-
Period: to
The 1960s
-
Presedential Inauguration
John F. Kennedy took the oath of office and became the 35th President of the United States. The tension of the Cold War was high. JFK proclaimed that the U.S. should contront communism instead of hiding from it. -
Man in Space
Soviet Yuri Gagarin become the first man in space. This pushed Kennedy into the space race. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
The U.S. military supported Cuban exiles as they landed on the southern coast of the island, at Bay of Pigs. The invasion was not successful and was an embarrassment to Kennedy. -
Construction of the Berlin Wall Begiins
Soviet backed, Communist East Germany began closing off West Berlin by the construction of the Berlin Wall. -
American Orbits Earth
John Glenn is the first American to orbit the Earth. He was aboard the Friendship 7. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Soviet weapons, including nuclear missiles, were sent to Cuba. Photographs revealed Soviet military bases in Cuba. On October 22, Kennedy states that if Cuba attacks, the U.S. will attack the Soviet Union. -
Lyndon Baines Johnson sworn in after Kennedy's assasination
LBJ becomes President after Kennedy. In his early days in office, he urged Congress to pass the legislation Kennedy had set forth. -
President John F Kennedy's Assassinated
President Kennedy was shot while riding in a car through Dallas, Texas. -
EOA and Civil Rights Act
Congress passes the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) and the Civil Rights Act. The EOA created the Job Corps Youth Training program, VISTA, Project Head Start, and the Community Action Program. -
U.S. Troops Enter Vietnam
U.S. troops enter Vietnam. -
Medicare is Established
As part of President Johnson's War on Poverty and building the Great Society, Medicare was signed into law, providing senior citizens age 65 and older affordable access to health care. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Signed Into Law
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs into law protections intended to better protect the rights of all citizens to have access to the right to vote, especially intended to bar actions keeping minorities from voting. -
Major Urban Race Riots Rage On
The Watts Riots breack out days after the Civil Rights Act was enacted, While it was not the first riot of its kind, over a 100 more significant urban racial conflicts occur for more than the following two years. -
Thurgood Marshall, First Black Supreme Court Justice Sworn In
Prior to his appointment, Marshall was NAACP's chief counsel arguing many cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, successfully challenging racial segregation cases, including
the 1954's Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, in which the Supreme Court ruled that segregation violated the equal protection guarantee in the Constitution. -
Tet Offensive
The escalating US presence in Viet Nam was met with a surprise Communist attack. The aftershock in the US may have helped consolidate a majority view against the war. -
MLK Assassination
The day prior, King spoke in Memphis, where he was supporting workers on strike. On the 4th, James Earl Ray shot him with a rifle. -
Civil Rights Act of 1968
In response to many years efforts and the recent tragic events and urban violence, the bill was signed into law. -
Democratic Convention in Chicago
Vice President (and former Minnesota Senator) Hubert Humphrey was nominated to be the Presidential candidate during what became a riotous confrontation between anti-war protestors and police. -
Nixon Elected
Richard Nixon is elected President. -
Man on the Moon
Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. -
Birth of the Internet
Arpanet was what it was initially called. Originally, a project started by the U.S. Department of Defense. The first information packet being sent and received connecting projects at University of California-LA and the Stanford Research Institute but by December 5, data was also sent to two other connected projects, one was at University of California-Santa Barabara and the other was at University of Utah.
