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Period: to
1950-1990
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President Truman Orders Construction of the Hydrogen Bomb
on January, 31, 1950, Truman publicly announced his decision. "I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission," he said, "to continue its work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or superbomb." -
First Modern Credit Card
In 1949, Frank X. McNamara thought of a way for customers to have just one credit card that they could use at multiple stores. McNamara discussed the idea with two colleagues and the three pooled some money and started a new company in 1950 which they called the Diners Club. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy, was a period of intense anticommunism, aka Red Scare, when the government of the United States was actively engaged in political repression of the Communist Party USA, its leadership, and others suspected of being communists. -
Vietnam War Begins
The war began in 1954 (though conflict in the region stretched back to the mid-1940s), after the rise to power of Ho Chi Minh and his communist Viet Minh party in North Vietnam, and continued against the backdrop of an intense Cold War between two global superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War; more than half were Vietnamese civilians. -
First Organ Transplant
Joseph Murray and J. Hartwell Harrison performed the first successful transplant, a kidney transplant between identical twins, in 1954, because no immunosuppression was necessary for genetically identical individuals. -
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement in the United States includes noted legislation and organized efforts to abolish public and private acts of racial discrimination African Americans and other disadvantaged groups between 1954 to 1968, particularly in the southern United States. -
Berlin Wall
was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic
( East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, the United States caught the Soviet Union building nuclear installations on Cuba. President Kennedy ordered a blockade. The world stood on the precipice of annihilation. Meanwhile, Robert Kennedy worked behind the scenes to secure a peaceful end of the crisis. In the end, Kennedy cut a deal with the Soviets. -
JFK Assassination
In November 1963, John Kennedy made a campaign swing through Texas. On November 22, 1963, he visited Dallas and was assassinated. -
The Tet Offensive
The Johnson Administration promised the United States was winning the Vietnam War. On January 31, 1968, the enemy launched a massive offensive. They attacked every major city in South Vietnam and focused on command and control centers. The offensive appeared on American television. That is what the communist commanders wanted. They hoped to influence American public opinion to get them to abandon the war. That part of the plan worked. Militarily, it was a disaster for North Vietnam. They were th -
Jimi Hendrix "All Along the WatchTower"
A song by the legendary Jimi Hendrix recorded in 1967 but released in 1968. -
The Beatles Break-up
There were numerous causes for the Beatles' break-up. It was not a single event but a long transition,[4] including the cessation of touring in 1966, and the death of their manager, Brian Epstein, in 1967, meaning the Beatles were personally involved in financial and legal conflicts. Conflict arose from differences in artistic vision. the Beatles, one of the most popular and influential musical groups in history, has become almost as much of a legend as the band itself or the music they cre -
26th Amendment Allowing 18 Year Olds to Vote
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age. -
Watergate Scandal
Was a political scandal that occurred in the United States in the 1970s as a result of the June 17, 1972, break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement. The scandal eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon, the President of the United States, on August 9, 1974 — the only resignation of a U.S. President to date. The scandal also resulted in the indictme -
Vietnam War Ends
South Vietnam surrendered on April 30, 1975, following the fall of its capital. After thirty years of conflict, Ho Chi Minh’s vision of a united, communist Vietnam had been realized. -
Elvis Has Left the Building
Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral -
Ted Turner Establishes CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by American media mogul Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States. -
HIV/AIDS
The June 5, 1981, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) weekly report of disease trends noted an unusual pattern of opportunistic infections in five gay men. Which was later known as HIV/AIDS. -
MTV Signs On
becoming the first 24-hour cable network dedicated to airing music videos. -
PG-13 Rating is Created
Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. Parents are urged to be cautious and contain some material that parents might not find suitable for their pre-teenagers.
Such films may contain moderate to strong violence, some suggestive material and nudity, some sexual situations, brief strong language and/or soft drug use. -
DNA First Used to Convict Criminals
. Dr. Jeffreys's genetic fingerprinting was made commercially available in 1987, when a chemical company, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), started a blood-testing centre in England.
