-
Ku Klux Klan
Forrest's ancestor Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the initial members of the Ku Klux Klan after the Civil War. -
Elvis Presley
Forrest invented the famous Elvis Presley's dance, by dancing to his version of Hound Dog while Elvis himself was playing it to him. Later, in 1956, Elvis is shown on TV doing the same dance. His then considered provocative dance moves challenged the social and moral values as his music created an entirely new generation. -
Period: to
Vietnam War
Forrest fought in The Vietnam War, the longest in US history until the Afghanistan War. The war was extremely divisive in the US, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere. Because the US failed to achieve a military victory and the Republic of South Vietnam was ultimately taken over by North Vietnam. The Vietnam experience became known as “the only war America ever lost." -
Period: to
Hippie Movement
After Jenny leaves Forrest, he soon finds her associating herself with the Hippie Culture in an Anti-Vietnam War rally. During this time a hippie subculture started to emerge among the youth population. The main belief that they expressed was their anti-sentiments towards the war in Vietnam. The Hippie's created their own social groups, listened to psychedelic rock, embraced the sex revolution and used drugs such as marijuana, LSD, and "magic mushrooms" to explore other states of consciousness. -
Smiley Face
In the movie, a man asks Forrest Gump for ideas of T-shirt designs. Forrest Gump wipes his muddy face on a shirt and a smiley face appears on it, which soon becomes a famous and very popular symbol in the United States. It is during the 1970's that the smiley face was invented to show a stylized representation of a smiling human face. -
Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door was an event in which Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in the door of the University of Alabama on to prevent the entry of two black students. A curious Forrest Gump found himself in the view of cameras documenting the event. -
John F. Kennedy Assassination
Forrest meets the President in Washington, D.C. to be congratulated when he is certified an All-American football player for his performance at the University of Alabama. When he is asked by the President on live television "How does it feel to be an All-American?" all he can think to say is "I got to pee". Later, Forrest laments on President Kennedy's assassination. JFK was the 35th president of the United States and created the Peace Corps. -
Black Panther Party
In October of 1966, in Oakland California, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Panthers practiced militant self-defense of minority communities against the U.S. government, and fought to establish revolutionary socialism through mass organizing and community based programs. Forrest got involved in a fight with one of the members because he hurt Jenny. -
Vietnam War Protest
Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War began with demonstrations in 1964 against the escalating role of the U.S. military in the Vietnam War and grew into a broad social movement over several years. Forrest was asked to speak at one because he was in the military and could give firsthand insight into what it was like to fight in the Vietnam War. -
America Landing on the Moon
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. The first steps by humans on another planetary body were taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. The astronauts also returned to Earth the first samples from another planetary body. -
Ping-Pong Diplomacy
In the movie, Forrest Gump becomes very adept at playing ping pong. The term Ping Pong Diplomacy comes from an incident when American Ping Pong player, Glenn Cowan missed his team bus during the 31st World Table Tennis Championship. He then is forced to take the Chinese team bus where he talks with Zhuang Zhedong through an interpreter. Soon after it was agreed that the American table tennis team would also be used for foreign affairs by playing with members of the Chinese team. -
Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal, including a break-in by five men at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and President Richard Nixon's administration's attempt to cover up its involvement. In 1972, Forrest is praised by Nixon for playing ping pong for the army. Nixon grants him a stay at the Watergate complex, thus leading to Forrest watching the burglars breaking into it and calling security. -
Period: to
Hurricane Carmen
Hurricane Carmen was a major Atlantic hurricane that made landfall on the US coast of the Gulf of Mexico in early September 1974. Forrest's boat suffered the worst of the storm, but was not destroyed by being blown on land like other boats. Forrest's business, initially very slow, came to prosper after the hurricane eliminated much competition. -
Apple Co. Investment
Dan tells Forrest he invested their money on a "fruit company". This fruit company was Apple, which was created by this time and turned into a huge profit very quickly. Apple is now the largest company in the world. -
John Lennon Assassination
Forrest Gump is asked to sit in on a tv interview with John Lennon and Dick Carret. John Lennon was an English musician and singer who was one of the founding members of The Beatles. They formed one of the most successful bands of the 20th century. The Beatles were very famous in the pop culture world. Lennon was known for his rebellious nature and his criticism of the Vietnam War. Unfortunately Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman on December 8th 1980 in his New York apartment.
