cold war to today
1950-2009
June 25, 1950: The Korean Conflict begins
January 20, 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower sworn in as President
July 27, 1953: The Korean Conflict ends
December 30, 1953: The first color televisions go on sale
December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, beginning a boycott of the bus system
January 20, 1957: President Eisenhower begins his second term
January 31, 1958: The United States launches its first space satellite, Explorer I
January 3, 1959: Alaska becomes the 49th state
April 9, 1959: NASA selects the first 7 astronauts to be part of the Mercury program
August 21, 1959: Hawaii becomes the 50th stateJuly 4, 1960: The new 50 star flag is debuted
January 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy is sworn in as President
October 14, 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins
August 28, 1963: The Civil Rights March ends in Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech
November 22, 1963: President Kennedy assassinated; Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in as President
January 20, 1965: President Johnson begins his second term
February 7, 1965: President Johnson orders bombings in Vietnam
April 4, 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated
January 20, 1969: Richard Nixon is sworn in as President
July 20, 1969: Astronaut Neil Armstrong is the first person to set foot on the moon during the Apollo programMarch 10, 1971: The Twenty-sixth Amendment is passed, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18
January 20, 1973: President Nixon begins his second term
March 29, 1973: U.S. troops leave the war zone in Vietnam
August 9, 1974: President Nixon resigns; Gerald Ford is sworn in as President
July 4, 1976: The United States celebrates its bicentennial
January 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter is sworn in as President
April 18, 1978: The United States agrees to return the Panama Canal to Panama effective December 31, 1999
November 4, 1979: The Iran Hostage Crisis beginsJanuary 20, 1981: Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President
June 18, 1983: Astronaut Sally Ride is the first American woman to travel in space
January 20, 1985: President Reagan begins his second term
January 28, 1986: The Challenger space shuttle explodes after lift-off
January 20, 1989: George H.W. Bush is sworn in as President
November 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall comes down
February 7, 1990: The Cold War begins to end as the Soviet Communist Party gives up much of its power
April 24, 1990: The Hubble telescope is placed into orbit
January 12, 1991: Congress passes a resolution allowing force to liberate Kuwait; Operation Desert Storm begins
January 20, 1993: Bill Clinton is sworn in as President
February 26, 1993: The World Trade Center is bombed
January 20, 1997: President Clinton begins his second termJanuary 20, 2001: George W. Bush is sworn in as President
September 11, 2001: Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the last plane is crashed by passengers to avoid another attack
October 7, 2001: The War on Terror begins
February 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia explodes at reentry
December 13, 2003: Saddam Hussein captured in Iraq
January 20, 2005: President Bush begins his second term
August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
January 20, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in as President
January 20, 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower sworn in as President
July 27, 1953: The Korean Conflict ends
December 30, 1953: The first color televisions go on sale
December 1, 1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat, beginning a boycott of the bus system
January 20, 1957: President Eisenhower begins his second term
January 31, 1958: The United States launches its first space satellite, Explorer I
January 3, 1959: Alaska becomes the 49th state
April 9, 1959: NASA selects the first 7 astronauts to be part of the Mercury program
August 21, 1959: Hawaii becomes the 50th stateJuly 4, 1960: The new 50 star flag is debuted
January 20, 1961: John F. Kennedy is sworn in as President
October 14, 1962: The Cuban Missile Crisis begins
August 28, 1963: The Civil Rights March ends in Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech
November 22, 1963: President Kennedy assassinated; Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in as President
January 20, 1965: President Johnson begins his second term
February 7, 1965: President Johnson orders bombings in Vietnam
April 4, 1968: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated
January 20, 1969: Richard Nixon is sworn in as President
July 20, 1969: Astronaut Neil Armstrong is the first person to set foot on the moon during the Apollo programMarch 10, 1971: The Twenty-sixth Amendment is passed, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18
January 20, 1973: President Nixon begins his second term
March 29, 1973: U.S. troops leave the war zone in Vietnam
August 9, 1974: President Nixon resigns; Gerald Ford is sworn in as President
July 4, 1976: The United States celebrates its bicentennial
January 20, 1977: Jimmy Carter is sworn in as President
April 18, 1978: The United States agrees to return the Panama Canal to Panama effective December 31, 1999
November 4, 1979: The Iran Hostage Crisis beginsJanuary 20, 1981: Ronald Reagan is sworn in as President
June 18, 1983: Astronaut Sally Ride is the first American woman to travel in space
January 20, 1985: President Reagan begins his second term
January 28, 1986: The Challenger space shuttle explodes after lift-off
January 20, 1989: George H.W. Bush is sworn in as President
November 9, 1989: The Berlin Wall comes down
February 7, 1990: The Cold War begins to end as the Soviet Communist Party gives up much of its power
April 24, 1990: The Hubble telescope is placed into orbit
January 12, 1991: Congress passes a resolution allowing force to liberate Kuwait; Operation Desert Storm begins
January 20, 1993: Bill Clinton is sworn in as President
February 26, 1993: The World Trade Center is bombed
January 20, 1997: President Clinton begins his second termJanuary 20, 2001: George W. Bush is sworn in as President
September 11, 2001: Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the last plane is crashed by passengers to avoid another attack
October 7, 2001: The War on Terror begins
February 1, 2003: Space Shuttle Columbia explodes at reentry
December 13, 2003: Saddam Hussein captured in Iraq
January 20, 2005: President Bush begins his second term
August 29, 2005: Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
January 20, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in as President