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1890 - Wounded Knee Massacre/South Dakota

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1890 - Wounded Knee Massacre/South Dakota

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1890 – wounded knee massacre

·        European settlers and Native American Indians had many conflicts

o   Native Americans view land as communal

o   Settlers viewed it as property

§  Guided by the ideology of Manifest Destiny.

§  Forced Native Americans off their land and onto reservations

§  Indian wars resulted due to many tribes resisting

·        Wovanka, shaman of the Norther Paiute tribe, came up with the ghost dance

o   Prophesied the reuniting of the west and southwest tribes and for all evil to be banished

§  Ghost dance reunited spirits of the dead with the living.

o   most influential prophecy: white man be forever banished and the buffalo population would recover

·        Chief Sitting Bull, Sioux tribe

o   Victorious of US Arm 7th Cavalry Regiment @ battle of the little big horn

o   Police shot Sitting Bull for fear of fleeing

·        US 7th Cavalry Regiment surrounded Sioux Indians

o   Shot was fired during attempt to disarm the Sioux, fight broke out

o   Wounded knee creek on the pine ridge Indian reservation in SD

o   US Army opened fire and massacred hundred of men, women, and children.

§  20 soldiers received the medal of honor

§  US public was general favorable

o   Marked the end of the Indian Wars, not the last armed conflict though

·        Estimates of pre-european conflict: 2-18 million

·        By 1900: 237,000

·        2010: 2.9 million

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/american-west/a/ghost-dance-and-wounded-knee

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1873 – stock market crashed

·        US banking system rapidly grew after the civil war

o   Country was hit by worst banking crisis during time of Freedman’s Bank

·        Started: stock market crash in Europe

o   Many investors sold investments in American projects, particularly railroads.

§  Railroads were innovative and new

·        Railroad companies used bonds to build new lines

·        Due to the massive sell off in Europe, there were more bonds than people wanting to buy them

·        Caused many railroad companies to go bankrupt

o   Jay Cooke & Company, largest bank in NY, bankrupt

§  Caused a panic withdrawal of American people

·        Over 100 banks nationwide failed

·        89/364 railroads went bankrupt

·        18,000 businesses failed in two years

·        Unemployment by 1876 was 14%

·        September 20th,  1873, NYSE suspended trading for the first time

·        Freedman bank failed rapidly; records lasted forever

o   Richest source on African American family history

o   Required extreme amounts of personal information to open an account

§  To ensure officials could locate family members in event of death

·        Full name, place of birth, current address, current occupation, spouses, children, parents, siblings, and more

·        Records stored at National Archives and available to the public

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://home.treasury.gov/about/history/freedmans-bank-building/financial-panic-of-1873

https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/september/panic-of-1873

https://home.treasury.gov/about/history/freedmans-bank-building/freedmans-bank-and-family-histories

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1971 – voting age changed to 18

·        July 1st, 1971, 26th amendment was ratified to the Constitution

·        Senate voted unanimously

o   Lowering the age to vote to 18

o   June 1970, President Nixon was quoted talking about H.R. 4249 (Voting Rights Act of 1965), “Although I strongly favor the 18-year-old vote, I believe along with most of the nations leading scholars, congress has no power to enact it by simple nature, but rather it requires a constitutional amendment”

·        1942 – congress approved lowering the minimum age for the draft to 18

o   Senator Randolph proposes lowering the voting age

o   “old enough to fight, old enough to vote”

·        March 10, 1971 it passed the senate

·        March 23 it passed the house

·        Ratified and took effect on July 1, 1971

https://history.house.gov/Records-and-Research/Listing/c_016/

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1942 – Japanese isolation camps

·        Post Pearl Harbor Roosevelt says, “a date which will live in infamy”

o   Launched the United States into two theaters of WWII

·        Government suspicion arose around all persons of Japanese descent

o   Task was turned over to the U.S. Army as a security matter

·        Lt. Gen. DeWitt announced curfews for Japanese Americans

o   Encouraged voluntary evacuation from limited number of areas

·        March 29th, under authority of executive order, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4

o   Began forced evacuation and detention of Japanese Americans on the west coast a 48-hour notice

o   Congress also pass Public Law 503

§  Violation of the order was punished by a year in prison and a $5,000 fine

·        Japanese within varied distances from Pacific coast were primarily targeted

·        March – August: 112,000 Japanese Americans were sent to “assembly centers”

o   Often racetracks or fairgrounds

o   Many miles inland

§  Remote locations

§  Shared housing similar to Army-style barracks

·        Stayed for nearly three years

·        Roughly 30% of Japanese Americans returned to their original towns after the war

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation

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2012 – Benghazi attack

·        September 11, 2012

o   Resulted in the death of four American, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya

§  First violent death of an ambassador since 1988

·        Libyan uprising began in February 2011

o   John Christopher Stevens was appointed ambassador in May 2012

§  Based in Tripoli

§  Arrived in 2011 on an outreach mission

§  Went to U.S. compound in Benghazi to reconnect with local contacts

·        September 11th – 150 Islamic militants associated with al-Qaeda stormed the compound and set it to fire

o   Sean Smith, information technology specialist, died of asphyxiation

o   Ambassador stevens was pronounced dead at the hospital after locals recovered his body

·        2 more attacks occurred at a CIA compound nearby

o   Involved mortar fire and killed two security agents

·        Local Libyan militias came to aid and rescued the remaining

·        Officials in the Obama administration reported the incident was related to the riots outside U.S. embassy in Cairo

·        Outgoing secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, assumed responsibility for the bureaucratic failures as head of the department of state

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.britannica.com/event/2012-Benghazi-attacks

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2019 – COVID19 Pandemic

·        Coronavirus – first appeared in November 2019 in the Wuhan lab in Wuhan, China

·        January 20, 2020 – first confirmed case in the U.S.

·        COVID19 significantly hurt the economy

o   The global economy contracted by 3.5% in 2020

§  7% loss relative to the 3.4% growth forecasted in October 2019 – pre pandemic

o   2021 – countries started to open and vaccines became available

§  Recovery is below pre-pandemic projections and has been uneven across multiple countries

·        Triggered health and fiscal responses unprecedented

o   Support reached $16 trillion (15% of global GDP) in 2020

§  U.S. spent $4.6 trillion

·        Employment greatly suffered

o   Unemployment was down to 14.8% in April 2020

o   Labor participation declined to 60.2%

https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html#:~:text=January%2020%2C%202020,January%2018%20in%20Washington%20state.

https://www.brookings.edu/research/social-and-economic-impact-of-covid-19/

https://www.usaspending.gov/disaster/covid-19?publicLaw=all

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R46554.pdf

https://www.usaspending.gov/disaster/covid-19?publicLaw=all

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1929 - The Start of the Great Depression

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1929 - The Start of the Great Depression

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1929 – start of the great depression

·        Longest and deepest downturn in the history of the United States

o   1929 – 1941, at the start of WWII

o   Industrial production decreased, unemployment soared, families suffered, divorce rates increased

·        Began when the Roaring Twenties came to an end

o   Stock market crash in 1929

o   Series of banking panic in 1930 – 1931

o   National/international financial crisis from 1931 – 1933

§  Hit bottom in 1933: commercial banking system collapsed

·        President Roosevelt declared a national banking holiday

o   Ben Bernanke, worked for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in 2002 says, “… we did it. We’re very sorry… We won’t do it again.”

o   Federal Reserve System had decentralized decision – making structure and was often ineffective

§  Each district had its own governor who set policies for their own district

·        The board in D.C. lacked authority to act on its own and struggled to regulate policies

§  When all individuals communicated, policies were generally effective

·        Established the Open Market Investment Committee, to institutionalize cooperation

§  Governors often disagreed

·        Partly due to correct conceptual information about the economy was long and drawn out to gather

·        Disagreed about the best response to banking crises

o   Some believed central banks should loan funds to solvent financial institutions beset by runs

o   Others believed central banks should supply more funds to commercial banks during economic expansions, when individuals and firms demanded additional credit to finance production

§  Less during economic contractions when the demand for credit contracted

·        Reforms of the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s turned the Federal Reserve into a modern central bank that continues today

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/great-depression#:~:text=The%20contraction%20began%20in%20the,Twenties%20came%20to%20an%20end.

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1913      – a war of production

·        Leading exporter of cotton, wheat, and many other farm products

·        World’s largest industrial sector

o   Produced as much manufactured output as France, Germany, and the UK combined

·        Cities had well paved streets, new automobiles, modern sewerage, skyscrapers, subways, and train services

·        Unemployment was 4.3%

·        United States did not have:

o   Federal income tax, central bank, social security tax, general sales tax, securities and exchange commission, equal employment opportunity commission, department of health and human services, and no national labor relations board

·        Assembly lines, large factories, and specialized machinery were implemented

o   Henry ford utilized this method to revolutionize tractor production

o   Mass production lowered prices, but capped workers skillsets

o   Everyone had to work the same shift, managers enforced punching timecards

·        WWI was the first modern mechanized war, U.S. stayed neutral the first 2.5 years

o   Total value of exports grew from $2.4 billion in 1913 to $6.2 billion in 1917

o   Exports of metals, machines, and automobiles rose from $480 million in 1913 to $1.6 billion in 1916

§  Most went to allies in the war

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://blog.independent.org/2013/03/26/1913-the-final-days-of-the-old-regime-in-the-united-states/

https://americanhistory.si.edu/american-enterprise-exhibition/corporate-era/mass-production

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1945 – john basilone dies

·        Born November 4th, 1916

o   Served in the Marine Corps

o   KIA during WWII

o   Awarded MOH for actions of heroism during the Battle for Henderson Field in the Guadalcanal Campaign

§  Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism during the Battle of Iwo Jima

·        Enlisted on June 3rd, 1940

o   Previously served three years in the Army in the Philippines

·        Deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in August 1942

o   Took part in the invasion of Guadalcanal

§  Delta Co. 1/7 1st MarDiv

·        Unit attacked by 3,000 soldiers from the Japanese Sendai Division

§  John commanded two separate machine gun posts

·        Fought for two days straight until it was John and two other Marines left

·        Added an additional gun to the battle front and maintained continual fire against incoming Japanese forces

o   Repaired and manned another machine gun, held the defense until replacements arrived

·        Supply lines got caught off

o   Stranded

·        Basilone used his pistol and machete to hold off the enemy

o   By the end, the Japanese retreated

§  Single-handedly held off the Japanese

·        “Virtually annihilated”

·        Awarded MOH for his actions during the battle

§  Two eyewitnesses recall what they saw from the battle

·        John had a machine gun rolling non-stop for 3 days and nights

o   Didn’t sleep or eat

o   Fought the Japanese off on his own with his machine gun and pistol

·        1943: John started to tour around the United States to promote the sales of war bonds

o   Highly publicized

§  Hometown held a parade

§  Appreciated the admiration, felt out of place

·        Requested to return to the war

o   Marine corps denied request

§  Needed more on the home front

·        Submitted a second request

o   Approved

§  Charlie CO. 1/27 5th MarDiv

·        February 19th, 1945: Iwo Jima

o   Served as machine gun section leader

§  Overtook enemy bunkhouse by flanking the Japanese

·        Attacked the bunkhouse with grenades

§  Killed by Japanese mortar shrapnel enroute to aide a downed U.S. tank that was trapped in an enemy mine field

·        Died on the first day of landing on Iwo Jima

·        Went down in history as a legend throughout the Marine Corps

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://ussbasilone.org/john-basilone-biography/

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1870 – 15th amendment passed

·        Protected voting rights of African American Men post-civil war

o   Section 1: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States of by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude

o   Section 2: Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

·        Originally passed in 1869, ratified in 1870

·        Too divisive and complicated to put in original constitution and bill of rights

o   Many states had different voting rules

o   Many had property-holding requirements

·        Roughly 2,000 African Americans were elected to office within the first 30 years of the amendment

·        1890 – southern states adopted laws making it difficult for African Americans

o   Demonstrate literacy, prove good character, or pay certain taxes.

·        Supreme court rarely ruled in favor of the amendment at first

o   Giles v. Harris (1903)

§  Stated did not have power over states to comply with the amendment

o   James v. Bowman (1903)

§  Amendment doesn’t authorize congress to punish private individuals preventing African Americans from voting

·        Court eventually invoked the amendment

o   Gomillion v. Lightfoot (1960)

§  City of Tuskegee re-drew city boundaries, placing majority of African Americans outside city limits

§  By 1965, 6.3% of African Americans could register in Mississippi

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/interpretation/amendment-xv/interps/141#:~:text=Although%20the%20Fifteenth%20Amendment%20does,of%20the%20right%20to%20vote.

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2011 – bin laden raid

·        2007 – U.S. intelligence officials contacted one of Bin Ladens closest workers

o   Suspected may have been involved in protecting him

·        2010 – U.S. intelligence pinned the worker to living in a highly-secured compound in Abbottabad

o   The heightened security prompted the idea that Osama lived there

·        April 29th – President Obama authorized a group of special forces to carry out the raid

o   SEAL Team Six

§  Trained in a life-size building with multiple different scenarios to work through

·        May 2nd – Operation Neptune Spear begins

o   Stealth Black Hawk helicopters took off from Afghanistan carrying 25 SEALs and headed to Pakistan

o   Less than 2 hours after take-off, face-to-face with bin laden on the 3rd floor of his compound

§  No SEALs died

·        Despite a helicopter crash at the beginning of the raid

·        Forces retrieved valuable intelligence from the compound as well

·        Significant victory for the U.S. and the American people

·        International reactions were mixed

·        Event was an extraordinary operation with resounding success

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.history.com/news/osama-bin-laden-death-seal-team-six#:~:text=On%20May%202%2C%202011%2C%20U.S.,of%20calculated%20planning%20and%20training.

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1942 – Manhattan project

·        Result of enormous collaboration between the U.S. government and industrial and scientific sectors during WWII

·        German scientists, Otto Hahn and Frits Strassman, original discovers of nuclear fission

o   A few month later, Albert Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt

§  Warned him that Germany might try to make an atomic bomb

·        FDR formed the Uranium Committee

o   Group of top military and scientific experts

·        Atomic research was not a new thing

o   On-going at many universities at the time

·        Officially formed on august 13th, 1942

o   General Groves was appointed head of the project

o   First funding consisted of $500 million

§  Headquarters was soon moved to D.C.

·        Numerous project sites across the country

o   New Mexico, Tennessee, Washington, and Massachusetts

·        Estimated that 600,000 people worked on this project

·        July 16th, 1945: Worlds first atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity site in New Mexico

o   “The Gadget”

§  Left a crater 10 feet deep and 1,000 feet wide

§  Mushroom cloud that rose eight miles high

·        August 6th, first atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima

o   “Little Boy”

o   90,000 – 166,000 are believed to have died from the attack

o   200,000 more fatalities in the next 5 years

·        Manhattan Project influenced many more nuclear programs, especially in the Soviet Union

·        2015, congress established the Manhattan Project National Historical Park at Oak Ridge

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/manhattan-project

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1915 – dan daly receives 2nd moh

·        1 of 2 Marines to have earned two MOH (MajGen Smedly Butler)

·        Very little known about his early life

o   Born in glen cove, Long Island, New York in 1873

o   Worked as a newsboy and was known to be a fighter

·        Famous battle cry during Belleau Wood

o   Outnumbered and pinned down, “come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

·        Enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1899, hopes of getting into the Spanish-American War

o   War ended beforehand, sent on a ship to the Asiatic Fleet

·        1900: awarded first MOH as a PVT

o   Deployed on the USS Neward for Taku Bay, China. Enroute for Peking

o   Single-handedly defended a position from the enemy with the use of hand-to-hand combat with enemy forces. 17 years old at the time

·        1915: awarded 2nd MOH as a Gunnery Sergeant

o   Actions against the Haitian Bandits

§  Sent on a six day recon mission when attacked by 400 Cacos

·        Saw combat in China, Haiti, and France

·        Served in Panama, Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, and eight U.S. posts

·        Fought in WWI from November 1917 – April 1919

o   Including Belleau Wood in 1918

§  Single-handedly attacked an enemy machine gun placement and captured it

·        Later that same day, he brought in wounded off the battlefield

·        Remained unmarried his entire life

·        Also was awarded the Navy Cross (2nd highest award)

·        Retired and worked on Wall Street for 17 years

·        Died on April 28, 1937

https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Information-for-Units/Medal-of-Honor-Recipients-By-Unit/Sergeant-Major-Daniel-J-Daly/

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1918 – first female marine

·        Opha May Johnson, the first known female marine

o   Born in Kokomo on May 4, 1878

§  Had a career in civil service at the Interstate Commerce Commission

·        Graduated secretarial school in 1895

·        Moved to D.C. and married musical director, Victor Johnson in 1898.

o   No kids

·        1918 – The U.S. is now full involved in WWI currently

o   Opha was first female in line to join the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve

§  Worked in office roles so that the men could be reassigned to the battlefront

·        Surprising fact: women and men were paid the same

§  Currently: 12,000 enlisted and 1,300 female officers

o   90 days after her enlistment, the war ended

o   Returned to Civil Service work in 1919

·        Opha paved the way for women in the military

o   Continued to work with women in the service

·        Other female accomplishments:

o   First commissioned female officer: 1943

o   First top enlisted female Marine: 1960

o   First female Marine General: 1978

o   First three-star general: 1996

·        Opha passed in August 11, 1955

o   Services on August 13, 1955

§  37 years exactly from her date of enlistment

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://howardcountymuseum.org/staff/opha-may-johnson-id-54

https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/communicate/press-media/wwi-centennial-news/4221-opha-mae-johnson-first-woman-to-enlist-in-the-usmc.html

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1999 – carlos Hathcock dies

·        Born May 20, 1942

o   Only child

o   Constantly outside playing as a child

·        Enlisted in USMC in 1959 on his 17th birthday

o   1965 – became a designated a Marine Corps Distinguished Sniper

§  Won the 1,000-yard national high power rifle championship

·        Married in 1962

o   Had one son, named carlos

·        Two tours of service in Vietnam

o   Set the record for longest confirmed kill – 2,500 yards (1.42 miles) w/ a .50 cal browning rifle

o   Five day engagement – devasted viet cong soldiers

o   Several thousand dollar bounty

o   Nicknamed white feather

§  Fellow marines started wearing a white feather

o   Shot an enemy sniper through his own scope

§  The bullet traveled through the enemys scope

·        1969 – second tour

o   Vehicle struck a 500 pound mine

§  Covered in gasoline and burned beyond recognition, saved 7 marines

·        Refused medal of honor

o   Awarded silver star in 1996

·        Served another 10 years after recovering from his burns

·        Founded the Marine Corps scout sniper program

·        Passed away from multiple sclerosis in 1999

·        Buried at Woodlawn Memorial Gardens in Norfold, VA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/carlos-norman-gunny-hathcock-ii-2630/

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1898 - Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders

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1898 - Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders

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1898 – Theodore Roosevelt and the rough riders

·        Most famous units fighting in Cuba, given to the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry

·        Lead by Theodor Roosevelt

o   Original plan was the unit was going to be comprised of men from Indian territory

o   Roosevelt diversified it

§  Ivy league athletes, glee club singers, Texas rangers, and Indians

§  Gathered in four areas; Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas

·        One famous spot is the Menger Hotel Bar in San Antonio, Texas

o   Still open and serves as a tribute to the Rough Riders

o   Uniform consisted of a slouch hat, blue flannel shirt, brown trousers, leggings, and boots, and handkerchiefs around their necks

§  Unique

·        Landed in Cuba without horses on June 22, 1898

·        Made their mark at the Battle of San Juan Hill

o   Seized Kettle Kill under heavy enemy fire

§  Helped support the main attack

§  Lead to the Spanish to surrender two weeks later

·        Theodor pushed for American involvement in Cuban independence

o   Former assistant secretary of the United States Navy

o   Used political influence to ensure proper treatment of him and his men

§  Equipment, food, ammo, etc.

o   Roosevelt’s example of valor and fearlessness served as motivation for his men

o   Lt. Park provided cover with the use of Gatling guns, aided in Roosevelts success on Kettle Hill

§  “I think Parker deserved rather more credit than any other one man in the entire campaign… he had the rare good judgement and foresight to see the possibilities of the machine-guns. He then, by his own exertions, got it to the front and proved that it could do invaluable work on the field of battle, as much in attach as in defense.”

·        Theodore Roosevelt later became 26th president of the United States

o   After assassination of President William McKinley

o   Youngest president in history

o   Took view of “the president is a steward of the people”

o   Shot in the chest by a fanatic in Milwaukee, 1919

https://loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/roughriders.html#:~:text=The%20most%20famous%20of%20all,to%20join%20the%20volunteer%20cavalry.

https://www.nationalguard.mil/Resources/Image-Gallery/Historical-Paintings/Heritage-Series/The-Rough-Riders/

https://www.tamparoughriders.org/page-18212

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/theodore-roosevelt/

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1945 – battle of iwo jima

·        Iwo Jima gave the U.S. access to an airfield where they could reach mainland

o   Important to overall success of the war

·        60,000 U.S. troops took part in the battle

·        Japan had resorted to “delaying the inevitable” and to inflict the highest cost they could on their enemy

o   Due to the U.S. air superiority, Japanese constructed heavily fortified bunkers

§  Proved difficult in the battle of Iwo Jima

·        General Kuribayashi was the leader of the Japanese military at Iwo Jima

o   Focused heavy on defensive positions

§  Most construction took place at night to avoid surveillance

§  Discourage banzai attacks

·        Focus on delaying, then killing

§  The terrain was the Japanese biggest aid

·        Iwo Jima is just 8 square miles

o   Mt. Suribachi is dormant volcano

o   Only the southern beaches were used by the U.S. in the assault

§  Original plan was to attack the north as well

·        Bombing attacks and naval bombardment occurred prior to D-day

o   SEALs did a recon mission to assess the damages of the bombings

§  Underestimated the Japanese underground bunkers

·        Landed on February 19th

o   Japanese accurate artillery and volume proved the bombings and bombardment did little to nothing

·        The steep inclined made it difficult for U.S. advancement on the beaches

o   Became sitting ducks

·        Flag was raised on February 23rd, 1945

·        Victory of Iwo Jima was on March 26th, 1945

·        After the battle:

o   Estimated 216 survivors were taken as prisoners

§  3,000 went into hiding

§  General Kuribayashi committed suicide in his command post

·        U.S. lost 6,781 lives and 19,217 wounded

o   22 Marines and 5 sailors were awarded the MOH

·        “Uncommon valor was a common virtue” Admiral Chester Nimitz

https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/world-war-ii/1945/battle-of-iwo-jima.html

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2001 – 9/11 Attacks

·        Two jetliners crashed into the trade center, another crashed into the pentagon, and another destined for the white house crashed in Pennsylvania

o   2,997 total deaths from the attacks

o   19 militants associated with al Qaeda hijacked all 4 planes simultaneously

§  Al-Qaeda is an international Islamist extremist terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden

§  15 were from Saudi Arabia

o   Twin towers: as centerpieces of World Trade

o   Pentagon: HQ for DOD

o   Whitehouse: the president

·        President bush says “any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the U.S. as a hostile regime.”

o   U.S. government immediately requested the Taliban hand over their terrorists in Afghanistan

§  “Operation Enduring Freedom” was launched October 7, 2001

§  2,218 deaths

https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs

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1962 – john glen orbits the earth

·        Former senator from Ohio, Marine veteran, one of NASA’s original seven Mercury astronauts.

·        Also, the first American to orbit the earth

o   Flight showed the world that America was serious about space explorations against the Soviet Union

·        His flight in 1998 made him the oldest human in space at 77

·        Encountered serious issues on first ever flight for NASA

o   Automatic system went out on first orbit

§  Causing him to manually control the aircraft

§  Including re-entry

·        Born in 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio

o   Entered Naval Aviation Cadet Program in March 1942

§  Commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1943

·        Marine Fighter Squadron 155

o   Flew 59 combat missions in WWII

·        Glenn accumulated nearly 9,000 hours total flying

o   3,000 in jets

·        Assigned to the NASA Space Task Group – Houston

o   Glenn specialized in cockpit layout and control functioning of the aircraft

o   The flight lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes

§  Friendship 7

o   Awarded congressional space medal of honor

o   Glenn resigned in 1964 from NASA and 1965 from the Marines

·        Served a total of 4 terms as senator of Ohio

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/profile-of-john-glenn

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1952 - First Hydrogen Bomb is Tested/Elugelab

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1952 - First Hydrogen Bomb is Tested/Elugelab

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1952 – First hydrogen bomb is tested

·        1950: President Truman decided to continue and intensify the research and production of thermonuclear weapons

o   July 25th, Truman asked DuPont to undertake the design, construction, and operation of a production plant to produce plutonium and tritium

§  Ohio river region

·        Started the expansion of operations in 32 different states

·        David Lilienthal, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, had reservations

·        Enrico Fermi created the first nuclear chain reaction in a Met Lab in Chicago (1942) as part of the Manhattan Project

o   The same reaction that occurred in the atomic bomb could potentially happen as a reaction in a thermonuclear bomb

·        No direct ties to the Manhattan Project

o   Small group of theoretical physicists worked on the prospects of a thermonuclear bomb

·        Operation Greenhouse: series of nuclear test conducted at Enewetak Atoll in 1951

o   Tested design principles

§  Reduce size, weight, and amount of materials

o   Most important test was on May 8th, 1951

§  Nicknamed “George”

·        Proved that a large fission yield could be used to ignited a small mass of thermonuclear fuel under ideal conditions

·        Pivotal to the development

·        Operation IVY: first series of thermonuclear tests conducted by the U.S.

o   November 1, 1952 on Elugelab (small pacific island)

o   Explosion nicknamed “Mike Shot”

§  Yielded 10 megatons of TNT (1,000 times more than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima)

·        Operation CASTLE: second series of tests

o   Tested six variants:

§  Bravo (14.8 megatons) – Nectar (1.69 megatons)

o   U.S never tested something more powerful than Bravo

§  Idea was proposed by Livermore Laboratory

·        Eisenhower shut it down “excessive power

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/hydrogen-bomb-1950

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1965 – us enters Vietnam war

·        August 1964: two North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked US destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin

o   President Lyndon Johnson requested military force to Congress

§  Resulted in full-scale commitment to the war

§  “All necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the armed forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.”

§  President Johnson did not want to seem weak to his domestic political opponents

·        1965 – series of bombings approved by Johnson

o   “Operation Rolling Thunder”

o   Also sent hundreds of thousands of troops to fight

·        Johnson concealed the extent of the war from the public

·        War lasted till 1973

o   58,000 US troop killed

o   South Vietnamese = one million

·        1975 – Operation Frequent Wind

o   Emergency evacuation of Saigon

o   7,000 Americans and South Vietnamese are flown to safety

§  Following morning, NVA entered and conquered the city with ease

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.britannica.com/list/vietnam-war-timeline

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1960s-america/a/the-vietnam-war

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1950 – U.S. Enters Korean war

·        Officially entered on June 27, 1950

o   U.S. supported the Republic of Korea (South Korea)

o   Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)

·        Korean war emerged after WWII

o   Japan occupied the peninsula during the war

§  After Japans defeat, peninsula was split on the 38th parallel (north and south korea)

·        North invaded the south on June 25th

·        U.S. and the UN supported South Korea during this time

·        China and the Soviet Union supported North Korea during this time

·        War ended with no change to border

o   DMZ was established

§  DMZ is currently occupied by both the north and south

·        Battle of Chosin Reservoir (Frozen Chosin)

o   Two weeks long

§  30,000 U.S./UN troops against 120,000 Chinese soldiers

·        Defining moment

o   Winters were brutal

§  Frostbite

§  Sleepless nights

§  Total mental/physical exhaustion

§  Sub-zero temperatures

·        Minor injuries started to cause death due to the winter temperatures and conditions

o   Americans that fought said “it felt like for every 1 Chinese soldier that went down, dozens appeared in their place”

o   Death counts got so high, U.S. generals looked for other options

§  Fought down a snow packed road for 70 miles to reach a North Korean port

·        6,000 American’s were dead or missing

o   Thousands more wounded

o   Survivors are called “The Chosin Few”

o   The Chinese attempt at destroying the 1st MarDiv, failed

§  Lost over 50,000 soldiers

§  Learned to never underestimate the American fighting man

https://www.marfork.marines.mil/News/News-Article-Display/Article/1665198/the-battle-of-the-chosin-reservoir/

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/jun27/us-enters-korean-war/#:~:text=On%20June%2027%2C%201950%2C%20the,emerged%20after%20World%20War%20II.

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1945 – UN is established

·        Nearing the end of WWII, nations were in ruins

o   The world desperately wanted peace

·        April, 1945: Delegates from 50 different nations met in San Francisco

o   Represented over 80% of the world’s population

o   850 total delegates

§  3,500 total at the conference in San Fran

o   Drafted and signed the UN charter

§  Every part had to be voted on

§  Officially creating the United Nations

·        Hoped to prevent another world war

·        “the charter you of the United Nations which you have just signed, is a solid structure upon which we can build a better world. History will honor you for it.” – President Truman

o   Said the charter would only work if the people of the world were determined to make it work

·        Four pillars

o   Peace and security

§  Threats to peace and security:

·        Economic and social threats

·        Inter-state conflict

·        Internal conflict

·        Nuclear weapons

·        Terrorism

·        Transnational organized crime

o   Human Rights

§  UN Charter, “faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.”

o   Rule of Law

§  To serve justice and respect

§  Ensures that all persons, public and private institutions, and the State itself are accountable to laws that are consistent with international human rights norms

o   Development

§  Goal is to promote social progress and improve the quality of life

§  Main concepts:

·        Live a long/healthy life

·        Be educated

·        Have a decent standard of living

·        Freedom to participate in the community

·        75+ years later, the United Nations is still working to maintain international peace and security

·        UN has set sustainable goals for 2030

o   Not envisioned by original founders of 1945

o   Also agreed to climate action

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/history-of-the-un

https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/4-pillars-united-nations

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1941 – pearl harbor

·        The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941

·        November: Japan wanted the U.S. to agree to its southern expansion of Asia, if unsuccessful, Japan was ready for war

o   November 16th, the fist submarines involved in the attack, depart Japan

o   November 26th, the main body begins transit to Hawaii

o   November 27th, Adm. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Short receive “war warnings” from Washington, indicating a Japanese attack

o   Night of Dec. 6th/morning of Dec. 7th, U.S. decodes a message to Washington indicating a deadline for Japanese attack

§  The message delivered 4 hours before the attack

·        Pearl Harbor commanders never received the warning until after it happened

§  0755 first wave attacks the harbor at air stations Hickam, Wheeler, Ford Island, Kaneohe, and Ewa Field

§  Attack continue for two hours and 20 minutes

·        2,400 Americans died, 1,200 wounded

·        18 ships were sunk/destroyed

·        300 aircraft were damaged

o   December 8th, President Roosevelt asks congress for a declaration of war against Japan

§  Focused on rallying a nation behind a war many hoped to avoid

o   December 16th, Adm. Kimmel and Lt. Gen. Short were relieved of their commands

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.npr.org/2004/12/07/4206060/a-pearl-harbor-timeline

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1939 - U.S. Declares Neutrality in European Conflict

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1939 - U.S. Declares Neutrality in European Conflict

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1939 – us declares neutrality in European conflict

·        January 4th, President Roosevelt agreed a war was averted, but peace was not assured

o   Throughout the world there was undeclared wars, both military and economic

o   “the storms abroad directly challenged three indispensable American institutions: religion, democracy, and international good faith

·        January 12th, Roosevelt asks congress to strengthen the defense of the United States

o   Provide more than half a billion dollars for the Army and Navy

§  New aircraft

·        Strengthen air defense of the continental US, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Canal Zone

·        Hitler promised to sign the Munich Pact

o   Said that he was ready o guarantee the new frontiers of Czechoslovakia

o   German troops invaded Czechoslovakia on March 14th, 1939

·        A month later, Germany took Albania

o   Caused Great Britain and France to pledge assistance to Poland, Greece, and Rumania

·        Roosevelt pleads with Hitler and German partner, Mussolini

o   Reminded the European dictators that millions of people lived in constant fear of a series of wars breaking out

o   Asked if they were willing to give assurances that they would not attack any of the nations of Europe and the Near East

§  Roosevelt, “heads of great governments in this hour are literally responsible for the fate of humanity in the coming years”

·        Neither replied

o   Hitler publicly stated that Germany’s neighbors knew Germany did not have any aggressive intentions

·        Arms-embargo was hurting world peace structure

o   Germany had the strongest military power in Europe

o   Great Britain, France, and others feared they were the Nazis next target

·        Secretary Hull wrote to Congress to remove the arms-embargo

o   Said that peace was precious and war so devastating that the people of the United States and their government must not fail to make a just and legitimate contribution to the preservation of peace

·        Germany invades Poland in 1939

o   Said that America should seek for humanity

o   The safety of the United States was bound up with the safety of the Western Hemisphere and the adjacent seas

§  “This nation will remain a neutral nation”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/WorldWar2/europe39.htm

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1931 - The Star Spangled Banner is Adopted

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1931 - The Star Spangled Banner is Adopted

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1931 – the star-spangled banner is adopted

·        Wrote by Francis Scott Key

o   His experience of battle

§  Sat in harbor hearing cannons and explosives for hours

·        Defense of Fort M’Henry

§  Feared British takeover of Baltimore

·        Woke up to the American flag on display as a symbol of American Patriotism

§  Brother-in-law set music to what was once a poem and turned it into a song

·        Published under the name “The Star-Spangled Banner”

o   Famous patriotic song sung throughout the country

§  1889 – accompanied flag raisings by the Navy

§  President Woodrow Wilson adopted it as a de facto “national anthem” in 1916

§  1929 – presented to congress as the national anthem

·        One objection was the music

o   Theme for the Society of Anacreon

§  Gentlemens club

o   Inability to dance or march to the song

§  Officially adopted in March, 1931

§  Other contenders

·        Hail, Columbia

·        My Country, Tis of Thee

·        America the Beautiful

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/star-spangled-banner

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1917 – Woodrow Wilson 2nd inauguration

·         Leader of the Progressive Movement, 28th president (1913-1921)

o   Led America into war to “make the world safe for democracy”

·        Born in Virginia in 1856

o   Son of a Presbyterian minister during the Civil War

o   During the Reconstruction movement, worked as a professor in Columbia, South Carolina

·        Attended College at Princeton, Virginia Law School, and earned Doctorate at Johns Hopkins

o   Got married in 1885

o   Became president of Princeton in 1902

·        Ran for governor of New Jersey in 1910

o   Endorsed a progressive platform

·        Nominated for President at 1912 Democratic Convention

o   Received 42% of popular vote but overwhelming amount of the electoral vote

·        1916 – new legislation introduced

o   Child labor laws

o   Limited railroad workers to 8 hour day

§  Virtue of that legislation and the slogan “he kept us out of war” Wilson won re-election

§  April, 1917, declared war on Germany

·        1918 – election shift balance of congress to the Republicans

o   Seven votes, the Versailles Treaty failed in the senate

·        Suffered a stroke while making a national tour to mobilize public sentiment for the treaty

·        Died in 1924

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/woodrow-wilson/

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1917 – U.S. enters WWI

·        Germany violated pledge to suspend unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Atlantic

·        Attempted to entice Mexico into an alliance against the United States

·        April 2nd President Woodrow Wilson went before a joint session of Congress to request war against Germany

o   April 4th voted in support of the war

o   U.S. later declared war on German ally, Austria-Hungary in December 1917

·        March 1916, Germany sunk an unarmed French boat

o   Wilson threatened to sever diplomatic relations with Germany

§  Germany accepted the pledge to refrain, known as “Sussex Pledge”

·        Spring 1918, Germans launched a series of attacks

o   U.S. and allies pushed the Germans back on the Western Front

o   One by one, countries surrendered

§  Germany signed an armistice that brought the war to an end

·        America suffered 116,000 deaths and 200,000 wounded

·        Nations gathered in Paris to discuss post-war peace treaties

o   Unfortunately, planted seed for WWII

·        WWI ended European order and displayed the rise of the United States as a global power

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi

https://www.worldwar1centennial.org/index.php/edu-home/edu-topics/579-overview-general-collections/4989-the-u-s-in-wwi-overview.html

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1903 - Wright Brothers Take-off/North Carolina

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1903 - Wright Brothers Take-off/North Carolina

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1903 – wright brothers take-off

·        Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867) Orville Wright (August 19, 1871)

o   Only members of the family not to attend college or get married

§  Wilbur got injured in hockey, hindered his college plans

·        Spent the following three years reading and caring for his sick mother

o   Orville convinced Wilbur to establish a print shop

§  Published and edited two newspapers as well

o   Opened a bicycle sales/repair shop in 1892

§  Used profits from the bike shop and the print shop to fund aeronautical experiments starting 1899

·        Fascination stemmed from a small toy helicopter

o   Otto Lilienthal

§  German glider who passed in a gliding accident in 1896

o   Wright brothers needed 3 things for a successful flight

§  Wings for lift

·        Otto

§  An engine to propel it

·        Builders were developing lighter and more powerful engines

§  Ability to control it

·        The last piece to figure out

o   Determined to control through precise manipulation of the center of pressure on the wings

§  Induce a helical twist across wings

·        Raise one, lower the other at the pilots will

§  After years of testing, completed 700-1,000 flights and covered distances up to 623 feet and remained in air for 26 seconds

·        Without engine propel assistance

·        December 14th, Wilbur attempted first flight but damaged the engine

o   December 17th, Orville conducted the first flight

§  120 feet in 12 seconds

o   Wilbur’s first attempt

§  175 feet in 12 seconds

o   Fourth and final day

§  Wilbur flew 852 feet in 59 seconds

o   The flights were witnessed by five local citizens

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wright-brothers/Powered-sustained-flight

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1882 - Alexander Gardner Dies/Washington DC.

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1882 - Alexander Gardner Dies/Washington DC.

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1882 – alexander gardner dies

·        Well known civil war photographer

·        Born: 1821 in Paisley, Scotland

·        1850, established a cooperative community in Iowa with his brother, James

·        Mathew Brady was an idol/mentor

o   Brady had many photos in the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, London

·        1856, gardner moved to the states in NY and worked for Brady as a photographer

·        Demand for portraits increased in 1861 at the start of the Civil War

o   Soldiers wanted to leave a photo behind for loved ones

·        Gardner was dispatched to photograph the war after Brady witnessed the battle at Manassas in Virginia

o   Equipped with a traveling dark room to process photos on the spot

·        Alexander Gardner served as a honorary Captain for General George McClellan

·        Photographed Battle of Antietam

o   70 pictures were displayed, Brady took all the credit from the media (New York Times)

§  Stated that Brady was able to “bring home to us the terrible reality and earnestness of war. If he has not brought bodies and laid them in our dooryards and along streets, he has done something very like it…”

·        Photographed Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and the siege of Petersburg

·        Considered to have taken the last photograph of President Lincoln, the conspirators convicted of his killing, and their execution

·        1871, gave up photography to start an insurance company

·        “It is designed to speak for itself. As mementos of the fearful struggle through which the country has just passed, it is confidently hoped that it will possess an enduring interest.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/alexander-gardner