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TimeSpan of the Events In the Song
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Harry Truman becomes president
Harry Truman becomes the United States President when President Roosevelt dies in Warm Spring, Georgia. Truman was responsible for dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Truman started his second term as U.S President in 1949. Truman was also known for starting the Marshall Plan and for bringing the United States into the Korean War. -
Doris Day's First Movie
Doris Day was born in 1924. She started singing with the Les Brown Band when she was only 16. Soon after the release of her first movie in 1948. -
Johnnie Ray becomes a Top star
Johnnie Ray was a partially deaf singer who had a number one hit song named Cry. He became a top star after realeasing his other two hit songs The Little White Cloud that Cried and Dancing in the Rain. -
Richard Nixon helps solve Alger Hiss case
Richard Nixon was a member of the house of reprentatives before he helped solve the trials of Alger Hiss. This helped boost Nixon's political career. Nixon was elected Vice president under President Dwight Eisenhower. Years later, Nixon became the president of the United States -
Communist China enters the Korean War
Communists take control of china after a Pre-WWII struggle. In 1950, "Red" China entered the Korean War because it looked like the United Nations' forces would overpower Communist North Korea. -
H- Bomb created
The H- bomb was a bomb that was many times more powerful than the atomic bomb. The H-bomb was created under the guidance of William Teller. The United States were the first to make and explode the first H-bomb and few years later the Soviets exploded their H-bomb. -
England Get's a new Queen
Upon the death of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. It wasn't until June 2 of 1953 that her coronation took place. This event was big new in other countries such as the United States -
Polio vaccin created
The vaccin to the highly feared disease Polio, was discovered b Jonas Salk and was distributed throughout the world. This is significant because if the vaccine hadn't been created, a high spread of Polio may have still been around today. -
The Death of Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeevich Prokofiev was a Ukranian composer. Prokofiev was known for composing "Peter and the Wolf", a very popular musical tale. -
Joseph Stalin rises to power
Stalin was the communist dictator of the Soviet Union. He was a harsh and cruel leader who executed millions of his people and also sent them to labor camps. Stalin played a huge role in World War II and some of the Cold War. -
Rosa Parks incident
During a time of segregation and descrimination of blacks, Rosa parks, an african american woman, sat in a bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama that was designated for whites only. When asked to move out of the seat, she refused. She was soon arrested for her act of disobediance. Many african americans boycotted Montgomery busses. This event was significant to history in that it helped boost the Civil Rights Movement. -
Kruschev emerges as Soviet leader
After the death of communist leader Joseph Stalin, Nikita Krushchev rises as the leader of the Soviet Union. He promoted reform and in a roundabout way, criticized Stalin and his methods. This is significant in history because this event helped Russia to be the country that it is today. -
Sputnik launched succesfully
The Soviet's first step into the Space race between the United states was the launch of the Sputnik. The Sputnik was the first orbitting satellite sent into space. Chaos over its launch in the U.S initiated the "Space Race". -
Little Rock incident
In Little Rock, Arkansas, nina african american students enrolled at a Centrel High School. The governer of Arkansas, Faubus, ordered the National Gaurd to surround the high school to ensure that the nine students didn't enter the school because he beleived the segregation of whites and blacks in schools was necessary. This event was significant in history because it helped the Civil Rights Movement and it helped bring an end to segregated schools. -
The Starkweather Homicide
The serial killer Charles Starkweather was a serial killer who became famous in 1958 for his horrendous murders. In about a span of a month or a month and a half, Starkweather and his girlfriend, Caril Fugate, went on a killing spree of about 11 to 15 people. In 1959, Starkweather was found and executed. -
The Death of Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly, a famous american singer, died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959 along with Richie Valens and Big Bopper. Buddy Holly's death was reffered to as, "The day the music died" in the famous Don McLean song "American Pie". -
Hula Hoops Become a National Fad
In 1959, the hula hoop becomes a craze in The United States. Children and even adults would try to spin the large plastic ring. Celebrities attempted to spin the hoop too. After the huge peak in hula hooping, the fad died off. -
President John F. Kennedy Elected President
Democrat John F. Kennedy beat republican Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election. Kennedy was and still is the youngest president and is also the only ever Catholic president. -
Ham the Space Monkey Sent Into Space
Ham the "Space Monkey" wasn't a monkey, but a chimpanzee. He was the first animal ever launched into space, he was sent by the United States. Ham was apparently a mean chimp who would bite the workers who would try to get him into the space capsul. -
Hemingway commits suicide
Ernest Hemingway was an American author and journalist whos writing had a huge effect on 20th century fiction. Hemingway was left in permanent pain after a plane crash in Africa. Hemingway later commited suicide in Ketchum, Idaho. -
The Beatles Become A Huge Hit
A British rock group The Beatles, become a huge hit in the early 60s. They made many famous songs including Yellow Submarine, Let it Be, Come Together, and Blackbird. The Beatles were and still are one of the most well-known bands of all time. -
Ole Miss Admits Their First Black Student
University of Mississippi admitted James Meredeth, their first African-American student on October 1st, 1962. At first he was barred from entering the school, but later he was allowed to enter. Due to his admission, many anti-desegregationists and white students rioted, but US marshalls were sent to stop the protests. -
Pope Paul VI
Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, or Pope Paul VI was the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. He was the first pope to ever visit six continents, but also was known for being a hesitant leader. Pope Paul was known for finalizing and supporting the 2nd Vatican Council. -
Malcolm X
Malcom Little, aka Malcom X was a significant leader of the Civil Rights Movement. Malcom X instead of using Martin Luther King Jr.'s way of nonviolence, used violence as a way to help the cause of the Civil Rights Movement. Many people, both white and black see Malcom X's strategies as slightly contraversial. -
The Assasination of President Kennedy
The 35th president of the United States John Kennedy, was assasinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while traveling with his wife and the governer of Texas and his wife. John F. Kennedy is the most recent president to be fatally shot. Other U.S presidents who also were fatally shot were Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley. -
Richard Nixon Re-elected
After losing against John F. Kennedy in the previous presidential election, Richard Nixon regained the oppurtunity to run again in the election for president. After becoming a guest star on a comedy show, people gained the impression that Nixon was actually a funny, outgoing person. This helped him to win the presidential election in 1968. -
Ho Chi Minh Dies
In the midst of the Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minch dies after a very long political life as the president of North Vietnam. He helped lead the North Vietnamese into war with the French and then the Americans. -
First man on the Moon
In the midst of a space race, American Neil Armstrong becomes the first person to ever walk on the moon. This event was very popular because it gave the United States a major advantage in the space race between the Soviets. -
Woodstock
Woodstock was a music festival held at a dairy farm in the Catskills Mountains. Thirty two acts performed by some of the most famous rock and roll artists of all time. These artists included but were not limited to: Carlos Santana, The Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix. -
Nixon/Watergate Scandal
Former president Richard Nixon was forced to resign from presidency after his supporters and staff being accused of breaking into democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Nixon tried to cover up the incident, which was what lead to his resignation. Multiple staff members that were involved were arrested and sent to prison. -
Russians Enter Afghan
The USSR invades Afghanistan to "defend" fellow Communist interests in the country. After a costly war with the United States, the Soviets left Afghan. Even though the US were on the rebels side, the rebels used the weapons supplied by the United States in order to fight the US in a later war. -
The Rise of Punk Rock
A new genre of music, punk rock, began to hit the music world with the rise of bands like The Ramones and Dav, Joan Jett, and Davidid Bowie. Punk rock orinated from Rock and Roll and Rop. Punk Rock is still around today, although punk rock is different than it used to be in the late 70s and 80s. -
Safe Birth Control Pill invented
The birth control pill was a contraception pill that prevented birth. The earlier pill had horrible side effects such as lethal blood clots and pelvic pain. The pill invented in the 80s was invented in small doses and in multiple stages to help avoid the horrible side-effects of the earlier pill. The legalizition of the pill helped lead to the legalization of abortion. -
Ronald Reagan Elected President
Famous movie star and actor Ronald Reagan, becomes the 40th President of the United States. He served two terms after being re-elected in a landslide in 1984. In his first term, He focused on implementing new economical and political initiatives. In his second term, he focused more on foreign affairs. -
Claimed Heavy Metal Suicide
Lawsuits against heavy metal icons Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest claimed that their music caused and encouraged suicide. These lawsuits were made after a young teen killed himself after listening to the music..
