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Nathan Bedford
Forrest Gump was named after the founder of the KKK Nathan Bedford as a reminder to not fall into evil actions like he did. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley comes to live in the Gumps' home where Forrest begins dancing to Elvis' guitar playing. Elvis becomes interested in his dancing and is later seen performing dance moves inspired by Forrest Gump's dancing 2 years later. -
Bear Bryant
After accidentally running into the University of Alabama's football practice to escape some bullies, Bear Bryant becomes interested in his speed and recruits him to play for the team. Legendary Bear Bryant won 6 national championships with the Alabama football team. -
Racial Integration at University of Alabama
George Wallace speaks in favor of segregation and stands in front of the school doors to prevent Vivian Malone and James Hood from enrolling in the University of Alabama. The National Guard eventually puts a stop to it and the University of Alabama becomes a racially integrated school. -
President John F. Kennedy is Assasinated
President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas at Dealey Plaza while in his limousine. Kennedy was shot in the back and moments later was shot in the head. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office after Kennedy was pronounced dead. -
Vietnam War
Forrest Gump graduates from the University of Alabama and enlist in the army where he is sent to Vietnam to fight in the war. Forrest meets characters such as Bubba and Leuitenant Dan and participates in various activities, most noticeably ping pong. On the battlefield, they would always look for "Charlie", or the Viet Kong soldiers. After getting shot in one of his encounters, he is sent to the hospital where he is soon after released from his services to go back home. -
John Lennon
Forrest Gump appears on the Dick Cavett Show with John Lennon. Gump speaks and inspires John Lennon to write the hit song "Imagine". Gump later speaks of John Lennon's assassination exactly 9 years after he meets him. -
Hippies
Jenny is seen joining the hippie counterculture which was born in this time period. She is seen taking cocaine and heroin on multiple occasions and Forrest talks about the many "trips" she took and how she told him that she found a new way to "free her mind". -
Hurricane Carmen
Forrest Gump and Leuitenant Dan are in Bayou La Batre trying to shrimp. A big storm suddenly hits and destroys every boat in the area expect for Jenny. Due to a lack of competition, the Bubba-Gump industry takes off. It is later revealed that the big storm was in fact hurricane Carmen. -
Apple Inc.
Forrest Gump leaves Leuitenant Dan to go be with his mother in her final days. Forrest gets a letter from Leuitenant Dan telling him that he invested the Bubba-Gump company with some sort of fruit company. The company is revealed later to be the newly founded Apple Inc. when Forrest is seen holding a letter from them. -
Watergate Scandal
Forrest Gump meets President Richard Nixon when he is invited to the White House as part of the U.S. ping pong team. During his stay at the Watergate Hotel, Forrest saw men with flashlights at the building across from him. This turned out to be the Watergate Scandal which consisted of men breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters which Nixon allegedly knew about. Nixon refused to release tape recordings of conversations in the White House. He resigned shortly after. -
AIDS/HIV
Jenny is diagnosed with AIDS due to her actions earlier in life. She passes away after she gets married to Forrest Gump. AIDS and HIV was a pandemic during that time period, especially with the amounts of sexual relations occurring.
