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The United States government agrees to train South Vietnamese troops.
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Interstate highway system begins with the signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act.
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Civil Rights Act of 1957
U.S. Congress approves the first civil rights bill since reconstruction with the additional protection of voting rights. -
Explorer 1
Explorer 1, the first U.S. space satellite, is launched at Cape Canaveral. It would lead to the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belt. -
Alaska is Admitted as a State
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Hawaii is Admitted as a State
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The Greensboro Sit-In
Four black college students from Greensboro, North Carolina's, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, stage a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth lunch counter to protest their denial of service. This action sparked a nationwide protest. -
The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba is thwarted by Cuban forces in an effort by Cuban exiles working for the US government to overthrow Fidel Castro's dictatorship. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis officially starts. President John F. Kennedy orders a naval and air blockade of military equipment to Cuba in response to the Soviet Union's construction of offensive missiles on the island. After 38 days, an agreement is reached with Soviet Premier Khrushchev on the withdrawal of the warheads, putting an end to the future war. -
March on Washington
The Civil Rights march on Washington, D.C. for Jobs and Freedom culminates with Dr. Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in jobs, voting, and accommodations. -
The Watergate Scandal
On the same day that Okinawa was returned to Japan from US control, four men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate office building in Washington, D.C. -
The Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords, which are divided into four parts, were signed in Paris, France. On that date, the military draft was also announced to be ending.