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Henry Ford introduced a vehicle that made personal transportation affordable to the average family. The Ford Model T revolutionized transportation. And it was so cheap due to the use of assembly lines and mass-production. -
Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia by a Serbian Nationalist, Gavrilo Princip. The nationalists were trying to find a way to end Austro-Hungarian rule over Bosnia and Herzegovina. This event sparked World War I. -
The Serbian government thought that Austria-Hungary would be readying for war, so they ordered Serbians to mobilize. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on this date and the peace between Europe's great powers collapsed. Russia, France, Great Britain, Belgium, and Serbia lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany within the week. World War I had begun. -
In 1915, a German U-boat sunk a British ocean liner called the Lusitania in the British Isles. This ship was sat to sail from New York to Liverpool and was carrying hundreds of American passengers. If February 1917, Congress passed a $250 million arm appropriations bill to ready the US for war. In the following 2 months, Germany sunk 4 more US merchant ships. On April 2, President Wilson went before Congress and declared war on Germany. -
The Central Powers were unraveling across all fronts. The Turks signed a treaty with the Allies in late October 1918. Austria-Hungary reached an armistice on November 4, and Germany was finally forced to seek an armistice on November 11 due to diminishing resources on the battlefield and the surrender of its allies. -
The 19th amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote by prohibiting the denial of voting rights on the basis of sex. This amendment was passed in June 1919, and ratified August 1920. -
The Great Depression was the longest and most severe economic downturn in modern history. It spanned from 1929 until 1939. It was caused by the stock market crash, and banking panics in the 1930's cause many banks to fail, decreasing the money pools available for loans. Industrial production between 1929 and 1933 fell by nearly 47 %, gross domestic product declined by 30 %, and unemployment reached more than 20 %. The US's entry in WWII and the New Deal brought economic relief to the US.
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Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. -
The US did not agree with Japan's declaring war on China, and thus responded with trade embargoes. The US assumed that if any attack were to come from Japan, it would be near the European colonies in the South Pacific. This led to Pearl Harbor being left undefended. The attack destroyed nearly 20 American naval vessels, including 8 battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack. President FDR declared war on Japan the next day, entering the US into WWII. -
Pres. Truman made the decision to drop 2 atomic bombs that destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The first over Hiroshima on August 6, the second was dropped on Nagasaki 3 days later. These bombs killed hundreds of thousands of people, including civilians, forcing Japan to surrender.
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WWII ended with two events: In May, with the surrender of Germany in Europe, and in September when the Emperor of Japan accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration, surrendering, following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. -
This was a conflict between communist North Vietnam, backed by the USSR and China, and South Vietnam, backed by the US. This was ultimately a part of a larger conflict and a manifestation of the Cold War between the US and USSR. This time can also be defined by the draft the protests that took place, which ultimately led to the hippy movement.
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Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers the Iconic speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This speech became a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement. -
President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, were riding in a convertible down the streets of Dallas, TX for a public appearance as the president planned on campaigning for a second term. At 12:30 pm, just as they turned on to Elm St., JFK was shot in the neck and the back of his head by Lee Harvey Oswald. The motorcade rushed to the hospital and the President was pronounced dead at 1 pm. Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in that day at 2:38 pm, with Jackie still in her bloodied dress. -
This act signed by Lyndon B Johnson made it illegal to discriminate on the bases of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also outlawed segregation, and created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. -
In 1972, 5 employees of Nixon's Re-election campaign broke in to the Democratic National Committee Headquarters where they were caught burglarizing and planting listening devices. These abuses trailed back to the highest levels of Nixon's administration and the President himself. This led to the American people losing trust in the government. Pres. Nixon resigned the Presidency on August 9, 1974 as a result of the scandal.
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The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into the flight of its STS-51L mission, killing the 7 astronauts inside. All of this unfolded during a live broadcast of the launch. -
In 1961, a wall was put up by the German government to separate East and West Berlin. After WWII East Berlin belonged to the USSR and West belonged to the US and Great Britain. The wall separated friends, families, and communities, and many were killed trying to cross it. The reunification of the 2 sides was cause of celebration, the West greeted the East with open arms. Many even took hammers to the wall themselves. The reunification of East and West Germany was made official on October 3, 1990 -
On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. From January 26 to February 28, 1991, the US lead a 42-country coalition called "Desert Storm" to drive the Iraqis out of Kuwait. The operation lasted just 100 hours and many Iraqi troops surrendered without fighting. Sadam was forces to surrender and Iraq accepted the terms of the UN ceasefire, ending the war on April 6.
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The beloved Princess Diana, the people's princess, died from injuries sustained in a car accident in Paris, in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Diana's partner and her driver, who were also involved, died in the collision. This news was a devastating blow to the whole world. Diana was known for her unconventional approach to charity work, and the kindness she had shown to others.