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Election of JFK
John F. Kennedy becomes the youngest man ever to be elected president of the United States, narrowly beating Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. He was also the first Catholic to become president. -
First American Into Space
Shepard was chosen for the first American manned mission into space. Although the flight was originally scheduled for October 1960, delays by unplanned preparatory work meant that this was postponed several times, initially to March 6, 1961, and finally to May 5. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, the U.S. government learned that Soviet missile bases were being constructed in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy demanded that the USSR stopshipping military equipment to Cuba and remove the bases. U.S forces set up a naval blockade, After a stressful waiting period during which nuclear war seemed imminent, Soviet Premier Khrushchev backed down. -
JFK Shot
As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building, Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas' Parkland Hospital. He was 46. -
Tonkin Gulf Incident
During the spring of 1964, military planners had developed a detailed design for major attacks on the North, but at that time President Lyndon B. Johnson and his advisers feared that the public would not support an expansion of the war. By summer, however, rebel forces had established control over nearly half of South Vietnam, and Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee for president, was criticizing the Johnson administration for not pursuing the war more aggressively. -
Malcolm X Shot
A major advocate of Black Power who helped lead the Nation of Islam to national prominence. In 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated after a well-publicized break with the Nation of Islam over his new found dedication to cross-cultural unity. -
Tet Offensive
A general offensive launched throughout South Vietnam by the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Although the forces did not succeed in capturing the cities, they did cause widespread devastation, killing many thousands of American troops. The month-long attack led the American public to believe that victory in Vietnam was unattainable. -
Rob Kennedy Shot
Robert F. Kennedy, was well aware of the dangers he faced in trying to reclaim the Presidency lost in 1963 when his brother was killed in Dallas. Fate befell him just after midnight on June 5, 1968, moments after declaring victory in the California Democratic primary. Escorted through a kitchen pantry in the Ambassador Hotel, RFK was assailed by Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan firing a .22 pistol. -
Democratic National Convention (Chicago)
Purpose was to elect a suitable nominee to run as the Democratic Party's choice for the 1968 election. Events that led to convention were: assassination of Martin Luther King and JFK. Riots broke out from Anti-Vietnam war protestors during the time of the convention. These riots turned into bloody battles after the Chicago police tried to stop the protestors. Democrats settled on Hubert Humphrey but lost to Richard Nixon. -
Landing of Man on Moon
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first humans on the Moon, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21, 1969. Armstrong spent about two and a half hours outside the spacecraft, Aldrin slightly less.
