ALL American History to Nov. 1991
Noche Triste
"Sad Night," on June 30th, 1520 the Aztecs attacked the Spanish and on August 13th, 1521, the Spanish conquered the Aztecs.
Kate Smith
"The First Lady of Radio" she had a radio career which spanned decades, she's most famous for her on-air performance of God Bless America.
Lou Gehrig
"The Iron Horse," This Yankee was reknown for his hitting prowess and durability.
First inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."
RMS Titanic
"Unsinkable" British ship which sank and brought with her over a thousand victims.
Douglas Corrigan
"Wrong Way" Corrigan, "accidentally" flew from the U.S. to Ireland when he meant to fly West.
Stump v. Sparkman
(1978) Supreme Court rules that judges can not be held accountable for making uninfluenced rulings, even if they are cruel and unconstitutional.
University of California Regents v. Bakke
(1978) The Supreme Court outlaws the use of quota systems, but allows affirmative action.
Edwards v. Aguillard
(1987) Ruled that creationism is unconstitutional because it advances a particular religion.
Hustler Magazine v. Falwell
(1987) The rights of Hustler Magazine to mock televangelist Jerry Falwell were sustained, in a situation proving embarrassing to the reverend.
Texas v. Johnson
(1989) Flag burning is protected speech, invalidated 48 state laws to the contrary.
Penry v. Lynaugh
(1989) The execution of a mentally retarded person is not cruel or unusual.
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
(1989) This case allowed states to impose restrictions on the use of state funds, facilities, and employees in performing, assisting with, or counseling on abortions.
William Henry Harrison's death
1) It was caused by pneumonia. 2) It was a great disappointment to Whigs. 3) It sparked a Constitutional crisis over whether John Tyler was now the president or the Vice President acting as President, it was eventually decided that he was the president and that remained the status quo law.
The Annexation of Texas
1) Outgoing President Tyler signs an order to annex Texas. 2) Under President Polk, Texas becomes a slave state.
The Aztecs
1) Resided in Mexico 2) Practiced human sacrifice
Federal department agencies established in 1789:
1) The Department of Foreign Affairs (later renamed the Department of State)2) The Department of War3) The Department of the Treasury
Reasons the United States declared war on Britain in 1812:
1) Trade restrictions brought on by Britain's continuous war with France.2) The impressment of American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy.3) British support of Native American tribes.4) Possible interest in annexing parts of Canada.
Superfund
1980 law which empowered the EPA to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances as well as broadly define "pollutants or contaminants."
GNU Manifesto
1985 literature by Richard Stallman influential in computer ethics and technological growth.
Rough Riders
1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, associated with Teddy Roosevelt.
Nathan Hale
A soldier who was captured and hanged by the British, his last words were "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country."
Abscam
A 1980 FBI sting operation in which agents posed as rich oil sheiks and bribed members of Congress.
"Who shot J. R.?"
A 1980 episode of the TV show "Dallas" that was a culturally significant moment.
"Ordinary People"
A 1980 film depicting the disintegration of a middle class family.
"Personal Justice Denied"
A 1983 congressional report decrying the practice of Japanese internment as unjust and calling for reparations.
"What The Future Holds For Farm Workers And Hispanics"
A 1984 speech delivered by Cesar Chavez at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.
"Back to the Future"
A 1985 film so successful that Pres. Reagan quoted it in his 1986 State of the Union Address.
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
A 1986 space tragedy resulting in the death of teacher Christa McAuliffe, Pres. Reagan postponed the State of the Union and found NASA to be at fault.
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
A 1987 treaty signed by Reagan and Gorbachev, eliminating nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with intermediate ranges.
Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Repeal Act of 1989
A 1989 bill, repealed the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988, after it became unpopular with seniors. It's stated goal was to prevent senior citizens from not being able to afford medical treatment in the face of unforeseen illness. It was complicated and expensive and repealed the next year.
Exxon Valdez oil spill
A 1989 environmental disaster in which much oil was spilt in Alaska.
Greekfest fraternity festival
A 1989 incident in which numerous frat brothers spent two days rioting in Virginia Beach.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 678
A 1990 UN Resolution threatening military intervention in Iraq if they did not leave Kuwait.
Mount Pleasant riot
A 1991 riot sparked by the shooting of a Salvadoran man.
The Black Legend
A false concept which held that the Spanish merely tortured and butchered the Indians, stole their gold, infected them with smallpox, and left little but misery behind.
Bible Student movement
A Millenialist Restorationist Christian movement from which Jehovah's Witnesses were born.
Sauvé's Crevasse
A Mississippi River failure that flooded much of New Orleans.
Oliver North
A National Security Council staff member who took the blame for the Iran-Contra scandal in 1986.
American Indian Movement (AIM)
A Native American advocacy group founded in 1968 with an agenda that focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty.
The Know-Nothings
A Nativist political party which nominated former president Millard Fillmore as its first presidential candidate in 1856.
David Hennessy
A New Orleans police chief whose 1891 murder sparked anti-Italian sentiments and the beginning of the "mafia" misconception.
Palace Theatre
A New York City theater. In 1932 it stopped Vaudeville shows, which is seen as the death knell of that form of entertainment.
Bernhard Goetz
A New Yorker who shoots four black teens trying to rob him, sparking a debate about the urban crime which plagued America in the 80s.
The Sandinista National Liberation Front
A Nicaraguan rebel group which successfully overthrew the U.S. backed Somoza dictatorship in 1979.
Buffalo Calf Road Woman
A Northern Cheyanne woman credited with striking the blow that knocked Custer off his horse at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Siege of Fort Vincennes
A Patriot victory causing the British to abandon Illinois stopping Indian raids of Patriot settlements.
Bartolomeu Dias
A Portuguese explorer who rounded Africa.
Ferdinand Magellan
A Portuguese explorer who was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
"Fire Escape Collapse"
A Pulitzer Prize winning 1975 photograph by Stanley Forman.
"The Time of Your Life"
A Pulitzer Prize winning drama by William Saroyan.
Constitutional Union Party
A centrist party which wanted to avoid the slavery issue altogether to preserve the union, they nominated John Bell in 1860.
kiva
A ceremonial religious chamber, one was built on the ruins of the Spanish plaza at Santa Fe following Popé's Rebellion.
great wagon road
A chain of Scots-Irish settlements in the Appalachians.
Koszta Affair
A diplomatic episode between the U.S. and the Austrian empire.
XYZ Affair
A diplomatic incident during John Adams' presidency. Agents of French Foreign Minister Tallyrand demanded bribes before American diplomats could meet with him. Although it was common practice, Americans were offended and this lead to the Quasi-War. Federalists wanted war and criticized the Democratic-Republicans and Elbridge Gerry for being pro-France.
NSDD-17
A directive signed by Reagan in 1981 authorizing the Central Intelligence Agency to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Frank Capra
A director who produced numerous American classics and during World War II directed propaganda films.
Winnebago War
A disagreement between the Ho-Chunk tribe and invading lead minors, under John Quincy Adams' presidency.
Taft-Katsura Agreement
A discussion between then-secretary-of-state Taft and Japanese senior leaders regarding the role of the two nations in East Asian affairs.
jake leg
A disease caused by abuse of an extract found it bootlegged liquor, an outbreak of it occurred in the year 1930.
AIDS
A disease emerging in the 1980s that seemed to only affect gay men. It crippled the gay rights movement, empowered the homophobic right, and killed a whole generation of men. Pres. Reagan and the FDA were criticized for not doing enough during the 1980s.
First Seminole War
A dispute between Seminoles (Native Americans and black people living in Florida) and the American government started by Andrew Jackson destroying Negro Fort.
Institutes of the Christian Religion
A doctrine written by John Calvin which established Calvinism.
Ostend Manifesto
A document explaining why America should seize control of Cuba and make it a slave state, after negative publicity in Europe and the North, the Pierce administration abandoned the idea.
South Carolina Exposition and Protest
A document written by Vice President John C. Calhoun saying that South Carolina would secede if the Tariff of Abominations wasn't repealed.
Susan B. Anthony dollar
A dollar coin whose minting was issued by Pres. Carter in 1978.
Jesse James
A famous Wild West American outlaw who was known for popularizing the practice of robbing banks, assassinated by Robert Ford.
Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight
A famous incident of gang violence in El Paso.
Jimmy Hoffa
A famous labor union leader who disappeared in the 70s, widely believed to have been murdered.
John Wilkes Booth
A famous stage actor who killed Abraham Lincoln.
Weather Underground
A far left terror group which emerged in the late 60s, formed by student activists.
David Duke
A far-right White nationalist who ran for Governor of Louisiana in 1991 and lost, despite receiving an overwhelming majority of the white vote.
Operation Eagle Claw
A fatal flawed opperation planned by Pres. Carter in 1980 to try and rescue the Iranian hostages, but instead resulted in a number of deaths.
The Corps of Discovery
A special unit of the U.S. Navy whose only purpose was to serve as the nucleus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Civil Rights Address
A speech about civil rights given by JFK in 1963 which was praised by MLK.
Infamy Speech
A speech delivered by FDR to a joint session of Congress in which he appealed to them, successfully, to enter WW2.
Gettysburg Address
A speech given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War; supported the ideals of self-government and human rights.
The Great Awakening
A spiritual reawakening in the 1730s and 1740s. It created many new churches and undermined the old clergy.
Blue sky laws
A state law in the United States that regulates the offering and sale of securities to protect the public from fraud, eventually umbrellaed by federal legislation under FDR.
1890 Manifesto
A statement which officially decried polygamy in the LDS Church.
PS Lady Elgin
A steamship which crashed in 1860 and lead to immediate regulation of maritime laws, including running lights.
Silver Thursday
A steep fall in silver prices occurring in 1980.
Dow Jones Industrial Average
A stock market index created in 1885.
Nylon
A stretchy material which was invented by the company DuPont. In it's early years it was used only for stockings. But it rose in popularity as an alternative to cotton during World War II, and was used in parachutes, tents, and even guns and sausage casings.
Hardin County onion pickers strike
A strike in Ohio by agricultural workers which resulted in the Ohio Guard being called and a partial victory for the pickers.
Battle of Kings Mountain
A strong Patriot victory which was a turning point in the American seizure of the South.
Fay Wray
A successful American actress most identified with her culturally iconic role in the film King Kong.
Battle of Ridgefield
A successful British victory in which they captured Ridgefield, Connecticut, which bolstered patriotism among Nutmegger troops.
Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913
A suffrage parade which had many women mistreated by the crowds.
Frances Willard
A suffragette and temperance leader
Carrie Chapman Catt
A suffragette who established the League of Women Voters and pushed for the 19th Amendment.
1983 Beirut barracks bombing
A suicide bomb attack killing over a hundred American troops, prompting the withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from Lebanon, where they had been since the PLO invaded Lebanon in response to Israel invading Lebanon.
Roswell UFO incident
A supposed incident in which aliens crashed in a farm in Roswell. There was a UFO craze in the late 40s and 50s.
Crack epidemic
A surge of crack cocaine usage in urban citied from 1984 to the mid-1990s, which was connected to the Iran-Contra affair.
Ambassador Bridge
A suspension bridge connecting Detroit and Ottawa built during the architectural boom of the 1920s.
Golden Gate Bridge
A suspension bridge connecting San Francisco to Marin County, built during the 1930s architectural craze.
Interchangeable parts
A system of crafting firearms created by Eli Whitney
Battle of Trenton
A dramatic victory in which Americans captured Trenton. It boosted morale among the soldiers and bolstered the hopes of the American people.
ciclosporin
A drug approved by the FDA in 1983 causing rapid developments in the world of transplants.
Eggnog Riot
A drunken riot which took place at West Point on Christmas due to the smuggling of whiskey into the academy.
Burr-Hamilton duel
A duel between former secretary of the state Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron Burr, Burr shot and killed Hamilton.
Metric Conversion Act
A failed 1975 attempt by Pres. Ford to switch America to the metric system.
Battle of Fort Cumberland
A failed attempt by an American militia to get Nova Scotia to rebel.
The Albany Congress
A failed attempt by the British government to unite the colonies during the French and Indian War.
Red River Campaign
A failed plan by the Union to capture Louisiana. Poorly organized and planned.
Gunsmoke
A televised Western drama which premiered in 1955.
New Frontier
A term used by JFK in his acceptance speech at the 1960 Democratic National Convention. Mainly focused on alleviating poverty and investing in the space program.
Neutron bomb
A theoretical weapon which kills people while leaving buildings unscathed, Pres. Carter stopped production in 1978.
Newburgh Conspiracy
A threatened uprising by the Continental Army. An anonymous letter was passed around by soldiers suggesting that they coup Congress because the government doesn't have enough money for their pensions or paychecks. It was squashed by George Washington and lead to Congress giving in to their demands.
"Our Town"
A three-act play by Thornton Wilder about an American small town.
Separatists
A tiny subsect of Puritans which broke away from the Church of England and were harassed by King James I.
Conch Republic
A tongue-in-cheek micronation consisting of Florida Keys islands which declared independence in 1982, the government treated them with serious resistance all the same.
Great Natchez Tornado
A tornado which struck the Louisiana-Texas border (which was then an independent nation) and weakened relations between Texas and the U.S.
Burr conspiracy
A treasonous cabal of prominent politicians, planters and Army officers lead by former Vice President Aaron Burr. Burr's goal was to create an independent nation in the center of North America.
Treaty of Fort Stanwix
A treaty between Native American nations and the British empire establishing boundaries.
Jay Treaty
A treaty between the U.S. and Britain which facilitated ten years of peaceful relations
Rush-Bagot Treaty
A treaty between the U.S. and Britain which limited naval armaments on the Great Lakes.
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
A treaty between the United States and Britain dealing with the creation of a Nicaragua Canal.
Treaty of New Echota
A treaty in which the Cherokee nation ceded much of its Southeast territory, it was the legal basis of The Trail of Tears.
Treaty of Indian Springs
A treaty in which the Creek Indians ceded land to the state of Georgia. It was narrowly approved by Congress and disgruntled Creeks lead by Menawa murdered William McIntosh, who signed the treaty on their behalf.
Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek
A treaty signed between the Choctaw and the U.S. government, after the Indian Removal Act, which ceded millions of acres of land in Mississippi in exchange for land in Oklahoma.
National Union Convention
A gathering planned by Pres. Johnson, it brought together radical republicans, democrats, and moderates. It accomplished nothing.
Robert Hillsborough
A gay man whose murder sparked large protests in San Francisco in 1977, and caused some discontent to grow with Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign.
Jeffrey Dahmer
A gay serial killer arrested in 1991.
Winfield Scott
A general who became a national figure during the Mexican-American War.
Lucretia Mott
A gifted American orator and respected Quaker who planned the Seneca Falls Convention with Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
St. Augustine Monster
A globster postulated to be the remains of a giant octopus discovered in Florida in 1896.
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
A gold rush which lead to the creation of the territory of Colorado.
1st World Science Fiction Convention
A ground breaking New York convention which included the first-ever known example of cosplay.
Kary Mullis
A groundbreaking American biochemist.
"The Wizard of Oz"
A groundbreaking culturally iconic 1939 film based on L. Frank Baum's famous novel and starring Judy Garland.
Antarctic Treaty
A groundbreaking treaty signed between the U.S. and the Soviets in 1959 declaring Antarctica as a scientific preserve.
French Acadians
A group acquired during wars with France that were scattered to Louisiana by the British, they developed Cajun culture.
Little Rock Nine
A group of African-American students who Eisenhower used federal troops to protect when they tried to enroll in a segregated school.
Radical Whigs (1750s)
A group of British political commentators, made attacks on the use of patronage and bribes by the king's ministers. They warned citizens to be on guard for possible corruption.
Transcendental Club
A group of New England intellectuals which would eventually start Transcendentalism.
Confederate Army of Manhattan
A group of Southern operatives who, during the Civil War, attempted to burn New York City to the ground. Their plan failed, as the fires were quickly contained.
Dalton Gang
A group of Wild West outlaws who specialized in bank and train robberies.
The Religious Right
A group which propelled Reagan into the White House by taking socially conservative positions.
National Woman Suffrage Association
A group which signified the re-emergence of feminism, which vanished during the Civil War, a suffragette group.
Webster-Hayne debate
A heated Senate debate between Sen. Daniel Webster of Massachusetts and Sen. Robert Hayne of South Carolina concerning the question of states rights vs. federal authority.
Operation Linebacker II
A heavily criticized Christmas 1972 bombing of North Vietnam by America.
"The Americans"
A highly influential 1958 photography book by Robert Frank.
Charlie Parker
A highly influential jazz soloist who was an icon for the hipster and beat subcultures of the 1950s.
Betty Boop
A highly sexualized cartoon character, whose creation inspired several lawsuits including some filed under the Hays Act.
The Rumble in the Jungle
A historic 1974 boxing event of George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali.
Mission Santa Barbara
A historic Spanish mission founded in present day California for the purpose of converting the Native Americans.
Oregon Trail
A historic east-west trail that was created by fur trappers and traders.
Graceland
A historic landmark which served as the home of Elvis Presley.
Havana Conference
A historic meeting of United States Mafia and Cosa Nostra leaders in Havana, Cuba.
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
A historic photograph taken after the Battle of Iwo Jima depicting five Marines raising the flag on the battle ground.
Apalachin Meeting
A historic summit of the American mafia in 1957. Hundreds attended, it confirmed the existence of the American mafia, although J. Edgar Hoover had been denying it.
Civil War gold hoax
A hoax orchestrated by two American newspapers to hurt the stock market for their personal advantage, their plan worked, but a furious Lincoln had all those involved jailed.
Kwanzaa
A holiday celebrating African culture and history birthed in 1966 from the afrocentrism movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A holiday created in 1983 by Pres. Reagan, despite Reagan having had made statements critical of Reagan immediately following his assassination, when Reagan was governor of California.
Labor Day
A holiday created to appease the disgruntled laborers of the Gilded Age.
National Coming Out Day
A holiday established in 1987 to celebrate "coming out" of the closet.
John Wayne Gacy
A horrific serial killer who murdered dozens of boys and young men in the 1970s.
Battle of Camden
A huge American victory in South Carolina which ended the military career of Horatio Gates.
Virginia Company of London
A joint-stock company which received a charter from King James I to settle in the New World.
Ernie Pyle
A journalist best known for his travel columns, especially during World War 2, which is when he was killed.
Johnny Gosch
A kidnapped paper boy whose disappearance contributed to the 1980s Missing Children's Movement.
Working Men's Party
A labor oriented political party based on laborer-rights. It made waves and won several local elections but died out in the 1830s.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
A landmark 1857 case which said that African-Americans could not be United States citizens.
"The Twilight Zone"
A landmark science-fiction television anthology created by Rod Serling in 1959.
Hollywood Sign
A landmark structure of cultural significance in Hollywood, California.
Gullah
A language evolved by slaves which blended English and traditional African languages.
12th Street riot
A large and important 1967 Detroit race riot.
Sacred Cod
A large effigy of a cod fish hanging in the Massachusetts State House. In 1933, editors of the Harvard Lampoon briefly "cod-napped" it.
Pemberton Mill
A large factory in Massachusetts which collapsed in 1860, leading to 145 deaths and an outcry for reform.
Boston Molasses Disaster
A large molasses storage tank broke, killing 21 people.
Great Railroad Strike of 1877
A large number of railroad workers went on strike because of wage cuts. After a month of strikes, President Hayes sent troops to stop the rioting.
A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus
A largely fictitious autobiography of Christopher Columbus written by American author Washington Irving. It popularized the unshakeable mistruth that Columbus proved the Earth was round.
Crittenden Compromise
A last ditch effort to end the secessionist crisis of 1860 which was a constitutional amendment to not interfere with slavery.
Indian Removal Act
A law signed by President Jackson calling for the relocation of Native Tribes to land West of the Mississippi Territory.
Armed Occupation Act
A law signed by President Tyler to encourage population of Florida.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act
A law signed into effect by Pres. Nixon in 1973 in response to oil crisis, authorized the construction of an oil pipeline connecting the North Slope of Alaska to Port Valdez- ended all environmentalist legal challenges.
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
A law stipulating that government jobs will be given away on the basis of merit.
Page Act of 1875
A law which forbade any Asian women from immigrating who were planning to work as prostitutes. This law was construed to exclude a great deal of Asian women leading to a disparity of gender in California.
David Lewis Rice
A lawyer, associated with a cause célèbre, one of the most horrid anti-Semitic hate crimes in recent history, the 1985 murder of a family Rice thought were Jewish.
Mary McLeod Bethune
A leader in the struggle for women's and black equality. She founded a school for black students and served as an advisor to President FDR.
Sidney Rigdon
A leader of the Latter Day Saints, he succeeded Joseph Smith, Jr. upon his death.
Zimmermann Telegram
A leaked proposal from the German Empire to the Mexican government to invade the United States.
Treaty of Tripoli
A treaty signed by President John Adams between America and Tripolitania, it affirmed that America is not a Christian nation by nature.
Treaty of Mortefontaine
A treaty which ended the Quasi-War.
Washington Naval Treaty
A treaty which limited international naval construction to prevent an arms race.
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
A treaty which resolved the Aroostook War and established the boundary between the United States and Canada.
"Fantasia"
A triumphant 1940 animated Disney film.
Battles of Saratoga
A turning point in the Revolutionary War which conclusively decided the fate of John Burgoyne's army. France entered the war for the rebels and Spain also began aiding them.
Siege of Vicksburg
A turning point of the war along with Gettysburg, it was a Union victory which blocked the South once more.
Hedda Hopper
A member of the Hollywood elite, her radio gossip show pioneered the entire gossip news genre. During the McCarthy Era, she named many suspected Communists.
Robert García
A member of the House forced to resign in 1989 for his role in the Waltech Scandal.
cloture
A method by which to end the filibuster adopted by Congress in 1917.
In vitro fertilisation
A method of conception first successfully performed in 1981.
Bobby Goodman
A military lieutenant whose plane was shot down over Lebanon in 1983, Jesse Jackson liberated him after 30 days.
Mountain Meadows massacre
A militia of Mormons, wrapped in hysteria, brutally slaughtered 100-120 settlers including men, women, and children.
Roy Wilkins
A moderate leader of the NAACP during the 60s Civil Rights Movement. He praised Pres. Kennedy and FBI leader Hoover.
New Coke
A monumental failed 1985 attempt by Coca-Cola to gain the upper hand in the Cola Wars.
W. E. B. Du Bois
A more radical alternative to Booker T. Washington, he argued blacks should have full equality NOW.
Malcolm X
A more radical alternative to Martin Luther King, Jr., his fundamental belief was not that caucasians should make small concessions to African-Americans, but that African-Americans should do all they can to get full rights now.
Bloomerism
A movement began after the Seneca Falls Convention based around a new style of dress called bloomers which were similar to pants. They were embraced by feminists, but bashed by conservatives who believed women wearing pants was an usurpation of male authority.
Apollo Theater
A music hall which is a noted venue for African-American performers.
Varroa destructor
A parasitic mite responsible for colony collapse disorder, introduced in America in 1987.
Black Sunday
A particularly severe Dust Bowl topsoil storm.
Greenback Party
A party formed by farmers who were hurt by the Long Depression. They were against a return to a gold-backed economy.
Progressive Party
A party formed in 1912 after Teddy Roosevelt lost the Republican party nomination to incumbent Taft. AKA, Bull Moose Party.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
A peace treaty which ended the Mexican-American War and gave America all land above the Rio Grande. It passed the Senate despite Whig objections about Manifest Destiny.
Haymarket affair
A peaceful labor protest which escalated into a bombing situation which left many people dead or wounded, leading to the passage of the eight hour work day, but also the unpopularity of labor unions.
Era of Good Feelings
A period of political history from 1816-1825 that reflected a desire for pride and unity following the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Federalist party.
Second Red Scare
A period of time lasting from 1947-1957, characterized by McCarthyism, and an anti-Communist paranoia.
First Red Scare
A period, which peaked in 1919-1920, during which Americans were terrified of Bolshevism and anarchism.
Mad Gasser of Mattoon
A person, or people, believed to be responsible for a series of gas attacks in Virginia and Illinois. But whether it was the same person, or just entirely mass hysteria, remains to be seen.
Alar
A pesticide. In 1989 numerous public schools removed their apples after a "60 Minutes" report claimed it caused cancer.
"Pac-Man"
A phenomenally popular arcade game released in America in 1980.
McDonnell Douglas A-12 Avenger II
A proposed attack aircraft cancelled by Secretary of Defense Cheney in 1991 after learning it would cost $57 billion.
Equal Rights Amendment
A proposed constitutional amendment that failed to be ratified in time as a result of the campaigning of antifeminist lawyer Phyllis Schlafly. In 1980, the Republican Party officially dropped its support for the amendment.
Nicaragua Canal
A proposed waterway through Nicaragua which the Nicaraguan government refused, so Roosevelt funded a revolution to create the nation of Panama.
Tariff of Abominations
A protective tariff passed under John Q. Adams' presidency. Its purpose was to protect Northern industry much to the detriment of the Southern economy.
Bank holiday
A public holiday in which the banks are closed, FDR declared one which lasted eight days shortly after his inauguration.
"I Have a Dream"
A public speech delivered in 1963 by MLK at the March on Washington fueled the Civil Rights Movement.
Dictionary of Occupational Titles
A publication produced in 1938 by the United States Department of Labor which matched job seekers to jobs.
John Birch Society
A radical right wing political advocacy group began in 1958.
Carbon-14
A radioactive isotope discovered by two Americans on the Manhattan Project.
Crédit Mobilier Scandal
A railroad company bribed high government officials during Grant's presidency.
Cornelius Vanderbilt
A railroad owner who built a railway connecting Chicago and New York. He popularized the use of steel rails in his railroad, which made railroads safer and more economical.
Gatling gun
A rapid-fire weapon invented and first used during the Civil War.
phonograph
A record player invented by Thomas Edison.
Royal African Company
A slave trade company which eventually lost its charter leading to many Rhode Islanders cashing in on the slave trade.
Seabiscuit
A small horse which became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to Americans during the Great Depression.
caravel
A small, highly maneuverable three-masted ship used by the Portuguese and Spanish in the exploration of the Atlantic.
Milgram experiment
A social psychological experiment on the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure- the results of which were released in 1974.
Frederick Gotthold Enslin
A sodomy case was brought against this Continental soldier, kicked out of the army for having sex with another soldier.
Coca-Cola
A soft drink developed simultaneously as Dr Pepper.
Dr. Pepper
A soft drink patented as a brain tonic and energizer in 1885.
Teddy bear
A soft toy named after President Roosevelt.
Jim Bakker
Him and his wife, Tammy Bakker, were popular televangelists in the 1980s until he resigned in 1987 amidst a sex scandal.
"Grease"
Iconic 1978 film.
Stonewall Jackson
Important Confederate military leader
Captain John Smith
In 1608 he reached Jamestown and forced the settlers to survive.
Popé's Rebellion
In 1680, Pueblo rebels killed scores of priests and Spanish settlers. It took half a century for the Spanish to gain control back over New Mexico.
Second Continental Congress (in 1777)
In 1777, this convention of delegates managed the colonial war effort and created the Articles of Confederation to submit to the states for ratification.
Dan Rather's Interview of George H.W. Bush
In a 1988 TV interview, Rather contentiously pressured Vice President Bush to admit to having a role in the Iran-Contra Affair.
Saint Valentine's Day Massacre
In a Prohibition gangster battle, Al Capone and his Italian mafia assassinated seven Irish mobsters.
Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
In 1963 Alabama governor George Wallace personally stood in the door at the University of Alabama to block two black students from enrolling.
Bureau of Indian Affairs building takeover
In 1972, 500 members of AIM stormed into the Washington, D.C. Bureau of Indian Affairs building and ransacked it.
Wounded Knee incident
In 1973, AIM staged an armed takeover of Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
DSM-II
In 1973, gay rights activists secured a great achievement when the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a disease from the DSM-II.
Rockefeller Commission
In 1975 Pres. Ford instructed Vice President Rockefeller to head a commission to investigate wrongdoing by the CIA in response to a 1974 New York Times claim that they had conducted illegal domestic activities. The commission's sole report touched upon certain CIA abuses.
Fall of Saigon
In 1975, the Vietnam War ended when communist forces captured Saigon in South Vietnam- beginning reunification efforts between the two halves.
1977 Hanafi Siege
In 1977 African-American men fron the Nation of Islam took hostages in three Washington, D.C. buildings.
'All Worthy Males' extension
In 1978, the Mormon Church lifted its ban on black men.
White Night riots
In 1979 gays in San Francisco rioted upon hearing that Dan White was acquitted after murdering Harvey Milk.
The air-traffic controllers strike
In 1981 Pres. Reagan fired over 11,000 air-traffic controllers after they didn't comply with his demand for them to go back to work.
Lebanese Civil War
In 1982, Marines arrived in Lebanon to ensure the withdrawal of the PLO.
Vanessa L. Williams
In 1983 she became the first African-American crowned Miss America, only to have her crown taken away several months later after a nude photo scandal.
Guion Bluford
In 1983, he became the first African-American in space.
Sally Ride
In 1983, she became the first woman and LGBT person in space.
AIDS blood donation controversy
In 1985, the FDA approved a system of screening donated blood for AIDS.
Franklin Chang Díaz
In 1986 he became the first Hispanic astronaut.
Space Shuttle Discovery
In 1988 it was the first post-Challenger shuttle flight, putting America back into the Space Race.
Morris worm
In 1988 this became one of the first ever computer worms and the first to receive mainstream media attention.
Medical Waste Crisis
In 1988, hypodermic needles wash up on the shore of numerous New York beaches, possibly infected with AIDS, forcing the closure of many of them.
Yasser Arafat
In 1988, this PLO leader renounced violence, causing the U.S. to announce they would consider reopening relations with the PLO.
Operation Just Cause
In 1989 Pres. Bush, Sr. ordered an invasion of Panama to protect human rights, Panama Canal neutrality, and prevent drug laundering. It was successful in deposing dictator Manuel Noriega and erecting Guillermo Endara.
L.A. Schoolteachers Strike
In 1989, L.A. schoolteachers successfully went on strike for a 24% pay increase.
This is crack cocaine
In 1989, during Pres. Bush, Sr.'s first address to the nations: he holds up a bag of crack cocaine purchased across the street and announces increased funding in the War on Drugs.
Moscow McDonald's
In 1990 a McDonald's was opened in Moscow, signaling the beginning of the end for communism.
"Potatoe"
In 1992 Dan Quayle spelled potato wrong at a child's spelling bee.
Wounded Knee Massacre
In December 1890, Army troops captured some of Sitting Bull's followers and took them to a camp. 300 Sioux men, women, and children were killed
Resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev
In December 1991, Gorbachev resigned, the USSR collapsed, and the Cold War ended.
minivans
A type of suburban car first released by Chrysler in the mid-1980s.
United States presidential election, 1836
A unique election won by incumbent Democrat Vice President Van Buren. He faced off against four Whig candidates, William Henry Harrison, Hugh L. White, Daniel Webster, and Willie Person Mangum. Their strategy was to deprive Van Buren of the necessary number of electoral votes to throw the election to the House.
New Revised Standard Version
A version of the bible released in the U.S. in 1990 that contained changed with regards to gendered language.
United States presidential election, 1928
Al Smith lost to Hoover due to his association with Catholicism, Prohibition, and Tammany Hall.
Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 thriller.
Gulf of Tonkin incident
Alleged attack of US ships by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Tonkin Gulf on August 4, 1964. Prompted the escalation of the War in Vietnam.
"Howl"
Allen Ginsberg's 1957 poem was a beatnik watershed seized for obscenity due to its allusions to homosexuality, these charges were eventually dismissed.
Treaty of 1818
Allowed for joint occupation of Oregon Country by Britain and the U.S. (the 49th parallel), under Monroe's presidency.
Don Walsh
Along with Jacques Piccard, in 1960 he journeyed into the Marianas Trench.
Louise Beavers
An African-American film and television actress who had a starring role in the groundbreaking 1934 film "Imitation of Life".
Duke Ellington
An African-American jazz composer who performed at Carnegie Hall.
Nat Turner
An African-American slave who was hanged for plotting the most deadly slave revolt in American history in the state of Virginia.
Fannie Lou Hamer
An African-American voting and civil rights activist.
Michael Donald
An African-American young man lynched by two Klan members in 1981, his mother successfully sued the Klans of America for her son's death.
Yusef Hawkins
An African-American youth shot in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood in 1989, inciting racial tensions.
California Proposition 13 (1978)
An Amendment to the Californian constitution that cut property taxes by 60%, thought to be a presage to the "Taxpayer Revolution."
Cy Young
An American MLB pitcher.
Howard Hughes
An American Renaissance man, he directed numerous films but is most remembered for setting numerous speed records.
Christine Chubbuck
An American TV news reporter who committed suicide on live TV in 1974.
Jackson Pollock
An American abstract painter who was a pioneer in the drip style of painting.
William Desmond Taylor
An American actor whose murder evoked a wave of sensationalism.
Judy Garland
An American actress whose 1951 Palace Theater concerts, and her role in the film "The Wizard of Oz," were legendary.
William A. Moffett
An American admiral who was a big supporter of the use of airships until he was killed when the airship USS Akron exploded.
William Walker
An American adventurist who lead several expeditions into Latin America and seized control of Nicaragua for a year.
Lizzie Borden
An American cause célèbre, she was accused of butchering her father and step-mother.
Wallace Carothers
An American chemist at DuPont credited with the invention of nylon.
Harold Urey
An American chemist who did pioneering work on isotopes in the 30s and discovered the deuterium.
Bobby Fischer
An American chess prodigy who won his first victory when he was 13.
John L. O'Sullivan
An American columnist and journalist who used the term "Manifest Destiny."
Batman
An American comic book superhero who appeared in 1937.
Phineas Gage
An American railroad man who survived an improbable injury and fueled interest in neurology and psychology.
The Doors
An American rock band formed in 1965.
Jonathan Pollard
An American scientist arrested in 1987 for espionage for passing information on to Israel.
Ernest Lawrence
An American scientist known for his work on the cyclotron and on the Manhattan Project.
Ted Bundy
An American serial killer during the 1970s.
Mae West
An American sex symbol who was the first person ever banned from radio, because of her proclivity for double entendres.
Roscoe Arbuckle
An American silent film actor who was falsely arrested for rape and manslaughter, his trial was another example of the rise of sensationalist journalism.
Woody Guthrie
An American singer-songwriter whose songs exposed the horrors of the Dust Bowl to the whole nation.
"Saturday Night Live"
An American sketch comedy show which premiered in 1975 with George Carlin as the first host.
Grace Brown
An American skirt factory worker whose murder became a national sensation.
The Liberator
An abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison.
Freedom's Journal
An abolitionist newspaper, the first African-American owned and operated newspaper published in the United States.
Dorothea Puente
An elderly woman who ran a boarding house, murdering demented boarders and collecting their social security. A 1988 cause célèbre.
Contingent election of 1801
An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved, when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
Henney Kilowatt
An electric car first introduced in the fifties.
Mary
An elephant who was hung in 1916 for killing her handler.
Embargo Act of 1807
An embargo passed against Britain and France during the Napoleonic War in response to the violation of our neutrality proclamation. Its results were disastrous, economically and politically.
"Whitney Houston"
An enormously successful eponymous album released in 1985.
George Whitefield
An enthusiastic preacher during the Great Awakening.
"Gone with the Wind" (film)
An epic 1939 film starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard. It held a very romantic view of the Confederate South in the Civil War and at four hours it was the longest film in American history at the time and immensely popular.
Ben-Hur
An epic 1959 historical drama starring Charleston Heston.
Aimee Semple McPherson
An evangelist and media celebrity in the 20s and 30s, responsible for the revitalization of Christianity in America in the 20th century.
English Protestant Reformation
An event caused by King Henry VIII breaking ties with the Catholic church, intensified the rivalry between Spain and England.
Boston Tea Party
An event in which a band of Bostonians, disguised as Indians, boarded British East India ships and dumped the tea into the harbor.
Ursuline Convent Riots
An event triggered by rabid anti-Catholic sentiments in antebellum New England. A convent full of Roman Catholic Nuns was burned down by a Protestant mob.
Bleeding Kansas
An event which came about as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, a civil war was fought within Kansas during Pierce's administration over whether or not it would be a slave state.
Specie Circular
An executive order of Andrew Jackson requiring payment for government land to be in gold.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
An expedition commisioned by Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly purchased territory in Louisiana
Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition
An expedition into the Yellowstone region which occurred during Grant's presidency.
Pike expedition
An expedition of the U.S. Army to explore the South and West territory of the Louisiana Purchase.
Smithsonian-Roosevelt African Expedition
An expedition to explore Africa lead by Roosevelt in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute.
"Strange Interlude"
An experimental and controversial four-hour long New York City play.
John Cabot
An explorer who traversed the Northeast coast of North America for England.
Roger Williams
An extreme separatist and popular Salem minister who was banished from the Mass. Bay Colony.
Leonard Bernstein
An extremely celebrated American composer whose work received front page New York Times coverage when he had to substitute another composer last minute.
Lillian Russell
An extremely famous and popular Vaudeville actress.
1972 Nixon visit to China
An extremely important conference between Pres. Nixon and Mao Zedong, the end result was open trade with China.
"The Birth of a Nation"
An extremely racist film which depicted white actors in blackface and proclaimed the KKK as heroes, despite it's racist content it was a cinematic masterpiece.
Depression of 1920-21
An extremely sharp economic bust caused by the end of World War I.
John Dillinger
An extremely violent Depression-era bank robber, a particular foe of J. Edgar Hoover.
One-drop rule
An historical colloquial term. Any person with "one drop" of African blood will be categorized as Negro.
Tuskegee University
An historically black university lead by Booker T. Washington.
"King Kong"
An iconic 1933 American film.
1984 (advertisement)
An iconic commercial advertising Apple computers that aired in 1983.
Moonwalk
An iconic dance performed by Michael Jackson in 1983.
Republicanism
An idea in the minds of Americans on the dawn of Revolution, it is a just society in which all citizens willingly subordinated their private, selfish interests to the common good. Both the stability of society and the authority of government thus depended on the virtue of the citizenry-its capacity for selflessness, self-sufficiency, and courage.
Panic of 1819
Announced a movement in the U.S. from colonial commercial status to laissez-faire capitalism. It ended the Era of Good Feelings and gave birth to Jacksonian Nationalism.
Yontoket Massacre
Another example of anti-Native violence, 450 Tolowa indians were killed while praying.
Visible Saints
Another name for the Puritans
Rock Springs massacre
Anti-Chinese mass murder in Wyoming caused by racial tension.
Anita Bryant
Anti-gay crusader whose 1977 "Save Our Children" campaign resulted in Miami-Dade voters outstandingly voting to recede gay rights legislation. She was famously pied in 1977 leading her to fallout from anti-gay activism.
Tong Wars
Any of several feuds carried on in San Francisco between gangs of Chinese immigrants. These gang wars spanned a 70-year period beginning in the 1850s and continuing until the 1920s.
Earl Warren
Appointed U.S. Chief Justice by Eisenhower, he oversaw one of the most powerful supreme courts in American history, which oversaw a great extension of rights.
Bering Land Bridge
Archeologists believe that around 40,000 and 20,000 years ago tribes of hunter-gatherers crossed this land bridge which once connected Siberia with Alaska.
Robert F. Kennedy
Attorney general under his brother, as a U.S. Senator, he was assassinated in 1968 after ensuring himself the presidential nomination from the Democratic party.
"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"
Bob Dylan's 1963 album which included lyrics about civil rights and articulated anxieties about the fear of nuclear warfare. An important part of 1960s folk music.
Aleutian Islands Campaign
Battles between the U.S. and Japan over control of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The remoteness and size of the islands resulted in no territorial changes and a low death count.
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr.
Became Speaker of the House after Frederick Muhlenberg changed party allegiances to the Anti-Administrations.
Arturo Toscanini
Became a household name in America after he lead a symphony on live radio, and then live television.
Life
Began in the 1880s as a general humor magazine, a takeover in the 1930s rebranded it with an increased focus on photojournalism.
Smoking bans
Beginning in 1990, smoking bans began going into effect, making it illegal to smoke on flights, in restaurants, bars, and eventually, hotels.
slave codes
Beginning in Virginia in 1662, they set up the iron-clad conditions of slavery.
1919 United States anarchist bombings
Bombings and attempted bombings carried out by followers of anarchist Luigi Galleani, contributed to the First Red Scare.
1892 New Orleans general strike
Blacks and whites united in New Orleans, successfully.
Raid on Harpers Ferry
Bleeding Kansas leader John Brown lead a crew to rob Harpers Ferry armory to begin an armed slave rebellion. He failed and was hanged.
1st United States Congress
Both seats of this Congress had a pro-administration majority. They passed the Bill of Rights.
St. Francis Dam
Built during the architectural boom of the 1920s, its collapse in 1928 was the worst civil disaster in American history.
Empire State Building
Built in 1931 it took the title of tallest building in the world from the Chrysler Building.
King George's War in America
Came about after the War of Jenkins's Ear, the English won, but Louisbourg was given back to the French anyway enraging the New Englanders.
Liberty ships
Cargo ships built in the United States during World War II.
Steve Wozniak
Contributed to the microcomputer revolution with his inventions during the 1970s of the Apple I and Apple II computers.
Frank Costello
Controlled a vast mafia underworld for most of his life.
1st Continental Congress
Convened after the Intolerable Acts were passed.
25th Amendment
Deals with succession to the presidency and the filling of a vacant vice presidential seat.
war bonds
Debt securities issued by the government in times of war. A common propaganda tool during World Wars I and II was to get people to buy war bonds.
"Heartbreak Hotel"
Elvis Presley's chart topping, rock & roll shaping single.
Cincinnati riots of 1855
Extremely violent clashes between Germans and "nativists" over a contested election.
"The Great Gatsby"
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel chronicling the shallowness of the Roaring Twenties.
"Tender Is the Night"
F. Scott Fitzgerald's bleak popular novel told in flashbacks.
Neutrality Act of 1939
FDR championed this law, which allowed for arms trade between America and Britain and France, and forbid the travel of Americans to locations FDR designated as war zones.
Thurman Arnold
FDR looked to this man, who was in charge of FDR's administration's antitrust division, to bust up some trusts and solve the Roosevelt Recession. He was ineffective.
United States presidential election, 1940
FDR was comfortably elected to his third term, defeating moderate Republican challenger Wendell Willkie, who disagreed with the anti-business aspects of the New Deal.
Alpha Kappa Alpha
First college sorority for black women.
The Hoover Company
First company to mass market the upright vacuum cleaner.
Karl Guthe Jansky
First discovered radio waves emanating from the Milky Way. Father of radio astronomy.
Nanook of the North
First feature length documentary. Largely staged.
Espionage Act of 1917
Forbid false statements that intended to interfere with the U.S. military forces or materials to be mailed if they violated the law.
Edsel
Ford lost millions on this failed automobile, which was less popular with the 1950s audience than predicted.
United States presidential election, 1952
Foreign policy was the most important factor in this election, in which Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson in a landslide victory.
Lord Baltimore
Formed Maryland in 1634 as a refuge for Roman Catholics.
U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
Formed by Henry C. Calhoun without authority from Congress.
Massachusetts Bay Company
Formed by non-separatist Puritans in 1629
Industrial Workers of the World
Founded in 1905, this radical union, also known as the Wobblies aimed to unite the American working class into one union to promote labor's interests. It worked to organize unskilled and foreign-born laborers, advocated social revolution, and led several major strikes. Stressed solidarity. Fell apart as a result of the First Red Scare.
Mary Baker Eddy
Founded the Church of Christian Scientists and set forth the basic doctrine of Christian Science.
Fred Phelps
Founded the Westboro Baptist Church in 1955. The Supreme Court upheld his church's right to picket funerals.
"Rhapsody in Blue"
George Gershwin's jazz-inspired musical compositions.
George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River
George Washington lead a column of Continental Army troops across the icy Delaware River.
John Haven Emerson
Greatly improved the Iron Lung just in time for a huge polio outbreak.
United States presidential election, 1892
Grover Cleveland was elected once again over Republican Harrison and Populist Weaver.
Herbert E. Ives
Headed the development of television technology at AT&T in the first half of the twentieth century and is also known for the Ives-Stilwell experiment.
Vienna summit
Held in 1961 after the Bay of Pigs disaster, Kennedy and Khrushchev discussed Cuba, space, and atomic energy.
International Meridian Conference
Held in Washington D.C. (at Arthur's request) in 1884, this conference established the Greenwich Meridian as the zero longitude.
"Sex and the Single Girl"
Helen Gurley Brown's 1962 non-fiction novel encouraging women to become financially independent and have sex before marriage.
Ford Model T
Henry Ford's first mass produced car.
"Progress and Poverty"
Henry George's best-selling book that criticized entrepreneurs and advocated social reform through the imposition of a "single tax" on land.
Unity of Spain
It occurred in the late fifteenth century and resulted in westward exploration. 1) Marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. 2) Expulsion of infidel Muslim Moors from Spain.
1988 UCLA Presidential Debate
It was at this debate that Bernard Shaw asked Dem. Michael Dukakis "Governor, if Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?." In his response, he stuck by his pro-life opinion. This was deemed to be a significant cause of his defeat.
Giuseppe Zangara
It's believed this assassin intended to kill FDR when he accidentally shot like five other people that were standing next to him.
United States presidential election, 1856
James Buchanan won for the Democrats, defeating Republican John C. Frémont and Know Nothing Millard Fillmore. Buchanan crusaded for popular sovereignty while Frémont wanted an end to expansion of slavery.
United States presidential election, 1820
James Monroe was reelected virtually unopposed.
Oxnard Strike of 1903
Japanese and Mexican laborers teamed up to strike against wealthy landowners.
Metacom
Launched a series of attacks and raids against colonist towns in the 1670s
Alien and Sedition Acts
Laws passed by Congress during Adams' presidency suppressing freedom of speech. They were passed at the same time of the French Revolution.
Charles J. Guiteau
Lawyer who shot and killed President Garfield.
John J. Pershing
Lead America in the Mexican Revolutionary War and World War I.
March of the Paxton Boys
Lead by Scots-Irish to protest the Quakers' lenient policy towards the Indians.
Bacon's Rebellion
Lead by frustrated freeman Nathaniel Bacon, a mob of former indentured servants took Virginia into civil war after the governor refused to retaliate for Indian attacks. It was squashed after Bacon's sudden death and colonists now looked to Africa for servitude.
Jim Morrison
Lead singer of the rock band "The Doors" who died of a drug overdose.
Eliot Ness
Leader of "The Untouchables" fought against Chicago Anti-Prohibition.
Charles Manson
Leader of a cult which was responsible in 1969 for numerous killings.
Benjamin Bonneville
Man who lead the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains.
Stamp Act
Mandated the use of stamped paper or the affixing of stamps, certifying payment of tax. Following the success of nonimportation agreements, it was repealed in 1766.
John Rolfe
Married Pocahontas in 1614 ending the First Anglo-Powhatan War.
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King's open letter in which he preaches non-violent protest and a moral responsibility to break unjust laws.
Samuel Adams
Master propagandist and engineer of rebellion; formed the Sons of Liberty.
Woodland tribes
Native American tribes along the upper Atlantic seaboard. They moved seasonally. Men were responsible for hunting and fishing, women for agriculture.
New York City draft riots
Mobs of Irish working-class men and women roamed the streets for four days until federal troops suppressed them. They loathed the idea of being drafted to fight a war on behalf of slaves who, once freed, would compete with them for jobs. They targeted blacks and the wealthy, deadliest riots in American history ?
Jeannette Rankin
Montana, first woman in Congress.
Bridge Gulch Massacre
More than 150 Wintu people were killed by an American local police force.
Swing Around the Circle
Name for Johnson's political strategy in which he tried to gain the popular support of the people, he failed miserably.
Indian Citizenship Act
Passed to recognize the valor of Indian soldiers in World War I, it granted citizenship to all American-born Native Americans. AKA Snyder Act.
Petticoat affair
Peggy Eaton, wife of Secretary of War John Henry Eaton, was blacklisted by the wives of members of Jackson's cabinet due to her reputation as a hussy. Jackson demanded that their wives either be more friendly to Peggy Eaton or they resign, all members of his cabinet and his Vice President John C. Calhoun resign and Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet" is formed.
United States presidential election, 1968
Republican Nixon easily defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and segregationist George Wallace, on his promise of a return to law & order, following a year of riots and protests.
United States presidential election, 1888
Rep. Benjamin Harrison narrowly defeated Dem. Grover Cleveland, despite the popularity of Cleveland at the time.
Blaine Act
Repealed Prohibition laws in 1933, but not made official until the 21st Amendment.
21st Amendment
Repealed the 18th Amendment, and in turn repealing Prohibition.
Colorless colonial administration
Replaced the conquistadors in Mexico in the 1530s and Peru in the 1550s
United States presidential election, 1988
Republic George H.W. Bush defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis, who was nominated by an unexcited Democrat party that was initially eager for Jesse Jackson. Bush capitalized on a good economy, a stable international stage, and on President Ronald Reagan's popularity, running an aggressive campaign. Meanwhile, Dukakis' campaign suffered from several miscues, including failure to defend against Bush's attacks.
United States presidential election, 1924
Republican Calvin Coolidge won easily due to a split in the Democratic party. His Democratic challenger was the conservative John W. Davis, while his Progressive nominee Robert M. La Follette was the only candidate with differing views.
United States presidential election, 1920
Republican Harding defeated Democrat Cox. The public was not trusting of the Democratic party after the foreign policy and physical paralysis of Wilson.
Smith W. Brookhart
Republican Iowa senator, unseated by his caucus due to his criticisms of the Harding and Coolidge administrations.
United States presidential election, 1864
Republican Lincoln won re-election this time as a "National Unioner" over George McClellan who ran as a Democratic despite not agreeing at all with his party's platform.
Joseph Gurney Cannon
Republican Speaker of the House whose biased actions lead to the position of speaker being severely stripped in 1910.
Quartering Act of 1765
Required certain colonies to provide food and quarters for British troops.
The Mayans
Resided in Mexico
The Incas
Resided in Peru
"The Concert in Central Park"
Simon & Garfunkel's 1981 live recording of a concert attended by half a million people.
USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere
Single ship action during the War of 1812 which would prove to be a boost to American morale.
Brenda Spencer
Small scale 1979 school shooter who claimed she was violent because she doesn't like Mondays.
Black Bart
Stagecoach robber and gentleman bandit, he left poems at the scenes of his crimes.
Marilyn Monroe
Starlet known for her affair with President Kennedy.
Navigation Law of 1650
Stated that all goods flowing to and from the colonies could only be transported in British vessels. It was aimed to hurt rival Dutch shippers.
Platt Amendment
Stipulated the withdrawal of American troops from Cuba under the condition that we keep Guantanamo Bay Naval Base.
Homestead Strike
Strike at Andrew Carnegie's steel plant in which Pinkerton detectives clashed with steel workers. The worker's movement lost traction as a result.
Hanapepe massacre
Striking Filipino sugar workers in Hawaii were massacred by the U.S. military, ending all armed protests in Hawaii.
Tuskegee syphilis experiment
Study examined the progression of syphilis in black men without treatment, even until 1972 when a cure became available.
Inez Milholland
Suffragist and leader of the Women's Suffrage Parade of 1913.
Alice Paul
Suffragist whose work lead to the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Major export of the West Indies
Sugar
Lochner v. New York
Supreme Court case that decided against setting up an 8 hour work day for bakers, birthed the Lochner Era.
Inauguration of Zachary Taylor
Taylor refuses to be sworn in on the Sabbath and the Acting President technically becomes the President pro Tempore David Rice Atchison.
Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934
Teamsters violently striked against trucking companies, they were organized and lead by socialist and Trotskyist groups.
"An American in Paris"
Technicolor 1951 Gershwin directed musical starring Gene Kelly was a beloved smash.
Unabomber
Ted Kaczynski was the target of one of the FBI's costliest investigations. He sent multiple bombs to locations killing 3 people and injuring 23 in all.
"A Streetcar Named Desire"
Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize winning play.
Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs
The 1961 UN agreement foreshadowing the 80s War on Drugs.
Apollo 11
The 1969 space flight that landed American men on the surface of the moon.
Miracle on Ice
The 1980 victory of the American men's ice hockey team over their Soviet challengers.
Operation Urgent Fury
The 1983 U.S. invasion of Grenada, which took place in response to a bloody military coup orchestrated by the leftist New Jewel Movement- which was very popular with the Grenadian populace.
Operation El Dorado Canyon
The 1986 U.S. bombing of Tripoli and Benghazi ordered in retaliation for the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing.
Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston
The 21-year old bride of Grover Cleveland, their marriage became a source of intense media interest.
Reagan Revolution
The conservative realignment of American politics that took place in 1980, signalled by the Republicans taking control of the Congress for the first time in years.
1985 Beirut car bombing
The CIA killed more than 200 civilians in a failed attempt to execute Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah.
The CWA
The Civil Works Administration, this New Deal program created many short lived construction jobs which helped many survive the tough winter of 1933-34.
The CCC
The Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal work relief program which gave millions of young men the opportunity to work outside.
1958 Lebanon crisis
The Cold War played out in this political-religious ethnic conflict between America and the Soviet Union, in which America invaded Lebanon.
Edmunds Act
The Congressional Act which said bigamy is a felony.
National Labor Relations Board v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corporation
The Court found that sit-down strikes are illegal.
Erie Railroad Co. v. Tompkins
The Court overturned almost a century of federal civil procedure case law, and established the foundation of what remains the modern law of diversity jurisdiction as it applies to United States federal courts.
Treaty of Washington (1826)
The Creeks ceded much of their land in Georgia to the federal government.
1856 Democratic National Convention
The Democrats denied renomination to Franklin Pierce, over the Bleeding Kansas controversy, and gave it instead to James Buchanan.
Confederate States Constitution
The constitution of the Confederacy, it was very similar to the American constitution except that it emphasized states rights and slavery.
Topeka Constitution
The constitution written by Free-Staters which would've made Kansas a free state, it was supported by Pierce.
Tear down this wall!
The challenge issued by Pres. Reagan to Soviet Premier Gorbachev in 1987, initially ignored or criticized as "warmongering" it has risen to iconic status.
Massasoit
The chieftain of the Wampanoag, he signed a treaty with the Puritans and had Thanksgiving with them.
Haggar Clothing
The clothing company which introduced slacks in 1938.
Trinity
The code name of the first nuclear test, ordered by new president Truman for the Manhattan Project.
The Abraham Lincoln Brigade
The collective term for all American soldiers who volunteered in the Spanish Civil War fighting against the Franco and Spanish Nationalists.
Operation Desert Storm
The combat part of the Gulf War which occurred in 1990- a coalition of nations lead by the U.S.. The war was marked by the introduction of live news broadcasts from the front lines of the battle, principally by the U.S. network CNN. Early 1990s recession ended during this time.
Great American Novel
The concept of a novel that captures the spirit of the time in which it was written, the term was coined in 1868. Examples include: "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Sputnik 1
The first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched by the Soviet Union and triggered the Space Race in 1957.
The Mayflower Compact
The first attempt at a government in America.
Sarah E. Goode
The first black woman to receive a patent, on the hideaway bed.
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
The first conquistador, he claimed all land touched by the Pacific Ocean for Spain.
Elm Farm Ollie
The first cow to fly in an airplane.
Crawford Long
The first doctor to use anaesthesia on patients.
ENIAC
The first electronic general-purpose computer, completed by the U.S. Army and UPENN.
The Jazz Singer
The first ever "talkie."
Frederick Muhlenberg
The first ever Speaker of the House, he changed allegiances to the Anti-Administrations and lost his position.
Marietta
The first town established in the Northwest Territory.
William and Mary College
The first university established in Virginia.
First Vision
The first vision of Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr., which he received in the Spring of 1820.
Sandra Day O'Connor
The first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, in 1981 by Pres. Reagan. Her politics were center-right with liberal views on abortion.
Frances Perkins
The first women in the cabinet. She was secretary of labor and treated very harshly by the press, but was successful in pulling the labor unions into the New Deal.
The Five Families
The five ruling Italian-American mob families since the Castellammarese War, they are Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese.
Potawatomi Trail of Death
The forced removal by United States forces of members of the Potawatomi nation.
Frank Winfield Woolworth
The founder of five and ten cent stores, he pioneered the practice of buying merchandise direct from manufacturer, instead of haggling.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
The independence of these three countries was recognized by the U.S. in 1991.
Cassie Chadwick
The infamous name used by a Canadian woman who swindled U.S. banks out of millions of dollars.
Robert Ford
The infamous outlaw who assassinated his own leader Jesse James.
Tribal sovereignty
The inherent authority of indigenous tribes to govern themselves. It was a precedent established by jurisprudence during the onset of Manifest Destiny.
Robert Fulton
The inventor of the North River Steamboat, the first American steamboat
Samuel Colt
The inventor of the revolver.
Elias Howe
The inventor of the sewing machine.
Samuel Morse
The inventor of the telegraph.
William Austin Burt
The inventor of the typewriter.
Canadian Caper
The joint U.S.-Canadian effort in 1980 to save a handful of hostages from the Iranian embassy, immortalized in the film "Argo."
Plymouth Bay
The landing place of the Separatists in 1620 after leaving Holland.
Noah Webster
The man who created the first American dictionary.
John C. Frémont
The man who seized control of California from the Bear Flag Republic during the Mexican-American War.
John Hinckley, Jr.
The man who tried to shoot President-Elect Ronald Reagan in 1981 in an attempt to impress Jodie Foster.
Operation Babylift
The mass evacuation of children from South Vietnam to the United States which began in 1975 when a communist victory seemed inevitable.
Stamp Act Congress of 1765
The members drew up a statement of their rights and grievances and requested the king and Parliament to repeal the hated legislation. The meeting's ripples began to erode sectional suspicions (suspicions between the colonies), for it had brought together around the same table leaders from the different and rival colonies. It was one step towards intercolonial unity.
Ashley's Hundred
The men who responded to a flyer advertising an expedition for fur trapping.
Robert Morris
The minister of finance to the Continental Congress who appealed to them to create a national bank.
Marshall Plan
The plan to give money to struggling European nations so they could afford to pay back American debts to avoid another economic collapse.
Great White Fleet
The popular nickname for the United States Navy battle fleet that completed a circumnavigation of the globe from by order of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.
The Spanish Armada
The powerful Spanish navy which was defeated by Queen Elizabeth in 1580.
spoils system
The practice of a political party, after coming into power, giving government jobs away to friends or fundraisers.
United States presidential election, 1880
The primary issue was Republicans supporting high tariffs and the Democrats supporting low ones. Republican James A. Garfield easily defeated Democrat Winfield S. Scott in the electoral vote.
bootlegging
The process of illegally smuggling alcohol during Prohibition.
Geronimo
The prominent Apache leader who ended the thirty-year war between himself and the government by surrendering in 1886.
Hindenburg disaster
There were 35 fatalities when this stupid blimp thing caught on fire. The incident shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and marked the end of the airship era.
Flint-Worcester tornado outbreak sequence
These 1953 tornadoes killed more than 250 people and many blamed the government's nuclear testing for the disaster.
Xá Lợi Pagoda raids
These 1963 raids against Buddhist pagodas were part of the Buddhist Crisis and lead to the sending of Cable 243.
"Wings"
This 1927 film was the first to win Best Picture.
"Show Boat"
This 1927 play was a watershed moment in American musicals. It's racist overtones birthed the song "Ol' Man River."
Lend-Lease Act
This 1941 program, advocated by FDR, was a turn away from WW2 neutrality, as it allowed the president to supply allied nations with materiel.
"All About Eve"
This 1950 drama starring Bette Davis as an aging star in competition with an ambitious young fan swept at the Academy Awards.
Shopper's World
This 1951 Massachusetts shopping mall was one of the first in the United States.
Plane Crazy
This Disney short was the first to feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Strom Thurmond
This Dixiecrat South Carolina Senator gave a 24 hour filibuster in 1957 against a Civil Rights Bill.
"It's a Wonderful Life"
This Frank Capra film starring James Stewart is one of the most loved films in American cinema.
Wickersham Commission
This Hoover created commission established that Prohibition was a failure but acknowledged support for it anyway.
"On the Road"
This Jack Kerouac novel is the defining work of the Beat and Counterculture generations.
"Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health"
This L. Ron Hubbard book sets out self-improvement techniques he discovered, called dianetics. The canonical text of scientology.
Klaus Fuchs
This Manhattan Project scientist supplied information to the Soviets.
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
This Mark Twain novel was extremely popular and published a sympathetic view of the South, it's noted for being written almost entirely in vernacular.
"Today"
This NBC show was the first morning show in American history and one of the longest running shows period.
"Hopalong Cassidy"
This NBC show was the first televised western.
Securities Act of 1933
This New Deal law was the first federal act to regulate the trade and seal of securities.
Martha Washington Hotel
This New York City hotel was the first built solely for women.
Joseph Force Crater
This New York City judge disappeared never to be heard from again. This incident added to public disquiet about corruption in city government and was a factor in the downfall of the Tammany Hall political machine.
Hay-Herrán Treaty
This Panama Canal treaty passed the U.S. Congress, but failed in Columbia.
Stonewall riots
Triggered activist protests among gays and lesbians - police raided gay bar - people fought back - became symbol of oppression of LGBT community, began the gay rights movement.
Great Lakes Storm of 1913
This, the worst storm to ever hit the Great Lakes region, resulted in millions of dollars of losses.
United States presidential election, 1800
Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican) vs. John Adams (Federalist)A.K.A. the "Revolution of 1800" Chief political issues included: Taxes used to support the Quasi-War and the Alien and Sedition Acts.There was a split in the Federalist party between Hamilton and Adams.Jefferson and Aaron Burr won the same amount of electoral votes due to an electoral mistake, the vote went to the House of Representatives which eventually elected Jefferson president and Aaron Burr vice president.
Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination
Thomas was controversially nominated in 1991 by Pres. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall. Colleague Anita Hill accused Thomas of sexual harassment. His sexual harassment hearings were conducted by an all-male senate panel and he was eventually confirmed, leading many women to be upset.
Altamont Free Concert
Thought of as "the end of the sixties" it's intention was to be the "Woodstock in the West," but it is best remembered for violence.
The Great Disappointment
Thousands of Millerites, some of whom had given away all of their possessions, waited expectantly for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
SALT I
Treaty signed in 1972 between the U.S. and the USSR. This agreement limited the number of missiles in each nation and led to the SALT II discussions and a slowdown of the arms race between the two countries.
Great Locomotive Chase
Union spies in the South commandeered a train car and in the process damaged vital railway and telegraph lines.
Disneyland
Walt Disney oversaw construction of this 1955 Anaheim theme park.
Executive Order 9066
War hysteria sparked FDR's decision to sign this order, much to his wife's chagrin, which put all Japanese-Americans on the West coast in internment camps, as well as many Italians and Germans.
Lincoln County War
War that broke between rival cowboy factions of the Old West, between old timers and newcomers, to start a monopoly of dry food trade in Lincoln County.
King William's War and Queen Anne's War
Wars fought between Britain, France, and Spain in North America from 1689-1713 and were very good for the British.
Jessica McClure
When this baby fell into a well in 1987, fledgling news network CNN provided 'round-the-clock coverage, indoctrinating America into a whole new type of media coverage.
John Gotti
When this crime boss was arrested in 1990, it signaled the end of traditional mafia rule.
"The Power of Sympathy"
Widely considered to be the first American novel, it was written by William Hill Brown.
1992 Los Angeles riots
Widespread looting and racial violence was on display in these riots which occurred as a result of the acquittal of the officers who beat Rodney King and required federal intervention.
Lawrence Massacre
William Quantrill's bloody border gang's raid on Lawrence, Kansas that led to a massacre.
Revenue Act of 1913
Wilson signed this law into effect, reinstating the income tax and lowering tariff rates.
Newton D. Baker
Wilson's Secretary of War.
Volstead Act
Wilson's veto failed to stop this Prohibition bill from being passed.
Plessy v. Ferguson
a 1896 Supreme Court decision which legalized state ordered segregation so long as the facilities for blacks and whites were equal
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"
a 1953 film starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe, however, Monroe's pink dress and rendition of "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" became iconic.
United States House Committee on Appropriations
a committee responsible for setting specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States.
Chinese Exclusion Act
(1882) Denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country while allowing students and merchants to immigrate.
In re Debs
(1895) The government had a right to regulate interstate commerce and ensure the operations of the Postal Service.
Boynton v. Virginia
(1960) Supreme Court declares segregation on public transport unconstitutional.
Engel v. Vitale
(1962) Declared school prayer to be unconstitutional.
MANual Enterprises v. Day
(1962) Photographs of nude men (gay pornography) can not be censored because they are not obscene.
Baker v. Carr
(1962) The redistricting of state legislative districts is not a political question, and thus is justiciable by the federal courts.
Gideon v. Wainwright
(1963) Supreme Court declares states must provide lawyers with those who can't afford them.
Abington School District v. Schempp
(1963) The Court rules that Bible reading in public schools is unconstitutional.
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States
(1964) This case upheld the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending racial discrimination.
Miranda v. Arizona
(1966) Police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.
Loving v. Virginia
(1967) Declared laws prohibiting interracial marriage to be unconstitutional.
Summer of Love
(1967) peak of hippie counterculture movement, came into public view -- free love, music, sexual freedom, drugs
United States v. O'Brien
(1968) The Supreme Court finds it illegal to burn draft cards as freedom of expression.
Tinker v. Des Moines
(1969) Students can wear whatever they want to public school, within limit.
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
(1971) Upheld the constitutionality of busing to achieve desegregation.
New York Times Co. v. United States
(1971) Upheld the legality of the publishing of the Pentagon Papers.
Furman v. Georgia
(1972) The arbitrary and inconsistent methods of carrying out capital punishment make it unconstitutional, placing a moratorium on the death penalty.
Roe v. Wade
(1973) A controversial Supreme Court ruling which declared that no U.S. governments could pass a law denying a woman the right to obtain an abortion under the right to privacy of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
United States v. Washington
(1974) Allowed tribes in Washington to continue fishing their half of the salmon.
United States v. AT&T
(1974) An antitrust case which would eventually result in the breakup of the Bell System.
United States v. Nixon
(1974) The Supreme Court ruled, unanimously, that the president can't use executive privilege to withhold evidence. This ruling lead directly to Nixon's resignation.
Gregg v. Georgia
(1976) Reaffirmed the constitutionality of the death penalty, ended the de facto moratorium placed by Furman v. Georgia.
Henry Marrow
A black man violently murdered in a hate crime in 1970.
Boston Massacre
11 civilians who were part of a mob killed/wounded by British soldiers; depicted as a brutal slaughter in colonial newspapers.
The starving winter
1609-1610, only 60 settlers survived.
Salem Witch Trial
1629 outbreak of witchcraft accusations in a puritan village marked by an atmosphere of fear, hysteria and stress.
Leisler's Rebellion
1689-1691, an ill-fated bloody insurgency in New York City took place between landholders and aspiring merchants.
The Battle of Long Island
1776- First and largest Rev. War battle in which Americans lost Long Island.
Bike boom
1860s and 1890s, bicycles were extremely popular in America due to French and British innovations.
Portuguese immigration to Hawaii
1878-1913, Portuguese immigrants traveled to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane plantations.
Brooklyn Bridge
1883 Designed by John Roebling. Culturally significant to New York City, and architecturally significant for its usage of steel.
Johnson County War
1892, Wyoming Stock Growers Association hired gunmen to get rid of small operators accused of stealing cattle, eventually required federal intervention.
Panic of 1893
1893-1897 the United States was in one of its worst ever depressions as a result of bank runs and misplaced trust in silver and Argentina.
Butler Act
1925 Tennessee Law prohibiting the teaching of evolution.
Freedom Riders
1961 desegregation activists who caused a firestorm when they rode through the South.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964, gave Pres. Johnson the authorization for the use of "conventional" military force in Southeast Asia.
Free Speech Movement
1964-1965, a student protest which took place at the University of California, Berkeley over the student's right to protest and practice political activism. They were marked by many riots.
Martyrs' Day
1964. A riot broke out in the Panama Canal Zone over sovereignty resulting in the deaths of over 20 Panamanians.
Battle of Ia Drang
1965: First (and only) major battle between U.S. and North Vietnam.
Hough Riots
1966 Cleveland race riots caused by segregation.
Hard Hat Riot
1970- 1,000 students protesting the Kent State shootings are attacked by anti-communist construction workers.
Richard Chase
1970s serial killer known as "The Vampire of Sacramento."
Nixon Shock
1971, President Nixon declared the prohibition of the exchange between gold & dollars.
Biological Weapons Convention
1972, banned the use of biological weaponry.
Endangered Species Act
1973 legislation, one of the few dozens signed into law during the 1970s. Pres. Nixon signed this law- which was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction.
Mayaguez incident
1975- the final battle of the Vietnam War. The Khmer Rouge captured a U.S. merchant ship and 38 Americans are killed in the ensuing chaos.
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
1975- the first U.S.-Soviet space flight and a symbol of détente policy.
Thrilla in Manila
1975: final boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
"Bat Out of Hell"
1977 Album released by Meat Loaf.
"Saturday Night Fever"
1977 John Travolta film about the disco fad, caused kids to buy flare jeans (an updated version of bell bottoms).
Staggers Rail Act
1980 law that deregulated the railroads.
Bloody Monday
22 Irish-Catholics were killed by Protestants over a contested Democratic win over a "Know-Nothing" candidate in Kentucky.
Atlanta Race Riot
25-40 black deaths marked the KKK's resurgence in Atlanta.
Robert Charles Riots
28 died in this New Orleans race riot sparked after an African-American shot a white cop.
SS Central America
30,000 pounds of gold was lost when this ship sunk in a hurricane, contributing to the Panic of 1857.
North and South Korea dividing parallel:
38th parallel North, when the North crossed this parallel in 1950 the Korean War began.
Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
5000 people were killed in Philadelphia because of Yellow Fever spread by mosquitos. 20000 tried to flee but were rejected by major ports.
Charlie Chaplin
A "silent comedian," this movie star continued to lengthen the silent film style and offer an alternative to the sound film with his trademark tattered suit, derby hat, and cane, playing the "little tramp" who made audiences laugh with his silent jokes.
Marion Parker
A 12-year old girl kidnapped and murdered, her disapearance sparked the largest manhunt in U.S. history and showed the power of yellow journalism.
Treaty of Tordesillas
A 1494 agreement between Portugal and Spain, declaring that newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal.
Yoshihiro Hattori
A 16-year old Japanese citizen who was shot in Louisiana after knocking on the wrong door. His killer was acquitted sparking controversy.
The Armory Show
A 1913 exhibition of Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism movements.
Wall Street bombing
A 1920 terrorist attack carried out by anarchists.
The Arcade
A Victorian-Era inspired 1890 Cleveland shopping mall.
"Casablanca"
A 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman which played on the heightening of American patriotism during WW2 and became a culturally iconic motion picture.
"The King and I"
A 1950's Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about the relationship between a Thai king and a British schoolteacher.
"The African Queen"
A 1951 adventure film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
Checkers speech
A 1952 speech by Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon, in which he responded to controversy over him using donor funds to reimburse himself for campaign costs. His appeal was an early example of a politician successfully using television to appeal directly to the electorate.
Browder v. Gayle
A 1956 Supreme Court decision which ended the Montgomery Bus Boycotts by forcing them to desegregate.
Angela Davis
A 1960s counterculture radical and activist who proposed communism and Marxism.
Double Seven Day scuffle
A 1963 political altercation between Ngo Dinh Diem's secret police and American journalists.
The "Ich bin ein Berliner" Speech
A 1963 speech given by JFK in which he clearly stated U.S. policy in the wake of the construction of the Berlin Wall.
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
A 1963 treaty signed by the U.S., the U.K., and the Soviet Union which prohibited all test detonations of nuclear weapons except underground.
Selma to Montgomery marches
A 1965 march for voting rights. On "Bloody Sunday" a local police force of all white men attacked the protesters violently.
Watts Riots
A 1965 race riot in Los Angeles caused by police brutality and housing inequality and segregation.
"Respect"
A 1967 song made famous by Aretha Franklin, important for the feminist movement.
The Miss America protest
A 1968 protest against the Miss America competition. This type of protesting is associated with "bra-burning feminism."
Woodstock
A 1969 music festival held in upstate New York featuring some of the more popular performers of the time.
Intel 4004
A 1971 invention of Intel which would revolutionize computer technology.
USS Kitty Hawk riot
A 1972 race riot which prompted congressional inquiry into the nature of race in the Navy.
Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite
A 1973 Elvis Presley concert that was broadcast all over the world via satellite.
"Burst of Joy"
A 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning photograph of a Vietnam War veteran being reunited with his family.
Battle of the Sexes
A 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Baltimore police strike
A 1974 labor action in which the police department of Baltimore went on strike-resulting in increased looting and fires in the city as well as cop discontent in other major cities.
"The Rocky Horror Show"
A 1975 musical which was received in New York City with surprising apathy, and was subsequently deemed a failure.
Golden Dragon massacre
A 1977 San Francisco shooting which brought national attention to Asian gangs.
Briggs Initiative
A 1978 law which would've banned gays and lesbians from working in schools. Public opinion turned against it after Gov. Reagan and Pres. Carter spoke against it.
Three Mile Island accident
A 1979 nuclear meltdown in New York which crystallized anti-nuclear safety concerns.
"Murphy Brown" Speech
A 1992 speech by Vice President Dan Quayle in which he bashed single mothers and the Los Angeles riotters.
Elvis Presley
A 20th century cultural icon, he starred in numerous films and had many hit songs.
Travis Walton
A 22-year old man who garnered national attention in 1975 when he claimed to have been abducted by aliens.
"Hair"
A 60s musical that was a product of the hippie counterculture and sexual revolution movement.
Jesse Jackson
A Baptist minister who launched a surprisingly successful presidential campaign beginning in 1983.
Sea Scouting
A Boy Scouts program which allowed young adults to learn about a life at sea.
General Braddock
A British general who set out to capture Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, his force was slaughtered by the much smaller French and Indian Army in what is known as Braddock's Blunder, gave the French an early advantage.
RMS Lusitania
A British oceanliner sunk by German u-boats.
John André
A British officer hanged by the Continental Army for being a spy aiding Benedict Arnold.
Battle of Stoney Creek
A British victory in the War of 1812 and a turning point in the American campaign to capture upper Canada.
Project MKUltra
A CIA operation experimenting in the biological conditioning of humans.
Robertson Panel
A CIA ordered scientific committee which met to discuss the increased number of UFO sightings from 1950-1952.
Donner Party
A California wagon train which became snow trapped and had to resort to cannibalism to survive.
SS Eastland
A Chicago passenger ship that capsized and left over 800 dead.
Chiang Kai-shek
A Chinese political leader FDR agreed to lend money to angering the Japanese.
Jeremiah Evarts
A Christian missionary strongly opposed to the Indian Removal Act.
Battle of Shiloh
A Civil War battle in Tennessee in which the Union army gained greater control over the Mississippi River valley
Crittenden-Johnson Resolution
A Civil War resolution which stated that the war was being fought to restore the Union as it was under the Constitution, and not the abolition of slavery. Its significance was that it was passed in order to keep the slave border states from leaving the Union and joining the Confederacy.
détente
A Cold War tactic of gradually easing U.S.-Soviet tensions practiced during the presidencies of Nixon and Ford.
"Anything Goes"
A Cole Porter musical which premiered on Broadway in 1934 starring Ethel Merman.
Henry Wirz
A Confederate officer hanged for the barbaric conditions in his POW camps.
Oliver Ellsworth
A Connecticut delegate at the Constitutional Convention who motioned that the nation should be called the United States.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
A Cooperstown, New York baseball museum.
World AIDS Day
A December 1st holiday created in 1988.
Howell Cobb
A Democrat elected Speaker of the House in 1848 despite no majority of votes having been achieved in his names.
Ella T. Grasso
A Democrat in Connecticut elected in 1975, she was popularized as the first female governor elected "in her own right."
Gary Hart
A Democratic politician, considered a frontrunner in 1988, whose career was constantly plagued by allegations of womanizing.
Virgil Earp
A Deputy U.S. Marshall who failed to civilize the city of Tombstone, being maimed by gang runners.
"Of Mice and Men"
A Dust Bowl-set novella by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck.
Marco Polo
A European explorer whose documented adventures sparked interest in discovering a faster route to Asia.
Farmers' Alliance
A Farmers' organization founded in late 1870s; worked for lower railroad freight rates, lower interest rates, and a change in the government's tight money policy. Eventually became the People's (Populist) Party.
Samuel Chase
A Federalist-leaning Supreme Court Justice who was impeached by the Democratic-Republican Congress because he was accused of being biased, he was acquitted of all charges.
Jacques Cartier
A French explorer who claimed Canada for France and discovered the St. Lawrence River.
Martin Luther
A German friar who began the Protestant Reformation by denouncing the Church.
Ypiranga incident
A German ship was briefly captured while America was occupying Veracruz as a result of the Tampico Affair.
Sweetest Day
A Great Lakes holiday in which you bestory romantic deeds or expressions.
1984 United States embassy annex bombing
A Hezbollah orchestrated car bombing in Lebanon.
Imre Nagy
A Hungarian politicians whose execution by the Soviets was described as "a shocking act of cruelty" by the US.
USS Panay incident
A Japanese attack on a docked U.S. gunboat, which the Japanese claimed they didn't know was American. Japan apologized and paid restitutions, nonetheless, U.S. opinion against them fell.
Tsushima Maru
A Japanese passenger ship carrying over 700 schoolchildren which was torpedoed by the Americans.
Takeo Yoshikawa
A Japanese spy in Hawaii before the Pearl Harbor attack.
Leo Frank
A Jewish-American who was lynched for the alleged rape and murder of a young woman.
"The Grapes of Wrath"
A John Steinbeck realist novel set during the Great Depression about a family driven from their Oklahoma home to California by drought, economic hardship, agricultural industry changes and bank foreclosures.
Ash-Shiraa
A Lebanese magazine that was the first, in 1986, to report the Iran-Contra Affair.
1986 Berlin discotheque bombing
A Libyan attack on a club frequented by American soldiers, despite only three deaths, Pres. Reagan ordered retaliatory strikes in on Tripoli and Benghazi.
Ricky Kasso
A Long Island teenager who murdered his acquaintance in 1984. The news was sensationalized because of fear of Satanic rituals and Kasso's interest in heavy metal music.
Squeaky Fromme
A Manson cult family member who attempted to assassinate Pres. Ford in 1975 over his environmental policies.
Sara Jane Moore
A Manson cult family member who in 1975, after her partner Squeaky Fromme's attempt failed, tried to assassinate Pres. Ford.
Maryland Toleration Act
A Maryland document which granted toleration to all Christians.
Commonwealth v. Hunt
A Massachusetts Supreme Court decision recognizing the constitutionality of labor unions.
Jonathan Edwards
A Massachusetts preacher who began the Great Awakening with his alive style of preaching. He said that through faith in God, not good works, one could achieve eternal salvation.
Pancho Villa
A Mexican revolutionary whose violent actions on the New Mexican border caused Wilson to deploy 12000 troops to find and kill him.
Rubén Salazar
A Mexican-American journalist killed by police in 1970. An instance of anti-Chicanoism at the time.
Battle of Valcour Island
A Revolutionary War battle considered to be the first one for the American Navy. It took place in Valcour Bay and was a victory for the British.
"South Pacific"
A Rodgers and Hammerstein musical which became an instant classic.
Osceola
A Seminole leader kidnapped by the American Army during the Second Seminole War to be used as a negotiating tactic.
"Simple Gifts"
A Shaker dance song
Wreck of the Old 97
A Southern Railroad crash which inspired a ballad which is the basis of all country music.
Ku Klux Klan
A Southern organization formed in opposition of Reconstruction and for the purpose of repressing freed slaves.
Sergei Eisenstein
A Soviet Russian film theorist and director, his abstract concepts proved too on-the-fringe for American audiences.
TV Martí
A Spanish language TV station which began broadcasting to Cuba in 1990.
United States v. The Amistad
A Supreme Court case which found that the Africans who seized control of the slave ship the Amistad had done so legally, as their kidnapping itself was illegal.
Charles F. Urschel
A Texas oilman kidnapped by Machine Gun Kelly.
Eddie Leonski
A U.S. Army soldier during World War 2 who, while deployed in Australia, strangled 3 civilian women to death so he could "take their voices."
Alcee Hastings
A U.S. District Court judge impeached and removed from office in 1989.
Walter Nixon
A U.S. federal judge impeached and removed from office in 1989.
Stephen Decatur
A U.S. naval officer who burned the USS Philadelphia during the First Barbary War because it was captured by the Tripolitis
David Durenberger
A U.S. senator denounced in 1990 for unethical economic activities.
The Allegheny Arsenal
A Union arsenal which exploded mysteriously prior to the Battle of Antietam, killing 74 teenage girls who were volunteering for the Army. The tragedy was quickly overshadowed by Antietam.
The Tet Offensive
A Viet Cong fighting style debuted in 1968 which involved direct guerilla attacks against South Vietnam, including the U.S. embassy in Saigon. Lowered morale among American troops and made the war more difficult to win.
Douglas MacArthur
A WW2 general appointed by FDR as commander of all U.S. forces in the Philippines, he played a prominent role in the Pacific theater. He also played a role in the Korean War, but was asked by Truman to step down in 1951 after making statements contrary to his administration.
Jicarilla War
A War fought between Apaches and New Mexico, began by Apache raids of New Mexican settlements.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education
A War on Drugs program launched in 1983 that is frequently accused of being ineffective.
"Don Juan"
A Warner Brothers film about a man who kisses 126 different women. First to be made with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects.
Howard Unruh
A World War II veteran who walked through his home neighborhood with a gun, America's first single-episode murderer.
Universal Product Code
A bar code system for items which began in America in 1974.
Battle of Wyoming
A battle between Loyalists (accompanied by Iroquois) who slaughtered Patriots.
Crawford expedition
A battle between the Americans and the Indians in which the Indians savagely and deservedly crushed the Americans.
Battle of the Thames
A battle fought during the War of 1812 which resulted in the death of Tecumseh.
Siege of Fort Stanwix
A battle in which Indians indiscriminately fought for either side.
Battle of the Assunpink Creek
A battle in which Washington defeated Cornwallis and caused the British to withdraw from most of New Jersey.
Siege of Savannah
A battle in which numerous Haitian troops aided the Patriots.
Battle of Brandywine
A battle in which the British captured Philadelphia, the American capital at the time.
Battle of Fort Washington
A battle in which the British took control of New York and eastern New Jersey, sending Washington's troops into Pennsylvania.
Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1780)
A battle in which the Spanish were defeated by the British defending the colonists.
Battle of Hubbardton
A battle which took place following the siege of Fort Ticonderoga in which the British lost enough troops to stop pursuing the Continental Army.
Battle of Tippecanoe
A battle which was part of Tecumseh's War. The American forces lead by William Henry Harrison versus the Native Americans lead by Tenskwatawa . The Americans had a number of casualties but succeeded in their goal of destroying the city of Prophetstown.
Battle of Iwo Jima
A battle with a large death toll due to the Japanese kamikaze fighting style but little actual outcome.
"M*A*S*H"
A beloved TV series which aired its very popular series finale in 1983.
Hands Across America
A benefit event and publicity campaign staged in 1986 in which approximately 6.5 million people held hands in a human chain for fifteen minutes along a path across the continental United States.
LOOK
A bi-weekly general interest magazine similar to Life.
Macon's Bill Number 2
A bill passed by Congress to motivate Britain and France to stop stealing American ships during the Napoleonic Wars.
Force Bill
A bill signed by Jackson designed to strongarm South Carolina during the Nullification Crisis.
Bill to Re-Establish the Second Bank of the United States
A bill vetoed by new president John Tyler, his decision lead to rioting outside the White House by Whig party members.
Jack Johnson
A black boxer who defeated a white boxer sparking race riots.
MOVE
A black liberation group which came under attack by the U.S. government in 1985.
Rainey Bethea
A black man hanged for rape in Kentucky. Mistakes in performing the hanging and the surrounding media circus contributed to the end of public executions in the United States.
Arthur McDuffie
A black man whose death at the hands of four acquitted white officers resulted in the 1980 Miami riots.
Wayne Williams
A black serial killer arrested in 1981, assumed to be the culprit behind over 20 child murders.
Willie Edwards
A black truck driver drowned in 1957 by the Alabama Ku Klux Klan.
Rosa Parks
A black woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus in 1955 sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycotts and the Civil Rights Movement.
Toledo War
A bloodless war between Ohio and Michigan over control of the Toledo Strip.
Castellammarese War
A bloody power struggle over control of the Italian-American mafia which resulted in the creation of the Five Families.
United States Metric Board
A board formed under the Metric Conversion Act and disbanded by Pres. Reagan in 1982.
"The Birds of America"
A book published in the 1820s containing illustrations of numerous birds in the United States, it was popular internationally.
Indianapolis Streetcar Strike of 1913
A breakdown in public order triggered by a strike of streetcar operators.
Teapot Dome scandal
A bribery incident which smeared the face of the Harding presidency involving Sec. of the Interior Albert B. Fall.
Staten Island Peace Conference
A brief conference held in the hope of bringing an end to the Revolutionary War. It was held days after the British captured Long Island.
Black Hawk War
A brief conflict under Jackson caused by a peaceful migration of Native Americans into Illinois. Numerous Native Americans were killed in this war which was fought by the U.S. Army.
Arikara War
A brief war fought between the United States and Arikara Native Americans, the first of many engagements with Western Native American tribes.
Federal Hall
A building which originally served as the meeting place of Congress while New York City was the U.S. capitol.
United States Department of Energy
A cabinet created by Pres. Carter in 1977.
War on Drugs
A campaign began in the 1970s, but really revved up during Pres. Reagan's terms. It resulted in numerous inner city citizens being arrested for nonviolent drug offenses.
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
A cartoon which dealt with bizarre and unbelievable (sometimes fabricated) facts and events.
United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind
A case which found that Indian people are not white, and therefore ineligible for naturalization.
Algonquin Round Table
A celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits who made phenomenal contributions to literature.
The Jackson Censure
A censure imposed by Congress in response to Jackson refusing to turn over documentation relating to his decision to veto the renewal charter of the Second Bank of the United States.
Edward Douglass White
A centrist Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Anthony Kennedy
A centrist Supreme Court justice appointed in 1988 as a compromise after Bork's failed appointment.
Second Bank of the United States charter
A charter to renew the Second Bank of the United States which was vetoed by Jackson.
Pontiac
A chief of the Ottawas who, with the French, tried to drive the British out of the Ohio River Valley.
Crazy Horse
A chief of the Sioux who resisted the invasion of the Black Hills and joined Sitting Bull in the defeat of General Custer at Little Bighorn.
Church of Satan
A church founded in 1966 centered around the satanic bible. It was indicative of the darker side of the counterculture movement.
The Creek War
A civil war within the Creek Nation which the United States eventually involved itself in by joining the Lower Creeks to attack the Red Stick Creeks.
He Dog
A close associate of Crazy Horse.
Federal Rules of Evidence
A code of evidence law which went into effect in 1975 in response to the Nixon resignation.
Great Blue Norther of November 11, 1911
A cold snap that affected the central U.S., states broke record highs and record lows on the same day.
Vinland
A colony in Newfoundland settled by Leif Ericson.
New Sweden
A colony on the Delaware river which was defeated and taken by the Dutch.
Statue of Liberty
A colossal sculpture in New York City gifted to America by a French artist, although initially unpopular with Nativists, it eventually become synonymous with the American ideal of liberty.
Bob Hope
A comedian who worked USO shows.
Korean Air Lines Flight 007
A commercial airliner shot down in 1983 by the USSR, killing a U.S. Congressman. The Soviet government claimed the plane was on a spy mission, but the American consensus was that the Soviets were trying to provoke a war. It was one of the tensest moments of the Cold War, caused the Reagan administration to allow worldwide access to the U.S. military's GPS technology.
American Fur Company
A company founded by John Jacob Astor which grew to monopolize the fur trade.
New Amsterdam
A company town on Manhattan Island (purchased by the Dutch from the Indians for virtually nothing.)
Black Monday (1987)
A complex market drop, when it occurred the government did nothing and the crisis resolved itself.
Seattle General Strike
A concentration of Red Scare sentiments, this strike was broken up in five days.
Harriet Tubman
A conductor of the Underground Railroad and spy for the North.
New England Confederation
A confederation consisting of four Puritan colonies.
Erie Gauge War
A conflict between the citizens of Erie, Pennsylvania and two railroad companies.
Pig War
A confrontation under Buchanan revolving around the shooting of a pig, it lead to border hostilities in the San Juan Islands.
Buttonwood Agreement
A constitution which created the New York Stock Exchange.
Treaty of Wanghia
A diplomatic agreement between Pres. Tyler and Qing China, in which the U.S. declared the opium trade unconstitutional.
Robert Bork
A constitutional originalist and Supreme Court nominee, rejected by a Democratic Senate in 1987.
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
A controversial 1962 play by Edward Albee about a couple with marriage problems.
"The Scarlet Letter"
A controversial American novel, and a Transcendentalist watershed.
Sun Myung Moon
A controversial Korean religious leader who was influential in the 1970s Eastern Religious Movement. His followers saw him as a True Father while his critics called him a cult leader. In 1982 he was arrested for tax fraud.
Robert Mapplethorpe
A controversial artists whose homoerotic artwork fueled a debate in the 1980s and 90s over the role of the government in funding art.
Declaration of Sentiments
A controversial document signed at the Seneca Falls Convention which called for rights for women.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
A controversial part of the Compromise of 1850, it demanded that all slaves must be returned to their owners.
William "Boss" Tweed
A corrupt politician who embezzled millions of taxpayer dollars from New Yorkers.
Joe Hin Tjio
A cytogeneticist, the first to discover the correct number of chromosomes in 1955.
1856 Last Island hurricane
A deadly Louisiana hurricane which hurt the New Orleans tourism industry.
Malbone Street Wreck
A deadly New York subway crash which lead to rapid transit reformations.
Ruby Ridge
A deadly confrontation in 1992 between the FBI and Randy Weaver. It contributed to the growth of the militia movement.
Great Train Wreck of 1856
A deadly train collision which lead to an increase in train regulation.
Half-Way Covenant
A decision by Puritan officials to boost membership, it allowed for the baptism, but not full communion, of the children of existing members.
Battle of Bennington
A decisive victory for the rebels; they caused a heavy amount of British casualties, caused the Indians to abandon them, and encouraged the French to aide them.
1821 Norfolk and Long Island hurricane
A destructive hurricane which made landfall in New York City.
Cotton gin
A device invented by Eli Whitney which increased reliance on slave labor.
John Cotton
A devoted Puritan minister of the Bay Colony.
Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
A federal law passed to regulate the railroad industry.
Residence Act
A federal law that settled the U.S. capitol as somewhere above the Potomac.
Malinche
A female Indian slave who assisted Cortes in conquering Mexico by being his translator.
Aileen Wuornos
A female serial killer and prostitute sentenced to death in 1991.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
A feminist figure who planned the Seneca Falls Convention with Lucretia Mott, but whose views were more liberal than hers. She signed the Declaration of Sentiments.
The NOW
A feminist organization founded in 1966.
Superman
A fictional character and an American cultural icon who emerged when superheroes were very popular during the 1930s.
Pat Robertson
A figure in the 1980's religious revival, his unsuccessful crusade for the Republican nomination in 1988 has made him a controversial figure.
Adam Walsh
A figure in the missing children's movement after he was murdered in 1981.
Panic of 1837
A financial crisis during Van Buren's presidency which he received the blame for, despite it being the fault of previous president Jackson.
Panic of 1857
A financial panic under Buchanan caused by international economic decline, it was officially ended by the Civil War.
Kingsland Explosion
A fire at a New Jersey munitions factory which lead to American involvement in World War I.
Thumb Fire
A fire in the Thumb of Michigan so powerful soot covered the sky in the Northeast.
Great Fire of Pittsburgh
A fire which destroyed Pittsburgh.
Great New Orleans Fire (1788)
A fire which killed 25% of the population of New Orleans
WrestleMania
A flamboyant style of wrestling which emerged in 1985 with much fanfare.
Water hyacinth
A flower introduced to America in 1884 which quickly invaded nearly the entire United States.
Proclamation of Neutrality
A formal announcement enforced by Washington declaring American neutrality in any conflict between Britain and France.
The Grange
A fraternal organization founded in 1867 with the intent of unifying agricultural families.
Denmark Vesey
A freed slave who was hanged for plotting a slave revolt, he became a hero for black abolitionists.
Flint Sit-Down Strike
A fringe group called the United Automobile Workers went against General Motors and, as a result, the U.S. auto industry became unionized.
George Washington's Farewell Address
A letter written by Washington near the end of his second term in which he said international involvement and political parties would tear the nation in part.
The Comstock Lode
A lode of silver ore which was located in Utah and caused a mass migration to the area. Lead to technological advances and the economic stability of Nevada and San Francisco.
The Iroquois Confederacy
A loose political alliance of five Indian nations, it was formed around 1451 and was finally destroyed during the American Revolution.
National Crime Syndicate
A loosely organized, multi-ethnic organized crime syndicate.
SS Morro Castle
A luxury ocean liner on which a fire broke out mysteriously leading to over 130 deaths.
National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights
A major 1979 march in DC, the first of many.
Bath School disaster
A man bombed a schoolhouse in 1927 killing around 37 children, the first of the school massacres that would come to greatly increase in number from the 1990s to present day.
John Hanson
A man elected president of the Continental Congress.
Richard Lawrence
A man who tried to assassinate president Jackson, Jackson himself believed the man to be a part of a conspiracy.
Larry Walters
A man who, in 1982, flew a lawn chair by attaching weather balloons to it.
"Lone Ranger"
A masked former Texas Ranger who fights evil in the Wild West with his Indian friend Tonto. An American cultural icon with a radio show.
Mariel boatlift
A mass exodus of Cuban immigrants to Florida occurring in the year 1980.
Artificial heart
A medical device first employed in 1982.
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
A meeting assembled in order to discuss inequalities in the representation system.
Malta Summit
A meeting between Pres. Bush, Sr. and Gorbachev taking place a few weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in which it is implied that the Cold War may soon be over.
The Constitutional Convention
A meeting held in Philadelphia to address the problems with the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution was created as a result.
Hartford Convention
A meeting in which Federalists met to discuss their grievances. However, Andrew Jackson's military win resulted in their disgrace and the end of the federalist party.
General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
A meeting which forms the governing body of the entire Episcopal church.
Robert C. Weaver
A member of FDR's Black Cabinet, he was the first African-American in the cabinet in 1966. Appointed by LBJ.
The Regulator movement
A nasty insurrection in North and South Carolina against corrupt colonial officials.
Pullman Strike
A national railway workers strike which failed after president Cleveland ordered government intervention.
Chesapeake-Leopard Affair
A naval engagement off the coast of Virginia, the British Army boarded the USS Chesapeake looking for Royal Navy deserters. The ensuing battle lead to cries of war by the American public.
Love Canal
A neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York evacuated in 1978 after Pres. Carter discovered it was built on a toxic waste dump.
John Peter Zenger
A newspaper editor who was found not guilty for printing criticisms of the royal New York governor, paving the way for Freedom of Speech.
America First Committee
A non-interventionist WW2 pressure group headed by Charles Lindbergh. After Lindbergh began spouting anti-semitic and anti-war rhetoric he was publicly condemned.
March of Dimes
A nonprofit organization began by FDR to treat polio victims.
September Morn
A painting by a French artist which attracted a public decency fine when displayed in America.
The Association
A paper crafted by the 1st Continental Congress which called for a complete boycott of British goods.
A Declaration of Rights
A paper drafted by the 1st Continental Congress to the British dominion asking them to repeal the Intolerable Acts.
Wide Awakes
A paramilitary campaign organization of young men associated with the Republican Party which arose around the 1860 election.
Going postal
A phrase referring to a series of post office shootings which began in 1986.
Read my lips: no new taxes
A phrase spoken by Pres. Bush, Sr. at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Unfortunately, it would hurt him in re-election, as he signed necessary tax increases in 1990 to prevent inflation.
SALT II
A piece of detente legislation signed by Pres. Carter and Brezhnev in 1979.
Postal Service Act
A piece of legislation that established the U.S. Post Office Department.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A pioneering Russian composer whose works made a big splash in America.
Atlantic Charter
A pivotal policy statement released in 1941 by FDR and Winston Churchill, and later agreed to by all Allied nations. It stated the goals of this war were not territorial grabs, but to restore democracy and economic prosperity to the people.
United Airlines Flight 629
A plane which was blown up in 1955 by a man who wished to collect a life insurance policy on his mother.
"The Raven"
A poem written by Edgar Allen Poe.
"The Day of Doom"
A poem written by Michael Wigglesworth.
LaRouche movement
A political movement which began in the 1960s being founded by Lyndon LaRouche. Its leftist philosophies promoted culture and science. In 1988, LaRouche and 25 associates were convicted on fraud charges related to fundraising. The movement called the prosecutions politically motivated. The movement has seen success in certain European and Latin American countries.
Tammany Hall
A political organization within the Democratic Party in New York city (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism. Lead by Boss Tweed.
Whig Party
A political party opposed to Jackson's economic and social conservatism.
Anti-Masonic Party
A political party which survived for only a decade and was based solely on the belief that Freemasonry was evil. It is significant because it gained several seats in the House of Representatives and introduced nominating conventions and party platforms into American politics.
A. B. plot
A political scandal involving a Sen. Edwards from Illinois and William H. Crawford, Sec. of the Treasury. Sen. Edwards published anonymous letters lambasting Crawford and demanded he be removed for his economic policies. A congressional committee exonerated Crawford and Edwards political career was ruined.
Philip Barton Key II
A politician who was murdered after sleeping with the wife of politician Daniel Sickles, the ensuing trial was a media frenzy as Sickles was declared not guilty.
Jesse Fell
A politician who was the first to successfully burn anthracite.
Walden Pond
A pond where author Henry David Thoreau formed transcendentalism.
Apple Lisa
A poorly selling Apple P.C. released in 1983.
"The Music Man"
A popular Broadway musical of 1957.
San Francisco Committee of Vigilance
A popular ad hoc organization formed in 1851 which lynched gangsters and corrupt politicians.
The American Temperance Society
A popular group formed in 1826 committed to abolitionism, temperance, and women's rights.
The Shadow
A popular radio serial.
The Pequots
A powerful New England tribe slaughtered by English settlers.
Daylight saving time
A practice of advancing clocks during the summer which went into widespread use at earlier and earlier times of the year during the 1970s in response to the energy crisis.
Cocoanut Grove fire
A premier Boston nightclub which was the scene of a 1942 fire which killed 492. The enormity of the tragedy shocked the nation and briefly replaced the events of World War II in newspaper headlines. It led to a reform of safety standards and codes across the country, and major changes in the treatment and rehabilitation of burn victims.
African Methodist Episcopal Church
A primarily African-American Methodist religious denomination founded by Richard Allen.
Kenneth Arnold
A private pilot who claimed nine, shiny UFOs. Caused a huge media flap.
Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union
A proclamation announced before Lincoln's inauguration that South Carolina is leaving the Union, beginning the Civil War.
Apollo program
A program of space flights undertaken by US (Kennedy) to land a man on the moon.
DOCUMERICA
A program sponsored by the EPA from 1972-1977 to gather photographic evidence of environmental concerns all over America.
Captain Myles Standish
A prominent Indian killing captain on the Mayflower.
William Pitt
A prominent man of London known as "The Great Commoner," attacked and captured Louisbourg during the French and Indian War.
Etan Patz
A young boy who went missing in 1979, sparking the missing child's movement.
Puritans
A religious group that wanted to see Catholicism leave England very quickly.
Shakers
A religious sect founded by Mother Ann Lee which was based on unique dancing and equality among the sexes.
Andrew Wyeth
A relist American painter whose works, "Christina's World" and "the Helga Pictures" were very popular in the mid-20th century.
Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy
A remark made during the 1988 United States vice-presidential debate by Democratic vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen to Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle. The affair increased the Democrats popularity and showed the incompetence of Quayle.
United States presidential election, 1900
A rematch between McKinley and Bryant, since McKinley's old running mate had died the nominating convention selected Roosevelt to run with him which is why he won.
Vermont Republic
A republic which was created during the Revolutionary War in which Vermont declared independence from New York. While some wanted complete independence, most wanted to be a part of the United States which they eventually were.
Report of 1800
A resolution drafted by James Madison in which he supported the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions, supporting the states' right to nullification.
Pushmataha
A respected leader of the Choctaw tribe.
Delmonico's
A restaurant opened in New York in 1827, it was extremely innovative as well as influential.
Remington Model 1858
A revolver which saw use in the American West and by the Union during the Civil War.
Broad Street Riot
A riot in Boston against Irish immigrants.
"It Happened One Night"
A romantic-comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, it swept at the Academy Awards and was an insanely popular film.
The Business Plot
A scheme in which wealthy business owners created a fascist league of war veterans for the purpose of overthrowing President FDR.
New London School explosion
A school explosion in Texas in 1937 left 295 dead.
Enrico Fermi
A scientist working on the Manhattan Project who, while doing so, discovered the first nuclear chain reaction.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial
A sculpture carved into granite. It remains unfinished because of the Great Depression.
The Molly Maguires
A secret Irish organization of coal miners in regions of western Pennsylvania and West Virgina in the mid to late 1800's. The miners worked together to achieve better working conditions, and when demands weren't met, they protested by destroying mining equipment and other activities. They were eventually brought down by a Pinkerton detective, and some alleged members had trials and were hanged.
Nullification Crisis
A sectional crisis during Jackson's presidency in which South Carolina threatened to secede over their power to declare the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional.
Half-Breed Tract
A segment of land designated specifically for "mixed bloods," people of European and Native American descent.
Lever House
A seminal glass box skyscraper in Midtown that marked a transitional period for architecture.
"Top Gun"
A sensationally popular and distinctly 1986 film starring Tom Cruise.
Chicago Tylenol murders
A series of 1982 poisonings that lead to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter substances and to federal anti-tampering laws.
"Federalist Papers"
A series of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.
Lincoln-Douglas debates
A series of debates about slavery between Republican senate candidate Abraham Lincoln and Democrat candidate Stephen Douglas. Lincoln would ultimately lose the election.
Tillamook Burn
A series of forest fires in Northern Oregon that destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of old growth timber.
Kitchen Debate
A series of impromptu exchanges in 1959 between then Vice President Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev captured on videotape.
Latter Day Saint movement
A series of independent church groups that can trace their origins to a Christian primitivist movement started by Joseph Smith, Jr. during the Second Great Awakening.
Fourteen Points
A series of proposals in which U.S. president Woodrow Wilson outlined a plan for achieving a lasting peace after World War I.
Great Moon Hoax
A series of six newspaper articles which claimed that life was found on the moon.
Fireside chats
A series of thirty evening radio addresses given by FDR during his presidency. His cheery voice and disposition allowed him to become one of the most popular presidents ever and hide the ravaging side effects of his polio.
Munich Agreement
A settlement permitting Germany annexing portions of Czechoslovakia. Winston Churchill declared the agreement to be a defeat and called upon America to prepare to battle Hitler.
Early 1980s recession
A severe recession which lasted for six months. It was caused by contractionary monetary policy undertaken by the Federal Reserve to combat double digit inflation and residual effects of the energy crisis. It caused a move from Keynesian economics towards neoliberal policies.
Recession of 1958
A sharp economic downturn during Eisenhower's presidency which lead to significant political gains for the Democrats.
Trent Affair
A ship carrying Confederate ambassadors going to England to try and work out an alliance was attacked by Union ships which captured everyone on board, including some Englishmen. England was outraged at this and threatened war, but Lincoln issued an apology.
USS Jeannette
A ship used in a failed mission in 1881 to find the North Pole.
PS General Slocum
A ship which caught fire in the New York harbor and sank, killing over 1000.
"Flowers and Trees"
A short Disney cartoon, the first film to be released in full Technicolor.
NeXT
A short-lived computer company founded by Steve Jobs in 1985 after he was forced out of Apple.
Nullifier Party
A short-lived political party started by John C. Calhoun in South Carolina. Its' major belief was that states could nullify federal laws.
New Mexico State Penitentiary riot
A sickeningly violent 1980 prison riot.
Pure Food and Drug Act
A significant consumer protection act passed after "The Jungle."
Georgia Gold Rush
A significant gold rush which caused a migration to Georgia in 1829. Most of the gold was gone by the early 1840s and prospectors moved West to California.
Joan Baez
A singer/songwriter in the 1960's who used music and her reputation to make civil rights and nonviolence important issues in the publics eyes
Hollywood Black Friday
A six month strike of set designers lead to a bloody riot at the gates of Warner Bros. Studios.
1938 New England hurricane
A very powerful and costly storm which struck the Northeast.
Steel strike of 1919
A very weak strike occurring during the First Red Scare which eventually failed.
Atari 2600
A video game console released in 1977 that popularized the use of more advanced video game systems.
Nintendo Entertainment System
A video game system released in 1985.
Johnny Bright Incident
A violent 1951 assault against African-American footballer Johnny Bright by a white opponent.
Black Patch Tobacco Wars
A violent Kentucky civil uprising sparked by tobacco monopolies.
Peace Corps
A volunteer program created by President Kennedy in 1961.
Civil Rights Act of 1957
A voting rights bill which showed Congress's support for the Brown v. the Board of Education decision.
Northwest Indian War
A war between the United States and a confederation of numerous Native tribes for control of the Northwest Territory.
First Barbary War
A war between the United States and the Barbery States started by them in 1801 during Jefferson's presidency.
Cayuse War
A war between the United States government and the Cayuse people of Oregon, the Cayuse's numbers were greatly reduced and the government began using treaty systems to resolve disputes as opposed to warfare.
Second Seminole War
A war fought during Jackson's presidency over the territory of Florida.
Medgar Evers
A war veteran and civil rights activist who was shot in 1963 for trying to overturn segregation at the University of Mississippi.
Federal Election Campaign Act
A way of managing elections signed into law by Pres. Ford in 1976, creating the FEC.
Tulsa race riot
A wealthy black community was destroyed by white men and women killing over 39 and injuring hundreds.
Sanford B. Dole
A wealthy pineapple manufacturer who encouraged the westernization of Hawaii.
Grand Ole Opry
A weekly country music stage concert which displays the biggest stars of that genre.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
A well known New York art museum designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1959.
Central Park jogger case
A widely publicized 1989 case involving the rape and murder of a 29 year old investment banker. Racial discrimination, sexism and gentrification all were key elements of the affair.
Mormon sex in chains case
A widely reported 1977 scandal in which U.S. woman tied down and raped a British Mormon missionary.
Marian Anderson
A wonderful African-American singer. Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution after they refused to let her perform at Constitution Hall. Anderson then gave a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for 75,000 people.
Microsoft Word
A word processor released in 1983, free copies of the software were given out in "PC World" magazine.
Revolutions of 1848
A year of numerous political upheavals in over 50 countries in Europe and Latin America, it resulted in an influx of immigration.
Cynthia Ann Parker
A young girl kidnapped by a Comanche war band, she was eventually "rescued" by Texas Rangers and used as anti-Indian propaganda but couldn't adjust to life in a white society and died in melancholia.
Kitty Genovese
A young woman who was raped and murdered in 1964. Although all of her neighbors saw, they did nothing.
First Battle of Bull Run
A.K.A. the First Manassas, it was a Confederate victory which showed both sides that the war would be much longer and bloodier than expected.
"A Visit from St. Nicholas"
AKA "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" it was an American poem which created many of the modern perceptions of Santa Claus.
Alaska Purchase
AKA Seward's Folly, Alaska was purchased by Secretary of State William H. Seward from Alaska. Reactions were mixed.
French and Indian War
AKA The Seven Years' War, it was fought all over the world and was a colonist victory.
Fire balloon
AKA a fu-go, these weapons were successful in claiming some civilian lives in Japanese attacks on the West coast.
Selective Training and Service Act of 1940
AKA the Burke-Wadsworth Act, signed by FDR, this was the first peacetime conscription in American history.
Motion Picture Production Code
AKA the Hays Code, it was created to tame motion pictures now that they had gotten a bit too risqué.
United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce
AKA the Kefauver Committee, they investigated interstate mafia crime from 1950-51.
Taft-Hartley Act
AKA the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, it restricted the power of labor unions. It was vetoed by Truman, and then overridden and passed.
Federal Aid Highway Act
AKA the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, signed by Eisenhower, it authorized an interstate highway system.
The 13th Amendment
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.
Proclamation 4311
About a month after his inauguration Pres. Ford pardons Pres. Nixon for any crimes committed in relation to Watergate stirring up a mess of controversy.
Huey Long
Advocated Share Our Wealth programs, but eventually split from FDR after being influenced by Father Coughlin and finding him to be too friendly to bankers. He was planning a presidential run in 1936 before he was assassinated.
Annie Oakley
Advocated for women in the military in the Spanish-American War.
Fred Hampton
African-American activist who worked for the Black Panthers in conjunction with AIM until his 1969 murder by the Chicago Police Department.
King assassination riots
After King's 1968 assassination, riots broke out in urban cities all over the U.S..
Kent State shootings
After Nixon spreads the Vietnam conflict into Cambodia, protests at Kent State resulted in the shooting deaths of several students.
Nonimportation agreements
Agreements made to not import British goods, they were a stride toward unionism
California Gold Rush
After gold was discovered in Sutte's Mill, a mass migration was began to California. It resulted in eventual statehood for California, attacks on Native Americans, and railroad development. They were called "forty-niners"
Soviet war in Afghanistan
After the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1980, Pres. Carter proclaimed that all 19-21 year old men must register for a peacetime draft.
Freedmen's Bureau
Agency set up to aid former slaves in adjusting themselves to freedom. It furnished food and clothing to needy blacks and helped them get jobs. Loathed by Pres. Johnson.
National Labor Relations Act
Also known as the Wagner Act, it guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and take collective action including strike if necessary.
Amami Islands
America captured these Japanese islands during World War 2 and returned them in 1953.
Battle of Iron Works Hill
America lost its base in Bordentown, New Jersey; but it set the stage for Washington's victory after his troops crossed the Delaware.
Edward O'Hare
America's first WW2 flying ace.
"Puck"
America's first successful humor and satire magazine, published initially in 1771.
Jane Fonda
American actress who aroused controversy when she was photographed while touring in North Vietnam in 1972.
Martin and Osa Johnson
American adventurers and documentary filmmakers.
Amelia Earhart
American aviatrix, first woman to cross the Atlantic (among other things). She vanished in 1937 while attempting to be the first female to fly around the world.
John Philip Sousa
American bandmaster and composer who wrote comic operas and marches such as Stars and Stripes Forever (1897).
Bo Diddley
An African-American R&B artist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock.
Bob Dylan
American musician known for his early 60s folk and civil rights songs.
O. Henry
American playwright and short story writer
Daniel J. Tobin
American teamster labor president.
Robert H. Goddard
American who was ridiculed by the New York Times for theorizing the possibility of Lunar travel. Invented the rocket.
Wild Bill Hickok
An Old West folk character known for hunting outlaws.
Mercer Girls
An 1860's project by an American man named Asa Shinn Mercer to "import" women to the Pacific Northwest to balance the gender ratio.
Bill Stewart
An ABC news anchor whose 1979 murder at the hands of the Nicaraguan guard was captured on video.
Baby Esther
An African-American Cotton Club singer, her style was stolen by Helen Kane, and then stolen once more and used to create the character of Betty Boop.
Rodney King
An American construction worker who rose to notoriety in 1991 after a video surfaced of five officers surrounding King, several of them striking him repeatedly, while other officers stood by.
Will Rogers
An American cowboy and vaudeville performer, a well known 20 and 30s celebrity.
"Citizen Kane"
An American drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles, commonly considered one of the best films ever made.
Minstrel show
An American entertainment consisting of shows put on by white people in blackface.
The Polaris expedition
An American expedition to reach the North Pole, although they did reach coordinates more northerly than any other explorer, the ship crashed and sank.
Charles Wilkes
An American explorer who circumnavigated Antarctica and claimed "Wilkes's Island" for the United States.
Captain James Cook
An American explorer who was the first to discover Hawaii.
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
An American fashion company which debuted in 1985 with great popularity.
Doc Holliday
An American gambler, gunfighter and dentist of the American Old West, who is usually remembered for his friendship with Wyatt Earp and his involvement in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Mark Twain
An American humorist and novelist most well-known for his novels about slow Missouri life.
Fred Allen
An American humorist whose absurdist and topical jokes made him a sensation.
Barbed wire
An American invention debuted in 1873.
Symbionese Liberation Army
An American left wing liberation group popular in the waning days of the counterculture movement for kidnapping and brainwashing newspaper heiress Patty Hearst.
Samantha Smith
An American little girl, a Cold War figure, invited to visit the USSR by Yuri Andropov, after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war.
Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777)
An American loss of a fort which was thought to be impenetrable.
"Playboy"
An American men's magazine created by Hugh Hefner in 1953. The first issue featured Marilyn Monroe.
Louis Buchalter
An American mobster and head of the mafia hit squad "Murder, Inc.," fried at Sing-Sing.
Ed Gein
An American murderer and body snatcher who was the inspiration for the film "Psycho".
James Ruppert
An American murderer whose 1975 crimes shocked the country when he became responsible for the deadliest shooting inside a private residence in American history.
Earl W. Bascom
An American painter and rodeo performer who depicted his own experiences in the West.
Thomas D. Rice
An American performer who created blackface.
William Henry Jackson
An American photographer famous for his images of the Wild West.
Monroe Doctrine
An American policy introduced during Monroe's presidency which decried any European interference in the burgeoning region of Latin America.
"Wheel of Fortune"
An American television game show which premiered in 1975.
War Admiral
An American thoroughbred horse which was defeated by the much smaller Seabiscuit in the Pimlico Special race.
Battle of Plattsburgh
An American victory at the end of the War of 1812 which pushed Britain out of the Northeast and stopped them from being able to claim any land.
The Saint Lawrence Campaign
An American victory plan in 1813 during the War of 1812 which failed after losses in the Battle of the Chateauguay and the Battle of Crysler's Farm.
Carl Sandburg
An American writer and editor best known for his poetry and his biography of Abraham Lincoln.
Emma Goldman
An Anarchist deported during the First Red Scare.
Hattie Caraway
An Arkansas Democrat, the first woman elected to serve a full term as a Senator.
William Francis Buckley
An Army officer kidnapped by Hezbollah in 1984, eventually dying in captivity.
Chrysler Building
An Art Deco New York skyscraper. Tallest building in the world for less than a year, usurped by the Empire State Building.
Terry A. Anderson
An Associated Press reporter kidnapped by Hezbollah in 1985.
Henry Hudson
An English explorer sponsored by the Dutch East India Company, Hudson sailed up the river that now bears his name in 1609. His explorations gave the Dutch territorial claims to the Hudson Bay region.
Sir Walter Raleigh
An English explorer who founded the colony of Roanoke which disappeared mysteriously.
"To Have and Have Not"
An Ernest Hemingway novel about a man forced into illegal smuggling due to the Great Depression.
Mulugeta Seraw
An Ethiopian law student murdered by three Neo-Nazis in 1988.
Battle of Hayes Pond
An Indian tribe of Lumbee attacked Klansmen in 1958, ending all Klan activity in the area.
Paiute War
An Indian war in Utah which began under Buchanan.
Christopher Columbus
An Italian seafarer persuaded by the Spanish to discover a route to Asia. He instead discovered an island in the Bahamas.
Green Corn Rebellion
An Oklahoma civil dispute involving the enforcement of the draft.
Northwest Ordinance
An act of Congress intended to create an unorganized Northwest Territory. It also established the process by which Congress would admit new states. Slavery was banned in this new territory.
1968 Olympics Black Power salute
An act of protest by two African-American athletes during World War 2.
Black Tom explosion
An act of sabotage against American ammunition supplies by Germans so the ammunitions couldn't be given to the Allies.
Tenure of Office Act
An act passed by Congress which restricted Pres. Johnson's power to dismiss certain office holders, he broke this law and that lead to his impeachment.
Nonintercourse Act
An act regulating commerce between Americans and Indians, it regulated the inalienability of aboriginal title.
Emergency Quota Act
An act restricting immigration from all countries except Northern European ones, for the purpose of "preserving culture."
Enforcement Act of 1871 (third act)
An act signed by Grant to counteract the Ku Klux Klan, he was successful in doing this during his presidency.
International Copyright Act of 1891
An act which extended limited copyright protection to foreign works.
Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves
An act which prohibited the importation of slaves in 1808, it was not well enforced.
Steve Brodie
An actor and personality of the late 19th century whose claim to have jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge catapulted him to the status of an icon.
Audrey Munson
An actress who was the first American woman to appear topless in a film.
Leo Burnett
An advertising executive and was among the most 'creative' men in the advertising business. He'd be a key player in the 1960's Creative Revolution.
Treaty of Paris (1898)
An agreement made in 1898 that resulted in the Spanish Empire's surrendering control of Cuba and ceding Puerto Rico, parts of the Spanish West Indies, the island of Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. The cession of the Philippines involved a payment of $20 million from the United States to the Spanish Empire.
"Hotel California"
An album released by the Eagles in 1976.
Philadelphia Experiment
An alleged military experiment that was supposed to have rendered the USS Eldridge invisible to the human eye.
Treaty of Alliance (1778)
An alliance formed between France and the U.S. during the Revolutionary War which promised mutual protection against the British.
Tallmadge Amendment
An amendment which banned slaves from the would be new state of Missouri.
The Walt Disney Company
An animation corporation created in 1923.
Cincinnati riot of 1853
An anti-Catholic riot triggered by the arrival of Cardinal Gaetano Bedini.
Pennsylvania Mutiny
An anti-government protest in Philadelphia by angry veterans which lead to Congress fleeing and the creation of a capital district.
Lyn Nofziger
An anti-metrician and controversial lobbyist under Pres. Nixon.
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"
An anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beatrice Stowe which stoked abolitionist flames.
Prozac
An antidepressant which became extremely popular in the 1990s.
Grave Creek Stone
An archaeological discovery that was believed to contain evidence of a primitive language, but has since been discovered to be a hoax.
William Laud
An archbishop who promoted the executions of Puritans under Charles I.
The Republic of West Florida
An area of the Florida panhandle which claimed independence from Spain and was succinctly annexed by America under president Madison.
Philippine-American War
An armed conflict between America and Filipino Revolutionaries, it failed for them, and it would be over a decade before they received independence.
Modoc War
An armed conflict between the United States Military and Modocs living in Southern Oregon and Northern California.
Dorr Rebellion
An armed insurrection in Rhode Island involving a dispute about the state's electoral system.
Fries's Rebellion
An armed tax revolt among Pennsylvania Dutch farmers.
Shays' Rebellion
An armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts. It was caused by an economic depression, aggressive tax and debt collection, and state fiscal policy. It nearly crumbled the fragile United States and lead to the adoption of the Constitution.
Museum of Modern Art
An art museum in Manhattan created by three rich women in the late 20s.
Southern Manifesto
An article signed by a bunch of Southern congressman in protest of Brown v. The Board of Education and desegregation in general.
Bonus Army
An assemblage of some 43,000 marchers who wanted fair payment for their service in World War I were driven out by Hoover's administration with tanks and firehoses.
House of Burgesses
An assembly created in Jamestown in 1619, first example of self-government. Caused King James I to make Virginia a colony directly under his control.
Operation Praying Mantis
An attack in 1988, by U.S. naval forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship. The ICJ ruled America's actions unnecessary.
Vanceboro international bridge bombing
An attempt to destroy a U.S.-Canadian bridge.
Richard Halliburton
An attention seeker most known for swimming the Panama Canal, he disappeared and probably died in 1939 after attempting to sail a Chinese junk across the Pacific Ocean.
Woolworth Building
An early U.S. skyscraper which for more than a decade was the tallest in the world.
Wright Model A
An early aircraft produced by the Wright brothers and purchased by the American military.
Camp Jackson Affair
An early civil war riot which broke out in Missouri.
Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act
An economic control act signed by Pres. Carter in 1978.
The Long Depression
An economic depression lasting from 1873-1879 as a result of the end of the Civil War.
Roosevelt Recession
An economic downturn which occurred during the Great Depression, the cause is to-this-day uncertain, but FDR launched a rhetorical campaign against monopolies.
Panic of 1796-97
An economic downturn which occurred in Britain and the United States as a result of a land speculation bubble burst. It lead to several high profile scandals.
"Gone with the Wind" (novel)
An immensely popular novel by Margaret Mitchell depicting the experiences of spoiled daddy's girl Scarlett O'Hara who finds herself in poverty after Sherman's "March to the Sea."
Cross of Gold speech
An impassioned address by William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic Convention, in which he attacked the "gold bugs" who insisted that U.S. currency be backed only with gold.
Scotch Tape
An important American invention, introduced in 1930 by 3M.
Marquis de Lafayette
An important Frenchman who fought for the Continental Army and forged an important bond between America and France.
Battle of Midway
An important WW2 Pacific theater battle in which the U.S. crushed the Japanese. Started the island hopping campaign to crush Japan.
Karen Ann Quinlan
An important figure from the "Right to Die" controversy who was removed from her ventilator in 1976 but managed to survive for years afterwards.
Erie Canal
An important port in New York which established New York City as the then-biggest center of international trade at the time.
Cooper Union speech
An important speech delivered by Lincoln in 1860, many believe it is responsible for making him president.
Santa Fe Trail
An important transportation route between Missouri and New Mexico, it accelerated economic development and growth in the southwest.
Arbuthnot and Ambrister incident
An incident during the First Seminole War in which Andrew Jackson ordered the executions of several British and Cherokee leaders, an unheard of diplomatic incident.
Burning of Washington
An incident during the War of 1812 in which numerous D.C. buildings were burned and the White House was occupied.
Whitman massacre
An incident in which Native Americans slaughtered a group of missionaries, sparking the Cayuse War.
Lyon-Griswold brawl
An incident in which Rep. Griswold attacked Rep. Lyon with a walking stick inside Congress chambers.
Dust Bowl
An increase in cultivation lead to soil erosion in this natural disaster which crippled the midwest.
Native American Church
An indigenous religion which includes the use of peyote by its members.
New England's Dark Day
An inexplicable day in which it was completely dark over New England.
Joaquin Murrieta
An infamous Mexican bandit who robbed from American settlers during the California Gold Rush.
Dorothea Lange
An influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration.
Oscar Wilde
An influential Irish writer and poet who toured the United States and published "The Picture of Dorian Gray" before being arrested for engaging in sex with other men.
MTV
An influential TV channel which premiered in 1981, playing music videos.
Elijah Parish Lovejoy
An influential abolitionist killed by a pro-slavery mob.
Mary Lyon
An influential leader in womens' education rights, she founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
An influential memoir and treatise on abolitionism.
"Little Women"
An influential novel by Louisa May Alcott which molded the idea of the "American Girl."
"Vic and Sade"
An influential radio program that aired during the 1930s.
Seneca Falls Convention
An influential women's rights convention during which the Declaration of Sentiments was written.
Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907
An informal agreement saying The United States would not pass legislation barring Japanese immigration if Japan didn't allow anymore immigrants.
Compromise of 1877
An informal deal in which 20 electoral votes and the presidency were given to Hayes in exchange for the withdrawal of troops from the South and the end of Reconstruction.
The New York School
An informal group of New York City-based expressionists in the 1950s and 60s whose avant-garde style rose from the ashes of World War 2.
Anne Hutchinson
An intelligent woman who was banned from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for challenging the Puritan orthodoxy.
Outer Space Treaty
An international agreement, signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union, in 1967 that banned the introduction of military weapons into outer space, prohibited the extension of national sovereignty in space, and encouraged cooperation and sharing of information about space research.
Thousand Islands Bridge
An international bridge system, construction of which began in 1938, connecting upstate New York to Canada.
Cuban missile crisis
An international crisis in October 1962, the closest approach to nuclear war at any time between the U.S. and the USSR. When the U.S. discovered Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba, President John F. Kennedy demanded their removal and announced a naval blockade of the island; the Soviet leader Khrushchev acceded to the U.S. demands a week later and was fired.
Aroostook War
An international incident involving the boundary between Canada and Maine.
Alcoholics Anonymous
An international mutual aid fellowship founded in 1935.
Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany
An international treaty signed in 1990 paving the way for German reunification.
The Ring frame
An invention which revolutionized the fashion industry.
Hispaniola
An island "discovered" by the Spanish. Following their discovery, the Taíno natives decreased from 1 million to 200 people.
Midway Atoll
An island in the Pacific Ocean which America claimed in 1867.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
An oil transport system constructed between 1974-1977 in response to the 1973 oil crisis causing a sharp increase in U.S. oil prices. Controversial amongst environmentalists.
Missouri Executive Order 44
An order issued by the governor of Missouri which ordered all Mormons to leave the state under threat of death at the hands of a militia.
General Order No. 11 (1862)
An order signed by Gen. Grant which banned all Jews from joining the Union Army. It was very unpopular and was quickly revoked, Grant would spend much of his political career reconciling with the Jewish community.
Land Ordinance of 1785
An ordinance passed by Congress to raise money by selling the land acquired after the Revolutionary War.
USA for Africa
An organization which raised money in 1985 to combat the famine in Ethiopia by releasing the song "We Are the World."
John Sirica
An otherwise undistinguished federal judge who rose to national prominence in 1973 when he ordered Pres. Nixon to turn over recordings associated with Watergate.
East St. Louis Riot
An outbreak of labor- and race-related violence.
Quasi-War
An undeclared naval war America fought with France due to the XYZ affair.
Kiki Camarena
An undercover DEA agent murdered in 1985, a death which the frustrated U.S. government was unable to persecute or investigate.
George B. McClellan
An unpopular Union general who was blamed for many of the North's early failures in the Civil War until he was asked by Lincoln to step down following Antietam.
Paris Peace Accords
An unratified 1973 agreement to end U.S. involvement in Vietnam that was negotiated by Henry Kissinger and Lê Đức Thọ.
Inauguration of Gerald Ford
An unscheduled 1974 ceremony in which Ford became president following Nixon's resignation (which was in response to being told he could not escape impeachment and prosecution).
Leon Czolgosz
Anarchist who assassinated McKinley.
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was impeached for violating the Tenure of Office Act and was one vote short of removal.
United States presidential election, 1868
Andrew Johnson, the incumbent, was unpopular and did not win the Democratic nomination. It instead went to Horatio Seymour who lost to Republican Ulysses S. Grant. Ulysses S. Grant was the first candidate to win with only a minority of the white vote.
Whiskey Rebellion
Angry about Alexander Hamilton's tax on whiskey, farmers attacked tax collectors and staged an uprising which was immediately quelled by Washington.
Stanford White
Architect shot by millionaire Harry Thaw in a lovers quarrell over actress Evelyn Nesbit. All a bunch of hubbub, but dubbed "Trial of the Century" by contemporaries.
Atlanta compromise
Argument put forward by Booker T. Washington that African-Americans should not focus on civil rights or social equality but concentrate on economic self-improvement.
Evan Mecham
Arizona governor and extreme social conservative removed from office via impeachment in 1988.
Moro Rebellion
Armed conflict in response to US occupation of the Philippines.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Around 140 young women and girls died in this factory fire leading to workplace reforms.
Jesse Owens
As an African-American, his victory in the Berlin 1936 Olympics was of high symbolic significance.
Dan White
Assassin of Harvey Milk.
Selective Service Act of 1917
Authorized the federal government to create a national army.
"The Outlaw"
Aviator Howard Hughes's Western film which was censored by the MPPC due to it's too sexy depiction of star Jane Russell.
The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Benny Goodman and his orchestra became the first jazz musicians to headline a concert at Carnegie Hall.
George Dewey
Best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay in the S-A War.
Edwin H. Land
Best known for inventing the first "instant camera."
"The Feminine Mystique"
Betty Friedan's 1963 book which sparked the second-wave feminism movement in the U.S..
United States presidential election, 1992
Bill Clinton defeated Republican George H.W. Bush and independent Ross Perot. Bush had alienated much of his conservative base by breaking his 1988 campaign pledge against raising taxes. The economy was also in a recession and Bush's perceived greatest strength, foreign policy, was regarded as much less important following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the relatively peaceful climate in the Middle East after the defeat of Iraq in the Gulf War.
Marineland
Billed as "the world's first oceanarium."
Glenville Shootout
Black militants engage in a gunfight with police in 1968.
Hiram Rhodes Revels
Black senator, first person of color in the Congress.
Peace Bridge
Bridge connecting New York to Canada built during the architectural boom of the 1920s.
Thomas Eagleton
Briefly served as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 1972 under McGovern after he stepped down following reports he had been treated for mental illness.
Lexington Massacre
British commander in Boston sent a detachment of troops They were to seize provisions of colonial gunpowder and to capture the "rebel" ringleaders, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. 8 Americans were shot and killed. Revolutionary War begins.
The 80th Congress
Called by Truman the "Do-Nothing Congress," they had a Republican majority in both houses, a take-off from FDR and the Democratic supermajority he held throughout his presidency.
Glorious Revolution
Catholic King James II was dethroned and replaced with Protestant rulers, Massachusetts became a royal colony.
Comstock laws
Censorship laws which prohibited the sending of obscene books and materials through the mail.
Lindbergh kidnapping
Charles Lindbergh's son was kidnapped and murdered, the story was a sensation that lead to federal anti-kidnapping legislation.
Spam
Cheap, pre-cooked meat in a can. American cultural icon.
G. Gordon Liddy
Chief operative of the White House Plumbers remembered for orchestrating, among other things, the breaking into of the Democratic National Committee headquarters.
Battle of Antietam
Civil War battle in which the North succeeded in halting Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland. Was the bloodiest day in American history with 25,000 casualties
Robert de La Salle
Claimed the entire Mississippi River for France.
William C. Durant
Co-founder of General Motors and also Chevrolet.
Giovanni da Verrazzano
Explored the Eastern seaboard of North America for France.
Manhattan Project
Code name for the U.S. effort during World War II to produce the atomic bomb. Much of the early research was done in New York City by refugee physicists in the United States. The program was began by Albert Einstein after he wrote a letter to FDR saying he thinks he could create an atomic bomb using uranium.
Bernard Baruch
Coined the phrase "Cold War"
Robert E. Lee
Commanded the Confederate Army
François Joseph Paul de Grasse
Commanded the French fleet at the Battle of Chesapeake, leading to the Siege of Yorktown.
Tower Commission
Commissioned in 1986 by Pres. Reagan in response to Iran-Contra. They found CIA Director William Casey the most guilty party of the affair.
Cuban Revolution
Communist Castro ousted sitting president Batista resulting in an American embargo against the nation.
Enabling Act of 1889
Created the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington.
Reed Smoot hearings
Congressional hearings which decided the Senate should seat Utah polygamist-supporter Reed Smoot.
War Powers Resolution
Congressional legislation passed in 1973 which requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action. It was passed over Pres. Nixon's veto.
George Washington Bridge
Connects Manhattan to New Jersey and built during the architectural boom of the 30s.
"The Godfather"
Considered one of the all-time greatest films, released in 1972.
Alaska Highway
Constructed during World War 2 after the Japanese invasion of Alaska revealed how dangerous the territories seclusion was. It connected Alaska, Canada, and the contiguous U.S..
John Fitch
Constructor of the first steamboat.
Maize
Corn, the primary dietary staple of North American Indians.
John Ehrlichman
Counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under Pres. Nixon until he resigned in 1973 in connection with Watergate.
Lyle and Erik Menendez
CourtTV broadcast the trials of these brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents.
Federal Reserve System
Created as a result of the sever 1907 financial panic.
United States Department of Transportation
Created by President Johnson in 1966.
Judiciary Act of 1789
Created by the 1st Congress, it established the federal court system much to the anger of anti-federalists. It also established the marshals service.
Revenue Act of 1861
Created first U.S. income tax statute to pay for the Civil War.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and gave popular sovereignty to those states to decide if they would be free or slave, nullifying the Missouri Compromise.
Railway electrification system
Crudely invented by Edison in 1880, it involves the movement of trains via electricity and not an on-site fuel supply.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
December 7th 1941, Japan sneak attacks a Hawaiian naval base successfully, drawing America into WW2.
United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola
Decided that the U.S. government can't force Coca-Cola to remove caffeine from its product.
Schenck v. United States
Declared that the Espionage Act of 1917 was constitutional.
National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation
Declared the Wagner End, signaled an end of the Lochner Era and an end to the Supreme Court knocking down New Deal legislation.
The new lights
Defended the Great Awakening, claiming it revitalized American religion.
United States presidential election, 1884
Dem. Cleveland defeated Rep. James G. Blaine in an election where personal character took prevalence. Blaine's accusations that Cleveland had fathered a bastard child were overshadowed by the usage of an anti-Catholic slur by a member of Blaine's campaign team.
United States presidential election, 1828
Democrat Andrew Jackson vs. incumbent Nation Republican John Q. Adams. The everyman Jackson defeated Adams by sweeping in the South. This election truly marked the transition into a two-party system of government.
United States presidential election, 1852
Democrat Franklin Pierce defeated Whig Winfield Scott, his win killed the Whig party.
United States presidential election, 1960
Democrat Kennedy defeated Republican Nixon. Nixon visited all 50 states instead of focusing on swing states. Kennedy narrowly won due to veep Lyndon B. Johnson's popularity in the South and his connections.
United States presidential election, 1876
Democrat Samuel J. Tilden earned a higher percentage of the popular vote than Rutherford B. Hayes, but Hayes won one more electoral vote than Tilden.
United States presidential election, 1912
Democrat Woodrow Wilson defeats incumbant Republican Taft, who comes in third after Progressive Party nominee Teddy Roosevelt. Socialist Eugene V. Debs attracted 1,000,000 votes this election.
Richard J. Daley
Democratic Mayor of Chicago, major Irish-Catholic supporter who may have had a hand in Kennedy winning Illinois.
Al Smith
Democratic nominee in 1928, Catholic New York governor.
United States presidential election, 1808
Democratic-Republican James Madison defeated Federalist Charles Pinckney, despite the Embargo Act of 1807. Sitting Vice President George Clinton also won six electoral votes.
United States presidential election, 1816
Democratic-Republican James Monroe defeated Federalist Rufus King, the public was appreciative to the democratic-republicans for peacefully ending the War of 1812.
Barbados Slave Code of 1661
Denied even the most fundamental rights to slaves, passed to control their growing numbers.
"American Bandstand"
Dick Clark hosted this show which began in 1957 featuring teenagers dancing to Top 40s hits.
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Discovered California for Spain.
Ponce de Leon
Discovered and claimed Florida for Spain while looking for the Fountain of Youth
Selman Waksman
Discovered enzymes.
Jonas Salk
Discovered the first polio vaccine.
The Emancipation Proclamation
Document written by Abraham Lincoln following the Battle of Antietam which freed the slaves in the states that were in rebellion. This added the reason why the war was fought from preserving the Union to freeing the slaves.
"The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care"
Dr. Benjamin Spock's influential childcare book.
Richard Ramirez
Dubbed "the Night Stalker," he was arrested in 1985 for 14 murders.
The Hollywood blacklist
Due to investigations by the House Un-American Activities Committee, numerous Hollywood careers were ruined as the stars were blacklisted, this list includes Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Lena Horne, and Dorothy Parker.
1960 U-2 incident
During Eisenhower's presidency, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and the pilot was captured.
1952 Washington, D.C. UFO incident
During the 50s UFO craze, this incident caused massive alarm and even lead to an order from Pres. Truman to shoot down the objects.
1953 Iranian coup d'état
During the Cold War, the CIA backed the successful overthrow of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran in favor of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Bear Flag Revolt
During the Mexican-American war, American settlers in California declare independence and establish the California Republic.
The Action of 9 February 1799
During the Quasi-War, the USS Constellation captures the French frigate L'Insurgente. The first American naval victory.
Palmer Raids
During the Red Scare, Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer arrested numerous leftists.
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
During the Second Red Scare, these two American citizens were given the death penalty for conspiracy to commit espionage insofar as passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. While Julius was likely guilty, his wife was almost certainly innocent.
USS Liberty incident
During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel accidentally fired on a U.S. research ship.
Battle of Lake Erie
During the War of 1812, Americans won control of Lake Erie and were able to break the Indian confederation of Tecumseh.
The Corrupt Bargain
During the election of 1824, John Quincy Adams was given the presidency by Henry Clay over Andrew Jackson. Henry Clay, the Speaker of the House, became Secretary of State under Adams leading many to believe there was a plot between the two.
Omaha Race Riot of 1919
During this insane riot, Omaha's mayor narrowly escaped being lynched.
Tunisia Campaign
Dwight D. Eisenhower headed this series of battles in French Tunisia which were an allied victory against Nazi Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) and his Afrika Korps.
Three-way splintering of the Socialist Party of America
Dying as a result of the First Red Scare and the imprisonment of Eugene V. Debs, the party splits into three groups, socialists, native-born communists, and foreign-born communists.
Mattachine Society
Early a pro-gay communist organization, during the second Red Scare, this group dropped their communist affiliation and began to work to specifically advance the civil rights of gay people in the 1950s.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
Early in Kennedy's presidency (1961), his military sent a trained force to Cuba where they managed to overrun a local militia before being overran by Castro's army. It strengthened ties between Cuba and the Soviet Union.
Domino theory
Eisenhower began this 1950s-1980s Cold War theory that if one nation fell to communism surrounding nations would follow.
Federal Aviation Act of 1958
Eisenhower signed this in response to several mid-air flight collisions.
William Bradford
Elected 30 times as governor of the Pilgrims.
Headright system
Encouraged the importation of servants. Whoever paid their passage, received 50 acres of land.
1926 Miami hurricane
Ended the Florida land boom of the 1920s and pushed the state into the Great Depression early.
The Treaty of Paris (1763)
Ended the French and Indian War and threw the French out of North America.
Treaty of Greenville
Ended the Northwest Indian War with numerous losses for the Native American forces.
Treaty of Portsmouth
Ended the Russo-Japanese War.
Treaty of Ghent
Ended the War of 1812, neither the British nor the Americans made any gains.
Francis Drake
English explorer who circumnavigated the globe and plundered Spanish ships.
indentured servants
English settlers who worked in Virginia in exchange for free passage.
The Missouri Compromise
Entered slave state Missouri with free state Maine and banned slavery north of the parallel 36 30 north.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Established by FDR in 1934 to enforce the federal securities laws and regulate the securities industry, the nation's stock and options exchanges.
President's Committee on Civil Rights
Established by Truman by executive order its purpose was to investigate the present status of civil rights in the country, it resulted in him ordering the desegregation of the work force and the military.
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Established in 1988 by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 at the height of the War on Drugs, its stated goal is to establish policies, priorities, and objectives to eradicate illicit drug use, manufacturing, and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences in the U.S.
Harvard College
Established in Massachusetts, the first college in the United States.
18th Amendment
Established prohibition.
Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
Established that escaped slaves must be returned to their owners.
Coinage Act of 1792
Established the U.S. Mint and regulated the coinage of the United States.
Pinckney's Treaty
Established the boundaries between the Spanish colonies and the United States.
United States presidential election, 1936
FDR was resoundingly re-elected over moderate Republican Alf Landon, the public was pleased with unemployment benefits and social security.
Executive Order 6102
FDR's 1933 executive order which criminalized the possession of gold. He claimed possessing gold was worsening the Depression. Shortly after, America moved off the Gold Standard.
Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937
FDR's court-packing plan, a huge scandal and one of the least popular decisions during his presidency, he tried increasing the size of the Supreme Court so he could get a majority on the court that are lenient to his views.
Social Security
FDR's social program gives checks to those in old age and is funded through payroll taxes.
Wilmot Proviso
Failed legislation which would have made slavery illegal in any land acquired during the Mexican-American War.
Aubrey Beardsley
Famous for black and white erotic paintings which made him a father of the 1890s Art Nouveau and poster styles.
William H. Hastie
First black federal, and federal appellate judge.
Thurgood Marshall
First African-American Supreme Court justice.
Shirley Chisholm
First African-American congresswoman ever, she made an unsuccessful, but historic, bid for the Democratic ticket in 1972.
Douglas Wilder
First African-American governor, elected in 1990.
James Meredith
First African-American to enter the segregated University of Mississippi, needed a federal escort from Kennedy.
John Marshall
First Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Pan Am
First International airline company.
Louis Brandeis
First Jewish person on the Supreme Court.
Phi Iota Alpha
First Latino fraternity.
Charles Curtis
First Native American senator.
Alpha Phi Alpha
First black collegiate fraternity.
Sherman Antitrust Act
First federal action against monopolies, it was signed into law by Harrison and was extensively used by Theodore Roosevelt for trust-busting. However, it was initially misused against labor unions
Bessie Coleman
First female black pilot.
Norwalk rail accident
First major U.S. railroad bridge disaster.
Woman's Christian Temperance Union
First mass organization among women dedicated to social reform.
Pennsylvania oil rush
First oil boom in the United States, began in 1859.
Typhoid Mary
First person in U.S. identified as an asymptomatic carrier of Typhoid.
Lucky Lady II
First plane to non-stop circumnavigate the globe.
Louis' Lunch
First restaurant to serve hamburgers.
"Steamboat Willie"
First sound Disney cartoon.
Ruth Snyder
First woman killed via electric chair. Her execution was captured in a famous and circulated photograph.
Rebecca Latimer Felton
First woman to serve in the Senate, she was appointed and served for only one day.
Operation Auca
Five Christian missionaries in 1955 attempted to bring Jesus to a violent, isolated tribe in Ecuador. They were obviously killed, but it lead to an outpouring of support for evangelical efforts.
Keating Five
Five U.S. Senators embroiled in a 1989 scandal, in which they were accused of improperly intervening in 1987 on behalf of Charles H. Keating, Jr., Chairman of the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association, which was the target of a regulatory investigation by the Federal Home Loan Bank Board. Lincoln Savings and Loan collapsed in 1989, at the cost of $3 billion to the taxpayer. Keating, Jr. made significant political contributions to each senator. John McCain escaped the scandal, politically wounded but resilient.
Charles Lindbergh
Flew the Spirit of St. Louis plane transatlantic.
Richard E. Byrd
Flew to the North and South poles.
Cable 243
Following Anti-Buddhist raids in 1963 by Diem's regime, the State Department sent a message to then-diplomat to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. that America may seek an orchestration of a coup if Diem is not removed from power.
May Day Riots of 1894
Following the 1893 economic panic, these deadly riots occured, they were very closely associated with leftist politics and communism.
26th Amendment
Following waves of anti-war protests, this amendment lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
landless whites
Former indentured servants, they made up the bottom of the Virginia social pyramid, just one above black slaves.
Utah War
Fought during the presidency of Buchanan, it was a diplomatic struggle that eventually lead to Utah statehood.
Margaret Sanger
Founded American Birth Control League; which became Planned Parenthood in the 1940s. Advocated birth control awareness.
Steve Jobs
Founded Apple in 1976 as a more user-friendly challenger to Windows.
William Penn
Founded Pennsylvania with Quakers with a promise of tolerance even for Indians.
The colony of New Jersey
Founded by Berkeley and Carteret in 1664 (11th)
The colony of South Carolina
Founded by Eight Nobles in 1670 (12th)
The colony of Georgia
Founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733 (14th)
The colony of New Hampshire
Founded by John Mason in 1623 (3rd)
The colony of Maryland
Founded by Lord Baltimore in 1634 (5th)
National Council of Negro Women
Founded by Mary McLeod Bethune.
The colony of Delaware
Founded by Peter Minuit in 1638 (8th)
The colony of Massachusetts
Founded by Puritans in 1628 (4th)
The colony of Rhode Island
Founded by Roger Williams in 1636 (7th)
The colony of Connecticut
Founded by Thomas Hooker in 1635 (6th)
The colony of North Carolina
Founded by Virginians in 1653 (9th)
The colony of Pennsylvania
Founded by William Penn in 1681 (13th)
Plymouth
Founded by separatists in 1620 (2nd)
The colony of New York
Founded by the Duke of York in 1664 (10th)
The colony of Virginia
Founded by the London Co. in 1607 (1st)
William D. Boyce
Founder of the Boy Scouts of America.
Jesuits
French Catholic missionaries who labored to convert the Indians and keep them from being influenced by the fur trappers.
Pierre Charles L'Enfant
French-born American who designed Washington, D.C..
Antoine Cadillac
Frenchman who founded Detroit to prevent English settlers from pushing into the Ohio River Valley.
Klondike Gold Rush
From 1896 to 1900 miners stampeded into Alaska in search of gold, leading to the deaths of the Han people.
Civil Rights Act of 1968
Gave equal housing rights to black people. Signed by Pres. Johnson after the assassination of Dr. King.
16th Amendment
Gave the federal government the ability to collect income tax.
19th Amendment
Gave women the right to vote.
Battle of Horseshoe Bend
General Andrew Jackson and the American Indian allies defeated the Red Sticks ending the Creek War.
Hydra-Matic
General Motors pioneered this, the first fully automatic mass-produced transmission option.
Sherman's March to the Sea
General Sherman led some 60000 Union troops on a march south across Georgia; burned cities and destroyed everything in his path; killed civilians, destroyed crops. Sherman believed in total war.
United States presidential election, 1792
George Washington ran again and won, it was the first election for the states of Kentucky and Vermont.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
George Washington's gay chief of staff who trained the Continental Army.
freedom dues
Given to indentured servants in Virginia, consisted of a few barrels of corn, a suit of clothes, and possibly a small piece of land.
Four Georgians
Gold prospectors credited with bringing a minor gold rush to Montana in 1864.
Lord Cornbury
Governor of New York and New Jersey, he was a drunkard and a thief.
William Berkeley
Governor of Virginia during Bacon's Rebellion.
Nellie Tayloe Ross
Governor of Wyoming, the first female elected governor in U.S. history. Also first female Director of the US Mint under FDR, she served for 20 years.
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan.
The 15th Amendment
Granted African-American men the right to vote.
The 14th Amendment
Granted African-Americans full citizenship and all persons in the United States due process.
Edict of Nantes
Granted limited religious freedom to French Protestants.
Jones Law
Granted the Philippines independence.
"To Kill a Mockingbird"
Harper Lee's 1960 novel about racism in the South.
Babe Ruth
He was a famous baseball player who played for the Yankees. He helped developed a rising popularity for professional sports.
Lone Horn
He was chief of the Minneconjou Lakota.
John Tower
Head of the Tower Commission, the United States Senate rejected Pres. Bush, Sr.'s nomination of him to the position of Secretary of Defense in 1989. The largest factors were concern about possible conflicts of interest and Tower's personal life, in particular allegations of alcohol abuse and womanizing.
Hoover Moratorium
Hoover's idea to put an indefinite holding on the paying back of war debts to stave off the impending financial collapse, no one listened to him.
The "Spruce Goose"
Howard Hughes's prototypical heavy transport plane.
Schoolhouse Blizzard
In 1888 a blizzard struck the Plains leaving over 200 dead, a great majority children trapped in small schoolhouses.
Night of Terror
In 1917, a prison superintendent orders the brutalization of suffragist inmates.
The Red Summer
In 1919 during the First Red Scare, there were numerous anti-black race riots in major American cities.
Sacco and Vanzetti
In 1920 these two Italian anarchists were convicted of murder and robbery. They were found guilty and died in the electric chair rather unfairly.
Berlin Blockade
In 1948, the USSR shut off allied access to Berlin.
McCarthy censure
In 1954 the Senate voted to condemn McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."
United States Capitol shooting incident
In 1954, Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire on members of the House of Representatives. Five were wounded, one seriously, but all survived.
Emmett Till
In 1955, this 14 year old black boy was murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman. The world was horrified by the brutality of the killing and it was a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement.
Little Rock Crisis
In 1957 during the Civil Rights Movement, Governor Orville Faubus of Arkansas calls out the US National Guard, to prevent African-American students from enrolling in Central High School in Little Rock.
Theodore Maiman
In 1960 he invented the laser.
Greensboro sit-ins
In 1960, in the deep South, these sit-ins were successful and instrumental in sparking similar sit-ins nationwide.
Ham the Chimp
In 1961 this chimp was launched into outer space by the US as part of the Space Race.
Richard Nixon's last press conference
In 1962 after Nixon lost the race for California governor he gave this speech where he said "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore."
The Buddhist Crisis
In 1963, protesting Diem's policies toward Buddhists, Buddhist monks set themselves on fire in the streets of Saigon and other locations. These incidents drew negative publicity towards the Diem regime.
Huế chemical attacks
In 1963, soldiers of Ngo Dinh Diem's army poured liquid chemicals onto the heads of praying Buddhist monks. The incident caused America to reduce funding to Diem, an event which lead to a coup.
The 'stop-Goldwater' movement
In 1964 some Republicans adopted an "anyone but Goldwater" mentality, because of Goldwater's extreme Republican beliefs Pennsylvania Governor William Scranton ran for president for the purpose of denying Goldwater the nomination, although he failed.
Alice Herz, Norman Morrison, and Roger Allen LaPorte
In 1965 these people set themselves on fire protesting the Vietnam War.
Draft-card burning
In 1965 this symbolic and powerful act of protest was occurring at protests all over the United States.
Operation Starlite
In 1965, responding to intelligence of a Viet Cong strike on American forces, America launches a preemptive attack against them, the outcome of which was indecisive.
Human Be-In
In 1967 everyone sat in a San Francisco park and did LSD, origin of the word "psychedelic," prelude to the Summer of Love.
My Lai Massacre
In 1968 U.S. troops gang-raped and slaughtered masses of Vietnamese civilians. Information of the atrocity leaked to the public one year later.
Draft lottery
In 1969 the draft was used for the first time since World War 2, the practice was shown to not actually be random, and Americans grew angry.
Chappaquiddick incident
In 1969, A female friend of Sen. Ted Kennedy mysteriously drowned in a car accident. The resulting scandal probably influenced his decision to not seek the presidency.
Parliament of the World's Religions
In Chicago representatives from all the world's major religions gathered to peacefully discuss global affairs.
Rights of women prior to the Revolutionary War:
In New England, women had no property rights and the church inherited everything upon their husbands death. In the Chesapeake, women retained their own property rights and inheritance rights due to the proclivity of men dying young.
Berlin Airlift
In response to the Berlin Blockade, Truman ordered that planes be used to drop supplies into Berlin.
The Great Migration
In the 1630s 70,000 refugees left England for America, many of them went to the West Indies.
Second Gulf of Sidra incident
In the days following the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, Americans shoot down Libyan fighter pilots. Libya, mysteriously, does not respond.
Joseph McCarthy's speech to the Republican Women's Club
In this 1950 speech during the Second Red Scare, McCarthy accused the State Department of employing over 200 communists launching him into the public eye.
Sugar Act of 1764
Increased the duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies.
United States presidential election, 1948
Incumbant Democrat Harry S. Truman surprised everyone when he defeated Republican Thomas E. Dewey and Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond.
United States presidential election, 1812
Incumbant Democratic-Republican James Madison vs. Federalist DeWitt Clinton. Clinton won in the Northeast, which was then being ravaged by the War of 1812, but Madison won the election by a comfortable margin.
United States presidential election, 1832
Incumbent Democrat Andrew Jackson defeated National Republican Henry Clay, Anti-Masonic William Writ, and Nullifier John Floyd.
United States presidential election, 1916
Incumbent Democrat Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E. Hughes by campaigning that he kept the nation out of war with Mexico and Europe.
United States presidential election, 1804
Incumbent Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson vs. Federalist Charles C. Pickney. Thomas Jefferson was reelected by an extremely large lead, with his new running mate George Clinton.
United States presidential election, 1848
Incumbent James K. Polk chose not to run, since he had already accomplished all of his goals. The Whigs were a historically Anti-war party, but shifted their beliefs when they named the incredibly popular general Zachary Taylor as his nominee. The Democrats nominated Lewis Cass and the Free Soilers nominated Martin Van Buren, Martin Van Buren ran solely to take votes away from the Democrats.
1976 Republican Party presidential primaries
Incumbent Pres. Ford received a serious challenge from California governor Ronald Reagan.
United States presidential election, 1956
Incumbent Republican Eisenhower once again soundly defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson, since the nation was prosperous and Eisenhower ended the Korean War.
United States presidential election, 1872
Incumbent Ulysses S. Grant defeated Horace Greeley nominated by the defected "Liberal Republicans." Greeley died during the electoral process, so the liberal republican electors split their votes among various other groups.
Salvatore Maranzano
Instigated the Castellammarese War and briefly ruled over the entire Italian-American mafia before being taken out by a younger faction, leading to the creation of the Five Families.
Eight-hour day
Instituted May Day 1884, eight hours for work, sleep, and play.
Enrollment Act
Instituted a draft for the Northern army. Substitution Clause said if you can't serve than you could pay $300 and find a substitute
time zones
Instituted by the U.S. and Canadian railroads in 1883.
Scopes Trial
Intense international attention was given to a small Tennessee town after a teacher was arrested for teaching evolution.
Clarence Birdseye
Invented Bird's Eye Frozen Vegetables, father of the frozen food industry.
James Naismith
Invented basketball in 1892.
Incandescent light bulb
Invented by Edison in 1879.
Cash register
Invented in 1880 by James Ritty, the first of these were very primitive, but symbolic of the gradual turn of American small business.
Martin Cooper
Invented the first handheld cellular phone in 1973.
Levi Strauss
Inventor of blue jeans, a popular commodity in the West.
Elisha Otis
Inventor of the elevator.
Alexander Graham Bell
Inventor of the telephone
The Iran hostage crisis
Iranian college students took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, making Carter look weak, they were released when Reagan was being sworn in.
Tariq Aziz
Iraq's Foreign Minister during the Gulf War, he claimed America's motives were "oil and Israel."
"Seinfeld"
Jerry Seinfeld's TV show, very popular in the 1990s.
Jimmy Carter rabbit incident
Jimmy Carter's 1979 attack from a swamp rabbit was fodder for his political foes.
United States presidential election, 1796
John Adams (Federalist) v. Thomas Jefferson (Democratic-Republican); Thomas Pickney (Fed) and Aaron Burr (Dem-Rep) were also running. The federalists compared the Democratic-Republicans with the French rebels and the Democratic-Republicans accused the Federalists of favoring monarchy and an aristocracy. Dem-Reps denounced Jay's Treaty, saying it was too favorable to the British. The French Ambassador embarrassed them by publicly backing them before the election. Adams became president, Jefferson became Vice President.
"4′33″"
John Cage was the first to perform this piece in 1952, an avant-garde movement watershed, it was four minutes and thirty-three seconds of the composer playing nothing so the audience could listen to the world around them.
"More popular than Jesus"
John Lennon made this remark in 1966. Very indicative of the religious counterculture movement going on at the time.
United States presidential election, 1844
John Tyler did not run for re-election, and dark horse Democrat James K. Polk defeated Martin Van Buren for his party's nomination, and then Henry Clay for the presidency. The chief issue was slavery and Tyler's move to annex Texas, Polk's Manifest Destiny promises proved to be more popular.
1965 Vietnam War troop increase
Johnson announced that he is increasing the number of troops he sends to Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000 and the number of men drafted from 17,000 to 35,000.
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Johnson signed this act, abolishing immigration quotas.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Johnson signed this into place, it ended racial segregation in the U.S. and ended discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Great Society
Johnson's new major spending programs that addressed education, medical care, urban problems, and transportation.
"Judy at Carnegie Hall"
Judy Garland's 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall was considered by many to be the greatest night in show business history.
Battle of Nuʻuanu
Kamehameha I of the Island of Hawaii defeats the Oahuans, solidifying his control of the major islands of the archipelago and officially founding the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Max Jacobson
Kennedy's personal physician. He got him hooked on pain killers to deal with his back pain.
Jacqueline Kennedy
Kennedy's wife was a fashion icon known for her 1962 tour of the White House.
1928 Okeechobee hurricane
Killed 1200 people, devastated Florida and Puerto Rico.
1918 flu pandemic
Killed 50-100 million people.
George Steinbrenner
Known as "The Boss," he was a controversial sports figure who managed the New York Yankees for over thirty years.
Jack Jouett
Known as the "Paul Revere of the South"
John Lennon
Known first as a member of The Beatles, then for his and his wife's peaceful anti-protest songs.
Zoot Suit Riots
L.A. riots between white sailors that were stationed there and Latino-American youths during WW2. A precursor was the murder of a young Latino man, the result was a national increase in anti-Latino hate crimes.
Kaw Nation
Land occupied by Kaw Indians which they ceded to the United States, forming the Kansas Territory.
Gadsden Purchase
Land purchased under President Pierce from Mexico, mostly for the purpose of railroad expansion.
Small Farmers
Largest social group; tilled their own modest plots and may have owned one or two slaves. Second of the Virginian social pyramid.
Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act
Legislation passed to relieve the ongoing recession by closing tax loopholes, it was settled by Pres. Reagan and Speaker Tip O'Neill
Bonus Bill of 1817
Legislation vetoed by Madison which would've earmarked funding for infrastructure improvement.
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
Limited the weaponry in 1972 between the U.S. and the USSR.
United States presidential election, 1860
Lincoln running as a Republican narrowly defeats pro-slavery Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge. He also defeats centrist John Bell from the Constitutional Union Party and pro-public sovereignty candidate, democrat Stephen Douglas.
USS Nautilus
Mamie Eisenhower launched this submarine, the first ever to be powered by nuclear energy.
The Anasazi
Located in modern day Arizona and New Mexico, they created an advanced society of pueblos, cliff dwellings, roads, and irrigation canals.They collapsed after 1150 due to draught.
"A Raisin in the Sun"
Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play about a black family in a Chicago suburb.
Battle of Inchon
MacArthur lead this amphibious battle of the Korean War in which Japanese forces were repelled. MacArthur followed this up, fatally, with a full-scale Korean invasion prompting military intervention from China.
Compromise of 1790
Madison agrees to not be "strenuous" in opposition for the assumption of state debts by the federal government; Hamilton agrees to support the capital site being above the Potomac.
Three-sister farming
Maize, squash, and beans.
Marion Barry
Mayor of D.C., investigated by the FBI in 1990 after they uncovered a video of him smoking crack cocaine.
1925 serum run to Nome
Media attention was drawn to this voyage to North Alaska to stop the spread of disease, it sparked an inoculation campaign.
Venustiano Carranza
Mexican Revolutionary leader whose presidency was eventually recognized by the United States.
"Thriller"
Michael Jackson's 1982 album that was the biggest selling of all time.
"Bad"
Michael Jackson's 1987 album.
Scud
Missiles used successfully by Iraq against the U.S. during Operation Desert Storm.
Attica Prison riot
Most important riot of the Prisoners Rights Movement, 1971. Many die.
Barney Frank
Most prominent gay politician in the U.S., in 1990 he was rebuked by the U.S. Legislative branch for engaging in sex with a male prostitute.
Ballinger-Pinchot scandal
Muckraker accuses U.S. Sec of Interior Ballinger of corrupt dealings in Alaska coalfields, leading to Republican losses in midterms.
"The Jungle"
Muckraking book by Upton Sinclair that detailed the gross innards of the meatpacking industry, while also exposing the troubling life of an immigrant family. It was meant to be a Socialist call-to-arms.
White House Plumbers
Name given to the special investigations committee established along with CREEP in 1971. Its job was to stop the leaking of confidential information to the public and press.
Robert McFarlane
National Security Adviser, he advised Reagan to end arms shipments with the Contras, but was then replaced with John Poindexter. In 1987, he attempted suicide and in 1989 was convicted for his role in the scandal.
Fort Parker massacre
Native Americans slaughtered the pioneer Parker family and took their children as captives.
Battle of Hampton Roads
Naval battle where the Confederate Virginia was able to slightly damage the Union Merrimack, but the battle concluded as a stalemate. wooden ships became obsolete after these two ironclads met.
Murderers' Row
Nickname given to the 1927 Yankees.
Catonsville Nine
Nine activists who burned selective draft records with napalm to protest the war in Vietnam.
Scottsboro Boys
Nine black boys falsely convicted of rape by an all-White jury.
Silent majority
Nixon frequently talked about the "silent majority." Reasonable people who believed in civil rights and an end to the War in Vietnam, but didn't like the riots and protesting that was going on.
United States presidential election, 1972
Nixon soundly defeats Democrat George McGovern.
Vietnamization
Nixon's Vietnam policy of forcing the brunt of the fighting on South Vietnamese troops, in an effort to bring American soldiers home.
Nixon Doctrine
Nixon's belief, laid out in a 1969 speech, that the U.S. will honor its existing commitments, but that it has no responsibility to involve itself in affairs all over the world.
Clement Haynsworth
Nixon's segregationist Supreme Court nominee, he was rejected by Congress in 1969.
The "smoking gun" tape
Nixon's support in Congress collapses in 1974 after a tape is revealed of him discussing with Haldeman using the CIA to block an FBI inquiry into Watergate.
The 11th Amendment
Nobody can sue a state in federal court without the consent of the state concerned, it was passed to overturn Chisholm v. Georgia.
Birmingham campaign
Nonviolent protests for Civil Rights in Birmingham, AL during the late '50s and throughout the 60s. During one march, Birmingham Sheriff Bull Connor turned fire hoses on the peaceful protesters, shocking the public with a cruel act that gathered the media attention important to the success of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Great Ice Age
Occured about 2 million years ago, it carpeted North America with glaciers. When they retreated 10,000 years ago, it had left the Northern United States rocky and had created the Mississippi River, the St. Lawrence, and Lake Bonneville.
The British Invasion
Occured during the 1960s when British culture and rock and roll music became very popular in the United States.
Amish immigration
Occurred in the early 1800s, looking for political stability and religious freedom.
1973 oil crisis
October 1973 - March 1974; in response to American support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War, OPEC nations passed an oil embargo against the United States (among other nations).
mestizos
Offspring of conquistadors and Indians, they were the cultural and biological bridge between the new and old worlds.
The old lights
Older clergy skeptical of the new way of preaching which emerged during the Great Awakening.
Milwaukee Mile
Oldest operating motor speedway in the world.
Fawn Hall
Oliver North's secretary who helped him shred files in 1986.
Howard Beach racial incident
One in a series of racially motivated hate crimes that took place in the 80s, this one in '86 specifically.
1982 Anti-nuclear protest
One million people demonstrated in New York City's Central Park against nuclear weapons and for an end to the cold war arms race. It was the largest anti-nuclear protest and the largest political demonstration in American history.
Columbia University protests of 1968
One of many student demonstrations from the time period.
Boston Port Act
One of the Intolerable Acts, it shut off the Boston harbor for trade until damages could be paid back. Lead to intercolonial support for Massachusetts.
Battle of Oriskany
One of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War in which the Oneidas fought with the Americans against the Iroquois who fought with Britain.
Charles Fox Parham
One of the fathers of Pentecostalism, associated glossolalia with the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Bernt Balchen
One of the first men to ever fly over the South Pole.
Battle of New Orleans
One of the greatest American war victories ever. Lead by Andrew Jackson against the British, after the war itself ended.
USS Princeton disaster of 1844
One of the guns on the USS Princeton exploded during an exhibition killing twenty people, included Secretary of State Abel Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, and then-President John Tyler's father-in-law David Gardiner.
Battle of Blair Mountain
One of the largest civil uprisings in U.S. history by striking coal miners.
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
One of the largest-ever rallies for human rights. The protesters demanded human and economic equality for African-Americans.
Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement
One of the last actions of Reagan's Presidency was signing this 1988 NAFTA precursor.
Cherry Valley massacre
One of the most horrific massacres of the war. The British and the Iroquois and Senecas, tired of being villainized, slaughtered numerous Patriot soldiers as well as non-combatants.
"All in the Family"
One of the most influential sitcoms, premiered in 1971. Dealt with very controversial issues.
Albert Anastasia
One of the most ruthless and feared Cosa Nostra mob bosses in American history, he was assassinated in 1957.
Fanny White
One of the most successful courtesans of antebellum New York City, she was a beloved public figure.
Penobscot Expedition
One of the worst naval defeats in American history, against the British.
Black Panther Party
Organization of armed black militants formed in Oakland, California, in 1966 to protect black rights. The Panthers represented a growing dissatisfaction with the non-violent wing of the civil rights movement, and signaled a new direction to that movement after the legislative victories of 1964 and 1965.
"The War of the Worlds"
Orson Welles's radio adaptation of this H.G. Wells novel on Halloween lead to widespread panic.
Hartford circus fire
Over 100 children died in one of the worst fire disasters in American history.
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse
Over 200 died in this 1981 tragedy, which changed the way architecture is taught and practiced.
Great Planters
Owned gangs of slaves and vast domains of land; ruled the region's economy and monopolized political power. Top of the Virginian social pyramid.
McMartin preschool trial
Part of 1980's satanic hysteria, members of the McMartin preschool were arrested and charged with sexual abuse and satanic ritualization of their students. The charges are later dropped and found to be completely unfounded.
Housing Act of 1949
Part of Truman's New Deal, it was a sweeping expansion of the federal role in mortgage insurance and the construction of public housing.
Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916
Part of the Great American mythos, these attacks left seven dead in New Jersey.
Millerism
Part of the Second Great Awakening, Millerites were the followers of William Miller who predicted the second coming of Christ.
Project Mercury
Part of the Space Race, this was the first manned American suborbital flight in 1961 with Alan Shepherd.
Christian crusaders
Participants in The Holy Crusades, their trips to the Middle East sparked explorative interest.
Mormon handcart pioneers
Participants in the mass Mormon migration to Salt Lake City.
Acid Tests
Parties held in the 1960s centered around the use of LSD. Helped the transition from the beat generation to the hippie generation.
Compromise of 1850
Passed after Taylor's death it included the following provisions: 1) Texas gave up its claims to New Mexico, and the United States inherited its debt. 2) California was admitted as a free state. 3) A strong Fugitive Slave Law was passed in the North. 4) New Mexico and Utah were given popular sovereignty to decide if they were a slave or free state. 5) Slavery banned in D.C.
The Dallas tariff
Passed after the War of 1812 under Madison, it's purpose was to protect American goods from foreign competition. It was popular in the South.
Federal Meat Inspection Act
Passed after the outcry over "The Jungle."
Intolerable Acts
Passed as a result of the Boston Tea Party, they made restrictions on town meetings, and stated that soldiers who killed colonists in the line of duty would be sent to Britain for trial.
Declaratory Act
Passed by Parliament after they repealed the Stamp Act, it reaffirmed their right to bind the colonies in all cases whatsoever.
Molasses Act
Passed by Parliament to crush North American trade with the French West Indies, bypassed by smuggling.
Logan Act
Passed during John Adams' presidency, it forbids unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments.
Antiquities Act
Passed during Roosevelt's presidency, this bill gave the president the right to restrict the use of particular public land.
The 12th Amendment
Passed in 1804, it established the precedent that presidential candidates will run alongside their vice presidential candidates.
Clean Air Act
Passed in 1990, to prevent toxic rain. The Clean Air Act was the first major environmental law in the United States to include a provision for citizen suits.
17th Amendment
Passed to ensure the direct election of U.S. senators.
In God We Trust
Phrasing about God in the anthem and in the state motto became very popular during Eisenhower's presidency as the nation was eager to distance itself from the atheistic Soviet Union.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Picks up on where the Securities Exchange Act of 1933 left off, this act regulates the secondary trade and sale of securities (like through a broker). The Act also established the Securities and Exchange Commission
Margaret Heckler
Pioneered AIDS research in 1984 as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo
Pioneered the motel model, the first motel in the world.
Lech Wałęsa
Polish politician who spoke to Congress in 1989, asking them to support his Solidarity Movement.
Vasco da Gama
Portuguese explorer who reached India.
John Cage
Post World War 2 avant-garde leader, a pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments.
Roaring Twenties
Post-World War I period typified by extreme economic growth and cultural changes, such as flappers, jazz, inventions, cinema, and Art Deco.
Panic of 1873
Post-war inflation and railroad speculation lead to this economic downturn during Grant's presidency.
Vertical integration
Practice where a single entity controls the entire process of a product, from the raw materials to distribution. Used by Andrew Carnegie in steel production.
Sumner-Brooks affair
Pre-slavery Rep. Preston Brooks caned abolitionist Sen. Charles Sumner, reflecting the divisive slavery issue going on at the time.
Early 1990s recession
Pres. Bush, Sr.'s presidency was hurt by this economic event. It also encouraged people to shop at discount stores, as a result, KMart and Wal-Mart became the nation's most profitable retailers.
1980 Olympics
Pres. Carter announced that the U.S. would boycott these Moscow-held games.
Jimmy Carter gay rights summit
Pres. Carter was the first executive to meet with LGBT rights activists.
Social Security Amendments of 1965
Pres. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into creation.
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Pres. Johnson signed this into law. It forbids racial discrimination in voting practices.
"Daisy"
Pres. Johnson's 1964 campaign ad which featured a little girl playing in a field before being nuclear bombed. It was an important factor in Johnson's victory over Goldwater and marked a change in politics.
Star Wars
Pres. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative, plan proposed in 1983 to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons.
United States presidential election, 1964
President Johnson swept the unpopular and too-conservative Barry Goldwater.
Warren Commission
President Johnson's committee created to investigate Kennedy's assassination. It reached the conclusion that Oswald was the only shooter and Ruby was acting alone as well.
The 27th Amendment
Ratified in 1992, it prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until the start of the next set of terms of office for Representatives.
hydrogen bomb
President Truman demanded the construction of this bomb in 1950 after finding out the Soviets detonated an atomic bomb.
Proclamation of 1763
Prevented settlement beyond the Appalachians to stem Indian-Colonist fighting, disregarded by Americans.
George Grenville
Prime Minister of England who imposed several taxes against the colonists to help pay off the debt of the French-Indian War, ordered stricter enforcement of the Navigation Laws.
Lord North
Prime Minister of Great Britain who persuaded Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.
Hull note
Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack, this note demanded that the Japanese leave China.
Quantrill's Raiders
Pro-Confederate outlaws who used guerilla tactics slaughtering civilians in Lawrence during the Civil War.
Sacking of Lawrence
Pro-slavery activists destroyed the anti-slavery town of Lawrence.
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Probably over 246,000 Japanese were killed and the nation surrendered, largely ending WW2.
Jimmy Lavender
Professional baseball player who pitched a no-hitter.
Lord De La Warr
Reached Jamestown in 1610 with military supplies, started the First Anglo-Powhatan War.
Goldwater-Nichols Act
Reorganization of the U.S. Military, signed into law by Pres. Reagan in 1986.
Deaf President Now
Protest occurring in 1988 at the congressionally established Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf. The subject of the controversy was for the failure of the school to ever be presided over by a deaf person.
"The Book of Mormon"
Published by Joseph Smith, Jr., it is the foundation of Mormon beliefs.
United States Virgin Islands
Purchased from the Dutch for $25 million.
Coinage Act of 1864
Put "In God We Trust" on all American currency.
Townshend Acts
Put a light import tax on glass, white lead, paper, paint, and tea; it lead to violent outbursts.
American-Hawaiian Intervention of 1893
Queen Liliuokalani is overthrown by the U.S. Marines.
Victoria Woodhull
Radical feminist propagandist whose eloquent attacks on conventional social morality and advocacy for free love shocked many Americans in the 1870s
United States presidential election, 1984
Reagan obliterates Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro because he made a robust recovery from the early 80s recession and increased national confidence.
James Brady
Reagan's aide who was paralyzed in a 1981 assassination attempt, who went on to campaign against gun violence.
Black Sox Scandal
Refers to an incident that took place during the 1919 World Series where members of the Chicago White Sox intentionally lost for money.
Auto-Lite strike
Regarded as an extremely important labor strike, this five-day battle in Toledo by the AFL against the Electric Auto-Lite company resulted in widespread unionization.
"Thriller" video
Released in 1983, it remains the most popular music video of all time.
McCollum v. Board of Education
Religious instruction is illegal in public schools.
Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions
Resolutions written by Kentucky and Virginia state governments that stated their supreme courts had the power to declare The Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional.
Tampico Affair
Results in a breakdown of diplomatic relations between the US and Mexico, caused by misunderstandings between American and Mexican sailors, and the refusal of Mexico to give a 21-gun salute.
Major export of the Carolinas
Rice
Free Software Foundation
Richard Stillman's 1985 organization supporting the free software movement.
'The Perfect Moment"
Robert Mapplethorpe's 1990 homoerotic art show that was protested by Citizens for Community Values.
"Oklahoma!"
Rodgers and Hammerstein's first musical, it heralded a new era in "integrated" stage musicals, became an instantaneous stage classic, and went on to be Broadway's longest-running musical up to that time.
United States presidential election, 1980
Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in an electoral landslide, by attacking Carter's failures in the Iran hostage crisis, as well as rising inflation and unemployment.
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company
Roosevelt allowed J.P. Morgan's steel company to absorb this smaller company as a thank you for Morgan preventing the Panic of 1907.
United States presidential election, 1932
Roosevelt crushed Hoover by avoiding all divisive cultural issues on the campaign and running with Southern Republican John N. Garner.
United States presidential election, 1944
Roosevelt defeated the Republican Thomas Dewey. This was his fourth election.
United States presidential election, 1904
Roosevelt easily defeats Democrat Alton B. Parker.
Roosevelt Corollary
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 Republic
Big Stick Diplomacy
Roosevelt's foreign policy.
United States presidential election, 1908
Roosevelt's hand-picked Republican nominee Taft soundly defeated the Democrat William Jennings Bryant, despite his popularity with liberals and populists.
Ralph Nader
Rose to prominence in the 1960s with the book "Unsafe at Any Speed," he is a consumer advocate who was run for president in several cycles from 1992 to 2008.
Lord Dunmore
Royal governor of Virginia, he promised freedom to any slave who fought for Britain in the Revolutionary War.
Jefferson Davis
Ruled as President of the Provisional Confederated States of America during the entire Civil War.
Open Door Policy
S.O.S. John Hay's plan to allow America to trade freely with China.
Harvey Milk
San Francisco's first openly gay politician.
Albert B. Fall
Secretary of the Interior under Hoover, went to prison for bribery for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal.
Standard Oil Trust
Secretly created by Rockefeller in 1882, after evidence of its existence comes to light it would become victim of McKinley and Roosevelt's trust-busting policy.
1980 Democratic Primary
Sen. Ted Kennedy almost overtook incumbent Pres. Carter.
David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz
Serial killer who terrorized New York City from 1976-1977.
John Dean
Served as White House Council under Nixon and, during Watergate, agreed to flip against the defense in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Anton Cermak
Served as mayor of Chicago until he was assassinated by Giuseppe Zangara, whose intended target was FDR.
Anne Gorsuch Burford
Served as the head of the EPA. She resigned in 1983 after mishandling funds and placating polluters.
Apportionment Act of 1911
Set the number of seats in the House of Representatives at 435.
Central Park be-in
Several "be-ins" held in Central Park from 1967-1968, protesting things like Vietnam and racism.
Chicago Seven
Several activists charged with inspiring a riot in 1969 for their actions at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The conviction triggered the Days of Rage.
William Jennings Bryant
Several time democratic presidential nominee who resigned over the U.S.'s handling of the sinking of the Lusitania.
Treaty of Prairie du Chien
Several treaties signed between Americans and Native Americans helping the United States gain land in Wisconsin.
Whaling Disaster of 1871
Several whaling ships got stuck off the coast of Alaska, dealing a serious blow to the whaling industry.
Lisa Olson
She is an American sportswriter. In 1990, Olson claimed that she had been sexually harassed by New England Patriots football players in the team's locker room. Olson sued the team, and the players involved were punished.
Niʻihau Incident
Shortly after Pearl Harbor, a Japanese attacker crash lands on the Hawaiian island of Ni'ihau and receives aid from some Japanese people living there. This scandal contributes to the sense that all Japanese people in America will fight to protect Japan.
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Sign by Pres. Bush, Sr: it is a wide-ranging civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability.
United States presidential election, 1824
Signaling the definite end of the "Era of Good Feelings," the nations' votes were split between Democratic-Republicans John Q. Adams, Andrew Jackson, William Crawford, and Henry Clay. Despite winning a plurality of the popular vote and electoral votes, Andrew Jackson still did not win a majority and the election was decided by the House of Representatives in what is known as the Corrupt Bargain.
1990 Chemical Weapons Accord
Signed by Bush, Sr. and Gorbachev in D.C., both countries agreed to end chemical weapon production and begin destroying their respective stocks.
Civil Rights Act of 1960
Signed by Eisenhower, this law extended the right of the federal government to penalize anyone who tried to stop anyone else from voting and gave the gov. the right to enforce desegregation.
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Signed by Grant, it assured African-Americans equal accommodation in public facilities and jury duty.
Freedom of Information Act
Signed by LBJ in 1966 in response to the wave of public protests.
Convention of Kanagawa
Signed by Matthew C. Perry, it opened trade between America and Japan.
Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989
Signed by Pres. Bush, Sr. in response to the savings and loan crisis, it dramatically changed the savings and loan industry and its federal regulation, encouraging loan origination.
The Treaty of St. Louis of 1804
Signed by William Henry Harrison and Quashquame. The Sauk and Meskwaki tribes gave up a large swath of land in exchange for an annual payment of $1000 in goods. The treaty infuriated Native American tribes.
Battle of Fort Sumter
South Carolina, site of first battle of the Civil War.
Seabed Arms Control Treaty
Soviet Union and U.S. signed this 1971 treaty banning the placement of arms on seabeds.
Francisco Pizarro
Spanish conquistador who crushed the Incas.
Hernán Cortés
Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico in 1519
Hernando de Soto
Spanish conquistador who explored the Southeast and discovered the Mississippi.
conquistadors
Spanish explorers who came to the New World for God, in search of gold and glory.
jeremiad
Speeches delivered at Puritan pulpits which were very dramatic and overwrought.
Samuel de Champlain
The "father of New France" he is credited with founding Quebec.
The Turner Thesis
The 1893 idea that the cause of all the problems in America was the end of the frontier.
Pineapple Primary
The 1928 Republican primary in Chicago, marred by political assassinations and curroption.
Operation Ivy
The 1952 first successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb.
Operation Big Switch
The 1953 reparation of all remaining prisoners in the Korean War.
The Day the Music Died
The 1959 day in which rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson died in a plane crash.
New Left
The 1960s and 70s coalitions of students and activists who focused less on those oppressed by capitalism, and instead sought reform on issues regarding race, gay rights, abortion, gender, and drugs.
The AAA
The Agricultural Adjustment Act was a New Deal law, it reduced agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies not to plant on part of their land and to kill off excess livestock. Its purpose was to reduce crop surplus and therefore effectively raise the value of crops. The money for these subsidies was generated through an exclusive tax on companies which processed farm products. The Act created a new agency, the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, to oversee the distribution of the subsidies.
Michael Dugan
The Air Force Chief of Staff fired by Defense Secretary Dick Cheney in 1990 in the days leading up to the Gulf War, after Dugan blabbed to reporters about plans to assassinate Saddam Hussein.
Operation Husky
The Allied invasion of Sicily, it lead to the toppling of Mussolini. Patton and Eisenhower lead this mission for America.
Battle of Manila Bay
The American Navy defeated the Spanish, ending colonial Spanish rule in the Philippines.
Clyde Tombaugh
The American who discovered Pluto.
Ngo Dinh Diem
The American-backed leader of South Vietnam who commanded the ARV until he was killed in a 1963 coup.
ANZUS
The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty; emerged as a response to the close relationship with these three countries after the Pacific War of World War 2.
Tenochtitlan
The Aztec capital. The Spanish were amazed by its beauty.
Moctezuma
The Aztec leader who treated the Spanish as gods, until their greedy nature caused him to declare war on them.
D-Day
The Battle of Normandy, part of Operation Overlord, commenced with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. The Allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland, in the largest amphibious military operation in history.
Yalta Conference
The Big Three met towards the end of the war in Europe to discuss post-war reorganization.
Bull Connor
The Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety who, in 1963, turned fire hoses on peaceful protesters leading to a unified public outcry against racism.
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
The British General who ended the Revolutionary War by surrendering to the Americans.
Operation Torch
The British-American invasion of French North Africa in WW2, American forces were commanded by Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Lloyd Fredendall.
The FERA
The Federal Emergency Relief Administration. This program gave grants and loans to states to give jobs to citizens.
Dolley Madison
The First Lady of the United States during the War of 1812, she worked at risk of her own life to save countless historical objects from being destroyed by the British.
Greer incident
The Germans fired on the USS Greer months before America had entered the war.
"Rumours"
The Grammy-winning album released by Fleetwood Mac in 1977.
Clara Bow
The It Girl, a leading sex symbol of the Roaring Twenties, she was a silent film actress who retired in 1931.
Lecompton Constitution
The Kansas constitution which allowed slavery.
Greensboro massacre
The Ku Klux Klan and American Nazis shot five anti-KKK protesters to death in 1979.
George Metesky
The Mad Bomber, he terrorized New York City with pipe bombs for years.
Atomic Energy Act of 1946
The McMahon Act, signed by Truman, it determined how the federal government would manage the nuclear technology it had now that World War 2 was over.
Tompkins Square Park Riot (1988)
The NYPD was accused of causing this riot, which symbolized the success of gentrification efforts, pitting artists, the homeless, and the poor against the police.
The Star-Spangled Banner
The National Anthem, written by Francis Scott Key during the War of 1812.
The NIRA
The National Industrial Recovery Act, a major component of the New Deal found unconstitutional in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, authorized the President to regulate industry in an attempt to raise prices after severe deflation and stimulate economic recovery.
Pentagon Papers
The New York Times published this 1971 report, detailing how the U.S. had bombed Cambodia and Laos, staged coastal raids on North Vietnam, and Marine Corps attacks, none of which were reported in the mainstream media.
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed during the Cold War in response to the Warsaw Pact.
Kitty Hawk
The North Carolina town where the Wright brothers flew their first airplane.
Pat Garrett
The Old West lawman who killed Billy the Kid.
Eugenia Charles
The Prime Minister of Grenada who, in 1983, asked for U.S. intervention in response to a coup which led to the death of the previous Prime Minister.
Kansas City massacre
The Prohibition-era shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive.
The RFC
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was started by Hoover and gave loans to banks, railroads and other businesses, and aid to struggling local and state governments.
Fort Mims massacre
The Red Stick Creek slaughtered settlers in Fort Mims during the Creeks War.
Republican Party presidential primaries, 1964
The Republican Party rebounded in the early 1960s from its 1958 disaster. Goldwater won the nomination, beating moderate Republicans Nelson Rockefeller and Harry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
The South Vietnamese president with whom Pres. Nixon met in 1969 to discuss the withdrawal of troops from the region.
1984 Summer Olympics boycott
The Soviet Union boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Marbury v. Madison
The Supreme Court case which established judicial review
Worcester v. Georgia
The Supreme Court found that states have no jurisdiction in Indian Country.
Cherokee Nation v. Georgia
The Supreme Court ruled that the Cherokee nation does not possess original jurisdiction over their land because they are not a foreign nation.
McCulloch v. Maryland
The Supreme Court rules that the National Bank is constitutional.
The TVA
The Tennessee Valley Authority was a New Deal program whose purpose was to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley.
Francis Powers
The U-2 spy plane pilot taken as prisoner by the Soviet Union in 1960.
Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad
The U.S. Supreme Court rules that corporations have the same rights as living persons.
1964 Brazilian coup d'état
The United States backed an overthrow of President João Goulart and a conservative military dictatorship resumed power.
1952 steel strike
The United Steelworkers of America striked against U.S. steel for higher wages. Truman tried to nationalize steel to resolve the conflict, but this decision was found to be unconstitutional by Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer.
Meeker Massacre
The Utes of Colorado killed Nathan Meeker and his company due to the terrible messages he was spreading about them. As a result, Congress moved the Utes into smaller reservations.
Brown v. Board of Education
The Warren Court found in 1954 that racial segregation was a violation of the equal protections clause, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.
United States presidential election, 1840
The Whigs were united for the first time under the popular William Henry Harrison and they easily defeated Democrat Van Buren following the Panic of 1837. Harrison lead a "Log Cabin Campaign" and had the rallying cry "Tippecanoe and Taylor too"
The WPA
The Works Progress Administration was the largest New Deal agency, it employed millions of unemployed people to carry out public works projects but also employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects.
United States Office of War Information
The World War II propaganda agency.
John Brown
The abolitionist leader during Bleeding Kansas.
Deep Throat
The alias of Mark Felt, an FBI Agent who leaked information about Watergate to Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
Mark David Chapman
The assassin of John Lennon.
Carl Weiss
The assassin who murdered Sen. Huey Long, Weiss's funeral was attended by thousands.
baby boomers
The baby boom which came about at the end of World War II during the 50s.
Battle of San Juan Hill
The bloodiest battle of the S-A War, much of the credit for our victory went to Teddy Roosevelt despite the brunt of the fighting being done by buffalo soldiers.
PT-109
The boat future president JFK was in, when it was torpedoed, a story which would help him win the election.
1983 United States embassy bombing
The bombing of the American embassy in Lebanon, orchestrated by Hezbollah in response to American intervention in the Lebanese Civil War.
1933 United Airlines Boeing 247 mid-air explosion
The bombing of this small plane is the first known act of air terrorism.
Monrovia
The capital city formed by freed slaves who were sent back to the nation of Liberia.
Richmond, Virginia
The capital of the Confederacy
The Golden spike
The ceremonial final spike driven into the transcontinental railroad upon its completion in 1869.
Juneteenth
The day of emancipation in Texas, a traditional holiday among black Texans.
Texas City disaster
The deadliest industrial disaster in U.S. history.
Battle of Derne
The decisive victory of the U.S. over Tripoli forces in the city of Derne which ended the First Barbary War.
Los Angeles Times bombing
The dynamiting of the L.A. Times building by labor leaders.
Articles of Confederation
The early failed governing document of the United States, which did not allow the government to tax, have a standing army, or an executive head.
Solid South
The electoral support of states in the deep south for the Democratic party from Reconstruction into the 1960s.
Hirohito
The emperor of Japan during the Pearl Harbor battle.
Savings and loan crisis
The failure of about one third of all savings and loan associations. Some believe that Paul Volcker, as Chairman of the Federal Reserve System, is to blame for his decision to double interest rates in 1979 as an attempt to reduce inflation. Others give multiple reasons as to why the Savings and Loan Crisis transpired, such as increased governmental spending for Pres. Johnson's "Great Society" programs and the War in Vietnam.
Ex parte Merryman
The federal court ruled that Lincoln had exceeded his authority in suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Lincoln ignored Taney's ruling, argued that the constitution allowed this suspension in a time of rebellion.
Augustus Tolton
The first African-American priest to be publicly ordained.
Jackie Robinson
The first African-American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era, for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
"Wieland"
The first American Gothic novel, written by Charles Brockden Brown.
The Phantom
The first American prototypical superhero, wearing tights and a cape.
Elizabeth Blackwell
The first American woman to practice medicine.
B'nai B'rith
The first Jewish organization established in the United States, it's mission continues to be to combat antisemitism.
Margaret Gorman
The first Miss America.
John Carroll
The first Roman Catholic bishop and archbishop in the United States.
The National Road
The first United States federal highway.
54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The first all-black regiment during the Civil War.
Kate Warne
The first female detective in the United States, she served as a Union spy.
Susanna M. Salter
The first female politician in the United States, elected in 1887 as mayor of Argonia, Kansas.
Paula Ackerman
The first female rabbi in the United States.
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
The first full length animated film.
John Winthrop
The first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company.
USS Monitor
The first ironclad war ship used by the US Navy. Invented during the Civil War, it changed naval history all over the world.
Battle of Palo Alto
The first major battle of the Mexican-American war, it established the name of future president Zachary Taylor.
Battle of Queenston Heights
The first major battle of the War of 1812. It was a victory for Britain and stopped America from attempting to invade Canada through Niagara Falls.
1832 Democratic National Convention
The first nominating convention of the Democratic Party, Martin Van Buren was chosen to replace John C. Calhoun as Andrew Jackson's running mate.
Pacific Railroad Act
The first of these was signed by Lincoln in 1862 to build a transcontinental railroad.
Camel
The first packaged cigarette company.
Canadian Shield
The first part of the North American landmass to emerge above sea level.
Dr. Gerald J. Cox
The first person to publicly propose fluoridating the public water supply.
Chuck Yeager
The first pilot confirmed to have traveled faster than sound.
Celluloid
The first plastic, patented by an American.
Quadruplex videotape
The first practical videotape ever invented, came about in 1956.
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The first railroad in the United States offering transportation of both goods and people.
!!Portolà expedition
The first recorded European land entry and exploration of present day California.
The Fisk-Gould Scandal
The first scandal to rock Grant's presidency, it involved two speculators who caused a financial panic in an attempt to corner the gold market.
1960 presidential election debate
The first televised presidential debate. Those who watched on TV thought the handsome Kennedy won, while those listening on radio thought the articulate Nixon won.
The Hollywood Ten
The first ten, of many, Hollywood screenwriters who would end up blacklisted from film during the Second Red Scare.
Tokyo Rose
The generic name applied to a number of English speaking female propagandists who used the radio during World War 2.
Quorum of the Twelve
The governing bodies of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
Mother Ann Lee
The groundbreaking leader of the Shakers, a group formed during the Second Great Awakening. She preached to the public and led a church at a time when women did neither.
Joseph N. Welch
The head counsel for the U.S. Army during McCarthy's Communism infiltration investigations who lashed out at him yelling "Have you, at long last, no decency?"
National Missing Children's Day
The height of the Missing Children's Movement, this holiday was proclaimed in 1983.
Shippingport Atomic Power Station
The historic first full-scale atomic electric power plant, built during the nuclear friendly push of the 1950's.
START I
The largest and most complex arms control treaty in history, and its final implementation in late 2001 resulted in the removal of about 80 percent of all strategic nuclear weapons then in existence. It was drafted by Pres. Reagan and signed by Pres. Bush in 1991.
1811 German Coast Uprising
The largest slave insurgency in American history, lead by Charles Deslandes.
Cahokia
The largest urban concentration of Indians north of Mexico, in modern day St. Louis. 40,000 inhabitants until it was abandoned in 1400.
1946 Georgia lynching
The last mass lynching in the United States, a mob of white men shot and lynched two black couples.
Cyrus Griffin
The last president of the Continental Congress, he resigned after only two delegates showed up to his last meeting.
Brigham Young
The leader of the Mormons following the death of Joseph Smith, Jr. he lead them to Utah.
Sir Edmund Andros
The leader of the dominion of New England, stopped town meetings, placed restrictions on courts, and revoked all land titles.
St. Augustine
The location of a Floridian fortress built in 1565 by the Spanish to protect the sea lanes to the Caribbean.
Appomattox Court House
The location where Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War.
Battle of the Atlantic
The longest campaign of World War 2 largely involved a German U-boat blockade of Allied territories, they withdrew from the Northeast U.S. coast following a successful American convoy system in 1942.
1878 Wallingford tornado
The most deadly tornado to ever strike Connecticut.
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, October 24th to 29th 1929. Causes were the continued neglect of the agriculture industry throughout the Roaring Twenties, corruption and the failure of the London Stock Market, and Hoover not vetoing the Smoot-Hawley Act.
Siege of Yorktown
The most important and crushing defeat of the British, heavily aided by the French.
Battle of Quebec
The most important battle of the French and Indian War. The British were lead by James Wolfe and the French by Marquis de Montcalm, the British won and Montreal fell.
Battle of Bataan
The most intense phase of Japan's invasion of the Philippines, lead to a large surrender by the American and Filipino troops.
1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes
The most powerful earthquakes to ever hit the Eastern United States, they reversed the course of the Mississippi River for a while.
1936 North American heat wave
The most severe heat wave in the modern history of North America at the time. It took place in the middle of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and caused catastrophic human suffering and an enormous economic toll.
Ma Barker
The mother of several criminals during the "public enemy era," although she was shot by the FBI and painted as a brutal crime matriarch these claims are probably untrue.
"Saigon Execution"
The name of Eddie Adams's 1968 photograph of a gun being held against the head of a Viet Cong rebel. It was a factor in turning mainstream U.S. opinion against the Vietnam War.
"Message to the Grass Roots"
The name of Malcolm X's 1963 speech in which he described the difference between the "Black revolution" and the "Negro revolution", he contrasted the "house Negro" and the "field Negro" during slavery and in the modern age, and he criticized the 1963 March on Washington.
Black Dahlia
The nickname given to horrifically murdered actress Elizabeth Short.
bread colonies
The nickname of the middle colonies due to their grain production.
The Year of the Spy
The nickname the media gave to the year 1985 because law enforcement arrested many foreign spies operating on American soil.
Jack Ruby
The nightclub owner who assassinated Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963.
Clara Barton
The nurse who founded the American Red Cross.
Spiro Agnew
The only Greek-American Vice President, he served under Nixon until he was forced to step down in 1973 in relation to income tax evasion. He was replaced by Gerald Ford.
New York City blackout of 1977
The only New York blackout which resulted in looting and arson.
beaver
The only valuable resource in New France
Raymond Washington
The original founder of the Crips.
Commissioners' Plan of 1811
The original grid design plan for the streets of Manhattan.
New Haven Black Panther trials
The panthers and the FBI both suffered damage to their reputations as a result of this 1970 trial.
The Louisiana Purchase
The purchase of Louisiana from the French for $15 million, completed under Jefferson's presidency.
House Un-American Activities Committee
The purpose of this committee was to investigate subversive activities and Communist ties of private citizens.
Billy the Kid
The quintessential cowboy, Billy the Kid became notoriously associated with the recklessness of the Wild West, he also was an active participant in the Lincoln County War.
General Court
The ruling assembly of the Bay Colony.
Darwinism
The scientific belief in the theory of evolution, its teaching was outlawed in numerous conservative states.
The Second Bank of the United States
The second bank, based on the Hamiltonian model, to handle all of the government's finances. It wasn't renewed by the Jackson administration.
UNIVAC I
The second computer in the United States, it was used by the census bureau and then by newscasters.
Mercury Seven
The seven white men initially selected for space travel by NASA in 1969.
USS Maine
The ship which exploded in the port of Havana, Cuba, leading to the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers precipitating the Spanish-American War.
Lee Harvey Oswald
The sniper who assassinated JFK in 1963.
stagflation
The socio-economic period of the 70s marked by stagnation and economic inflation. Although the 1970s energy crisis was largely responsible for the global crisis, the situation was compounded by banks using excessively stimulative monetary policy to counteract the resulting recession.
"The Bodyguard"
The soundtrack to this 1992 film became the best-selling of all time.
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The status of Commonwealth was given to the Philippines from 1935-1946 to transition the territory to independence.
Four Chaplains
The storied four US chaplains who gave their lives to save other civilian and military personnel in WW2.
1935 Labor Day hurricane
The strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States it killed hundreds of World War I veterans that were housed in work camps.
Pangaea
The supercontinent which existed millions of years ago, evidence of its existence includes identical fish specimen.
Confrontation Day
The televised duel before the House Un-American Activities Committee between American editor and spy for the Soviets Whittaker Chambers and American government official Alger Hiss.
The Golden Age of Radio
The time lasting from the early 1920s to the 1950s
"Atoms for Peace"
The title of a speech given by Eisenhower to the U.N., in which he called for the whole world to be armed with nuclear bombs.
Treaty of Cahuenga
The treaty which ended fighting in California during the Mexican-American war.
Trail of Tears
The unconstitutional ethnic cleansing of Native American tribes under president Jackson.
Kitchen Cabinet
The unofficial advisors of President Jackson formed after his break with his official cabinet after the Petticoat affair.
War on Poverty
The unofficial name for legislation released by Pres. Johnson in 1964 as part of his Great Society.
Thomas Hutchinson
The unpopular Massachusetts governor who forced the people of Massachusetts to let the British East India Company unload their excess tea.
Lattimer massacre
The violent deaths in 1897 of about a dozen striking coal workers.
Ludlow Massacre
The violent deaths of 20 people, 11 of them children, during an attack by the Colorado National Guard on a tent colony of 1,200 striking coal miners and their families at Ludlow, Colorado in the on April 20, 1914.
The Voyage of the Damned
The voyage on the MS St. Louis of 937 Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. They were refused entry in Cuba, and then in Florida. They were forced to return and it is estimated that roughly one quarter of these passengers died in the Holocaust.
Edith Wilson
The wife of Woodrow Wilson who virtually ran the White House for two years while her husband was incapacitated by a stroke.
"Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella"
Their first musical made specifically for television, the 1957 spectacle starred Julie Andrews.
literacy test
These racially biased tests were given to black voters in the South to discourage their political participation.
Army-McCarthy hearings
These televised 1954 hearings involved the Army accusing McCarthy of blackmail and McCarthy accusing the Army of communism. The hearings lead to a decline in McCarthy's popularity.
1953 Waco tornado outbreak
These tornadoes were among the deadliest in American history and lead to the creation of a National Weather Center.
Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola
These two men attempted to assassinate President Truman over the issue of Puerto Rican independence.
Garza Revolution
This 1892 Mexican War precursor was fought on the Texas-Mexican border.
Treaty of San Francisco
This 1951 treaty officially ended World War 2 between Japan and the allied nations, ended Japan's position as an imperial power and called for compensation for allies who suffered Japanese abuses of human rights.
Hurricane Diane
This 1955 hurricane caused billions in damage in the Northeast.
"Loving You"
This 1957 film was Presley's first film vehicle.
Hurricane Audrey
This 1957 hurricane demolished the town of Cameron, Louisiana.
"Jailhouse Rock"
This 1957 musical-drama film continued to build up Elvis Presley's popularity.
23rd Amendment
This 1961 Amendment gave the District of Columbia the right to vote.
"The Fantastic Four #1"
This 1961 comic book created the Marvel Universe.
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
This 1963 bombing marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and contributed to support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Operation Pierce Arrow
This 1964 military operation followed the Gulf of Tonkin incident and included random bombs being dropped on North Vietnam.
Pan Am Flight 103
This 1988 terrorist attack left 178 Americans dead and was orchestrated by Muammar Gaddafi.
Pittston Coal strike
This 1989-1990 strike resulted from Pittston's termination of health care benefits for approximately 1,500 retirees, widows, and disabled miners. The participation of women in the labor action through the ad hoc formation of the Daughters of Mother Jones proved an essential element of the successful strike.
James Dean
This 50s actor was symbolic of teenage disillusionment.
Claudette Colvin
This African-American girl in 1955 refused to give up her seat to a white man. The NAACP declined to use her to represent the movement due to the fact that she became pregnant while unmarried.
George Wallace
This Alabama governor declared in 1963, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever!"
22nd Amendment
This Amendment limited the president to two terms, passed in response to FDR's presidency.
Have Gun - Will Travel
This American Western TV series was so popular it spurred a radio series.
Sidney Gottlieb
This American chemist introduced LSD into Project MKUltra and was a leader in mind control studies.
Earth inductor compass
This American invention made transoceanic ventures easier.
Seattle riot of 1886
This Anti-Chinese riot required federal intervention and left over 200 Chinese people displaced.
"The Crucible"
This Arthur Miller play was largely allegorical of the communist hunt going on during the Second Red Scare. The House Un-American Activities Committee didn't realize the irony, and subpoenaed him for questioning.
Tehran Conference
This Big Three WW2 conference is where Operation Overlord was planned.
"My Fair Lady"
This Broadway musical about a Cockney flower girl who is trained by a speaking expert became the most successful Broadway Play ever at the time.
Hurricane Hazel
This Category 4 hurricane reached into Toronto, causing unprecedented damage.
World's Columbian Exposition
This Chicago World's Fair held in 1893 saw the introduction of many marvelous inventions.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
This Civil Rights Leader got his start leading the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. He was also unfairly persecuted by J. Edgar Hoover.
Operation PBSUCCESS
This Cold War-era CIA operation lead to the ousting of Guatemalan president Jacobo Árbenz in favor of an anti-Communist army, but they caused a bloody thirty year Civil War.
Johnstown Flood
This Pennsylvania disaster killed thousands and was the first major disaster release effort handled by the Red Cross.
Nikita Khrushchev
This Soviet leader was responsible for the partial de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union. He was removed from power after his soft handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Dartmouth College v. Woodward
This Supreme Court case found that states can't impair private industry charters.
Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer
This Supreme Court case, a direct rebuff to President Truman, found that "The President did not have the inherent authority to seize private property" after Truman tried to nationalize the U.S. steel industry.
Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States
This Supreme Court decision declared the National Industrial Recovery Act unconstitutional.
Eddie Slovik
This WW2 soldier was the only American army man to be court martialed and executed for desertion.
Marijuana Tax Act of 1937
This act placed a tax on the sale of cannabis.
United States occupation of Haiti
This affair was ordered by Wilson to protect U.S. business interests.
Short Creek raid
This anti-Mormon mass arrest occurred in 1953 and resulted in the arrests of hundreds of polygamists.
Panic of 1907
This bank run was stopped after J.P. Morgan and other Wall Street financiers pooled $25 million together to save the sinking economy.
Guadalcanal Campaign
This battle on the island of Guadalcanal of the Solomon Islands was an American Allied victory that began Allied Offensive Operations in the Pacific.
1980 United States heat wave
This deadly heat wave occurred during Carter's presidency, furthering the depressed mood of the nation.
Carole Lombard
This beloved American actress was killed days after Pearl Harbor when the military plane she was in, shooting war bonds advertisements, crashed.
Judicial Circuits Act
This bill reduced the number of Supreme Court Justices to seven instead of ten, preventing Pres. Andrew Johnson from being able to make any appointments.
Grover Shoe Factory disaster
This boiler explosion left 32 dead and lead to the reformation of industrial safety.
Triborough Bridge
This bridge connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx was opened in 1936.
Edward R. Murrow
This broadcast journalist came to prominence during WW2, his "Orchestrated Hell" broadcast describing a nighttime raid of Berlin by the Royal Air Force was particularly infamous.
SNCC
This civil rights group played a major role in the sit-ins and marches of the 60s.
Non-Intervention Committee
This committee advocated a withdrawal of international influence in the going-ons of the Spanish Civil War. England and the U.S. do so, but Spain and Italy do not.
Presidential Commission on the Status of Women
This committee was created by Kennedy in 1963 and it lead to sex being included in the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the creation of the NOW.
Office of Defense Mobilization
This independent agency was formed during the Korean War and was extremely influential.
Centralia Massacre
This conflict between the American Legion and workers who were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or "Wobblies") resulted in six deaths, additional wounded, multiple prison terms, and an ongoing and especially bitter dispute over the motivations and events that precipitated the massacre.
Muhammad Ali
This controversial Olympic boxer refused to be drafted into Vietnam.
Father Coughlin
This controversial Roman Catholic priest used the radio to his advantage to garner support for his social justice programs involving increased union rights and nationalization. He was also extremely anti-banker, due to the association of banks with Jewish people.
Beatlemania
This craze towards the Beatles began in 1963 in the U.S. with the releases of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There."
Collinwood school fire
This deadly fire, plus the Iroquois Theater fire, lead to the creation of fire exits in numerous buildings.
Our Lady of the Angels School fire
This devastating 1958 fire at a Catholic school killed 95 and shocked the nation. Pope John XXIII sent his condolences and lead to major improvements in standards for school design and fire safety.
Iroquois Theatre fire
This disaster killed over 600 people.
Yellow fever
This disease killed many Americans who were fighting the Spanish-American War, and those who were building the Panama Canal.
polio
This disease was a pandemic from the 1900s decade to the 1950s until 1954 when a vaccination was ordered nationwide.
Grand Coulee Dam
This electricity producing dam in Washington was constructed during FDR's presidency.
Church of the Nazarene
This evangelical Christian religion emerged as a result of the Holiness Movement.
Smokey Bear
This fire safety mascot was created in response to numerous fire disasters.
Quebec Act
This gave Catholic French Canadians religious freedom and restored the French form of civil law, it upset many colonists.
Fallingwater
This house, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939, is a beautiful example of modern American architecture.
Komla Agbeli Gbedemah
This important Ghanan politician received an apology from Eisenhower after he was refused restaurant service.
The 38th Parallel
This is the division between North (USSR occupied) and South (US occupied) Korea following World War 2.
"I Love Lucy"
This landmark 1950s TV show starred Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It was insanely popular and was one of the first shows to depict an interracial marriage.
Medicine Lodge Treaty
This landmark treaty acknowledged American failure in treating the Indians with respect and dignity, but at the same time forced many Native American tribes to reside just in Oklahoma.
1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
This large suspension bridge twisted and collapsed on a windy day, its collapse has had a lasting effect on engineering.
Philippine Organic Act (1902)
This law, which coincided with the end of the Philippine-American War, provided for the creation of a Filipino assembly, a bill of rights for Filipinos, and the disestablishment of the Roman Catholic church while still holding onto the island chain as a colony.
Civil Rights Act of 1866
This legislation was vetoed by President Johnson, but Congress overturned his veto. This bill stopped employment or housing discrimination on the basis of color or race.
Wernher von Braun
This man "The Father of Rocket Science" in 1952 published "Man Will Conquer Space Soon!" and then went on to aide NASA in space exploration.
Ray Kroc
This man created McDonald's in 1955 and then built it into the most successful and important restaurant chain in history.
Casablanca Conference
This meeting of Churchill, FDR, and Charles de Gaull produced the outcome that their respective forces would not stop fighting until they reach "unconditional surrender."
Treaty of Versailles
This peace treaty ending World War I was never ratified by the U.S..
"The Glass Menagerie"
This play about an emotionally unstable family helped catapult Tennessee Williams to a revered American playwright.
1964 Philadelphia race riot
This race riot was caused by the issue of police brutality against black citizens.
The Super Chief
This train set a new standard for American rail travel.
Springfield Race Riot of 1908
This riot lead to the creation of the NAACP.
"Rock Around the Clock"
This rock and roll song by Bill Haley & The Comets became an anthem for rebellious Fifties youth.
Helen Kane
This singer was the inspiration for Betty Boop, she sued the Boop animators but lost her case when it was revealed that Kane, in turn, had stolen her style from a black singer.
"General Hospital"
This soap opera's viewership peaked in 1981, with the marriage of characters Luke and Laura.
"Blackboard Jungle"
This social commentary film about teachers in the inner-city had the opposite effect it was intended to have, causing riots and many teenagers to repeat the "inner city" behavior.
Little Theatre Movement
This theater movement erupted as a response to the growing popularity of cinema, and featured very close, personal plays performed for small audiences.
Christine Jorgensen
This transwoman was (falsely) reported in 1952 to be the first recipient of transsexual surgery ever by the New York Times. The ensuing popularity lead to her becoming a transgender rights advocate.
Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty
This treaty, signed by the U.S. and the newly-created Panama, allowed for the construction of the Panama Canal.
"The Ed Sullivan Show"
This variety show became most famous for it's 1956 airing of a controversial hip-thrusting Elvis Presley performance.
Thousand Days' War
This war between Panamanian seperatists and the Columbian government lead to the separation of Panama after the U.S. government supported the Panamanians after the Columbian government rejected a canal treaty.
Jayuya Uprising
This was a violent pro-Puerto Rican independence uprising.
Major export of Virginia
Tobacco
Yukio Ozaki
Tokyo mayor gifted cherry blossom trees to the U.S. to symbolize friendship between the nations.
The Sons of Liberty and Daughters of Liberty
Took the law into their own hands and violently enforced nonimportation agreements against the British.
Truman Doctrine
Truman's international relation policy of providing aid to struggling nations after World War 2. It was first utilized in favor of Greece and Turkey, its purpose was to stop the spread of communism.
Fair Deal
Truman's liberal manifesto, called for aid to schools, universal health care, a Fair Employment Practices Commission, and the repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act. All these major things failed, but some smaller facets of his plan did get through.
Holland Tunnel
Tunnel connecting New Jersey to New York, built during the architectural boom of the 1920s.
Battle of Gettysburg
Turning point of the War that made it clear the North would win. 50,000 people died, and the South lost its chance to invade the North.
Leopold and Loeb
Two University of Chicago students who committed a "thrill killing" against a 13-year old boy.
Kinsey Reports
Two books on human sexual behavior by Dr. Alfred Kinsey. Revealed revolutionary new ideas about homosexuality in the human male.
Operation Crossroads
Two nuclear weapons tests conducted by the U.S. at the Bikini Atoll.
1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision
Two planes collided, killing all passengers, lead to sweeping regulations of cross-country flying and air traffic control.
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow
Two storied Depression-era gangsters.
Torrijos-Carter Treaties
Two treaties signed in 1977 guaranteeing eventual handover of the Panama Canal from The U.S. to Panama.
Sand Creek massacre
U.S. Army's killing of about 150 Cheyenne elderly people, women and children at the Sand Creek Reservation in Colorado Territory.
John N. Mitchell
U.S. Attorney General until 1972, he served nineteen months in prison in 1977 in connection with Watergate. Nixon's close personal friend, when the scandal first leaked, he was scapegoated with all the blame.
Harrison Narcotics Tax Act
U.S. Federal Law which regulated and taxed the production of opiates and Coca.
Saturday Night Massacre
U.S. President Richard Nixon orders Attorney General Elliot Richardson to dismiss Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refuses and resigns, along with Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus. Solicitor General Robert Bork, third in line at the Department of Justice, then fires Cox. The event raises calls for Nixon's impeachment.
Newlands Reclamation Act
U.S. federal law that funded irrigation projects for arid lands in the American West.
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act
U.S. legislation that raised import duties by as much as 50%, adding considerable strain to the worldwide economic climate of the Great Depression. Hoover signed the act with the intention of protecting farmers. It contributed to the early loss of confidence on Wall Street and signaled U.S. isolationism. Other countries retaliated with similarly high protective tariffs, and overseas banks began to collapse. In 1934 Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Trade Agreements Act, which reduced such tariffs.
Joseph O. Fletcher & William P. Benedict
U.S. lieutenant colonels who were the first to land their planes in the geographic North Pole.
Gary Mandich
U.S. military lieutenant, in response to the Tailhook scandal, he said "Everyone needs to seriously lighten up. What do they expect? This is Vegas baby! They call this symposium 'Tail' hook for a reason!" Prompting protests from numerous women's groups.
Tailhook scandal
U.S. military officers in 1991 sexually assaulted at least 83 women and 7 men at a Las Vegas event. Military critics claimed that the scandal highlighted a hostile attitude in US military culture towards women.
Floyd H. Flake
U.S. representative indicted in 1990 on numerous economic violations.
Eugene McCarthy
U.S. senator who challenged incumbent president Johnson in the 1968 Democratic primary due to the unpopularity of the Vietnam War.
Revenue Act of 1932
Under Hoover, the Estate Tax was doubled and for the first time a tax was placed on gas.
Long Walk of the Navajo
Under Lincoln's presidency, the Navajo were forced at gunpoint to trek miles a day from their reservation.
Gold Standard Act
Under McKinley, bimetallism was stopped.
Adams-Onis Treaty
Under Monroe's presidency, this treaty gave Florida to the U.S. and established land boundaries with Spain.
Oregon Treaty
Under the presidency of James K. Polk, Oregon is divided along the 49th parallel ending the Oregon boundary dispute.
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union General who destroyed South during "march to the sea" from Atlanta to Savannah, example of total war
John Pope
Union general with brief but successful career in the Western Theater, but he is best known for his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run in the East, after which he was replaced by McClellan.
P. T. Barnum
United States showman who popularized the circus and traveling freak shows in the 1860s and 70s
Brushaber v. Union Pacific Railroad
Upheld the federal income tax.
The Dakota War
Uprising under Lincoln's presidency caused by Indian aggravation about the United States constantly violating its own treaties, the end result was that it scattered and destroyed Native Americans in Minnesota
Venezuela Crisis
Venezuelan President refused to pay damages to European nations leading to a blockade of the nation and the Roosevelt Corollary.
Richard Mentor Johnson
Vice President under Van Buren, the only Vice President to be elected by the House.
Lewis Powell
Viciously attacked Secretary of State William Seward as part of a major plot with Booth and three others, Seward survived and Powell was hanged.
Days of Rage
Violent protests lead by the radical Weatherman group held in 1969.
United States presidential election, 1788-1789
Washington won after running essentially unopposed, being the first president. John Adams became the first vice president.
Battle of Princeton
Washington's successful last major battle for control of New Jersey. It caused army recruitment numbers to rapidly increase.
H.R. Haldeman
White House Chief of Staff under Pres. Nixon who was forced to resign in 1973 in connection with Watergate.
The Snow Winter
Winter of 1880-1881, most severe ever known in the United States. Primarily affected the area of Chicago into Dakota, numerous townspeople died of starvation as the trains couldn't travel.
1900 Galveston hurricane
With 6000-12000 killed, this hurricane launched future president Hoover to notoriety.
United States presidential election, 1896
With over 90% voter turnout this extremely important election saw Republican McKinley defeat Democrat Bryant.
1860 Wiyot Massacre
Wiyot Indians were slaughtered for control of Indian Island in Eureka, California.
Eadweard Muybridge
Worked with Edison to pioneer motion-picture development.
Knights of Columbus
World's largest Catholic fraternal service founded in America in 1882.
"Hellzapoppin"
Written by Olsen and Johnson, this romp was one of the three most popular plays of the 1930s.
First state to give female suffrage
Wyoming, 1869
Hillside Strangler
Yet another 1970s serial killer.
Battle of Buena Vista
Zachary Taylor's most spectacular win against the much more well-armed Mexicans during the Mexican-American War.
Sedition Act of 1918
added to Espionage Act to cover "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the American form of government, the Constitution, the flag, or the armed forces.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
author of "The Little House" books for children, about prairie family life.
20th Amendment
moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the President and Vice President from March 4 to January 20, and of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3. Passed so the new president can deal with grave issues more expeditiously, (like Roosevelt and the Great Depression).
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
written by Julia Ward Howe, became a battle song for Union soldiers.