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Forrest Gump Hip Dances with Elvis
Elvis learned these moves while he visits Forest Gump on one of his tours. -
Elvis releases Hound Dog
This is one of two of Elvis's biggest hits. It remains to be one of his biggest hits to this day. -
All American football team meets Kennedy
The all American football team that Forrest Gump was on met with President John F. Kennedy. -
University of Alabama desegregated
This is when Kennedy sent the National Guard to the University of Alabama to make sure that the African American students were able to get into the school. -
John F. Kennedy Assassination
This was when the U.S president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. -
Forrest Gump goes to Vietnam
After college Forrest joins the Army in the U.S military and is sent to Vietnam -
Forrest saves Platoon in Vietnam
When Forrest was in Vietnam his platoon came under heavy fire from the enemy. His platoon was forced to fall back causing most of them to get injured or die. Forrest being the only solider in the platoon not to get seriously injured went back into the forest and saved most of his platoon members including his Platoon Commander Lt. Dan. -
Forrest Ping Pong
After Forrest was injured in Vietnam he was sent to the hospital to heal. While he was there he started to play ping pong and was very good at it -
Robert F. Kennedy assassination
Right before Robert F. Kennedy was supposed to win the California Democratic Party, he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. He was in the Ambassador Hotel, and Kennedy was shot multiple times. Kennedy collapsed in a pool of blood and died the following day. Link: https://www.maryferrell.org/pages/Robert_Kennedy_Assassination.html -
Forrest gets the Medal of Honor
While Forrest was in the hospital he gets a letter saying that they wanted to give him the medal of honor for saving his Platoon. -
U.S Lands on the Moon!
The United States, on this date, was the first country to land on the moon. Sadly, John F. Kennedy was unable to see this mission go through as followed, for he was assassinated. -
Forrest Goes To China
Forrest was put on the American Ping Pong team when he was in the Army and went to China and played Ping Pong there. -
John Lennon on the Dick Cavett Show
After Forrest came back from China he was invited onto the Dick Cavett show along side John Lennon and they talked about China -
“Imagine” is released by John Lennon
This song is the best selling single in John Lennon's career while working solo. Most of the lyrics to this single came from his wife. The song encourages peace throughout the whole world. In the U.S it was released in Oct.11. 1971, while in the U.K it wasn't released until Oct. 24, 1975. Information from (but not directly cited from): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_(John_Lennon_song) -
Lt. Dan and Forrest Celebrate New Years
After Forrest Gump got the Medal of Honor he was visited by Lt. Dan and they celebrated New Years together. -
George Wallace Shot
The governor of Alabama, George Wallace, was at a rally in Laurel, Maryland running for president. He was shot by Arthur Bremer. From this he was completely paralyzed, but he still won primary victories in Michigan and Maryland while in the hospital, hoping to live. However, since he had to stay in the hospital, his campaign had to be over. Cite we found info from:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/governor-george-wallace-shot -
Forrest meets Nixon
Forrest meets Nixon when Nixon invited the American Ping Pong team to the White House. -
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Was Created
This was when the restaurant Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. founded in real life and in the movie when Forrest Gump bought a shrimp boat and "started" the company Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. -
Nixon Resignation
After the Water Gate Scandal the Senate and the House thought that it would be best if President Nixon was impeached. Before the senates trial was over Nixon announced his resignation to the nation -
Hurricane Carmen struck Louisiana
On this date. Hurricane Carmen hits Louisiana. In the movie Lt. Dan and Forrest were out trying to get shrimp. Due to the Hurricane, Forrest's and Lt. Dan's boat was the only operating shrimp boat causing them to strike it rich. -
Forrest's mom gets sick
One day Forrest and Lt. Dan were out fishing and Forrest got a call saying that his mom was sick so he headed home and learned that she was dying from cancer, and learned that "life is a like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." -
Forrest Starts Running
After Jenny tells Forrest that she loves him she leaves, leaving Forrest heart broken. Even though he says that he started running for no reason, he was really running from his past. -
AIDS
The first case of AIDS that was diagnosed in the U.S was when Ken Horne was told by doctors that he had AIDS. -
Forrest Gump invests money from the 'Fruit Company"
Lt. Dan invests Forrest into some type of "fruit company".
(A $5000 investment in the 1880's date would be worth $1,290,784.51 in today's money) -
Forrest receives Jenny's letter
After Forrest did all of his running and returned home, he receives a letter from Jenny asking him if he could come down to Sabana and see her. While waiting for the bus, he sits on the bench and tells a variety of people his story... -
Jenny Dies
One day Jenny wrote Forrest a letter so that he could meet his son, and asked him to marry her. She later died from AIDS. -
Forrest Stops Running
“I’m pretty tired… I think I’ll go home now.”
Forrest started running to put the past behind him, and once he did that he stopped running.
