Vietnam War Timeline

  • War Powers Act

    War Powers Act
    Congress approved the First War Powers Act in 1941 to improve the nation's efficiency in fighting World War II
  • Domino Theory coined

    Domino Theory coined
    A Cold War policy that suggested a communist government in one nation would quickly lead to communist takeovers in neighboring states, each falling like a row of dominos
  • Geneva Accords

    Geneva Accords
    French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam.
  • Assassination of Diem

    Assassination of Diem
    President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers.
  • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

    Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
    President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia.
  • LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam

    LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam
    LBJ chooses to widen our limited war, hoping to force Ho Chi Minh to the bargaining table; the North Vietnamese and NLF believed that they would gain more by outlasting the U.S
  • Tet Offensive

    Tet Offensive
    coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam.achieving a decisive victory that would end the grinding conflict that frustrated military leaders on both sides
  • My Lai Massacre

    My Lai Massacre
    company of American soldiers brutally killed most of the people women, children and old men in the village of My Lai
  • Nixon’s Vietnamization policy

    Nixon’s Vietnamization policy
    American troops would be slowly withdrawn from the conflict in Southeast Asia and be replaced by South Vietnamese troops. :(
  • Nixon sends troops into Cambodia

    Nixon sends troops into Cambodia
    Nixon believed North Vietnam was transporting troops and supplies through neighboring Cambodia into South Vietnam
  • Kent State shooting

    Kent State shooting
    Members of the Ohio National Guards shot into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State student
  • Hard Hat Riot

    Hard Hat Riot
    construction workers stormed a student protest against the Vietnam War and chased both students and bystanders through the streets, beating them.
  • Nixon’s Christmas bombing

    Nixon’s Christmas bombing
    Richard Nixon initiated a massive “carpet bombing” campaign in Northern Vietnam (mainly Hanoi) that was officially called “Operation Linebacker II” and also became known as the Christmas bombing campaign. It lasted for 11 days.
  • Paris Peace Accords

    Paris Peace Accords
    Paris Peace Accords were signed after four years of negotiations, with the intent to establish peace in Vietnam and end the war. The Accords were signed by the United States, and North and South Vietnam
  • Saigon Falls

    Saigon Falls
    The South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese Army, effectively ending the Vietnam War.