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Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival was first held on July 17–18, 1954 at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. The festival has been held annually for almost 68 years -
Nixon-Kennedy Debates (1st on Television)
The first presidential debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Senator John F. Kennedy took place on Monday, September 26, 1960, at the WBBM-TV studios in Chicago, Illinois. The debate was moderated by Howard K. Smith of CBS with Sander Vanocur, Charles Warren, Stuart Novins and Bob Fleming as panelists. -
The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. -
The Beatles Appear for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show
The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. This was their first live performance in the United States. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed by the United States Congress on August 7, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law on August 10, 1964. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder began on March 2, 1965. It was a bombing campaign that lasted until October 1968. -
March on the Pentagon
On October 21, 1967, at least 35,000 anti-war protesters organized by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam gathered for a demonstration at the Defense Department (the “March on the Pentagon”), where some 2,500 armed soldiers confronted them. -
Mai Lai Massacre
mass killing of as many as 500 unarmed villagers by U.S. soldiers in the hamlet of My Lai on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. -
Riots at the Chicago Democratic Convention
Riots. On August 28, 1968, around 10,000 protesters gathered in Grant Park for the demonstration, intending to march to the International Amphitheatre where the convention was being held. At approximately 3:30 pm, a young man lowered the American flag that was in the park. -
Woodstock
Woodstock was the most famous of the 1960s rock festivals. Its full name was The Woodstock Music and Art Fair. It took place on a farm property in Bethel, New York. -
Chicago 8 Trial
The Chicago Eight Conspiracy Trial took place from September 1969 to February 1970. The trial was held in the district courthouse in Chicago. -
The Beatles Break Up
The Beatles announced their breakup on April 10, 1970, when Paul McCartney announced he was taking a break from the band. However, the breakup process had been underway for years. -
Kent State Protest
On 4 May 1970, four students were shot dead by the National Guard during a Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. The shocking incident still resonates as a seminal moment in modern US history. -
Roe vs. Wade
On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision in favor of "Jane Roe" (Norma McCorvey) holding that women in the United States had a fundamental right to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction and striking down Texas's abortion ban as unconstitutional.