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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War initiated when the US was afraid of communism expanding over to Southeast Asia. Forrest is seen being involved in the Vietnam War during the movie. -
Elvis Presley
Elvis is shown in the movie playing the guitar for Forrest while Forrest dances in an odd way that inspires the musician to find new dances move similar to what he was shown - the popular dance to the song Hound Dog. While this never actually happened, Elvis was one of the most influential and famous musicians in the Rock & Roll and Pop culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z-f6ddeCmM -
Smiley Face
While Forrest is running, a man stops him and asks for help with a T-shirt design. Forrest wipes his muddy face on the shirt and doing so makes a smiley face. This was an actual international icon designed by Harvey Ball and later trademarked by Franklin Loufrani, which soon became a very famous and popular symbol worldwide. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/who-really-invented-the-smiley-face-2058483/ -
Desegration of Alabama University
George Wallace attempted to desegregate the university of Alabama by blocking the entrance so African Americans couldn't enter. Forrest attended this university and was shown in one scene trying to see what all the commotion was about. He is also seen on TV trying to get a closer look. -
Vietnam Protest Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWwgrjjIMXA
There were many songs recorded and performed in protest of the Vietnam War. During one scene, Forrest watches Jenny performing onstage singing what is actually a real protest song called "Blowin' in The Wind," which was written by Bob Dylan. -
Assassination of JFK
On November 22nd, 35th President John. F Kennedy was shot by perpetrator Lee Harvey Oswald, and many things changed for the country after his death. Forrest comments about how someone shot the president after having met him with the rest of the college football players. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHHeWbTdRSM -
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party was an African American revolutionary organization from 1966-1982 to prevent racism against blacks. In the movie, Jenny takes Forrest to a meeting of the Black Panther Party. -
Hippie Movement & Drugs
The Hippie Movement started to from after President Kennedy's assassination and became even more apparent due to the Vietnam War, Civil Rights movements, and the introduction of drugs and new kinds of music. In the movie, Jenny is associated with this specific movement and starts doing drugs (such as marijuana and LSD) and attending an Anti-Vietnam war rally. -
Ping Pong Diplomacy
Forrest becomes so proficient in playing ping pong that he is asked to play on the American team against the Chinese. This is a reference to the Ping Pong Diplomacy when a man named Glenn Cowan missed his team bus during the 31st World Table Tennis Championship and had to take the Chinese bus. He had talked with Zhuang Zedong on it, and it was soon agreed that the American table tennis team would also be used for foreign affairs by playing with members of the Chinese team. -
Watergate scandal
President Nixon breaks in and illegally listens into the democrat HQ, resulting in him being on trial to be impeached and his resignation. In the movie, Forrest witnesses the Watergate Scandal from the Watergate hotel and calls someone to tell them what he's seeing. -
Apple
Forrest is shown getting a letter by the end of the movie to invest in Apple. The whole point of the scene was to demonstrate how much times were changing back in the 70s, and how much of an impact it would lead to today's computer technology. -
John Lennon
Lennon was an English musician and one of the co-founding members of the most commercially successful and musically influential bands in history: The Beatles. He was shot in his own apartment by Mark David Chapman. In the movie, Forrest is being interviewed and is sitting beside John Lennon and Dick Carret.
