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Korea: Korea is divided into two countries
After World War II, Korea is divided into communist North Korea controled by Russia, and anti-communist South Korea controled by the US at a spot called the 38th parallel that is the middle. -
North Korea invades South Korea
With permission from Russia, North Korea invades South Korea and continues on to the capital of Seoul. South Korea does not have a strong enough army to stop it. -
Korea: The United States joins the Korean War
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Korea:The United States is defeated at Osan
American troops fight North Korean troops in Osan. The Americans expected an easy victory, but are surprised to find out that they are no match for the North Korean army -
Korea: Inchon Invasion
General Douglas MacArthur leads an invasion into South Korea at the city of Inchon. From there, the United Nations troops go to Seoul and take it back from North Korea. -
Korea:The Yalu River Disaster
The US army lead my General Douglas Mc Arthur kept going further and further into north korea, close to the chinnese boredr in the Yalu River. The Chinnese warned them not to get close to china but McAruther ingoned the warnings and kept going. As a result Chinnse troops moved the US back down and below the 38th parallel. At this point General Matthew Ridgway stopped the Chinese and regained the territory to the thirty-eighth parallel. -
Korea: General MacArthur Gets Fired
After General MacArthur publicly disagrees with President Truman about whether or not to bomb China, MacArthur is fired. Truman believed that bombing China would have led to a much bigger war. -
Korea: The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge begins
American and French troops start a battle with North Korean and Chinese troops in a part of South Korea known as the Punchbowl. The U.S. and France win the month-long battle. -
Korea: Dwight Eisenhower is elected president
General Dwight Eisenhower defeats Illinois Senator Adlai Stevenson to become president of the United States. During his campaign, Eisenhower said he would end the war in Korea -
Korea: North Korea and South Korea agree to a truce
North Korea and South Korea sign an agreement to stop fighting. Korea is still divided, but the two countries agree to create a neutral zone called the Demilitarized Zone to separate the countries -
Vietnam: The French are defeated at Dienbienphu
As North Vietnam fights to overthrow French rule, France realizes it cannot win and agrees to grant Vietnam independence. Vietnam will be divided into two countries at the 17th parallel: Communist North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam. -
VIetnam: The U.S. helps train South Vietnamese troops
The U.S. military sends aid to South Vietnam to help train the troops for fighting. France had previously been filling this role. -
Vietnam: Communists from North Vietnam begin to enter South Vietnam
The communist insurgency in Vietnam begins. Guerilla fighters from North Vietnam go into South Vietnam and kill over 400 South Vietnamese officials. -
Vietnam: The U.S. tests Agent Orange
In an effort to prevent North Vietnamese troops from taking cover in the dense, green forests of Vietnam, the U.S. begins test spraying Agent Orange. The chemical killed foliage and greenery but is also highly toxic and has been linked to numerous health problems and birth defects. -
Vietnam: Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
After Lyndon Johnson claims that two U.S. ships were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin, Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. It is not clear if Johnson's story was true, but the resolution gives Johnson authority to use force against North Vietnam to protect the U.S -
Vietnam: American Vietnam veterans stage a protest
About 100 Vietnam veterans try to return their medals to the White House in protest of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Hundreds of protests will be seen throughout the country over the next few years -
Vietnam: The U.S. announces a new policy of Vietnamization
U.S. Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announces the new war policy of "Vietnamization." As the war drags on and public support for U.S. involvement drops, the U.S. plans to shift responsibility for defeating the North Vietnamese onto South Vietnam -
Vietnam: A peace agreement is reached in Paris
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho sign a peace agreement in Paris, bringing U.S. involvement in the war to an end. Vietnam will be unified as a communist nation. Most American troops will return home in 1973 -
Vietnam: The North Vietnamese capture Phuoc Long City.
The North Vietnamese surprise South Vietnam by capturing Phuoc Long City and the surrounding area. The act is a violation of the Paris peace agreement, but the U.S. does not retaliate. -
Vietnam: The war ends with the fall of Saigon
North Vietnamese tanks enter Saigon and the last of the U.S. Marines guarding the American embassy take off in a helicopter. Looters take over the embassy building as the Vietnam War finally comes to an end.
