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John F. Kennedy Inaugurated
John F. Kennedy is inaugurated as the thirty-fifth President of the United States. https://millercenter.org/president/john-f-kennedy/key-events -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The CIA set up training camps in Guatemala, and by November the operation had trained a small army for an assault landing and guerilla warfare. This failed for the US as Fidel's army knew about the invasion beforehand. https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Bay-of-Pigs.aspx -
Kennedy Pledges to Support Space Program
In an address to Congress, JFK challenged the nation to “commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.” He asked Congress to find additional funds to support the nation's space program. https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/jfk_speech_text.html -
JFK meets with Khrushchev in Vienna
In a two-day summit the two leaders met to discuss various cold war topics and also the city of Berlin. In the wake of the failed summit, Kennedy won congressional approval for an additional $3.25 billion in defense spending, a tripling of draft calls, a call-up of reserves and a beefed-up civil defense program. https://www.politico.com/story/2009/06/jfk-and-khrushchev-meet-in-vienna-june-3-1961-023278 -
Berlin Wall begins
Kennedy addressed the American people explaining the Soviet threat to West Berlin and the commitment of the United States to protect the city. The President appealed to Americans to make sacrifices to win this conflict and announced further increases in military spending. https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/The-Cold-War-in-Berlin.aspx -
USA ends all trade with Cuba
As soon as Castro came into power he quickly lost American support as he publicized private land and companies, and imposed heavy taxes on imports from the U.S. In the first year of Castro’s regime, U.S. trade with Cuba decreased 20%. http://time.com/4076438/us-cuba-embargo-1960/ -
First American to Orbit Earth
Astronaut John Glenn aboard the Mercury craft Friendship 7 became the first American to orbit the earth. Both the Kennedy administration and the American people celebrated Glenn's space flight. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/mercury_mission.html -
Cuban Missile Crisis
JFK is shown photos of Soviet nuclear missile sites being installed in Cuba. To minimize Soviet power in the West, the president initiates a blockade of Cuba the following week. For nearly two weeks, the Cuban Missile Crisis will bring the world closer to nuclear war than ever before or after. http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/cuban-missile-crisis -
Report to the American People on Civil Rights
Kennedy explained the economic, educational, and moral dimensions of racial discrimination. The President further announced that he would be submitting legislation to Congress to ensure equal access to public accommodations, education and to address other aspects of discrimination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Report_to_the_American_People_on_Civil_Rights -
JFK Assasinated
Harvey Oswald shoots and kills President Kennedy in an apparent lone wolf operation. This ends the JFK Era. https://www.maryferrell.org/pages/JFK_Assassination.html
