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Elvis Presley Becomes Popular
Elvis Presley began attracting attention with his music in 1954. He helped change the social and moral values of white American society and he created what is now known as Rock N' Roll. His influence on Rock N' Roll was very significant in the U.S. -
Freedom Riders
On May 4, 1961, a group of 13 African-American and white civil rights activists started the Freedom Rides to protest segregation on buses. The Freedom Riders departed from Washington, D.C., and attempted to integrate places at bus terminals along their route to Jackson, Mississippi. The group experienced tremendous violence from white protestors along the route, but also drew international attention to their cause -
University of Alabama Desegregated
As of 1963, Alabama was the only state that hadn't desegregated its education system. Governor George Wallace refused to allow two African American students to register for summer classes at the University of Alabama. President John F. Kennedy was contacted and he promptly issued presidential proclamation 3542, which would force Wallace to comply with court orders and allow the students to enroll. -
JFK is Assassinated
President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald as his car drove past the Texas School Book Depository. He was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital but he could not be saved. After his death, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office. -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was founded by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton to protect minority communities. Famous for taking up guns in defense against police brutality, the Panthers had many sides to their work. They organized dozens of community programs such as free breakfast for children, health clinics and shoes for children. -
First Man on the Moon
Apollo 11 was the spacecraft that landed the first two humans on the Moon. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon and collected samples and took pictures of the surface. They left behind an American flag and made world history. -
Vietnam War Protests at Washington
Nearly 100,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to protest the American war effort in Vietnam. The protest was the most dramatic sign of depleting U.S. support for President Lyndon Johnson’s war in Vietnam. This protest showed that American support for the Vietnam War had fallen below 50%. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
Ping Pong Diplomacy was the first diplomatic effort to reduce tensions between the US and China during the Cold War. The 15-man American ping pong team was the first group to travel to China that was not communist. Shortly after the ping pong tour, the Chinese government invited Nixon to meet with them. This eventually led to improving the relationship between China and the US. -
Watergate Break In
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. The FBI investigated and discovered a connection between cash found on the burglars and a slush fund used by Nixon's campaign. The investigation revealed that President Nixon had a tape-recording system in his offices and that he had tried to cover up activities that took place after the break-in. He resigned before he could be impeached -
Hurricane Carmen
Hurricane Carmen was the most intense tropical cyclone of the 1974 Atlantic hurricane season. Carmen originated as a tropical disturbance that emerged from Africa toward the end of August. The disturbance traveled westward, spawning a tropical depression east of the Lesser Antilles. The storm moved through the Caribbean Sea and it quickly grew to a Category 4 hurricane. Carmen moved ashore on the Yucatán Peninsula, where it caused crop damage and killed several people. -
Apple Computers Created
Steve Jobs created the Apple Computer Company in 1976. Apple wanted computers to be more user friendly, simple, and more available in homes. Apple has had a major impact on today's technology and continues to influence the lives of people all over the world. -
Berlin Wall Falls
As the Cold War began to ease across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin’s Communist Party announced a change in his city’s relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country’s borders. 2 million people from East Berlin visited West Berlin that to participate in the celebration. Hammers and picks were used to knock away chunks of the wall and soon the wall was gone and Berlin was united for the first time since 1945.
