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Forrest hip dances with Elvis
Forrest's house acted like a bed-and-breakfast, where many stayed. Elvis was one of them, and it was here that Forrest inadvertently taught Elvis his famous hip dance. -
Elvis Presley releases "Hound Dog"
A few years later, Elvis releases one of his hit songs, "Hound Dog," which Forrest and his mother see on television, with Elvis employing the hip dance Forrest had shown him. -
1963 All-American Team meets JFK
As a reward for doing so well in college football, Forrest and his team got to meet the President at the time, John F. Kennedy. -
Desegregation of the University of Alabama
The University of Alabama, the college that Forrest attends, is desegregated by JFK, much to the dismay of Gov. Wallace. Forrest, of course, hasn't a clue of what's really happening. -
President Kennedy is assassinated
Some months after Kennedy met with Forrest, and desegregated UA, Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Forrest goes to Vietnam
Forrest had enrolled in the Army after graduating college, and was sent off to fight in the Vietnam War/Conflict shortly after. Doesn't go well. -
Forrest saves his platoon-mates in battle
During one of his many searches in the jungles of Vietnam, Forrest's platoon was caught in an ambush, killing and injuring many, save for Forrest, who ran like the wind and saved the members of his team that he could. -
Forrest discovers ping-pong
After Forrest saved the members of his platoon, he was mostly confined to one of the main buildings, a recovery room. It was there he discovered that he had an unnatural knack for ping-pong. -
Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy was assassinated
Five years after his brother was assassinated, Bobby Kennedy followed in his brother's footsteps, killing yet another Kennedy. -
Forrest receives Medal of Honor/ meets LBJ
Upon returning home from Vietnam, and being honorably discharged from the Army, Forrest, along with a few others, was presented with a Medal of Honor from the next President, Lyndon B. Johnson. -
The United States land on the Moon
This was a monumental event, propelling humanity into a new age, and Forrest was right there watching it on television -
Forrest goes to China
Due to Forrest's phenomenal skills at ping-pong, he lands a spot on a team solely for ping-pong. They even faced against the Chinese team in their home country of China. -
John Lennon's first appearance on the Dick Cavett Talk Show
After Forrest gets home from Chine, he goes on a talk show with John Lennon, which happens to be his first appearance on this particular talk show. -
John Lennon releases "Imagine"
Later the same year when Lennon first went on the Dick Cavett Talk Show, he released the song "Imagine," his best-selling song. -
Forrest and Lt. Dan celebrate New Year's Eve together
Lieutenant Dan, Forrest's commanding officer in Vietnam, is found by accident by Forrest (or the inverse). Dan later invites Forrest to celebrate New Year's with him at his place, which doesn't end very great for either. -
George Wallace shot
A few months into a very successful campaign, George Wallace, the Alabama Governor who strongly advocated for segregation, was shot, ending his campaign for good. -
Forrest meets Nixon
Out of respect for Forrest's "ping-pong diplomacy" during his time playing, Nixon invites Forrest to meet him, marking Forrest's third President meet-up. Nixon has Forrest put into the Watergate Hotel, where he inadvertently causes the scandal by the same title. -
The birth of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
When Hurricane Carmen struck Louisiana, Forrest's shrimping boat was the only one to survive, propelling Forrest into becoming one of the biggest and richest companies: Bubba Gump Shrimp. However, this does not make any sense, as Hurricane Carmen does not hit until months later, so perhaps this is when Forrest buys his first boat, Jenny? -
Nixon resigns
After the Watergate scandal left Nixon with little to no credibility left, and he knew he would most likely be impeached, Richard Nixon resigned the presidency. Forrest didn't help with that one. -
Hurricane Carmen strikes Louisiana
This is the hurricane that almost completely destroys the shrimping industry of Louisiana, with only one boat remaining: Jenny, Forrest's boat. This is the event that truly starts Bubba Gump, as little sense as it makes. -
Forrest gets the call that his mother is sick
While on his shrimping boat, Jenny, Forrest is able to spend some time having a meal with Lt. Dan. While eating, Dan gets a call for Forrest, revealing that his mother is sick. Forrest, of course, rushes to her side. -
Forrest starts running
According to Forrest, one day he simply felt like running. And run he did, going across the country multiple times, never stopping for long. However, he should have technically started running a year earlier to make sense of the list of events. -
First known AIDS outbreak
This is around the time that the AIDS epidemic really started to pick up, with the CDC recognizing Ken Home as the first patient of the epidemic. Jenny is alluded to have this. -
Dan invests Forrest in Apple Computers
This is the earliest possible time that Lt. Dan could have invested Forrest's money in Apple, as this was when they went public. Their investment would be worth probably 30 times as much now as it originally was then. -
Forrest receives Jenny's letter
When Forrest gets a letter from Jenny, he immediately goes to pursue where she tells him to go. This is the act that causes the entire movie to happen. -
Jenny dies
After fighting an illness alluded to be a form of AIDS, Jenny finally gives up the ghost after a happy last few years married to Forrest. She leaves her son to Forrest, who turns out to be a good parent. -
Forrest stops running?
According to Forrest, he had run for "three years, two months, fourteen days, and sixteen hours." If that is taken as fact based off of when he started, he would have stopped running after Jenny died. If Forrest started a year earlier in the timeline, supposedly, everything might make a bit more sense.
