3. Elvis Presley appears on
The Ed Sullivan Show
September 9, 1956
Elvis’ provocative dance
moves caused much
controversy in the media
Brought in over 60 million
viewers
Helped jump start Elvis’
career
4. Desegregation of the
University of Alabama
June 11, 1963
George Wallace, governor
of Alabama, tried to block
two African-American
students from entering the
auditorium
Caused national issue
JFK eventually steps in,
and ordered students be
enrolled in the University
5. JFK Assassinated
November 22, 1963
Shot during motorcade
through Dallas, Texas
Killed by Lee Harvey Oswald,
who was then killed by Jack
Ruby, not allowing Oswald to
stand trial
One of the most controversial
events in American history,
leading many to believe in
conspiracy theories
6. Apollo 11 Moon Landing
July 20, 1969
Neil Armstrong and Buzz
Aldrin become first to land
on the moon
Armstrong famously
describes as “That’s one
small step for man, one giant
leap for mankind.”
Put the United States ahead
in the “Moon Race” against
the Soviet Union
7. Woodstock
August 15-18, 1969
“3 Days of Peace and
Music”
Held on Max Yasgur’s
dairy farm
32 acts performed in front
of over 500,000 viewers
One of the most important
events in pop music
history
8. Vietnam War
November 1, 1955 - April 30,
1975
War against communism
War not wanted by American
public
American casualties totaled
over 50,000
Resulted as one of the worst
military events in US history
9. Watergate Scandal
June 17, 1972
Men arrested for breaking
into Watergate Hotel, home of
the 1972 Democratic National
Convention
President Nixon becomes
target of investigation
Nixon eventually resigned,
and is later pardoned by
President Ford, against the
wishes of most Americans
10. Apple Goes Public
December 12, 1980
Apple IPO opens at $22 per
share
Generated most capital for an
IPO since Ford in 1956
Made many instant
millionaires
12. Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Began when Rosa Parks was arrested for
refusing to give her seat up on December 1,
1955
• Martin Luther King, Jr. became a prominent
figure when he decided to lead the boycott
against city buses
• African-Americans were urged to use any and
all types of transportation excluding the city
buses
• Carpooling, walking, and bicycles became
ways of transportation
• Ended on November 20, 1956, when Browder v.
Gayle determined segregation of Montgomery
city buses to be unconstitutional
13. Bay of Pigs Invasion
April, 1961
Cuban exiles trained by the
CIA were sent to invade part
of Cuba in attempt to
overthrow Fidel Castro
Cuban exiles badly beaten by
Cuban military without US aid
International embarrassment
for America
JFK takes blame
14. “I have a Dream” Speech
August 28, 1963
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers
speech on Lincoln Monument
calling for racial equality
200,000+ supporters on hand
Major event in the American
Civil Rights Movement
15. Iran Hostage Crisis
November 4, 1979 - January 20,
1981
Islamist students stormed and
overtook the US embassy in
Tehran, holding 52 Americans
hostage for 444 days
Rescue mission designed by
Jimmy Carter fails miserably
Hostages finally released as new
president Ronald Reagan
completed his inauguration
address
16. Miracle on Ice
February 22, 1980
USA men hockey team, made
up of college players stun the
heavily favored Soviet Union
team 4-3 in the Winter
Olympics at Lake Placid, New
York
Led to gold medal for the USA
Named the Top Sports Moment
of the 20th Century by Sports
Illustrated
18. O.J. Simpson Trial
Began on June 17, 1994 with infamous
Ford Bronco car chase
Simpson on trial for murder of ex-wife
and her friend
Became media spectacle, and brought
racial tensions, causing a split amongst
the people
Simpson eventually acquitted of all
charges
Simpson found liable in wrongful death
suit 3 years later
19. Monica Lewinsky Scandal
1998
Sex Scandal involving President
Clinton, and White House intern,
Monica Lewinsky
Led to impeachment of
President Clinton by the House
of Representatives
Eventually acquitted of
impeachment charges in a
Senate trial
20. Columbine School Shooting
April 20, 1999
Columbine High School in
Colorado
Two students entered the
school with weapons and
opened fire, killing 12
students and 1 teacher
Two students then
committed suicide
21. September 11, 2001
Terrorists hijack 4 airplanes
on the morning of
September 11th
2 planes crash into the World
Trade Center in New York
City
Another plane crashes into
the Pentagon in Washington,
D.C.
Nearly 9,000 dead or injured
22. Iraq War
March 20, 2003 –
December 15, 2011
Allegedly, weapons of
mass destruction were
in Iraq
Part of the “War on
Terror”
23. Hurricane Katrina
• August 23 – August 30, 2005
• Deadliest and most
destructive Atlantic hurricane
of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane
season
• The storm led to major levee
breaches in the federally
built levee system of New
Orleans, leading to large
floods and major casualties
24. Election of Barack
Obama
• November 4, 2008
• Democratic candidate
Barack Obama defeats
Republican candidate John
McCain in the 56th
presidential election
• Marked the 1st African
American president in
United States history
25. BP Oil Spill
• April 20 to July 15, 2010
• Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
which flowed for 3 months
• Largest marine oil spill in
history of petroleum infustry
• Resulted from explosion of the
Deepwater Horizon drilling
rig, which was operated by BP
• Had many adverse effects on
the ecosystems of the area
26. Death of Osama Bin
Laden
• May 2, 2011
• Leader of Al-Qaeda, terrorist
group known for orchestrating
9/11 attacks
• Killed by Navy Seals in
“Operation Neptune Spear”,
ordered by President Obama
• Brought a surge of nationalism
throughout the country
27. Occupy Wall Street
• Protest began on September
17, 2011
• Main issues are social
and economic inequality,
greed, corruption and
the influence of
corporations on government
• Emphasizes the growing gap
between the rich and the poor,
pitting the 99% versus the
wealthiest 1%
29. “Sound of the Police” by
KRS-One
• O.J. Simpson Trial
• Shows the feeling of
resentment from African
Americans towards the
police
• Portrays how the black
community felt towards
racial discrimination in the
justice system during the
O.J. Simpson case
30. “Devil With a Blue Dress On” by
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
• Monica Lewinsky Scandal
• Coincidentally, President
Clinton’s DNA was found on
Monica Lewinsky’s blue dress
• The Mitch Ryder sings “Devil
with the blue dress on” as
Lewinsky can be interpreted as
the “devil” that created chaos
in the nation, scandal, and
distrust
31. “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by
Santa Esmeralda
• Columbine
• Portrays the feelings most
likely felt by the two
shooters of alienation from
their peers
• The song shows that “no
one alive can always be an
angel” when they feel
misunderstood
32. “Hero” by Enrique
Iglesias
• 9/11
• Honors all the people who lost
their lives in the terrorist attacks
of 9/11, especially the first
responders, firefighters,
emergency personnel, who
attempted to save lives
• Played in many 9/11 tributes
33. “Testify” by Rage
Against the Machine
• Iraq War
• Captures the anti-war
sentiment felt by many
throughout the years of the
Iraq war
• The song quotes “mass
graves for the pump and the
price is set”
34. “Fix You” by Coldplay
• Hurricane Katrina
• The Coldplay song brings
light to tragedy and hopes
to inspire future optimism in
tragic situations such as the
hurricane
• Coldplay’s “Fix You EP” was
made to benefit Hurricane
Katrina victims
35. “Change Gon’ Come”
by B.o.B.
• Election of Obama
• Samples Sam Cooke’s
“Change is Gonna Come”
which exemplified the
civil rights movements of
the 1960’s
• Displays the major
advancements made in
American society to
finally achieve a black
president
36. “Clean Up” by Barney
the Dinosaur
• BP Oil Spill
• Shows how the American
people had to work together
in order to clean up the spill
• Displayed how the
government, BP employees,
and volunteers all did their
share to show that they cared
about the environment
37. “Party in the U.S.A.” by
Miley Cyrus
• Death of Osama Bin Laden
• Portrays a feeling of
nationalism and patriotism
throughout the country as
they celebrated the death of
the nation’s enemy
38. “I Need a Dollar” by
Aloe Blacc
• Occupy Wall Street
• Portrays the sentiment of the
“99%” vs. the wealthiest
“1%”
• Shows how the 99% struggled
while the rich prospered with
no consequence
