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20th Century U.S. History - Major Events Flashcards

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6870894514Galveston Storm(1900) Hurricane slammed into Galveston killing 8,000; still the worst natural disaster in American history0
6867453889Assassination of William McKinley(1901) Made Theodore Roosevelt President1
6867462308Wright Brothers(1903) First flight at Kitty Hawk, NC2
6870796388Roosevelt Corollary(1904) Roosevelt's 1904 extension of the Monroe Doctrine, stating that the United States has the right to protect its economic interests in South And Central America by using military force; first put into effect in Dominican Republic3
6870806838San Francisco Earthquake(1906) deadliest earthquake in American history; about 3,000 people died and over 80% of the city was destroyed4
6867476046Upton Sinclair(1906) Writes "The Jungle"; led to Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act5
6867483629Henry Ford(1908) Introduces Model-T6
6867493324Titanic Sinks(1912) Thought to be unsinkable; sinks in the Atlantic7
6870840861Sixteenth Amendment(1913) established the income tax8
6867506642Assembly Line(1913) Ford begins using assembly line for build cars9
6867510410Archduke Ferdinand(1914) Austrian heir assassinated in Sarajevo; sparks the beginning of WWI10
6867514416World War I(1914-1918) Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Ottoman Empire vs. Great Britain, France, Russia and U.S.11
6867529417Panama Canal(1914) U.S. finishes this massive project12
6867541205Lusitania(1915) German u-boat sinks British passenger ship; many Americans die13
6867549989Russian Revolution(1917) Czar Nicholas II overthrown in Russian; eventually led to the Bolshevik Revolution and the establishment of the USSR14
6867560551U.S. enters WWI(1917) Why? Reasons include: (1) Sinking of the Lusitania; (2) Zimmerman Telegram; (3) Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare15
6867655446Fourteen points(1914-1918) A series of proposals in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I; called for the formation of the League of Nations16
6870932754Influenza Pandemic(1918) The influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) spans the globe, killing over twenty million worldwide and five hundred and forty-eight thousand people in the United States.17
6867577395Armistice Day(1918) November 11, 1918 - World War I ends18
6867579797Treaty of Versailles(1919) Official end of WWI; "war guilt clause" against Germany19
6867587865Prohibition(1920) 18th Amendment; the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquor was made illegal; led to "speakeasies" and organized crime20
6867601064Women's Suffrage(1920) 19th Amendment gave women in the U.S. the right to vote21
6867608950Teapot Dome(1923) Scandal took place during Harding's administration; corrupt official allows private companies to drill for oil on lands reserved for the use of the Navy22
6867635477Scopes Trial(1925) The "Scopes Monkey Trial" in Tennessee23
6867644629Charles Lindbergh(1927) First solo trans-Atlantic flight; "The Spirit of St. Louis"24
6867670038Sacco and Vanzetti(1927) Two Italian immigrants found guilty of killing two men during a robbery; in spite of flimsy evidence, they were found guilty and executed; demonstrated the nation's mistrust of immigrants25
6867693684Kellogg-Briand Treaty(1928) Treaty that "outlawed" war26
6867700836Stock Market Crash(1929) Unsafe stock market practices created a huge bubble that burst; usually associated with the beginning of the Great Depression27
6867713520The Great Depression Begins(1929) Economic downturn in the U.S.; took place around the time of the stock market crash28
6867751538Herbert Hoover(1929-1933) 31st President of the U.S.; President during the beginning of the Great Depression29
6867728097St. Valentine's Day Massacre(1929) Al Capone's gang members dressed like cops and shot a group from a rival gang30
6867741788Adolf Hitler(1933) Became the Chancellor of Germany31
6867772030Franklin Delano Roosevelt(1932) Won the election of 1932; won four elections to the U.S. Presidency32
6867746957The New Deal Begins(1933) FDR's program to help the nation recover from the Great Depression; "Alphabet Agencies"33
6868039222Prohibition Ends(1933) The 21st Amendment end prohibition in the U.S.34
6868074564The Dust Bowl(1930s) A series of major dust storms that buried houses, destroyed farmland and killed livestock; produced by over farming followed by drought35
6868091784Summer Olympics in Berlin(1936) Nazi Germany hosts the Olympics; Jesse Owens wins four gold medals36
6868102346Hindenburg Disaster(1937) German passenger airship caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock in New Jersey37
6868117717Japan Invades China(1937) The Empire of Japan sends troops into China; the "Rape of Nanking"38
6868132337Kristallnacht(1938) "Night of Broken Glass"; Throughout Germany and Austria, synagogues were ravaged and then burned. Jewish shop windows were broken; Jews were beaten, raped, arrested, and murdered39
6868159361German-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact(1939) The non-aggression pact was an agreement between Hitler and Stalin not to attack each other. This allowed for German victories in the west without worries of the east.40
6868168624Battle of Britain(1940) An aerial battle fought in World War II in 1940 between the German Luftwaffe (air force), which carried out extensive bombing in Britain, and the British Royal Air Force, which offered successful resistance.41
6868171961Dunkirk(1940) A city in northern France on the North Sea where in World War II (1940) 330,000 Allied troops had to be evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk in a desperate retreat under enemy fire.42
6868179782Atlantic Charter(1941) Pledge signed by US president FDR and British prime minister Winston Churchill not to acquire new territory as a result of WWII and to work for peace after the war43
6868190294Lend-Lease Act(1941) Approved by Congress; the act allowed America to sell, lend or lease arms or other supplies to nations considered "vital to the defense of the United States."44
6868198769Pearl Harbor(1941) December 7, 1941; Base in Hawaii that was bombed by Japan; brought the U.S. into WWII45
6868210314Battle of Midway(1942) World War II battle between the United States and Japan, a turning point in the war in the Pacific46
6868216695Manhattan Project Begins(1942) This was the project that eventually built the first atomic bomb that was set off eventually at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.47
6868226277D-Day(1944) June 6, 1944 - 175,000 Allied troops invade the beaches of Normandy; also called Operation Overload.48
6868238483FDR Dies(1945) U.S. President dies from a stroke49
6868242319Harry S. Truman(1945) Becomes President after FDR dies; makes decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki50
6868254810V-E Day(1945) May 8, 1945; victory in Europe Day when the Germans surrendered51
6868270497V-J Day(1945) August 15, 1945; victory over Japan; WWII ends52
6868280005Iron Curtain(1946) Winston Churchill gives his "Iron Curtain" speech; term for the dividing line between Western and Eastern Europe53
6868298958Cold War(1945-1991) Tensions between the U.S. (capitalism) and USSR (communism)54
6868306436Marshall Plan(1947) A United States program of economic aid for the reconstruction of Europe after WWII55
6868314659Jackie Robinson(1947) The first African American player in the major league of baseball. His actions helped to bring about other opportunities for African Americans.56
6868319501Berlin Airlift(1948) Airlift that supplied food and fuel to citizens of West Berlin when the Soviets closed off land access to Berlin57
6868330665Mao Zedong(1949) Wins civil war in China; China becomes communist58
6868335760NATO(1949) North Atlantic Treaty Organization established59
6868346381Korean War(1950-1953) The conflict between Communist North Korea and Non-Communist South Korea. The United Nations (led by the United States) helped South Korea; the USSR and China helped North Korea60
6868356663McCarthyism(1950s) The term associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy who led the search for communists in America through his leadership in the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)61
6868366980Polio Vaccine Created(1952) Jonas Salk develops a vaccine which stops the crippling disease62
6868377838The Rosenbergs(1953) Husband and wife who were accused of spying for the Soviets. The Rosenbergs countered the accusation on the grounds that their Jewish background and leftist beliefs made them easy targets for persecution. In a trial closely followed by the American public, the Rosenbergs were convicted and sentenced to death. They were executed on June 19, 1953.63
6868390069Brown v. Board of Education(1954) The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated.64
6868397277Montgomery Bus Boycott(1955) After Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Dr. Martin L. King led a boycott of city buses. After 11 months the Supreme Court ruled that segregation of public transportation was illegal.65
6868404761Warsaw Pact Signed(1955) Reaction of the USSR and Soviet Bloc nations to NATO66
6868415883Sputnik(1957) USSR launches the first satellite; the beginning of Space Race67
6868427839NASA(1958) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration founded to help U.S. win the Space Race68
6868435539Fidel Castro(1959) Becomes communist dictator of Cuba; ally of USSR69
6868444141Sit In(1960) Lunch Counter Sit-In at Woolworth's in Greenboro, NC70
6869064004First Televised Presidential Debate(1960) Kennedy and Nixon71
6869089128John Fitzgerald Kennedy(1961-1963) 35th President of the U.S.; the "New Frontier"; Camelot; Peace Corp72
6869068028Bay of Pigs Invasion(1961) the failed attempt of Cuban exiles backed by the U.S. to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro73
6869080709Berlin Wall(1961) A fortified wall surrounding West Berlin, Germany, built in 1961 to prevent East German citizens from traveling to the West. Its demolition in 1989 symbolized the end of the Cold War. This wall was both a deterrent to individuals trying to escape and a symbol of repression to the free world.74
6869089129Freedom Riders(1961) Group of civil rights workers who took bus trips through southern states to protest illegal bus segregation75
6869118309Cuban Missile Crisis(1962) crisis that arose between the United States and the Soviet Union over a Soviet attempt to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba76
6869126435James Meredith(1962) First African-American student admitted to segregated University of Mississippi77
6869161811March on Washington(1963) Held in August to show support for the Civil Rights Bill in Congress. Martin Luther King gave his famous "I have a dream..." speech. 250,000 people attended the rally78
6869167342JFK Assassination(1963) November 22, 1963; Dallas, TX; Lee Harvey Oswald79
6869186666Lyndon Johnson(1963-1969) 36th President of the U.S.; Kennedy's VP; "The Great Society"; "The War on Poverty"; presidency plagued by Vietnam80
6869181179Civil Rights Act of 1964(1964) banned discrimination in public accommodations, prohibited discrimination in any federally assisted program, outlawed discrimination in most employment; enlarged federal powers to protect voting rights and to speed school desegregation; this and the voting rights act helped to give African-Americans equality on paper, and more federally-protected power so that social equality was a more realistic goal81
6869200902Gulf of Tonkin Resolution(1964) Congressional resolution authorizing President Johnson to take military action in Vietnam after American ships were attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin82
6869249236Thurgood Marshall(1967) First African-American Supreme Court Justice83
6869286889Tet Offensive(1968) during Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war.84
6869260853My Lai Massacre(1968) American troops brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, Vietnam; led to more opposition to the war.85
6869270514King Assassination(1968) MLK killed by Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on the balcony of his motel86
6869277745Robert Kennedy Assassination(1968) Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan assassinated him because he was angry at Kennedy's support of Israel87
6869298167Democratic National Convention Riots(1968) In Chicago, where Democratic delegates gathered to nominate Vice-president Hubert Humphrey. The hall was protected with barbed wire and police officers to keep the protesters away.88
6869347766Richard Nixon(1968-1974) 37th President of the U.S.; strong foreign policy (China and USSR); Watergate89
6869309289Apollo 11(1969) Neil Armstrong walks on the moon; July 19, 196990
6869360356Kent State University(1970) An Ohio university where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War; wounded nine and killed four91
6869374189Munich Summer Olympics(1972) Munich, Germany; Palestinian terrorists kill eleven Israeli athletes92
6869388489Watergate(1972-1974) The events and scandal surrounding a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972 and the subsequent cover-up of White House involvement, leading to the eventual resignation of President Nixon under the threat of impeachment93
6869403864Roe v. Wade(1973) legalized abortion in the U.S.94
6869411777U.S. Withdrawal from Vietnam(1973) U.S. turns the fight over to South Vietnam; "peace with honor"95
6869424517Nixon resigns(1974) August 1974; Watergate scandal; Nixon avoids impeachments and removal from office96
6869438024Gerald Ford(1974-1976) 38th President of the U.S.; pardoned Nixon97
6869458129Fall of Saigon(1975) Marked the end of the Vietnam War in April, 1975 when North Vietnamese invaded South Vietnam, forcing all Americans left to flee in disarray as the capitol was taken98
6869488919Apple Computer(1976) Founded by Steve Jobs99
6869501678Jimmy Carter(1977-1981) 39th President of the U.S.; set the framework for Egypt-Israel treaty, and sought to base foreign policy on human rights.100
6869468734Jonestown Massacre(1978) In November, there was a mass suicide of 913 members, including 276 children, of the Peoples Temple cult led by the Reverend Jim Jones; in Guyana, South America101
6869498707Iranian Hostage Crisis(1979-1981) Iran Takes American Hostages in Tehran; failed U.S. rescue attempt in 1980102
6869524507Three-Mile Island(1979) mechanical failure at a nuclear plant in Pennsylvania that caused radiation to be dispersed across 16 miles.103
6869550720Ronald Reagan(1981-1989) 40th President of the U.S.; his platform encouraged decreasing taxes and government regulation; he called the USSR the "Evil Empire"104
6869540981Mount St. Helens(1980) explosion of volcano in Washington, USA105
6869578225Sandra Day O'Connor(1981) first woman Supreme Court justice; appointed by Reagan106
6869586378AIDS identified(1981) acquired immunodeficiency syndrome107
6869606946Vietnam War Memorial(1982) Opens in Washington, D.C.108
6869616139Strategic Defense Initiative(1983) Dubbed "Star Wars"109
6869632718Sally Ride(1983) First American woman in space110
6869641463Rock Hudson dies(1985) High profile AIDS death111
6869660017Glasnost and Perestroika(1985) Mikhail Gorbachev announces "openness" and "restructuring" in the USSR112
6869703965Chernobyl(1986) The nuclear power plant in the Ukraine that suffered two large explosions which released massive amounts of radioactive materials. It is the worst nuclear accident in history and thousands were and continue to be impacted by the disaster.113
6869712038Challenger Explosion(1986) Space shuttle that exploded right after take off; Christa McAuliffe, teacher114
6869738375Iran-Contra Scandal(1986) A major scandal of Reagan's second term that involved shipping arms to Iran to free hostages and diverting the money from the sale of these weapons to the Contra rebels in Nicaragua.115
6869749749Pan Am Flight 103(1988) In route from London to New York, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 189 Americans; later determined to be a terrorist act by Libyans116
6869767419Iran Air Flight 655(1988) U.S. Warships in the Persian Gulf shoot down passenger airliner, killing 290 persons; flight was from Tehran to Dubai; personnel on the U.S. warship spotted the plane on radar and thought is was an attack plane; made ten attempts to make contact with pilot117
6870045562George H. W. Bush(1989-1993) 41st President of the U.S.; "Read my lips, No new taxes"118
6869822166Berlin Wall Comes Down(1989) East Germany was demanding change and wanted to have more political freedom like West Germany. When the government fell, the gates of the Berlin Wall were opened and the country started down the road to reunification with West Germany.119
6869830295Exxon Valdez(1989) Oil tanker that crashed in March 1989, considered largest U. S. oil spill, emptied 35,000 tons of oil into Prince William Sound120
6869838247Tienanmen Square Massacre(1989) A political and social protest by university students in Beijing, China in 1989. The protest called for political and social reforms and resulted in the government using the military to end it, which caused hundreds of deaths, thousands of injured, and many more imprisoned.121
6869889044Germany Reunited(1990) East and West sides of Germany were reunited and the East side was no longer communist marking the end of the Warsaw Pact.122
6869900753Lech Walesa(1990) becomes President in Poland; Co-founded Solidarity, the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983123
6869912195Soviet Union Collapse(1991) Eastern European countries began to throw off Soviet rule; USSR finally collapses124
6869924392Operation Desert Storm(1991) American-led attack on Iraqi forces after Iraq refused to withdraw its troops from Kuwait125
6869937283Rodney King Verdict(1992) White police officers had beaten African-American Rodney King; videotaped; all four officers acquitted; six days of rioting in LA126
6870055968Bill Clinton(1993-2001) 42nd President; advocated economic and healthcare reform; second president to be impeached; Monica Lewinsky127
6869974911Branch Davidians(1993) cult led by David Koresh, besieged by federal agents; cult had illegal firearms; building caught fire and no one survived128
6869984454World Trade Center Bombed(1993) A terrorist attack involving a truck filled with explosives in the garage of one of the towers. This attack was supposed to take down the North building, but failed only demolishing the underneath levels of both buildings.129
6870039942Oklahoma City Bombing(1995) Bombing of Murrah Federal Building. The blast, set off by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, killed 168 people, including 19 children in the building's day-care center.130
6870001600O. J. Simpson(1995) Simpson found not guilty of double murder; verdict controversial131
6870015332Ted Kaczynski arrested(1995) He ran the longest terrorist campaign by an individual in the U.S. from 1978-1995 and was commonly known as the Unabomber (university and airline bomber)132
6870065723Clinton Impeached(1998) Clinton impeached for lying under oath about sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky; Clinton was acquitted in the Senate133
6870762373United States Embassy Bombings(1998) attacks that occurred on August 7, 1998, in which over 200 people were killed in nearly simultaneous truck bomb explosions in two East African cities. The attacks are linked to Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization. The United States responded by launching cruise missile strikes against Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in the Sudan.134
6870074665Columbine Shooting(1999) A school shooting in Columbine, Colorado where students who had been bullied killed 12 students and 1 teacher135

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