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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1865 | - 31 Jan 1865—31 Jan 1965: Slavery abolished
Congress passes 13th Amendment abolishing slavery
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| 2 | 1939 | - 1939—1945: WW2
Outbreak of Second World War: 50 million die worldwide from 1939-45 in the world’s largest and most deadly conflict, which ends the long age of imperialisms.
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| 3 | 1941 | - 7 Dec 1941—7 Dec 1941: Peal Harbor Attacked
Peal Harbor Attacked
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| 4 | 1944 | - 6 Jun 1944—6 Jun 1944: D Day
D Day
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| 5 | 1945 | - 1945—1945: The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Having again stayed out of the initial stages of another worldwide conflict, the U.S. entered World War II on the side of the Allies following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 1941). In August 1945, with the war in Europe over and U.S. forces advancing on Japan, U.S. Pres. Harry S. Truman ushered in the nuclear era by choosing to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in the hope that the terrible destruction unleashed would prevent an even greater loss of life that seemed likely with a protracted island-by-island invasion of Japan.
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| 6 | 1949 | - 1949—1949: Communist China founded
China is created as a single territorial unit with a common administration and a modernizing economy.
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| 7 | 1950 | - 1950—1950: Korean War
Korean War
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| 8 | 1955 | - 1 Nov 1955—1 Nov 1955: Start of Vietnam War
Start of Vietnam War
- 1 Dec 1955—1 Dec 1955: Rosa Parks arrested for not moving to the back of the bus
Rosa Parks arrested for not moving to the back of the bus
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| 9 | 1958 | - 1958—1958: NASA Formed
NASA Formed
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| 10 | 1959 | - 1959—1959: Silicon Chip invented
Invention of the silicon chip is the major technical invention of the past century, making possible the computer age.
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| 11 | 1960 | - 1960—1960: 1st Contraceptive Pill
First contraceptive pill made available for women, who can now make their own biological choices about reproduction.
- 1960—1960: Explosion of an atom bomb device by France
Explosion of an atom bomb device by France; Election of John F. Kennedy as President of USA
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| 12 | 1961 | - 5 May 1961—5 May 1961: Alan Shepard is first American in space
Alan Shepard is first American in space
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| 13 | 1963 | - 28 Aug 1963—28 Aug 1963: MLK delivers “I Have a Dream” speech
MLK delivers “I Have a Dream” speech
- 22 Nov 1963—20 Nov 1963: JFK Assassinated
JFK Assassinated
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| 14 | 1965 | - 1965—1965: Death of Sir Winston Churchill
Death of Sir Winston Churchill; Singapore becomes the sovereign independent nation; outbreak of Indo-Pak war.
- 9 Sep 1965—9 Sep 1965: Sandy Koufax throws a perfect game
A high-school baseball star in Brooklyn, Sanford “Sandy” Koufax signed a professional contract with his hometown team, the Dodgers, in 1955 after an Ebbets Field tryout. “There are two times in my life the hair on my arms has stood up,” general manager Al Campanis recalled. “The first time I saw the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the first time I saw Sandy Koufax throw a fastball.” Campanis was Catholic, Koufax Jewish, but the pitcher’s talent was not a question of faith. By 1961, Koufax was the best in baseball on his way to four no-hitters. On Sept. 9, 1965, the hurler threw a perfect game in a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. But after leading his team into the World Series, he declined to pitch Game 1 because it fell on Yom Kippur. The Dodgers lost to the Twins 8-2. But Koufax came back to throw a complete game shutout in Game 5, helping his team take the Series in seven games.
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| 15 | 1968 | - 4 Apr 1968—4 Apr 1968: Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr
At the center of the widespread social and political upheaval of the 1960s were the civil rights movement, opposition to the Vietnam War, the emergence of youth-oriented counterculture, and the establishment and reactionary elements that pushed back against change. The April 4, 1968, assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the most prominent civil rights leader, revealed the tragic, violent consequences that could result from a country’s political polarization.
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| 16 | 1972 | - 1972—1972: Watergate Scandal
Watergate Scandal
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| 17 | 1980 | - 1980—1980: Iraq/Iran War
War starts between Iran and Iraq; Ronald Reagon elected USA President.
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| 18 | 1986 | - 28 Jan 1986—28 Jan 1986: Space Shuttle Challenger explodes killing all on board
Space Shuttle Challenger explodes killing all on board
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| 19 | 1989 | - 1989—1990: Collapse of Communist regimes in Europe
Collapse of Communist regimes in Europe: marks the end of the long communist experiment; Asian communism is also transformed.
- 1989—1989: Berlin Wall Falls
Berlin Wall Falls
- 1989—1989: Internet was Invented
Internet was Invented
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| 20 | 1991 | - 1991—1991: Gulf War
Gulf War
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| 21 | 2001 | - 10 Sep 2001—10 Sep 2001: September 11 Attacks
lthough terrorist attacks had been directed at the United States at the end of the 20th century, a new sense of vulnerability was introduced into American life on September 11, 2001, when Islamist terrorists crashed hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania countryside, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
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1938 - 2003 (65 years)
