-
Elvis Presley / Rock n' Roll
Elvis was a Rock and Roll icon that was very popular in the mid 1900’s. His unique dances and music gained him much popularity and led to him becoming the face of rock and roll. His extravagant dances and challenges of social and racial norms made him unpopular with part of the population, but he was generally a very admired singer. He was one of many Rock and Roll musicians that began the genre and took from genres such as blues, jazz, and R&B which influenced media, style, and lifestyles. -
Desegregation of Univ. of Alabama
The supreme Brown vs. Board of Ed had previously stated that segregation was unconstitutional. Many places took very long to enact this and the government had to use force to get schools to do this. The governor of Alabama, George Wallace, was an extreme segregationist. He physically put himself in the doorway to the enrollment building to block African American students from entering the building. President Kennedy sent the National Guard to enforce the desegregation. -
JFK Assassination
President Kennedy had began campaigning for his re-election. Texas was one of the most critical states to secure his re-election. He and his wife had plans to visit five cities in Texas on their tour. Dallas was the third stop on the tour, and JFK was making his way through downtown Dallas in a motorcade. Kennedy was shot in the neck and head. JFK was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead 30 minutes later. Lyndon Johnson, his vice president, took the position of President. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a conflict that spanned two decades, from around 1955 to 1975, but the US wasn't largely involved in the war until 1965, when regular combat units were deployed. Despite having a massive military presence in the country, little forward progress and high casualty rates were major factors in the limited success the United States had. Over 58,000 Americans died in the conflict, and it is always remembered as a defeat for the United States. -
Hippies
Hippies became a word to primarily describe members of the youth counter culture that was forming in the United States in the middle of the 1960s. Opposed to the traditional values of the 1950s, hippies embraced new sexual behavior, clothing and fashion, and even drugs such as marijuana and LSD. Hippie culture eventually began to influence all of America in outlets like music and television. They were also front runners of the protests against US involvement in Vietnam. -
Anti-war Protests during Vietnam
Many American citizens were opposed to US intervention in Vietnam since 1965, when the first combat units were sent to Southeast Asia. By 1967, two thirds of the country believed that it was a mistake to send troops to Vietnam. The majority of the movement was made up of mothers, students, and anti-establishment hippies, along with other groups. Mothers were tired of having their sons killed in the war, students wanted to continue their educations, and peace was a main pillar of hippie culture. -
Dick Cavett Show
Although he hosted numerous television programs throughout his career, Dick Cavett's most famous was his late night talk show that ran from December 1969 to January 1975. As an author, comedian, and comedy writer, Cavett show invited many guests including politicians and authors, but Cavett was extremely outgoing to rock n' roll artists in particular. Some notable guests included Jimi Hendrix, John Kerry, and Marlon Brando. -
Moon Landing
Nasa sent Apollo 11 to the moon. Three men went to the moons orbit, then two took the Eagle to the moon’s surface. Neil Armstrong was the first human to step on the moon. This was an important achievement in space exploration and completed Kennedy’s challenge to put someone on the moon by the close of the decade. It took about 4 days total from launch to landing on the moon. They planted the American flag and returned home near Hawaii 4 days later. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
This occurred in the middle of the Cold War. No American had gone to China since 1949, and for around 20 years the two countries hadn’t had diplomatic or economic relations. In the early 1970’s, the People’s republic of China invited American ping-pong players to their country. The Americans went to China The ping pong competition was important in decreasing the hostility of the relationship of the countries, and it paved the way for better relations and Nixon’s trip to China. -
Watergate Break In
The Watergate scandal occurred during the Nixon administration, when the Democratic National Convention was intruded on by people connected to Nixon. Nixon was attempting to gain an advantage in the upcoming election, but the break-in was traced back to him and his attempts to cover it led to investigations of his administration. Tapes revealed that Nixon was covering the scandal up and the House of Representatives was going to impeach him. Before they could do this, Nixon resigned. -
Hurricane Carmen
Initially formed in late August, Hurricane Carmen struck the Southern United States as the most powerful storm of the 1974 Atlantic Hurricane Season. When the storm first began approaching the United States, there was widespread fear that it would strike the densely populated New Orleans, but it instead struck land further westward in the marshlands of Louisiana. In Louisiana, which was the state in which the storm caused the most damage, the state faced expenses of around $150 million. -
Apple Computers
The Apple Computer Company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company was incorporated less than a year later, without Wayne, who sold his share to the remaining two founders. Apple II was the company's first product to resemble the modern computer, and it was released in April of 1977. Complete with a colored screen, floppy disk storage, and a spreadsheet program called VisiCalc, Apple II soon became a major competitor in the computer making business.
