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Mckinley Assasination
25th president of the United States, William Mckinley is shot by Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American exposition in Buffalo. Czolgosz was a disillusioned anarchist who lost his job in the Panic of 1893 and saw Mckinley as a symbol of oppression. Mckinley was the third U.S. president to be assassinated -
Roosevelt Corollary
A reaction to the Venezuelan crisis of 1902-1903, in his annual address to congress, Roosevelt expanded on the Monroe Doctrine, and stated that not only were the nations of the Western Hemisphere not open to colonization by European powers, but that the United States had the responsibility to preserve order and protect life and property in those countries. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
A precursor to the establishment of the FDA, the Pure Food and Drug Act was signed by Roosevelt to prevent the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated or misbranded or poisonous or deleterious food, drugs, medications, and liquors." -
NAACP is formed
W.E. DuBois, Mary White Ovington, Ida B. Wells, and Moorfield Storey found the NAACP to "promote equality of rights and eradicate caste or race prejudice among citizens of the United States; to advance the interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage; and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts, education for their children, employment according to their ability, and complete equality before the law" -
The Great Migration
African Americans begin to migrate from Southern to Northern states, to find better social and economic opportunities and escape the South's deep rooted racism. Black people begin moving mostly to large Northern cities such as New York, Cleveland, and Chicago -
The Modern Assembly Line is Invented
Henry Ford's motor company begins using assembly lines with interchangeable parts and subdivided labor. 13,000 workers built 300,000 cars in a year revolutionizing manufacturing, and making products more accessible to the public. This influenced labor and consumer culture and the global economy at large. -
U.S. enters WWI
The United States joins the allied powers against Germany -
Prohibition begins
with the ratification of the 18th amendment, the consumption, production, transportation, and sale of alcohol is banned -
Women Granted Suffrage
The 19th amendment was passed prohibiting states from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of gender -
Black Thursday
The stock market crashes marking the beginning of the Great Depression, wages and trade fell while unemployment rates soared to 25% -
Dust Bowl Begins
Period of draught causes extreme dust storms across the Western third of Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma Panhandle, the northern two-thirds of the Texas Panhandle, and northeastern New Mexico. Crops fail, livestock dies, families lose their farms, respiratory illnesses are prevalent -
Attack On Pearl Harbor
Japan executes surprise military strike, resulting in United States entrance into WWII and creation of Japanese American internment camps -
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Under orders from President Truman, "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" are dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively resulting in the end of WWII and the death of 214,000 Japanese citizens, and radiation illnesses of thousands more. -
Truman Doctrine
Truman declares the United States will provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. This marks the beginning of the Cold War -
Brown v. Board of Education
racial segregation of children in public schools is declared unconstitutional -
J.F.K. Assassination
The most recent presidential assassination, J.F.K. is shot by Harvey Lee Oswald in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
in response to Selma race riots, United States prohibits racial discrimination in elections -
Moon Landing
Apollo 11 lands on the moon and Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to moon walk. -
EPA created
The Environmental Protection Agency is formed under President Nixon, providing support and protection for the environment, public health, and infrastructure -
Roe v. Wade
Right to abortion is protected under U.S. constitution -
Black Monday
first contemporary global financial crisis, Dow Jones drops 22.6% -
Cold War Ends
At the Malta Summit, Mikhail Gorbachev and W.H. Bush declare an end to the Cold War -
NAFTA Takes Effect
North American Free Trade Agreement is established between Canada, U.S., and Mexico lifting tariffs between the countries on a majority of goods. -
Y2K Preparation
United States braces for impact of Y2K bug glitches affecting computer calendar systems