third hitting President Kennedy.
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    The Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin, is considered one of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights movement. First proposed by President John F. Kennedy, it survived strong opposition from southern members of Congress and was then signed into law by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson.
  • My Lai Massacre

    My Lai Massacre
    On the morning of March 16, 1968, soldiers of Charlie Company arrived in the hamlet of My Lai in the northern part of South Vietnam. They were on a “search and destroy” mission to root out 48th Viet Cong Battalion thought to be in the area.
    They killed as many as 504 Vietnamese civilians. Some were lined up in a drainage ditch before being shot. The dead civilians included fifty age 3 or younger, 69 between 4 and 7, and 27 in their 70s or 80s.
  • First Man on the Moon

    First Man on the Moon
    Apollo 11 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:32 a.m. on July 16, 1969. While in flight, the crew made two televised broadcasts from the interior of the ship, and a third transmission as they drew closer to the moon, revealing the lunar surface and the intended approach path. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin entered the lunar module, called the "Eagle" and separated from the "Columbia" and headed toward the lunar surface.
  • VCR

    VCR
    In 1972 Philips released what is known as the first true home video cassette recorder called the N1500. These machines were first used in schools and colleges in UK during 1972 and 1973, and went on the consumer market in the UK in the fall of 1973 and in Australia around 1973. Because of the expensive price tag say about $1000 Australian, not many people had these machines so they are very hard to find. Plus 1 hour cassettes were about $40 in the 1970's
  • Nixon Resigns

    Nixon Resigns
    After two years of bitter public debate over the Watergate scandals, President Nixon gave in to the public and leaders of his party to become the first President in American history to resign. Mr. Nixon said he decided he must resign when he concluded that he no longer had "a strong enough political base in the Congress" to make it possible for him to complete his term of office.
  • America's 200th Birthday

    America's 200th Birthday
    The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the making of the United States of America as an independent country. The Bicentennial was on Sunday, July 4, 1976, with the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
  • First Test Tube Baby

    First Test Tube Baby
    On November 10, 1977, Lesley Brown underwent the very experimental fertilization procedure. monitoring of Lesley showed that the fertilized egg had successfully embedded into her uterus wall. Then, unlike all the other experimental in vitro fertilization pregnancies, Lesley passed week after week and then month after month with no apparent problems. The world began to talk about this amazing procedure.
  • Jonestown Massacre

    Jonestown Massacre
    On November 18th 1978 the 2nd most deadly non-natural disaster took place in Jamestown. Only 5 people were shot while the 912 committed “suicide” by drinking poisoned juice. Jones ordered everyone to assemble at the pavilion. Jones told his congregation that the only way out was to commit the "revolutionary act" of suicide. Babies and children were brought up first, then mothers. It took approximately five minutes for each person to die.
  • John Lennon

    John Lennon
    John Lennon was widely known for his solo career and the fame he gained. One of the founders of the Beatles, Lennon returned from Record Plant Studio on December 8, 1980 with his wife, Yolo Ono. At the entrance of his home in New York City, Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon. Nothing remained left of Lennon but a body when he arrived at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center. He was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m., December 8, 1980.
  • John Paul II

    John Paul II
    John Paul II, better known as John Paul the Great, was claimed to be one of the most influential leaders in the 20th century. John Paul moved the nation with his acts and teachings. On May 13, 1981 Mehmet Ali Agca shot John Paul II when he was addressing an audience at St. Peter’s Square. The shot critically wounded John Paul in his colon and small intestines. As surgery took place, John Paul asked that the doctors not remove his Brown Scapular. After being caught and restrained, Agca was senten
  • Aids

    Aids
    Aids remained a mystery in the 1970’s. Many believed it to be a type of cancer called Kaposi ’s sarcoma. This typical cancer weakened a person day by day. Not until the 1980’s did scientists discover that the cause of weakness and loss of immunity was something deeper than cancer. In June 1982, a study showed that the disease of HIV could be acquired by sexual exchanges. Not long after figuring out the causes, and nature of HIV’s, there was vaccines made. The discoveries gave hope to the nation.
  • Marine Barracks

    Marine Barracks
    On October 23, 1983 in Lebanon the Marine Barracks blew up in flames after being bombed. Lebanese terrorists were waiting for their signal from their controllers in Iran. The terrorists ran a vehicle filled with 12,000 pounds of dynamites into the side of the building. The explosion device was gas-enhanced. The explosion killed 241 American servicemen. The bombing stood as the deadliest attack since the World War II.
  • Hubble Telescope

    Hubble Telescope
    In 1990 a space shuttle carried a telescope into orbit. The Hubble Space Telescope remains in action. Extremely sharp images can be seen by the telescope as it orbits outside the Earth’s atmosphere. The images have been the most detailed that it has allowed for scientists to have a deep view into space. Scientists have been led to discoveries of determining rates of the expansion of the universe. Hubble provides the tool scientists need in order to do deep research.
  • Rodney King

    Rodney King
    On March 3, 1991 Rodney King was in a race with the Los Angeles police on a high-speed chase. Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Stacey Koon caught Rodney King after the high-speed chase and beat him brutally. As Rodney became a punching mat for the Los Angeles police, their amateur cameraman, George Holiday, had the camera rolling on Rodney’s beating. The officers were charged with criminal offenses with an assault with deadly weapon.
  • O.J. Simpson

    O.J. Simpson
    Nicole Brown Simpson was found dead on June 13, 1994. Her close friend, Ronald Lyle Goldman, died not long after Nicole. The murder cases took place outside Brown’s Bundy Drive condo in the area of Los Angeles. Evidence found upon the scene lead officials to suspect O.J. Simpson as the murderer. Nicole and O.J. Simpson had been divorced for two year before the murder took place. On October 3, 1995 after many long trials, O.J. Simpson was tried on two counts of murder.
  • Dolly the Sheep

    Dolly the Sheep
    In 1996 a cell was taken from a six-year old ewe. Nine months later Dolly the sheep was born on February 22, 1997. Dolly was the first mammal to be cloned. The cloning took place at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian, Scotland. The process at which a cell is placed in a de-nucleonic ovum is called somatic cell nuclear transfer. Within this process the two cells come together and make an embryo.
  • 9-11

    9-11
    Over 3,000 people on September 11, 2001. Osama bin Laden sent his troops on a mission. The hijackers were all dressed in Western clothing before entering their planes. Four airliners were attacked by 19 people from the terrorist group called al-Qaeda. American Airline flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the twin towers placed in New York City. Both of the twin towers collapsed within the two hours after the planes hit them.
  • Huricane Katrina

    Huricane Katrina
    Hurricane Katrina held the world record of being the five deadliest hurricanes in our history. Being the sixth strongest hurricane overall, Katrina stood as the most costly storm. The hurricane ranked over $81.2 billion and killed over 1,836 people. Hurricane Katrina struck its devastating force on August 29, 2005 on the Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans. Katrina reached its highest point with winds up to 145 miles per hour
  • Minneapolis Bridge

    Minneapolis Bridge
    During rush hour on April 1, 2007, the Minneapolis Bridge collapse. More than a dozen of cars were plunged into the Mississippi River after the busy traffic Wednesday. The bridge was said to have broken into sections. The town newspaper read that nine people died during the collision, and remaining 60 had been taken to local hospitals while a search remained for 20 others.
  • Virginia Tech Shooting

    Virginia Tech Shooting
    William Morva is facing capital murder charges for the Virginia Tech Shooting. On Monday April 16, 2007 Virginia Tech University broke a world record. Horror scenes were described by witnesses of students lined up against a wall and shot. Around 7:15 a.m., two students were shot while they were getting ready for classes. Thirty-one other people alongside with William Morva were shot and killed more than two and a half hours after the first attack took place.
  • Jessica Dawn Lynch

    Jessica Dawn Lynch
    Jessica Dawn Lynch served as a United States Army soldier in 2003. The Iraq Forces trapped Lynch and her group after a wrong turn. On March 23, 2003, Lynch was listed as missing in action near Nasiriya. Lynch wasn’t the only one of her group to be affected by the ambush, eleven others were killed. Lynch stood in front of Congress on April 24, 2007 after she was rescued on April 1, 2003 by U.S. Special Operations Forces. Jessica Lynch was the first successful rescue of an American Prisoner of War