Invasion of Poland- Began WWII, Hitler and the Soviets invaded Poland 1 week after they signed a non-aggression pact with each other, one of the causes was appeasement from allied countries

Stalingrad- Turning point of WWII for the allies (in east), the battle of Stalingrad stopped the German advance into the Soviet Union

D-day (operation overlord)- Turning point of WWII (in west), on the Normandy beaches of France, axis forces were pushed back to germany and forced to surrender. largest amphibious invasion in military history, lots of casualties

Midway- Turning point of WWII (in pacific) stopped the advance of Japan (they lost 4 aircraft carriers, we lost 1)

Island hopping- a military strategy by the Allies (Douglas MacArthur) in the Pacific, bypass heavily fortified islands to seize lightly defended ones occupied by Japan

Pearl Harbor- Japan attacked the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, caused the public to change its mind about isolationism and the U.S. to enter WWII

Concentration camps (what poison killed them?)- built to hold Jewish people and other minorities to kill them, crowded, starvation, disease-ridden. Part of the Final Solution, poison: Zlykon B.

Atomic bombs (aftermath) - Two atomic bombs were dropped in Hiroshima (Little Boy) and Nagasaki (Fat Man) ordered by President Truman to end the war in the pacific. Estimated to have killed over 200,000 Japanese people, survivors faced side effects from radiation such as cancer. Victims left a shadow on the ground after they were killed by the bomb

Manhattan Project- Secret program by the U.S. to develop the world’s first atomic bomb

Japanese internment camp- Established by President Roosevelt, policy that people of Japanese descent had to leave everything behind to be incarcerated into isolated camps as a result of Pearl Harbor. bad living conditions

Navajo Code Talkers- Native Americans hired by the U.S. government to create a code based on Navajo language, used to transmit secret allied messages during WWII

Yalta Conference- “Big Three” (Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt) met to demand Germany’s surrender and made plans for a post-war world. Allowed poland to fall under Soviet communist power. Cold war began after this

Iron Curtin- Symbolized an ideological barrier during the cold war of non-communist countries vs. communist, Berlin Wall notoriously showed this (preventing the West and East from communicating each other)

Marshall Plan - US gives $13 bil to Euro post WWII to help rehabilitate their economies and prevent Euro from turning to the USSR for help and becoming loyal to them/turning communist

Policy of Containment - let communism exist in countries its already established in but prevent it from spreading anywhere else, Truman Doctrine (=US will help democratic countries under the “threat” of communism)

Domino Theory - if one country becomes communist, other countries in that area will join

Eisenhower Doctrine -U.S. foreign-policy promising military or economic aid to any Middle Eastern country needing help in resisting communist aggression

Korean War (DMZ) – Communist N Korea vs Capitalist S Korea fighting for control, divided at 38th parallel, US + UN support S, USSR + China support N, Truman administration sends in troops under MacArthur -> Eisenhower makes decision to withdraw, Korea still divided today

Vietnam War (not divided anymore) started because N Vietnam pushed out French colonial rule and wants to unify Vietnam under communism, S fights back because they want to align with western capitalist powers, North Vietnam backed by USSR + mainland China, S Vietnam backed by US, lasts 20 years, Tet Offensive (=N Vietnam coordinated simultaneous attack on over 100 South Vietnamese cities), US withdraws but tries to teach S Vietnamese how to fight while leaving (majorly unsuccessful), War ends when capital of S Vietnam Saigon falls, most Americans opposed the war, Kent State (students were peacefully protesting then were fired upon by the Ohio National Guard– killing four) 

Cuban Missile Crisis - US moves to fight Cuba because of communism so USSR puts missiles in Cuba (1st time they are in range or US) bc they’re working with communist dictator Castro, JFK meets Khrushchev to negotiate, US must remove secret nuclear missiles from Turkey and promise never to invade Cuba + USSR will dismantle nuclear weapons

Berlin Wall - Physical symbol of “iron curtain” dividing Europe post WWII into East (communist) + West (democratic), divides Berlin in half, meant to keep East Berliners from trying to escape to the west, made of barbed wire and concrete, people tear down the wall after the end of the Cold War

Interstate Highway Act - Eisenhower approved building of highways, would help people flee in case of soviet bombing attack

Suburbs (Levittown) - cookie cutter neighborhoods, homogenous, low-cost mortgages for returning soldiers, Perfect for young families, open floor plans, backyards

McDonalds - started fast food (obesity, diabetes), Ray Croc screwed over McDonald’s brothers

Sputnik - USSR satellite which is first manmade object to orbit space, inspires creation of NASA

Bert the Turtle - cartoon teaching kids to duck and cover in case of nuclear bombing

Medger Evers: on the way home from a NAACP meeting he was shot on his doorstep by Byron de la Beckwith (KKK member), finally got justice decades later--people upset over not getting justice, he pushed for integration and recruited people into the civil rights movement

Rosa Parks: refused to give up her seat on the bus and was arrested, started the Montgomery Bus Boycott and MLK lead the event (women were at the forefront of the movement though)

Brown V. Board: 1954, court case over equality in black vs white schools, stated that separate was not equal in schools and said Plessy (equal but separate doctrine) was unconstitutional and ended it; the Massive Resistance movement started in opposition to desegregating schools

Ruby Bridges: a six year old African American child that desegregated William Frantz Elementary School after Brown V. Brown 

Montgomery Bus Boycott: Sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks, 13-month mass protest, ended with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional

Little Rock 9: After Brown V. Board, 9 black students enrolled at Little Rock High School (previous all white school), lots of opposition and mobs outside school, governor sent the state guard to block them and Eisenhower then sent in Army’s 100 airborne division to let students in (showed power of federal government)

HUAC: House Un-American Committee, group that investigated US citizens to see if they were communists or had any ties 

McCarthy: played on people’s fears of communism, pointed fingers at people and ruined reputations, intimidated people interrogations, speech saying he had 205 names of communists, people started to realize he was crazy 

Rosenberg’s (Trial): American couple accused of spying for the Soviet Union, brother gave classified information on Manhattan Project to the wife, went to trial--found guilty and executed 

Rock and Roll (Elvis) (Chuck Berry): a popular form of music 50s music, Elvis “King of Rock and Roll”, Chuck Berry “Father of Rock and Roll”--made Rock and Roll elements into what they are today 

I love Lucy (Lucille Ball): Lucille was the first female to be executive/run a production company (broke a lot of barriers for women in the entertainment industry), was first to be pregnant on a tv show and the comedy sitcom had re-runs

Emmett Till: An African American 14-year-old boy accused of whistling at a white women (Carolyn Bryant) in a grocery store, her husband (Roy) and her brother (JW) abuducted + beat + lynched him, catalyst for the civil rights movement

Malcom X: spokesman for Nation of Islam, no such thing as a non-violent revolution, go to any means to get rid of racism, quick reform through violence, black pride; 3 Nation of Islam members shot Malcom X during a speech  

Martin Luther King Jr.-the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement, and opposed discrimination against blacks by organizing nonviolent resistance and peaceful mass demonstrations. Helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott

Sit-in -a tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience. In a sit-in, people would occupy a place open to the public, such as a racially segregated diner or bus station, and then refuse to leave.

Civil Rights movement (Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965)- a nationwide movement for equal rights for African Americans and for an end to racial segregation and exclusion

1. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. 

2. The Civil Rights Act of 1965 provided for direct federal intervention to enable African Americans to register and vote and banned tactics long designed to keep them from the polls.

John F. Kennedy- He was one of the most well-loved presidents in history as he was youthful and seemed to represent America moving forward in a new direction. He was the first media president, swaying many voters by his performance in the first televised presidential debate. He won the election on an extremely small margin... promised to be more active in the fight against communism

New Frontier- JFK’s plan, a legislative program that included proposals to provide medical care for the elderly, rebuild blighted urban areas, aid education, bolster the national defense, increase international aid, and expand the space program

JFK assassination (Who killed him?) November of 1963, his wife and the Texas Governor were in the car with him. The governor was wounded, but Lee Harvey Oswald fatally shot Kennedy.

Apollo 11- was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo.

Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability.

Moon Landing- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first two men to walk on the moon (American men). 1969

Cuban Missile Crisis (Bay of Pigs, Soviets, missiles, location) American deployments of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The Bay of Pigs was a failed attempt by US-backed Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. 

Fannie Lou Hammer was an American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and leader in the civil rights movement. She got her Uterus removed unknowingly and was evicted from her home upon registering to vote. 

War on Poverty A set of government programs and legislation, designed to help poor Americans, begun by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. It Introduced Medicare and Medicaid, food stamps, OEC, and bettered education. The War on Poverty included measures for job training and improvement of housing.

Great Society a set of domestic policy initiatives, programs, and legislation introduced in the 1960s in the U.S. These Great Society programs were intended to reduce poverty levels, reduce racial injustice, reduce crime, and improve the environment.

Protests against the Vietnam War - During the 1960s and 1970s, Americans started to protest against US involvement in the Vietnam War. Many believed it would result in too many unnecessary US casualties.

TV and the Vietnam War (What did people see?): People saw the war happening and military abuses were happening on TV. They were hearing things about it from the TV but it was too dramaticized, so they had a lot of mixed views on it as different news stations pushed different agendas.

Disco - a beat-driven style of music that was a form of dance music. Popular in nightclubs. Provided people with an escape from the general depression consumed by the 60s.

Nixon (What did he do as President? Paranoia)- He won the Republican nomination in 1968. Nixon was the first president to resign from office and he faced almost certain impeachment due to a scandal. He was paranoid about potential leaks threatening his diplomatic opening to China or nuclear arms negotiations. He created “New Federalism” and he helped with school desegregation. 

Vietnam under Nixon - Nixon wanted to achieve peace with honor during this war, so he gradually reduced the number of U.S. military personnel in Vietnam. Under the policy of Vietnamization, American combat roles were transferred to the South Vietnamese who, still, remained heavily dependent on American supplies and air support. Despite this, he still resumed bombing North Vietnam.

Watergate (What happened? How was Nixon part of this?) People who were part of Nixon's campaign robbed the building of confidential forms related to his campaign, telephones were wiretapped and confidential documents were photographed. Nixon didn’t know about this initially but then once he found out he covered the situation up so that it wouldn't be released to the public. 

Nixon Impeachment trial (What are they doing): Nixon’s impeachment trial occurred because he did not want to give over the tapes and from his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. He was going to be impeached on the grounds of obstruction of justice, Abuse of Powers, and Contempt of Congress. He later got out of his impeachment and resigned from office while still withholding the tapes.

Pentagon Papers - Top secret documents that detailed the U.S. involvement in Vietnam from the end of World War II to the Vietnam War. 

Henry Kissinger: He was part of Nixon's administration, he was the advisor and secretary of state. He was the main negotiator of the peace treaty that helped end the Vietnam War. His foreign policy decisions led to the US and its further interference in Vietnam, for better or for worse.

Gerald Ford (economy, pardon Nixon): President after Nixon, pardoned the things he did and let him off the hook. He helped revive the economy.   

Fall of Saigon: President Ford, US president during this time signaled to attack Saigon and this event marked the end of the Vietnam War

Camp David Accords - A treaty signed to make peace between two nations. It was designed by President Jimmy Carter between Egyptian and Israeli, Israel being the first Arab nation to do so.

AIM (American Indian Movement): Gave the Native Americans the right to vote and become citizens. Meetings were primarily held in Wounded Knee because the Native Americans occupied it.

Roe v Wade - *1973, gave women the right to have an abortion through 24 weeks (or later if medically necessary). overturned 2022. (Norma McCorvey used the alias Jane Roe). Texas lawyers Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington met with McCorvey and the three used McCorvey’s situation to campaign for the case for abortion

Feminist movement of the 70’s* Second wave feminism focused more on equality in the home and workplace compared to first wave feminism which focused on voting. people like Gloria Steinem (Ms Magazine) and Betty Frieden were some of the main activists in this era

The pill*Birth control pill, gained popularity in the 60s and 70s, gave women greater autonomy of their bodies and lives. Women felt like they could enjoy sex again because they didn’t have the fear of another child looming over them when they were already struggling. 

Gloria Steinem *Co-founder of Ms Magazine (along with Dorothy Hughes), the magazine focusedon only women’s issues (periods, the pill, etc)

Betty Friedan *cofonder of National Organization for Women, she wrote The Feminine Mystique which was a feminist book about the unpleasant livelihood of housewives and domesticity. women sent her letters detailing their grievances with their lives, husbands, and workloads.

Feminine Mystique *thw book written by betty friedan which took the beliefs that women were to be fulfilled by their marriage, children, and housework and said that a truly feminine woman would want to work, get a proper education, and have political oponions of their own

Phyllis Schlafly *an anti-feminist, very opposed to people like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, ran campaigns against the ERA, wanted women to stay under men for fear of jeapordizing the typical american family and life

Shirley Chisholm *very influential african american woman whowas the first to serve in congress (served seven terms). she ran for president but lost. her speeches and debates were often cut from broadcasts which further hindered her chances

Kent State*After nixon announced that he was expanding the Vietnam war into cambodia, college students began walking out and protesting. National guardsmen were called in and violence ensued, ended in 4 students being killed. this caused even more anti-war sentiments for americans regarding vietnam

Contras *counterrevolutionary group to the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. the sandinistas were trying to overthrow the dictatorship under Anastasia Somoza. the contras used guerilla tactics against them. 

Jimmy Carter*democratic president 1977-1981, beat gerald ford, arranged the camp david accords to end hostilities between egypt and israel. his failures with the iran hostage crisis lost him a some support. he tried to fix the economy but inflation continued to worsen. he won a nobel peace prize in 2002 for his continuous efforts in international peace, economy, and human rights

Iran Hostage Affair*the iran hostage affair began with iranian students storming the american embassy in Tehran and captured 52 americans. Carter failed to negotiate their freedom but right after his term ended iran let them go after 444 days. the hostages were treated poorly and often paraded around to be mocked and jeered at. none were killed or seriously injured. they were let go because it became too much of an effort; iraqi pres saddam hussein had just invaded iran and they were already military weak

George H.W. Bush*former congressman, republican chairman, director of the CIA, elected pres in 1988, oversaw end of the cold war, sent troops to help saudi arabia in the persian gulf war after iraq invaded kuwait. he faced severe economic recession at the end of his term and his failures to combat it caused him to lose his reelection 

Iran-Contra Affair (who, what and why): when the US gov secretly sent weapons to Iran and financial aid, exchange hostages for weapons 

https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/iran-contra-affair (Watch the Video)

Fall of Saigon: north vietnamese forces captured Saigon (capital of the republic of south vietnam), led to the reunification of north and south Vietnam and ended the Vietnam war

Marsha P. Johnson: a part of the stonewall riots, advocated for gay/trans rights and HIV/AIDS ppl

Stone Wall Inn: gay bar owned by mafia in NY, mafia can control the prices ($$$), use attendance as blackmail, and pay off police to look the other way, a lot of young ppl go

Fall of the Berlin Wall: east side of the wall controlled by the Soviet Union, west side controlled by western allies, a conference by Gunter Schabowski w/ other east german officials led to the fall of the wall 

Crack epidemic: crack was cheap causing cities to get worse and hurting the black population 

MTV: first vid to air was “Video Killed the Radio Star,” influential pop culture, changed music, started shows for younger ppl: Remote Controlled, Singled Out, The Real World, campaigns like the right to vote 

AIDS epidemic: at first gay men getting sick, patients’ immune systems were compromised and the virus was hard to control, ppl blamed it on homosexuals saying God brought the disease to punish them, princess Diana gets ppl help for AIDS and shakes their hands  

Exxon Valdez: ship near Alaska that ran aground and got damaged, spilled 11 million gallons of oil into the water, polluted 700 miles of coastline, oil → hurts wildlife/water

Three Mile Island 

Geraldine Ferraro: ran as VP for Democrats, congresswoman who worked for women’s rights

Sandra Day O’Conner: first woman on the Supreme Court, upheld Roe v Wade, focused on the letter of the law, served 24 yrs  

Brady Bill- established America's federal background check system for gun sales. Happened bc Brady was shot in a failed attempt to assassinate president Reagan.

Ronald Reagan- President, implemented Reaganomics, massive buildup of the United States military, promoted new technologies such as missile defense systems, 

Reaganomics- Lower marginal tax rates, less regulation, restrained government spending, noninflationary monetary policy

Challenger Disaster- the Challenger shuttle fell apart and exploded during its launch, broadcasting on national television. All 7 crew members died

Waco Texas (Branch Davidians)- 1993, the U.S. Federal Government conducted a siege on a compound that was occupied by David Koresh, and his religious cult, the Branch Davidians. After a 51-day standoff, dozens of Davidians were killed during the botched final operation, along with multiple members of U.S. law enforcement.

Desert Storm (Bush/Gulf War)- Gulf war was an armed conflict with Iraq. Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, ordered the invasion and occupation of Kuwait to acquire the nation's large oil reserves. Desert Storm was when the US destroyed Iraq's air defenses and attacked its communications networks, government buildings, weapons plants, oil refineries, and bridges and roads.

O.J. Simpson Trial: Nicole Brown (divorced Simpson, domestic abuse) and Ron Goldman are killed, OJ Simpson is arrested for murders and put on trial, trial lasted months, there was DNA evidence (one of the first major cases using it), defense did a good job of providing doubt, OJ is acquitted, white people in disbelief and black people were celebrating (rich black man got away with murder) 

Clinton Impeachment (Why was he impeached? What happened that led to that?)  He engaged in an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. He was impeached for perjury in his grand jury testimony and obstructing justice in his dealings with various potential witnesses.

How do NWA and Public Enemy foretell the Riots? They warned of police brutality, problems with authority, racism, tells there’s going to be a boiling point. “9-1-1 is a joke in your town.” “Authority to kill the minority”

Rodney King- Arrested for driving while drunk and beaten by the police, videotaped by a bystander. The officers are put on trial and acquitted. 

L.A. Riots- The police officers were acquitted. Protesters take to the streets, led to a riot. Attack motorists, businesses, overwhelmed the police. The National Guard is called but it takes a while to respond. Lasts for 6 days. 2,000 injuries, 12,000 arrests, 63 deaths. 3,000 buildings burned/destroyed. 20,000-40,000 people out of work.

Timothy McVeigh- American Terrorist that put a bomb in a federal building in Oklahoma City. He did it because he was upset with what the federal government did in Waco, TX. He was caught when an Oklahoma State Trooper noticed a missing license plate on his car. Executed in 2001

Oklahoma City bombings- Timothy McVeigh blew up a federal building in the city. It killed 168, 19 of which were children bc there was a daycare on the 2nd floor, injured many more.

David Koresh (Waco incident) - American cult leader, believed himself to be the prophet, his followers stockpiled on weapons which was sieged by law enforcement (fed gov). Cult people started a deadly fire that killed people

Twin tower bombings 1993 - 6 people killed, Ramzi Yousef and other terrorists bombing beneath the World Trade Center by driving the vehicle into the public parking garage

Columbine - 2 teenagers shoot a school killing 13 (including a teacher), they had been making and storing pipe bombs around the school and their home