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15th Amendment is adopted into the Constitution
The 15th amendment granted African-American men the right to vote. The amendment reads, "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." After it was adopted, Thomas Peterson-Mundy of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, became the first African American to vote under the authority of the 15th Amendment. -
Completion of the Panama Canal
This was of use to the United States, which completed the present Panama Canal in 1913. The U.S. later officially opened it in 1914. Today, the canal continues to be not only a viable commercial venture, but also a vital link in world shipping. -
Assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand
It was planned that Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie would be met at the station and taken by car to the City Hall where they would have lunch before going to inspect the troops. However, he was assasinated by a serbian terrorist group called the Black-Hand. This soon led to political tensions spiraling into WWI -
U.S. Entry into WWI
The U.S. interception of the Zimmerman Telegram from Germany to Mexico showed that the Germans had pushed for a Mexican invasion of the U.S. After hearing this, President Wilson asked congress for permission to go to war. Well-known public and congressional support gladly accepted his request. -
19th Amendment is passed
This amendment guaranteed all American women the right to vote. However, it was not ratified until August 18, 1920. The victory of achieving this milestone took decades of agitation and protest. -
Treaty of Versailles is Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 in the palace of Versailles in Paris, France. This was signed exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. It was also the official treaty that permanantly ended WWI by saddling Germany with War-Reparations. -
Germany Invades Poland
some 1.5 million German troops invade Poland all along its 1,750-mile border with German-controlled territory. At the same time, they bombed Polish airfields. Polish Naval forces were also under attack by German warships and U-boats. -
Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
3,500 Americans were killed or wounded in the attack on December 7, 1941. This became a 'date which would live in infamy' as well as the major reason for becomming involved in WWII. Technological misinformation and conflicting data has been blamed as the cause of this tragedy. -
Executive order 9066
Ten weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066. This authorized the reomoval of any or all people from military areas "as deemed necessary or desirable." The military then in turn defined the entire West Coast, home to the majority of Americans of Japanese ancestry or citizenship, as a military area. -
First Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima
The bomb 'little-boy' was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. This was followed by 'fat-man' 3 days later on Nagasaki. Ultimately, this led to the Japanese surrender during the final stage of WWII -
Second Atomic Bomb Dropped on Nagasaki
In the wake of the first atomic bomb, the Japanese Emperor Hirohito did not surrender. In response, a second Atomic Bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Since then, the U.S. vowed never again to use atomic weaponry. -
U.S. sends Military Advisors to aid South Vietnam.
U.S. & French-installed Ngo Dinh Diem promised the U.S. his support of ensuring a non-communist vietnam. However, he soon tightened control of his new regime and led a corrupt government. This led to North Vietnam stepping up their terrorist actions in effort to quell the foreign Ngo Dinh Diem. -
March on Washington
200,000+ demonstrators took part in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in the nation’s capital. During this event, Martin Luther King delivered his memorable ‘‘I Have a Dream’’ speech. This greatly spurred the Civil Rights Movement for many years thereafter. -
President John F. Kennedy assasinated.
The public outcry of this assasination was international news as a nation grieved the loss of a well-renowned president. Lee Harvey Oswald was found to be the known shooter and a local night-club owner took vengance into his own hands, by shooting him as he transferred prisons. Many conspiracy theories about the assassination still exist today. -
First Combat Troops sent to Vietnam
When the North Vietnamese fired directly upon two U.S. ships in international waters on August 2 and 4, 1964 (known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident), Congress responded with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This resolution gave the President the authority to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson used that authority to order the first U.S. ground troops to Vietnam in March 1965. -
Vietnam War Ends (American Withdrawl)
Johnson could no longer avoid the fact that the U.S. could no longer win the Vietnam War. He agreed to stop the bombing later that year, began withdrawing American forces, and agreed to peace talks in Paris. Johnson announced to America on March 31, 1968, that he would not accept election or nomination for another term in office. -
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated
King had been standing on the balcony in front of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when, without warning, he was shot.King was immediately taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. The FBI investigated the crime, but many believed them partially or fully responsible for the assassination. -
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
One of the most sensational U.S. victories in the history of the cold war. A demoralized 100,000+ Soviet troops began withdrawl from Afghanistan. This was the first time the Red Army had withdrawn under fire from an occupied nation since WWII -
Desert Storm UN bombing of Iraq.
Military interdiction was authorized by the UN, which basically gave way for aerial bombardment of strategic areas. Following this, many troop deployments began. A ceasefire was later accepted on February 27, 1991. -
UN Security Council Resolution 678
"Authorizes Member States ... to use all necessary means" to bring Iraq into compliance with previous Security Council resolutions if it did not do so by 15 January 1991. This was a major push for compliance reforms, which would otherwise lead to war. -
Ceasefire with Iraq, UN declares temporary victory
President Bush declared this ceasefire after 42 days of relentless attacks from the allied coalition. By that time, most Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled. A second Gulf War erupted in 2003 known as the Iraq War.