US History B Timeline

By Katherine Plumber

  • The Invention of the Model T

    Ford's groundbreaking vehicle was invented in the late 19th century and early 20th century. On October 1st, the first Model T was completed at the plant in Detroit.

  • The Zimmerman Telegram

    This was an alliance established between Germany and Mexico in the event that the US entered WWI. If so, Mexico would recover New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. This was discovered by Britain, which caused a lot of outrage in the US.

  • The WWI Armistice

    This armistice ended WWI, saying that there was to be no more fighting between the allies and Germany. It was the final armistice that ended the war.

  • The 19th Amendment

    This amendment granted women the right to vote, saying that everyone can vote, regardless of gender.

  • Charles Lindbergh’s Flight

    Lindbergh, the famous aviator, completed the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in May of 1927. He was only 25.

  • Black Thursday

    This was the beginning of the Wall Street Crash that caused the Great Depression. Share prices collapsed, and people panicked.

  • The New Deal

    In order to try to combat the Great Depression, president Franklin D Roosevelt tried to stable the economy through many different programs. These programs gave jobs to people who needed it, and attempted to reform different aspects of society.

  • Hitler becomes chancellor

    President Paul von Hindenburg named Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party (or Nazi Party), as chancellor of Germany. He had already been unofficially nominated since January 30 of that year - but of course, no one else was in the room where it happened.

  • The Munich Pact

    The leaders of Britain and France signed the Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler. The agreement postponed WWII, but gave Germany Sudetenland, in western Czechoslovakia.

  • Hitler Invades Poland

    This marked the start of WWII, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. The invasion lasted from September 1, 1939 – October 6, 1939.

  • Pearl Harbor

    The Japanese launched a surprise aerial attack on our Naval Base in Oahu, Hawaii. This made us enter WWII. As FDR said, it is a day that has and will live in infamy.

  • D-Day

    On this day, the Allied forces invaded northern France by means of beach landings in Normandy. Both sides suffered heavy casualties,

  • The formation of United Nations

    This was an alliance formed after WWII. It was made between many nations in an effort to keep peace.

  • Hiroshima & Nagasaki

    In an attempt to win the war once and for all, the US bombed Japan with atomic bombs. The bombs utterly destroyed the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

  • The Long Telegram

    This was a telegram written by George Kennan. It outlined many complaints he had with the Soviet Union, even though the US was feeling friendly towards the Soviet Union because they were allies in WWII.

  • The formation of NATO

    NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The purpose was supposed to be an alliance of countries ready to stand up to the communist Soviet Union.

  • Russians acquire the Atomic Bomb

    The atomic bomb was given to the Soviet Union by Klaus Fuchs, a German-born physicist who was imprisoned in the 1950's in Britain after being imprisoned for passing nuclear secrets to them. The first successful weapon test occurred in 1949.

  • The Korean War

    This was a war between North and South Korea. It began when North Korea invaded South Korea, after they had many skirmishes along the border. The US was allies with South Korea.

  • Brown v Board of Education

    This was a Supreme Court ruling, saying that the segregation of schools was unconstitutional. It violated the 14th amendment. The ruling was unanimous.

  • The Vietnam War

    This was an extremely political war in America. It started in 1955 and ended in 1975, even though our involvement in the war lasted for a shorter period of time. The communist North was fighting against South Vietnam and the US.

  • Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat

    Rosa Parks, a seamstress going home one day, refused to give up her seat on the bus. The bus was segregated just like many other places during that time, but Rosa, a colored woman, refused to give up her seat to a white man.

  • The Cuban Missile Crisis

    In trying to strengthen the union between the Soviet Union decided to keep their promise to Cuba and defend them from the United States. It ended when the US promised to respect Cuba's territorial sovereignty, and Russia promised to remove their missiles.

  • JFK’s Assassination

    President JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Because of Kennedy's back brace that he was wearing, Kennedy was not able to duck in time once the attack started in order for him to avoid the bullets.

  • The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    This was passed by Congress, giving President Johnson the ability to do whatever he could to preserve peace and security in southeast Asia. It gave President Johnson almost unlimited power.

  • The Apollo 11 Moon Landing

    The American astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first man to step on the moon. This was a giant leap for mankind!

  • The Watergate Break-ins

    The Watergate Break-ins were performed by five men at the DNC headquarters. The Nixon administration tried to cover this up. The FBI found a connection between cash found on the burglars and a slush fund used one of Nixon's organizations.

  • Nixon’s Resignation

    After the Watergate scandal was discovered with the help of a few journalists, it was investigated by the US Congress, and Nixon resisted the probes. However, Nixon soon realized that it was in his best interest to step down.

  • The invention of the Internet

    This had been in the process for many years, with a big leap being made by Alan Turing in WWII. However, the World Wide Web was established in 1990, and since then, the Internet has grown and become much more accessible to everyone.

  • The Fall of the Berlin Wall

    As the Cold War began to thaw, the Berlin Wall was removed. It had formerly separated East and West Germany - allowing those who were trapped in East Berlin to enter the West and freedom.

  • The 9/11 Attacks

    It was a series of four coordinated attacks done by Al-Qaeda. They hit the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and one planned to hit a building in Washington, DC, but it was thwarted by some heroes who prevented the terrorists from fulfilling their plan. This date was chosen because on September 11-12, 1683, the Islamic armies were held back at the gates of Vienna.