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Bataan Death March
Because of the U.S. surrender of the Bataan Peninsula on the main Philippine island of Luzon to the Japanese during World War II, approximately 75,000 Filipino and American troops on Bataan were forced to make an arduous 65-mile march to prison camps. They traveled in extreme heat and were mistreated by the Japanese guards, resulting in the death of thousands of Filipino and American troops. -
Battle of Midway
Battle fought between American and Japanese fleets in the Pacific Ocean. The Battle of Midway became one of the most important American naval victories of World War II. -
Aqualung
The aqualung was invented in Paris, France and was invented by Émile Gagnan and Jacques Cousteau. The aqualung let people bring air with them when they went under water, without needing a hose to the surface. The modern name for the aqualung is SCUBA, meaning Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. -
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Harry S. Truman Presidency
Harry S. Truman became President of the United States with the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman's policies abroad, and especially toward the Soviet Union in the emerging Cold War, would become staples of American foreign policy for generations. -
Ratification of the United Nations Charter
Treaty that was signed and ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories. Resulted in the establishment of the United Nations. -
Holography
Holography was invented by Hungarian scientist Dennis Gabor, a Hungarian scientist who won a Nobel Prize for his work. The concepts of the hologram were discovered by mistake all the way back in 1948. Dennis Gabor was working on a project to improve the quality of electron microscope imagery, when he stumbled across the idea. -
Transistor Radio Invented
In order to fulfill their goal of finding a replacement for fragile and energy-wasting vacuum tubes, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain created the first transistor radio. Working along with group leader, William Shockley, they were able the achieve this goal. -
Credit Card Invention
The first modern credit card was invented by Ralph Schneider and Frank McNamara, founders of Diners Club. This was the first general purpose charge card, but it required consumers to pay each month's statement balance in full. -
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Korean War
War between North Korea and South Korea that broke out and resulting in Korea being divided along the 38th parallel into two opposing sides.