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Period: to
Cold War
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Harry Truman
(Political,Important Person)
Harry Truman became the president of the United States in 1945 and served his second term in 1949. -
South Pacific
(Culture)
South Pacific was a highly popular Broadway musical and hit movie by by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. -
Red China
(Political)
Communists took control of China after a struggle starting before World War II. Red China entered the Korean War in the 1950s, when it looked like the U.N. forces would defeat Communist North Korea. -
Joe Dimaggio
(Culture)
Joe Dimaggio was a popular baseball player for the New York Yankees. He set a Major League record of hitting safely in 56 straight games. -
Richard Nixon
(Important People,Political)
Nixon presented evidence that help prove Alger Hiss guilty in 1950, he then ran for the Senate and won. Nixon later became Vice-President under President Dwight Eisenhower and later became the President of the United States. -
Joe McCarthy
Joe McCarthy was a Senator from Wisconsin. He was best known for his work chairing the Senate Committee on Government Operations, which focused on suspected communists in the government. -
Television
(Culture)
The television became popular in the 1950's. They were about 10-inch screens and were in black and white. -
Korean War
(Major Event)
North Korea attacked South Korea starting the Korean War. -
Sugar Ray
(Culture)
Sugar Ray Leonard became the middle-weight boxing champion of the world. -
"The King and I"
(Culture)
The King and I was a popular Broadway play written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. -
"The Catcher in the Rye"
(Culture)
The Catcher in the Rye was a very popular book among teens written by J. D. Salinger. -
Eisenhower
(Important Person,Political)
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had been Supreme Commander in the World War II fight against the Nazis. He later became a popular president of the United States. -
Queen Elizabeth 2
(Important Person,Political)
Queen Elizabeth 2 ascended to the throne upon the death of her father, King George 6. -
Marcianco
(Culture)
Rocky Marciano was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. -
Liberace
(Culture)
Liberace was a popular pianist and entertainer, who had his own TV show in the 1950s. -
Joseph Stalin
(Important People)
Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Union. He was a harsh leader who had millions of his people executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia. -
Communist Bloc
(Major Event)
USSR and their satellite countries formed what was called the Communist bloc. -
Dien Bien Phu
(Major Event)
The French lose control over Indo-China with the fall of the city Dien Bien Phu. -
Peter Pan
(Culture)
Peter Pan was a top Broadway play. Written by Mark Charlap, Jule Styne, Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green. -
Elvis Presley
(Culture)
Elvis Presley became a national phenomenon with his hit songs as Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog. -
Disneyland
(Culture)
Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. It was a theme park, developed by Walt Disney and based around his cartoon characters. It was designated as a place for family entertainment. -
Princess Grace
(Important People)
Actress Grace Kelly left Hollywood to marry Prince Ranier of Monaco where she then became, Princess Grace. -
Charles de Gaulle
(Important Person)
Charles de Gaulle returned to power as the leader of France. -
California Baseball
(Culture)
The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team moved to Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco. -
Hula Hoops
(Culture)
Hula Hoops became a national fad. Everywhere, you would see children and even adults trying to spin the large plastic hoop around their waist. TV celebrities would also display their skills with the hoop. -
John F. Kennedy
(Political,Important Person)
John F. Kennedy was elected Prsident of the United States. -
Terrors of the Airline
(Major Event)
Numerous airline hijackings were in the news. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
(Major Event)
Newly-elected President John F. Kennedy allowed the attack on Cuba. Armed Cuban exiles sailed from Florida and landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Because of poor planning by Kennedy, as well as spies and U.S. government leaks, Castro was ready for the attack. The exiles were all either captured or killed. President Kennedy was greatly criticized for the failure of the mission. -
Berlin
(Major Event0
The Soviets erected the Berlin Wall, dividing the city into the Russian-controlled part and the area controlled by the U.S., British and French. -
Pope Paul
(Political)
Pope Paul VI was pope of the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. -
JFK Blown Away
(Major Event)
John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas. -
Ho Chi Minh
(Important People)
Ho Chi-Minh was the leader of the Communist North Vietnamese, who first fought the French and then the Americans. -
Punk Rock
(Culture)
Punk rock hits the music scene. -
Begin
(Important Person,Political)
Begin was Prime Minister of Israel. -
Ayatollah's in Iran
(Political)
The Shah of Iran was overthrown and Ayatollah Khomeini took over the country. Hostages were taken at the US embassy in Tehran and finally released 444 days later. -
Russians in Afghanistan
The Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to "protect" Communist interests in the country. Rebels were supported by the United States, and finally after a long, costly war, the Soviets were forced to withdraw from the country. The Afghan rebels later used the arms supplied by the U.S. to fight the Americans. -
Reagan
(Important Person,Political)
Former movie actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United States. -
Crack
(Culture)
A potent form of the highly addictive drug cocaine called "crack" has been rapidly spreading in the United States, especially in troubled neighborhoods. -
China's Martial Law
(Political,Major Event)
Thousands of protesters marched in Tiananmen Square in Bejing, China. Many were killed and China went under martial law until order was restored.
