1803 (April 30) The United States bought the Louisiana Territory from France in the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the country.

1804 (May 14) The Lewis and Clark Expedition began to explore the new western lands.

1805 (November 7) Lewis and Clark reached the Pacific Ocean.

1806 (September 23) Lewis and Clark returned to the East with maps and information about the West.

1819 (February 22) Spain gave Florida to the United States in the Adams-Onís Treaty.

1820 (March 3) The Missouri Compromise maintained the balance of 12 free and 12 slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state.

1830 (May 28) The Indian Removal Act was passed, forcing Native Americans to move west.

1836 (March 2) Texas declared independence from Mexico.

1836 (April 21) Texas won independence from Mexico after Battle of San Jacinto, where General Sam Houston’s forces defeated Santa Anna’s army and captured him.

1838 (May 26) The Trail of Tears began, forcing the Cherokee people to leave their lands in the Southeast and move west to present-day Oklahoma

1841 (April 4) A wagon train traveled the Oregon Trail for the first time, opening the trail for future settlers.

1845 (December 29) Texas became a U.S. state.

1846 (May 13) The United States declared war on Mexico.

1846 (June 15) The Oregon Treaty set the border between the U.S. and Britain.

1847 (July 24) Mormon settlers arrived in Utah led by Brigham Young.

1848 (January 24) James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, an event that led to the California Gold Rush.

1848 (February 2) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War and gave the U.S. all of California and parts of present-day Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.

1850 (September 9) California became a free state.

1854 (May 30) The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed settlers to decide on slavery.

1858 (July 1) Gold was discovered in Colorado.

1860 (April 3) The Pony Express began delivering mail across the West.

1860 (November 6) Abraham Lincoln was elected President.

1861 (April 12) The Civil War began.

1861 (October 24) The Pony Express ended when the telegraph replaced it.

1862 (May 20) The Homestead Act gave free land to settlers who farmed it.

1862 (July 1) The Pacific Railway Act helped build the transcontinental railroad.

1864 (November 29) The Sand Creek Massacre killed many Cheyenne people.

1865 (April 9) The Civil War ended.

1865 (June 19) Juneteenth marked the end of slavery in Texas.

1866 (December 21) Red Cloud’s War began between the U.S. Army and Lakota Sioux.

1867 (March 30) The United States bought Alaska from Russia.

1869 (May 10) The Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah, linking the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads

1872 (March 1) Yellowstone became the first national park.

1874 (July 2) Gold was discovered in the Black Hills.

1876 (June 25) At the Battle of Little Bighorn, Native American forces led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated General Custer’s 7th Cavalry.

1877 (September 5) Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians surrendered after a long retreat toward Canada, ending the conflict with U.S. forces.

1881 (September 19) President James Garfield was assassinated by Charles J. Guiteau, who was angry over not receiving a government job.

1883 (November 18) Railroads created standard time zones.

1887 (February 8) The Dawes Act split reservation land into smaller plots for Native American families to farm and live like American settlers.

1889 (April 22) The Oklahoma Land Rush opened land in Oklahoma for settlers, who rushed to claim spots to build homes and farms.

1890 (December 29) The Wounded Knee Massacre happened when U.S. soldiers tried to take weapons from Lakota Sioux moving to a reservation. A shot was fired, but no one knows who fired it, and 150–300 Lakota, including women and children, were killed.

1790 (March 26) The Naturalization Act was passed. Only free white people could become U.S. citizens.

1819 (March 2) The Steerage Act required ship captains to keep lists of all passengers coming to the U.S.

1845 The Irish Potato Famine began, causing many Irish people to move to the United States.

1854 The Know-Nothing Party formed. It was a political group that did not want many immigrants, especially Catholics, to come to the U.S.

1862 Many Chinese workers came to the United States to help build the transcontinental railroad.

1870 (July 14) The Naturalization Act was changed so African Americans could become citizens.

1875 (March 3) The Page Act made it harder for Chinese women to move to the United States.

1882 (May 6) The Chinese Exclusion Act stopped most Chinese workers from coming to the U.S.

1882 (August 3) The Immigration Act added a tax on immigrants coming to the United States.

1891 (March 3) The federal government started controlling immigration and making rules for entering the country.

1892 (January 1) Ellis Island opened as the main place for immigrants to arrive in New York Harbor.

1892 (January 1) Annie Moore became the first immigrant processed at Ellis Island.

1903 The Anarchist Exclusion Act stopped people with certain political beliefs from entering the U.S.

1906 A new law changed how the government handled immigration and citizenship rules.

1910 (January 21) Angel Island opened in California to process immigrants, mostly from Asia.

1917 (February 5) The Immigration Act of 1917 required immigrants to pass a reading test.

1921 (May 19) The Emergency Quota Act limited how many immigrants could enter the United States each year.

1924 (May 26) The Immigration Act of 1924 made strict limits on immigration based on nationality.

1924 The U.S. Border Patrol was created to stop people from entering the country illegally.

1929 Amendments to the Immigration Act of 1924 made it illegal to enter the U.S. without permission and increased penalties for breaking immigration rules.

1940 (November 21) Angel Island closed as an immigration station in California.

1942 (August 4) The Bracero Program brought Mexican workers to the U.S. to help during World War II.

1943 (December 17) Congress repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act.

1945 (December 28) The War Brides Act allowed soldiers’ wives and children to move to the United States.

1948 (June 25) The Displaced Persons Act allowed refugees from World War II to come to the United States.

1952 (June 27) The McCarran-Walter Act updated immigration laws and kept limits on certain groups.

1954 (November 12) Ellis Island closed as an immigration station after processing millions of people.

1965 Ellis Island opened as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, operated by the National Park Service.

1962 Angel Island opened as the Angel Island Immigration Station Museum, preserving the history of Asian immigration. 

1867 The United States bought Alaska from Russia, adding land with resources like gold and oil.

1869 Cornelius Vanderbilt finished the New York Central Railroad, connecting major U.S. cities.

1870 John D. Rockefeller started the Standard Oil Company, becoming a powerful figure in the oil industry.

1871 Jay Gould and James Fisk expanded the railroad industry, showing how big business leaders influenced the economy.

1872 (May 10) Yellowstone National Park became the first national park, protecting nature.

1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, changing how people communicated.

1877 The Great Railroad Strike began when workers protested pay cuts.

1879 (October 22) Thomas Edison invented the long-lasting electric light bulb, letting factories work longer hours.

1881 Thomas Edison opened the Edison Electric Light Company, expanding electricity use in cities.

1882 Andrew Carnegie formed Carnegie Steel, helping make the U.S. a leader in steel production.

1886 (May 1) The Haymarket Riot happened in Chicago during a workers’ protest.

1886 The American Federation of Labor (AFL) formed to help workers organize unions.

1890 (June 30) The Sherman Antitrust Act was strengthened to break up big companies that tried to control entire industries.

1892 The Homestead Strike began at Carnegie Steel after workers’ wages were cut.

1892 The Homestead Strike became violent, highlighting struggles between workers and owners.

1893 The Panic of 1893 caused banks and businesses to fail, making many people lose their jobs.

1894 The Pullman Strike stopped many trains and showed national labor tensions.

1895 Andrew Carnegie donated money to build libraries, helping communities and education.

1895 George Washington Carver began work on agricultural research, improving farming and industry.

1898 The United States annexed Hawaii, expanding trade and U.S. Navy presence in the Pacific.

1900 The Model T car was first built by Henry Ford, changing transportation and industry.

1901 (September 14) President William McKinley was assassinated, and Theodore Roosevelt became President.

1901 (October 14) Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech promising to fight big companies that were unfair to people.

1901 J.P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel, the first billion-dollar corporation.

1903 The Wright brothers made the first powered airplane flight.

1903 Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company, changing how cars were made and sold.

1904 Construction began on the Panama Canal, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

1904 Theodore Roosevelt helped Panama gain independence from Colombia, making the canal project possible.

1904 Theodore Roosevelt announced the Roosevelt Corollary, saying the U.S. could act to keep peace in the Americas.

1905 The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) formed to support workers of all trades.

1908 The Model T car became popular, making cars affordable for many families.

1908 Theodore Roosevelt gave up running for re-election but continued pushing for reforms.

1910 The first assembly line began in a car factory, speeding up production.

1911 The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire killed over 140 workers, leading to new safety laws.

1912 Theodore Roosevelt ran for President as a Progressive Party candidate to continue reforms.

1912 (October 14) Theodore Roosevelt was shot while giving a campaign speech, but he continued speaking and survived.

1912 Woodrow Wilson was elected President.

1913 Grand Central Terminal opened in New York City, becoming a major train station that helped people and goods travel across the country.

1914 (August 15) The Panama Canal officially opened, allowing ships to travel between oceans faster.

1916 Theodore Roosevelt worked to protect forests and helped create many national parks and monuments.

1919 The 18th Amendment was ratified, starting Prohibition, banning alcohol in the U.S.

1920 The 19th Amendment was ratified, giving women the right to vote, expanding the workforce.

1920 Warren G. Harding was elected President, supporting business growth.

1921 The Ford Motor Company became the largest car maker in the world.

1927 Charles Lindbergh flew solo nonstop across the Atlantic, showing advances in technology.

1928 Herbert Hoover was elected President, supporting business prosperity.

1929 Herbert Hoover became President during economic growth.

1931 Construction began on the Empire State Building, showing industrial skill during hard times.

1937 The Memorial Day Massacre showed tension between workers and businesses during protests.

1939 The U.S. steel industry led world production, showing industrial strength before WWII.

1890 (June 30) The Sherman Antitrust Act was strengthened to break up big companies (monopolies) and make business fairer.

1894 (May 11) The Pullman Strike began, stopping many trains and leading the government to step in and end the strike.

1896 (May 18) Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that segregation, or separating people by race, was legal as long as things were “equal.”

1900 (November 6) William McKinley was re-elected President, defeating William Jennings Bryan.

1901 (September 14) President William McKinley was assassinated, and Theodore Roosevelt became President.

1902 (January 1) A coal miners’ strike ended after President Roosevelt helped both sides reach an agreement, showing the government could help solve worker disputes.

1906 (June 30) The Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act were passed to make sure food and medicine were safe.

1906 (October 8) Upton Sinclair published The Jungle, a book that showed how dirty and unsafe meatpacking factories were.

1908 (November 3) William Howard Taft was elected President.

1909 (June 25) The NAACP was founded to work for equal rights for African Americans.

1911 (March 25) A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory killed over 140 workers and led to new safety laws in workplaces.

1912 (June 5) Theodore Roosevelt ran for President as a Progressive Party candidate, which split the Republican vote.

1912 (November 5) Woodrow Wilson was elected President, defeating Roosevelt and Taft.

1913 (March 4) Woodrow Wilson became President.

1913 (December 23) The Federal Reserve Act created a system to control money and keep banks stable.

1914 (July 28) World War I began in Europe, affecting U.S. trade and decisions about foreign countries.

1914 (October 1) The Federal Trade Commission was created to make sure businesses competed fairly.

1915 (April 24) The sinking of the Lusitania by Germany increased tension between the U.S. and Germany.

1916 (June 15) A law was passed to limit child labor, or children working in factories and mines.

1916 (November 7) Woodrow Wilson was re-elected President, promising to keep the U.S. out of World War I.

1917 (April 6) The United States declared war on Germany and entered World War I.

1918 (November 11) World War I ended; U.S. soldiers began returning home.

1919 (June 28) The Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I and punished Germany.

1919 (January 16) The 18th Amendment was approved, starting Prohibition, which banned alcohol in the U.S.

1919 (June 28) President Wilson proposed the League of Nations, but the U.S. did not join.

1920 (August 18) The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.

1920 (November 2) Warren G. Harding was elected President, promising a return to normal life after the war.

1921 (March 4) Warren G. Harding became President.

1921 (September 21) A law was passed to limit the number of immigrants coming into the U.S.

1922 (August 2) A tariff law raised taxes on imported goods to help American businesses.

1923 (August 2) President Harding died, and Calvin Coolidge became President.

1923 (November 2) The Teapot Dome scandal showed that some government leaders had taken bribes, revealing corruption.

1924 (May 26) A new immigration law limited people coming from Southern and Eastern Europe and banned immigration from Asia.

1925 (October 16) Another law further limited immigration from certain parts of Europe.

1927 (May 20–21) Charles Lindbergh flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time without stopping.

1927 (November 6) The Jazz Singer became the first movie with sound, changing the film industry.

1928 (November 6) Herbert Hoover was elected President.

1929 (August 2) Herbert Hoover became President.

1929 (October 24) The stock market crashed on Black Thursday, beginning the Great Depression

1929 (October 29) Black Tuesday made the stock market crash even worse, and many people lost money.

1931 (March 1) Construction of the Empire State Building began in New York City.

1931 (December 13) The Empire State Building was finished and became a symbol of hope during hard times.

1932 (March 4) Franklin D. Roosevelt was chosen as the Democratic candidate for President.

1932 (November 8) Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President and promised a New Deal to help the country.

1933 (March 4) Franklin D. Roosevelt became President and began programs to fix the economy.

1933 (March 12) A law was passed to reopen banks and restore people’s trust in them.

1933 (March 31) The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) gave jobs to young men working outdoors.

1933 (May 12) The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built dams, created electricity, and helped poor areas.

1933 (June 16) The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded large building projects to create jobs.

1934 (May 27) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created to regulate the stock market and prevent unfair practices.

1934 (July 21) A law was passed to return land and some self-government to Native Americans.

1935 (August 14) The Social Security Act provided money for older people and those without jobs.\

1935 (August 26) A law was passed to protect workers’ rights to join unions.

1936 (November 3) Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected President.

1939 (September 1) World War II began in Europe, helping end the Great Depression as factories created jobs.

1919 (November 11) World War I ended with the signing of the Armistice; Germany faced severe economic and political problems.

1920 (June 28) The Treaty of Versailles was signed, placing heavy reparations and restrictions on Germany.

1923 (November 8) Hitler led the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich, an unsuccessful coup attempt.

1925 (July 18) Adolf Hitler published Mein Kampf, outlining his ideology and plans for Germany.

1933 (January 30) Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany.

1933 (February 27) The Reichstag building was set on fire; the Nazis blamed communists and used it to increase control.

1933 (March 23) The Enabling Act gave Hitler dictatorial powers in Germany.

1933 (April 1) A boycott of Jewish businesses began in Germany.

1933 (July 14) The Nazi government banned other political parties, consolidating one-party rule.

1934 (June 30) During the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler eliminated internal political rivals in the Nazi Party.

1935 (September 15) The Nuremberg Laws were enacted, stripping Jews of citizenship and restricting their rights.

1938 (March 12) Germany annexed Austria in the Anschluss.

1938 (September 30) The Munich Agreement allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia.

1938 (November 9) Kristallnacht occurred; Nazi forces attacked Jewish businesses, synagogues, and homes across Germany.

1939 (September 1) Germany invaded Poland, starting World War II in Europe.

1939 (September 3) Britain and France declared war on Germany.

1939 (September 17) The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland.

1939 (October 6) Poland was fully occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union.

1939 (November 30) The Soviet Union attacked Finland, beginning the Winter War.

1940 (April 9) Germany invaded Denmark and Norway.

1940 (May 10) Germany invaded France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

1940 (May 26) The evacuation of Dunkirk began; over 300,000 Allied soldiers were rescued from France.

1940 (June 14) German troops entered Paris.

1940 (June 22) France surrendered to Germany; northern France was occupied, and Vichy France was established.

1940 (July 10) The Battle of Britain began; the Royal Air Force defended Britain against the German Luftwaffe.

1940 (September 27) Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact, forming the Axis Powers.

1941 (June 22) Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, invading the Soviet Union.

1941 (July 1) The Siege of Leningrad began.

1941 (December 7) Japan attacked Pearl Harbor; the U.S. entered World War II.

1941 (December 8) Japanese forces attacked the Philippines. General Douglas MacArthur began defending against overwhelming Japanese forces.

1941 (December 10) Japanese forces invaded Hong Kong.

1942 (January 2) Manila fell to Japanese forces; the Philippine capital was captured.

1942 (January 20) The Wannsee Conference in Germany formalized plans for the "Final Solution," the extermination of European Jews.

1942 (March 1) The Battle of the Coral Sea began; it was the first naval battle where opposing ships never sighted each other directly.

1942 (April 9) The Bataan Peninsula fell to Japan; U.S. and Filipino forces surrendered.

1942 (April 9) The Bataan Death March began; thousands of prisoners were forced to march under brutal conditions.

1942 (June 4) The Battle of Midway ended in U.S. victory, turning the tide in the Pacific.

1942 (August 23) The Battle of Stalingrad began in the Soviet Union.

1942 (December 7) MacArthur evacuated from the Philippines to Australia, famously declaring, “I shall return.”

1943 (February 2) The Battle of Stalingrad ended; Germany surrendered, marking a turning point on the Eastern Front.

1943 (July 9) Allied forces invaded Sicily, beginning the Italian Campaign.

1943 (September 3) Italy surrendered to the Allies, though German forces continued to fight in northern Italy.

1943 (November 28) The Tehran Conference took place; Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin planned the D-Day invasion.

1944 (June 6) D-Day occurred; Allied forces landed in Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe.

1944 (August 25) Paris was liberated by Allied forces.

1944 (October 20) MacArthur returned to the Philippines, beginning the liberation of the islands from Japanese occupation.

1944 (December 16) The Battle of the Bulge began in Belgium, Germany’s last major offensive in the West.

1945 (January 27) Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

1945 (April 30) Adolf Hitler committed suicide in Berlin as Allied forces closed in.

1945 (May 2) Berlin fell to Soviet forces.

1945 (May 8) Germany surrendered; Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was celebrated.

1945 (July 16) The U.S. tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico (Trinity Test).

1945 (August 6) The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

1945 (August 8) The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchuria.

1945 (August 9) The U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

1945 (August 15) Japan announced surrender; Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) was declared.

1945 (September 2) Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri, officially ending World War II.

1945 (Postwar) Mussolini’s body was displayed publicly in Milan, showing the fall of fascism in Italy.

1945 (Postwar) Allied forces began occupation and rebuilding of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

1945 (Postwar) Liberation of concentration camps continued; survivors were rescued and assisted.

1945 Germany was divided into four zones; Berlin was also divided

1946 (March 5) Winston Churchill warns of the “Iron Curtain” in Europe

1947 (March 12), the Truman Doctrine was announced to resist communism

1947 (June 5), the Marshall Plan was proposed to help Europe rebuild

1947 (July 1) National Security Act passed, creating the CIA, Department of Defense, and National Security Council

1948 (February) Communist leaders take control of Czechoslovakia

1948 (April 1), the Soviet Union begins restricting supplies to West Berlin

1948 (June 24) Berlin Blockade starts; West Berlin is cut off

1948 (June 26) Berlin Airlift begins to supply West Berlin by plane

1948 Operation Little Vittles candy dropped to children in West Berlin

1949 (April 4) NATO was formed to protect member countries

1949 (May 12) The formation of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) was officially recognized

1949 (May) Berlin Blockade ends; West Berlin remains free

1949 (August 29), the Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb

1949 (October 7) Formation of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) 

1950 (February 9) Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech in Wheeling, WV, accusing people in the State Department of being Communists and starting his fight against Communism

1950 (June 25) North Korea invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War

1950 (July 17) Julius Rosenberg was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union

1950 (August 11) Ethel Rosenberg was arrested for spying for the Soviet Union

1950 (September 15) The United Nations forces landed at Inchon during the Korean War, turning the war in favor of South Korea

1952 (November 4) Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President of the United States

1953 (March 5) Joseph Stalin, the leader of the Soviet Union, died

1953 (June 19) Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in New York

1953 (July 27) An armistice ended the fighting in the Korean War and created a demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea

1953 (August 31) Senator Joseph McCarthy began investigating Communists in the U.S. Army

1954 (March 9) Edward R. Murrow spoke on television on See It Now against Senator Joseph McCarthy

1954 (December 2) The U.S. Senate censured Senator Joseph McCarthy for behavior against Senate rules

1955 (May 14) The Soviet Union and its allies formed the Warsaw Pact to oppose NATO

1955 (September 7) Nikita Khrushchev became the top leader of the Soviet Union

1956 (October 23 – November 10) The Hungarian Revolution happened; the Hungarian people protested against Soviet control, but Soviet troops invaded and stopped the revolt

1956 (November 6) The “Blood in the Water” water polo match happened at the Melbourne Olympics; Hungary beat USSR, showing Cold War tensions

1957 (May 2) Senator Joseph McCarthy died

1957 (October 4) The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite in space

1957 (November 3) The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 with Laika, the first dog in space

1958 (July 29) The United States launched Explorer 1, its first satellite

1959 (January 1) Cuba became communist under Fidel Castro 

1961 (April 12) Yuri Gagarin became the first person to go into space (Soviet Union)

1961 (April 17–19) The Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba failed

1961 (May 5) Alan Shepard became the first American in space

1961 (August 13) East Germany started building the Berlin Wall to stop people from leaving for West Berlin

1962 (February 20) John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth

1962 (October 14) U.S. spy planes discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba

1962 (October 22) President John F. Kennedy announced a U.S. naval blockade of Cuba

1962 (October 26) Nikita Khrushchev sent a letter offering to remove missiles if the U.S. did not invade Cuba

1962 (October 27) A U-2 plane was shot down over Cuba; pilot Major Rudolf Anderson Jr. was killed

1962 (October 28) Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove missiles; the Cuban Missile Crisis ended peacefully

1964 (August 2 and 4) The Gulf of Tonkin Incident happened; Congress let President Lyndon B. Johnson send more troops to Vietnam

1965 (March 8) The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam

1965 (March 23) NASA launched the first Gemini mission to practice for Moon landings

1966 (March 16) The Gemini 8 mission successfully docked two spacecraft in orbit

1967 (January 27) The Apollo 1 accident happened on the launch pad; a fire on the spacecraft killed Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.

1968 (January 30 – September 23) The Tet Offensive happened; North Vietnam and the Viet Cong attacked South Vietnam

1968 (March 16) The My Lai Massacre occurred; U.S. troops killed hundreds of unarmed civilians in South Vietnam

1968 (January–August) The Prague Spring took place; Alexander Dubček introduced reforms in Czechoslovakia

1968 (August 20) The Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia, ending the Prague Spring

1968 (October 2) The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed by the U.S., the Soviet Union, and other nations

1969 (July 16) NASA launched the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon

1969 (July 20) Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon

1970 (April 11) NASA launched the Apollo 13 mission; the crew returned safely after an emergency

1972 (February) President Richard Nixon visited China, improving relations and isolating the Soviet Union

1972 The SALT I treaty was signed to limit nuclear weapons between the U.S. and the Soviet Union

1973 (January 27) The Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. involvement in Vietnam

1973 (March 29) The last U.S. combat troops left Vietnam

1973 (October 6) The Yom Kippur War began; Egypt and Syria attacked Israel; the U.S. supported Israel, and the Soviet Union supported Egypt and Syria

1975 (April 30) The fall of Saigon happened; North Vietnam took over South Vietnam

1975 (July) The Helsinki Accords were signed to improve peace and human rights in Europe

1979 (June 18) The SALT II treaty was signed to further limit nuclear weapons 

1896  (May 18) The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate-but-equal facilities were constitutional.

1921  (May 31-June 1) In the Tulsa race massacre, white mobs attacked the prosperous Black Wall Street community, killing 300 Black people and leaving thousands homeless.

1942  (March 9) The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was founded to work towards ending racial discrimination and segregation through nonviolent direct action, civil disobedience, and peaceful protests. 

1947  (February 15) Willie Earle, a 25-year-old black man, was arrested and put in the Greenville County Jail after being accused of stabbing a taxi driver during a robbery attempt.

1947  (February 16) Willie Earle was the victim of the last recorded lynching in South Carolina. A mob of 31 white men forcibly took Earle from his cell, beat him, tied him to a tree, and shot him multiple times. 

1947  (April 15) Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier by starting at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in their season opener.

1950  (September 4) Oliver Brown attempted to enroll his daughter Linda Brown in the all-white Sumner Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas.

1951  (February 28) A group of African American parents filed the lawsuit Brown v. Board of Education in the United States District Court challenging the constitutionality of segregation in public schools.

1954  (May 17) Linda Brown's landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education, resulted in a unanimous Supreme Court decision declaring that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

1955  (August 28) Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. 

1955  (September 6) Emmett Till's mother decided to leave her son's casket open during his funeral despite his badly disfigured face so that people could see the brutality of his murder. 

1955  (September 23) Despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt, Emmett Till's killers, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were found not guilty by an all-white jury.

1955  (December 1) Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person.

1955  (December 5) The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and Martin Luther King Jr. organized a boycott of Montgomery, Alabama's city's bus system.

1956  (December 20) The Montgomery bus boycott ended after the United States Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional.

1957  (September 4) Nine African American students were prevented from entering Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas by the National Guard after facing obscenities and objects thrown by a hostile crowd.

1957  (September 25) President Eisenhower ordered federal troops from the 101st Airborne Division to escort the Little Rock Nine to classes at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1957  (September 27) Governor Orval Faubus ordered the closure of all public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, following the integration of Central High School.

1960  (February 1) Four African American college students in Greensboro, North Carolina, sat down at a whites-only lunch counter and refused to leave until they were served.

1960  (April 15) The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was founded at Shaw University, in Raleigh, North Carolina with Ella Baker as its first director.

1960  (November 14) Ruby Bridges started school in New Orleans, Louisiana becoming the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South. 

1961  (January 12) Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway of the University of Alabama in an attempt to block the enrollment of two African American students, Vivian Malone and James Hood.

1961  (May 14) In Anniston, Alabama, a white mob attacked a bus carrying Freedom Riders, firebombing it and brutally beating the passengers as they tried to escape.

1961  (May 14) A second bus carrying Freedom Riders was attacked by a white mob in Birmingham, Alabama. The passengers were violently beaten and the bus was severely damaged. 

1962  (September 30): James Meredith becomes the first African American student to enroll at the University of Mississippi, after being escorted onto campus by federal marshals.

1962  (October 1) The Mississippi riot occurred following the enrollment of James Meredith, an African American student, at the University of Mississippi. The riot resulted in two deaths and many injuries. 

1963  (January 28) Harvey Gantt, an African American student, was admitted to Clemson University, making him the first African American student to attend the previously all-white university in South Carolina. 

1963  (August 28) The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington D.C. It concluded with Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

1963  (September 15) The Ku Klux Klan bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young African American girls and injuring many others.

1964  (July 2) President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment, education, and public accommodations.

1965  (February 21) Thirty-nine-year-old Malcolm X was assassinated by three men from the Nation of Islam, a group he had left to form the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU).

1965  (March 7) "Bloody Sunday" refers to the violent confrontation between Civil Rights activists and Alabama State Troopers at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. 

1965  (August 6): The Voting Rights Act is signed into law, prohibiting racial discrimination in voting practices.

1968  (February 1) The Greenville Eight, a group of African American students from Sterling High School, were arrested in Greenville, South Carolina for protesting against segregation at the public library. 

1968  (April 4) Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. 

1968  (April 11) The Fair Housing Act was signed into law prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, financing, and advertising of housing on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or disability. 

1968 (June 8) James Earl Ray is arrested at London's Heathrow Airport.

1969 (March 10) James Earl Ray pleads guilty to the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. and is sentenced to 99 years in prison.

1970 (February 17) Greenville County Schools became integrated

1983 (November 2) President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a national holiday. 

1998 (April 23) James Earl Ray dies in Madison, TN, from kidney and liver disease at age 70.

1970 (May 4) National Guard soldiers shot and killed four students who were protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University.

1971 (July 1) The 26th Amendment lowered the voting age in the United States to 18.

1972 (February) President Richard Nixon visited China to meet with its leaders.

1972 (June 17) People broke into the Democratic Party offices in Washington, D.C., starting the Watergate scandal.