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Baby Boom
Between 1945 and 1954, birth rates increased tremendously in America, This was making up for the low birth rates during the Great Depression and WWII. People that were born between these years are known as the baby boom generation. This event impacted people because they were having more babies. -
NATO/ Warsaw Pact
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed by the WWII allies in April 1949. The headquarters were in Brussels, Belgium. The members agreed to help one another if they were attacked. This ensured safety to anyone who was involved in this. It impacted politics because gov't was involved in other countries. Similarly, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact. It had the same ideas as NATO. -
Korean War
Korea, China, and USA fought from 1950-1953. The goal was to turn south Korea Communist, and the US was against it. This was important because it kept Korea divided & set up the demilitarized zone, prevented further fighting between N Korea and S Korea. It impacted politics because of the Democracy vs. Communist fighting. -
Joe McCarthy
In 1953, Senator Joe McCarthy made a list of people in the state of Wisconsin who were Communist. However, they weren't really Communist. Nobody knows why he made that fake list. Later in 1954, he made a list of people that were Communist in the army. Again, they weren't really Communist. He eventually lost his job. This event impacted people because many people lost jobs. -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was born in 1913 in Alabama. She was known for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in 1955 in Montgomery. It was important because it created efforts to end segregation and Jim Crow Laws. It impacted people because buses were boycotted and affected rights of people who were African American. -
Robert Kennedy Assassination
Robert F. Kennedy (JFK's brother) was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan while running for president on June 4, 1968 at the Ambassador Hotel. He died two days later at the age of 42. Sirhan Sirhan was angry at Kennedy's support for Israel's military politics. This led to Secret Service protection for all future major candidates. -
Vietnam War
In 1970, North Vietnam, the US, and South Vietnam fought. North Korea wanted South Vietnam to turn Communist, and America wanted it to stay a Democracy. This happened in South Vietnam. The war affected people because many people died and people argued whether the US should be in the Vietnam. This also was the cause of the Kent State Massacre. -
Kent State Massacre
In 1970, students protesting war at Kent State University (peacefully) were killed. Both the Police and the Swat team were involved. The swat team shot 60 bullets in the crowd and the Police killed people. The campus was closed for a couple months. This event impacted people because people were killed. -
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton was a president from 1992-2000. He was Democratic. He was important because he lowered deficit, signed test ban treaty, reformed health care, and sent 20,000 troops to Bosnia. This impacted people because healthcare was changed and some people went to Bosnia -
Persian Gulf War
In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. The US essentially joined because Iraq surprised everyone with their invasion. This happened in Kuwait. The Persian Gulf War is probably well known because of Operation Desert Storm. This impacted the Government because they didn't expect Iraq to suddenly invade a country. -
Afghanistan/Iraq Wars
In 2001, following the 9/11 attacks, there was a war trying to get Osama Bin Laden to stop the Al Qaida group. It happened in both Afghanistan and Iraq and lasted until 2014. It impacted Government because the Al Qaida terrorists were dangerous and the Government needed to stop them before they could do anything more damaging to the US. -
September 11, 2001 Attacks
On 9/11/01, the Al Qaida terrorist group hijacked planes and crashed them into the two twin towers (separate planes) in NYC, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania (its target was probably the white house, but passengers on that flight were able to get it to crash in a field). It impacted people because a lot of people lost their lives (mainly in the World Trade Center).
