1953
Eisenhower sworn in.
Moscow H-bomb tests.
1954
Brown v Board of Education.
SEATO formed.
1955
Warsaw Pact formed.
Eisenhower has coronary thrombosis.
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks demonstrate for desegregation.
1956
Bikini Atoll tests.
Workers revolt in Poland.
Hungarian student demonstrations.
Israeli-Egypt conflict.
U.S. mediates cease fire after British and French invade Suez.
1957
Eisenhower doctrine – US aid to Mideast countries resisting communism.
Eisenhower sends troops to Little Rock, AR to enforce integration
USSR launches Sputnik 1.
1958
Explorer 1.
Eisenhower sends Marines into Lebanon.
1959
Castro assumes power in Cuba.
1960
U-2 spy plane shot down over USSR; Kruschev cancels Paris summit.
900 American military advisors in Vietnam.
1961
U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Kennedy sworn in.
Bay of Pigs invasion.
Berlin Wall erected.
USSR explodes 50 megaton H-bomb.
2,000 American military advisors in Vietnam.
1962
John Glen orbit.
Cuban missile crisis.
Federal marshals enforce desegregation order at University of Mississippi.
1963
US Supreme Court decisions in school prayer cases.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”
Kennedy assassinated.
Johnson sworn in.
15,000 American military advisors in Vietnam.
1964
Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
US Supreme Court decision in legislative reapportionment cases.
1965
Johnson sends Marines into Dominican Republic.
Medicare program begins.
Watts riots.
1966
More Watts riots.
US Supreme Court decision in criminal due process case (Miranda warnings).
1967
Apollo 1 disaster.
6-day War in Middle East.
China explodes H-bomb.
Racial violence in Detroit and other major cities.
1968
North Korea seizes the Pueblo.
Tet Offensive.
My Lai Massacre.
MLK assassinated.
Robert Kennedy assassinated.
Soviets invade Czechoslovakia.
1969
Nixon sworn in.
Apollo 11 moon landing.
1970
US troops invade Cambodia.
Kent State incident.
US Senate repeals the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
1971
US Supreme Court orders “busing” to achieve racial integration in public schools.
Anti-war demonstrations.
Pentagon papers published.
26th Amendment (18 year-olds right-to-vote).
Communist China seated at UN; nationalist China ousted.
1972
Nixon visits China.
George Wallace assassination attempt.
Watergate break-in.
US Supreme Court rules death penalty unconstitutional.
Terrorists kill 11 Israeli athletes at Olympic Games in Munich.
“Christmas bombing” or North Vietnam.
1973
Vietnam peace pacts signed.
Nixon “accepts responsibility” for Watergate; Haldeman and Erlichman (Nixon advisors)
resign/John Dean fired by Nixon.
US bombing of Cambodia ends/end of 12 years of American combat in SE Asia.
Arab-Israeli (Yom Kippur) War.
Spiro Agnew (vice-president) resigns/pleads guilty to tax evasion.
“Saturday Night Massacre” – Nixon fires Cox/Ruckelshaus/Richardson.
US-sponsored Egypt-Israeli cease-fire.
US Supreme Court decision guaranteeing a woman’s right to terminate pregnancy.
1974
Articles of Impeachment against Nixon drawn up in House Judiciary Committee.
Nixon resigns.
Ford sworn in.
Ford pardons Nixon.
1975
Mitchell/Haldeman/Erlichman found guilty of Watergate cover up.
Mayaguez incident (American merchant ship seized by Cambodia – 38 Marines killed in
rescue attempt.
Apollo-Soyuz mission.
Assassination attempts on President Ford.
1976
Federal Election Campaign Act.
US Supreme Court upholds death penalty (reverses 1972 decision).
1977
Carter sworn in.
Carter pardons Vietnam draft evaders.
Nuclear-proliferation pact, curbing spread of nuclear weapons, signed by 15 countries,
including U.S. and U.S.S.R.
1978
U.S. Senate approves Panama Canal neutrality treaty/votes treaty to turn canal over to
Panama by year 2000.
“Framework for Peace” in Middle East signed by Egypt's president Anwar Sadat and Israeli
premier Menachem Begin after 13-day conference at Camp David led by President Carter.
1979
Shah leaves Iran after year of turmoil/revolutionary forces under Muslim leader, Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, take over.
Carter and Brezhnev sign SALT II agreement.
Iranian militants seize U.S. embassy in Teheran and hold hostages.
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan stirs world protests.
1980
Six U.S. embassy aides escape from Iran with Canadian help.
U.S. breaks diplomatic ties with Iran.
Eight U.S. servicemen are killed and five are injured as helicopter and cargo plane collide in
abortive desert raid to rescue American hostages in Teheran.
1981
Ronald Reagan sworn in.
U.S.-Iran agreement frees 52 hostages held in Teheran since 1979; hostages welcomed back
in U.S.
President Reagan wounded by gunman, with press secretary and two law-enforcement
officers.
Reagan nominates Judge Sandra Day O'Connor, 51, of Arizona, as first woman on Supreme
Court.
Air controllers strike, disrupting flights/government dismisses strikers.
1982
Alexander M. Haig, Jr., resigns as secretary of state.
Equal Rights Amendment fails ratification
1983
Second space shuttle, Challenger, makes successful maiden voyage, which includes the first
U.S. space walk in nine years.
Terrorist explosion kills 237 U.S. Marines in Beirut.
U.S. and Caribbean allies invade Grenada.
1984
U.S. and Vatican exchange diplomats after 116-year hiatus.
Reagan orders U.S. Marines withdrawn from Beirut international peacekeeping force.
Reagan ends U.S. role in Beirut by relieving Sixth Fleet from peacekeeping force.
Congress rebukes President Reagan on use of federal funds for mining Nicaraguan harbors.
Soviet Union withdraws from summer Olympic games in U.S., and other bloc nations follow.
1985
Ronald Reagan, 73, takes oath for second term as 40th president.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher addresses Congress, endorsing Reagan's policies.
Two Shi'ite Muslim gunmen capture TWA airliner with 133 aboard, 104 of them
Americans/39 remaining hostages freed in Beirut.
Reagan and Gorbachev meet at summit; agree to step up arms control talks and renew
cultural contacts.
U.S. budget-balancing bill enacted (Dec. 12).
1986
President freezes Libyan assets in U.S.
Space shuttle Challenger explodes after launch at Cape Canaveral, Fla., killing all seven
aboard.
President Marcos flees Philippines after ruling 20 years, as newly elected Corazon Aquino
succeeds him.
U.S. planes attack Libyan “terrorist centers”.
House votes arms appropriations bill rejecting administration's “star wars” policy.
Congress overrides Reagan veto of stiff sanctions against South Africa.
Reagan signs $11.7-billion budget reduction measure/approves sweeping revision of U.S. tax
code.
Democrats triumph in elections, gaining eight seats to win Senate majority.
Secret initiative to send arms to Iran revealed – Reagan denies exchanging arms for hostages
and halts arms sales.
Diversion of funds from arms sales to Nicaraguan Contras revealed.
1987
Iraqi missiles kill 37 in attack on U.S. frigate Stark in Persian Gulf; Iraqi president
apologizes.
Oliver North, Jr., tells congressional inquiry higher officials approved his secret Iran-Contra
operations. Admiral John M. Poindexter, former National Security Adviser, testifies he
authorized use of Iran arms sale profits to aid Contras. George P. Shultz testifies he was
deceived repeatedly on Iran-Contra affair. Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger tells
inquiry of official deception and intrigue. Reagan says Iran arms-Contra policy went astray
and accepts responsibility.
Senate, 58–42, rejects Robert H. Bork as Supreme Court justice.
1988
U.S. and Canada reach free trade agreement.
Robert C. McFarlane, former National Security Adviser, pleads guilty in Iran-Contra case.
U.S. Navy ship shoots down Iranian airliner in Persian Gulf, mistaking it for jet fighter; 290
killed.
1989
U.S. planes shoot down two Libyan fighters over international waters in Mediterranean.
Bush sworn in.
Ruptured tanker Exxon Valdez sends 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska's Prince
William Sound.
Tens of thousands of Chinese students take over Beijing's Tiananmen Square in rally for
democracy. More than one million in Beijing demonstrate for democracy; chaos spreads
across nation. Thousands killed in Tiananmen Square as Chinese leaders take hard line
toward demonstrators.
Army Gen. Colin R. Powell is first black chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.
After 28 years, Berlin Wall is open to West.
Czech Parliament ends Communists' dominant role.
Romanian uprising overthrows Communist government; Romanian President Ceausescu and
wife executed.
U.S. troops invade Panama, seeking capture of Gen. Manuel Noriega; resistance to U.S.
collapses.
1990
Gen. Manuel Noriega surrenders in Panama.
Yugoslav Communists end 45-year monopoly of power.
Soviet Communists relinquish sole power.
U.S.-Soviet summit reaches accord on armaments.
Western Alliance announces end of Cold War and proposes joint action with Soviet Union
and Eastern Europe.
Iraqi troops invade Kuwait and seize petroleum reserves, setting off.
East and West Germany reunite.
Leaders of 34 nations in Europe and North America proclaim a united Europe.
Haiti elects leftist priest as president in first democratic election.
1991
U.S. and Allies at war with Iraq.
Warsaw Pact dissolved.
Boris N. Yeltsin inaugurated as first freely elected president of Russian Republic.
Bush-Gorbachev summit negotiates strategic arms reduction treaty.
Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia win independence; Bush recognizes them.
Haitian troops seize president in uprising; U.S. suspends assistance to Haiti.
Professor Anita Hill accuses Judge Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment; Senate, 52–48,
confirms Thomas for Supreme Court after stormy hearings.
U.S. indicts two Libyans in 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Last three U.S. hostages freed in Lebanon.
Soviet Union breaks up after President Gorbachev's resignation; constituent republics form
Commonwealth of Independent States.
1992
Bush and Yeltsin proclaim formal end to Cold War.
U.S. lifts trade sanctions against China.
Gen. Noriega sentenced to 40 years on drug charges.
North American trade compact announced (Aug. 12). Republicans renominate Bush and
Quayle.
U.S. forces leave Philippines, ending nearly a century of American military presence.
UN approves U.S.-led force to guard food for Somalia.
Bush pardons former Reagan administration officials involved in Iran-Contra affair.
1993
Clinton agrees to compromise on military's ban on homosexuals.
U.S. begins airlift of supplies to besieged Bosnia towns.
Federal agents besiege Texas Branch Davidian religious cult after six are killed in raid; fire
kills 72 as cult standoff in Texas ends with federal assault.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg appointed to Supreme Court.
Iraq accepts UN weapons monitoring.
Vincent W. Foster, Jr., senior White House lawyer, commits suicide.
Congress approves North American Free Trade Agreement.
Clinton signs Brady bill regulating firearms purchases.
1994
Clinton ends trade embargo on Vietnam.
Clinton accused of sexual harassment while governor of Arkansas.
U.S. sends forces to Persian Gulf.
Clinton orders Bosnian arms embargo ended.
1995
Republicans take control of Congress.
Scores killed as terrorist's car bomb blows up block-long Oklahoma City federal building.
House move stalls Congress-White House negotiations to avert government shutdown;
Congress and the president fail to agree on a budget.
1996
U.S. budget crisis in fourth month; Clinton approves resumption of many government
operations.
Senate ratifies major arms reduction treaty.
Clinton signs line-item veto bill.
President blocks ban on late-term abortions.
Clinton signs bill to raise minimum wage.
Congress passes welfare reform bill; signed into law by Clinton.
Iraqis strike at Kurdish enclave; after warning, U.S. attacks Iraq's southern air defenses; Iraq
halts attacks on U.S. planes enforcing flight exclusion zones in north and south.
Clinton-Gore ticket wins national election; Republicans retain control of Congress.
Clinton appoints Madeleine Albright as first female U.S. secretary of state.
1997
Congress votes major tax cuts.
Clinton exercises new line-item veto.
Attorney General exonerates Clinton and Gore on fund-raising calls.
1998
President accused in White House sex scandal; denies allegations of affair with White House
intern, Monica Lewinsky.
President outlines first balanced budget in 30 years.
U.S. drops condemnation of China's human rights record.
Federal judge in Arkansas throws out Paula Jones case.
U.S. trade deficit biggest in decade.
President Clinton visits China.
Independent counsel Kenneth Starr subpoenas Clinton to testify in Grand Jury investigation
of reported White House sex scandal; Monica Lewinsky testifies before grand jury about
affair with Clinton.
U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania bombed.
Clinton admits to affair with White House intern in televised address to nation.
U.S. cruise missiles hit suspected terrorist bases in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Starr Report by independent counsel outlines case for impeachment proceedings against
president.
U.S. budget surplus largest in three decades.
House Judiciary Committee votes to investigate possible impeachment of president; House
panel drafts impeachment charges; votes along party lines to approve four articles.
Osama bin Laden, Islamic extremist, reported to plot terrorist attacks on U.S. targets in
Persian Gulf.
Clinton orders air strikes on Iraq.
House impeaches President Clinton along party lines on two charges, perjury and obstruction
of justice. Senators divide on plan for trial or censure.
1999
U.S. agrees to ease restrictions on Cuba.
U.S. warplanes fire on Iraqi jets over Iraqi no-fly zone.
Senate acquits President Clinton of impeachment charges.
U.S. accuses China of stealing nuclear secrets.
Crime rate in U.S. falls for seventh consecutive year.
Attorney General Janet Reno reopens investigation of 1993 Waco, Tex., stand-off after new
evidence shows F.B.I. may have started blaze that killed more than 80 Branch Davidians.
Senate rejects 1996 nuclear test-ban treaty; international leaders scold U.S.
U.S. and China reach landmark trade agreement.
2000
Federal Reserve Head Nominated Again: Alan Greenspan chosen by President Clinton to
serve fourth four-year term as chairman.
Clinton Expands National Park System.
Clinton Submits Year's Budget: Outlines $1.84 trillion federal budget proposal. President
calls for using much of projected surplus to bolster Medicare system over coming decade.
Reduction in Medical Errors Sought: President Clinton plans to order all hospitals in nation
to enforce means to reduce mistakes that cause thousands of deaths each year. States will be
requested to implement systems in which hospitals will be required to report errors.
President Visits South Asia: Clinton welcomed in India on state visit. In Geneva at end of
tour, Clinton fails to persuade Syrian leader, Hafez al-Assad, to resume talks with Israel.
White House Cleared in Files Inquiry: Independent Counsel Robert W. Ray announces that
no criminal wrongdoing had been involved in acquisition of several hundred confidential
F.B.I. papers, many of which concerned prominent Republicans.
Secretary of Labor Exonerated: Independent prosecutor reports Alexis M. Herman, the fifth
officer in Clinton cabinet investigated by an independent counsel, did not break any laws and
should not be indicted for corruption.
President Bars Request for Pardon: Clinton says he will not seek action by his successor even
though he thinks impeachment proceedings had inflicted sufficient punishment.
Panel Requests Clinton Be Disbarred: Arkansas court disciplinary committee recommends
penalty because of “serious misconduct” in Paula Jones sexual harassment case.
House Votes to Lift Trade Curbs on China: In victory for President Clinton, House votes,
237–197, to give Beijing permanent normal trading privileges.
Clinton and Putin Unable to Agree): End cordial two-day Moscow conference without
compromise on U.S. plans for national missile defense system. Presidents, however, do
pledge to destroy 34 metric tons of plutonium.
Mideast Peace Talks Fail: President Clinton ends summit after two weeks of negotiations
between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at Camp David. Leaders could not reach compromise
on Jerusalem.
U.S. and Vietnam Agree on Trade: Accord would permit nearly unrestrained commerce
between the countries.
U.S. Officials Cleared in Waco Deaths: Special counsel John Danforth exonerates Attorney
General Janet Reno and the government of any wrongdoing in 1993 tear-gas assault on
Branch Davidian cult compound. Counsel blames religious sect members, notably the group's
leader, David Koresh, for deaths.
Clinton Vetoes Marriage Tax Relief: Terms proposal too costly. Measure had been
centerpiece of Republican efforts for tax reduction.
Clinton Vetoes Estate Tax Repeal: President rejects Republican measure, saying it “fails the
test of fairness and fiscal responsibility.”
U.S. Moves to Revive Mideast Peace Talks: Seeks action at informal New York meeting, but
Secretary of State Albright is doubtful of progress.
House Upholds Marriage Penalty Bill Veto: Republicans fail to override president's rejection.
President Delays New Import Duties: Holds up new punitive actions on luxury European
goods.
Senate Approves China Trade Bill: Votes, 83–15, in favor of broadening trade with China,
giving President Clinton historic foreign policy victory. Measure, approved by House in
May, ends annual congressional review of China's trade status.
Whitewater Inquiry Ends: Special Prosecutor Robert W. Ray reports no evidence in six-year
investigation that either President or Mrs. Clinton had committed crimes.
Clinton Meets with North Korean Military Leader: First president to host North Korean
official. Discuss further reducing tensions between North and South Korea.
U.S. Sailors Die in Yemen Explosion: Seventeen Americans die and 37 wounded when a raft
carrying powerful explosives collides with Navy destroyer Cole, which was refueling in
Yemen. Terrorism suspected. The vessel was outfitted with guided missiles and electronic
equipment. U.S. envoy reports Yemen officials have searched an Aden apartment that they
suspect was used by bombers of Cole. Bombed destroyer towed from Yemen port, headed
back to U.S.
Clinton Signs China Trade Bill: Law gives China permanent normal trading relations. Sends
warning to China, however, not to back down on concessions it made for bill's passage and
entry into World Trade Organization.
Government Announces Record Surplus: Administration posts $237 billion surplus, third in a
row, for the fiscal year that ended in September.
Clinton and Arafat Confer: President and Palestinian leader meet in Washington. White
House silent on prospects for ending violence in Mideast.
Clinton Visits Hanoi for Conference: Vows new peaceful relationship with Vietnam.
President is first to visit nation since Nixon met with troops in 1969.
Clinton Speaks for Peace in Ireland: Addresses tens of thousands in his last appeal for an end
to the strife.
Congress Votes $450 Billion Spending Bill: Ends session after President Clinton reaches
accord with Alaska senator to protect Alaska sea lion species. Senate approves bill by voice
vote; House by 292–60.
Clinton Offers Mideast Peace Plan: Outlines broad proposals for accord between Israelis and
Palestinians. One would be for Israel to give up sovereignty over Temple Mount and for
Palestinians to surrender right of refugees to return to Israel.