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Period: to
1950s-1990s
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Napalm - Vietnam War
Napalm is a flamable mixture of a gelling agent and a fuel such as gasoline or diesel. It was used in the Vietnam War.
It burns longer than gasoline, is more easily dispersed, and sticks to its targets. Napalm burned at 2,000*F. It was controversial because, "It didn't just kill you; it tortured you." PBS.ORG -
Elvis Presley - First Public Performance
July 30, 1954 was seen as Elvis Presley's first public performance. He performed in the Overton Park Shell, opening for Slim Whitman. This was the first time Elvis danced in public, shaking his legs. Elvis was known as the King of Rock and Roll. ELVISPRESLEYMUSIC.COM -
Lyndon B. Johnson - Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This outlawed discrimination based on race or color, sex, religion or national origin, and prohibits voter discrimination in registration as well as segregation in schools, employment, and public accomodations. This was a big step in the Civil Rights Movement. Later, he also signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and CRA of 1968. MILLERCENTER.ORG -
Vietnam War - Troop Escalation
The Vietnam War was a war fought between communist North Vietnam and South Vietnam. On March 8, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson began moving US Combat troops into Vietnam, to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang. VIETNAMWAR50TH.COM -
Black Panthers - Armed Black Panthers Invade California Capitol
Led by Founder Huey Newton, a group of 40 armed Black Panthers forced their way into a session of the California House of Representatives at the state capitol building in Sacramento. CAPITOLWEEKLY.NET -
Anti-War Protests - Lincoln Memorial "March on the Pentagon"
On October 21st, 1967, Approximately 75,000 protesters gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial at an anti-war protest for the Vietnam War. After that had concluded, about 35-50,000 protesters crossed the Memorial Bridge to the Pentagon. Protests against the war encouraged politicians to build political campaigns against the war in order to get elected. BILLOFRIGHTSINSTITUTE.ORG -
Richard Nixon - Vietnam
Richard Nixon is known because he ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. He did this with his policy of "Vietnamization", a stategy of replacing American Troops with Vietnamese troops.
HISTORY.COM -
The Space Race - Man on the Moon
The first man on the moon was Neil Armstrong. He was landed on the moon by the Apollo 11. Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module on the moon at 20:17 UTC on July 20, 1969. NASA.GOV -
Ping-Pong Diplomacy
The People’s Republic of China invited the United States Table Tennis team in April of 1971. They attended the World Table Tennis Championship in Japan, and were eventually invited by the Chinese team. This trip helped lay the groundwork for diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China. DIPLOMACY.STATE.GOV -
Watergate Scandal
The Watergate Scandal was the breaking in to of the Democratic National Center (Democratic Party HQ)
During this time, documents and files were stolen, and phones were wiretapped.
The group that broke in to the Democratic National Center was the CRP ( Committee to Re-elect the President), connected to Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
HISTORY.COM -
Gerald Ford - Pardons Nixon
Gerald Ford was Richard Nixon's Vice President, becoming President when Nixon resigned from office. Nixon, possibly facing a criminal trial for the Watergate Scandal, was pardoned by Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974.
This pardon was one of Gerald Ford's, "most difficult domestic decisions." - After the pardon, Ford's approval rating dropped to just 49%. MILLERCENTER.ORG -
Apple - Computers
Apple revolutionized the computer industry with the first personal computers. One of these was with the introduction of the Apple II, a computer with the world's first ever color graphics. This was a big step in the tech world. A computer that was small enough to fit on a desk in a home office, with color graphics. GUIDES.LOC.GOV -
Jimmy Carter - America Boycotts 1980 Olympics
On March 21st, 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that America would be boycotting the 1980 olympics due to the Soviet Union failing to comply with Carter's deadline for the Soviet Union to remove troops from Afghanistan. HISTORY.COM -
Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal in the United States. It occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. It was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded arms to free Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon. Not only did it free the hostages, but it secured funds the U.S. could use to support anti-communist Contras in Nicarauga. HISTORY.COM -
Ronald Reagan - Berlin Wall Speech
The Berlin Wall divided the East and West halves of the city. It was tore down just 2 years after Ronald Reagan's "Tear down this Wall!" Speech, where Reagan stated the wall is, "a scar. . . . this scar of a wall", "if you seek peace... prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe... liberalization, come here to this gate.
Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" ARCHIVES.GOV