John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States. At age 43, he became the youngest elected president and the first Roman Catholic to hold the office. His inaugural address is remembered for the famous line, 'Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country,' which inspired a generation toward public service, idealism, and a renewed sense of civic duty during a time of Cold War tension.

The United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace Accords, formally ending direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. The agreement called for a ceasefire, withdrawal of American troops, the return of prisoners of war, and political negotiations between North and South Vietnam. Although it temporarily halted American participation, fighting continued in Vietnam until the fall of Saigon in 1975.

During World War II, U.S. Marines launched a major amphibious assault on Iwo Jima, a heavily fortified Japanese island critical for its airfields and strategic location near Japan. The battle, lasting over a month, was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific Theater, with fierce fighting and high casualties on both sides. It is most famously remembered for the iconic photograph of Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi.

In World War I, Germany launched the Spring Offensive, also known as the Ludendorff Offensive, on the Western Front. It was Germany’s last major attempt to break the stalemate before American forces could arrive in large numbers. Using new infiltration tactics and overwhelming artillery, German forces initially made significant gains. However, supply issues and Allied counterattacks eventually halted the advance, setting the stage for Germany’s ultimate defeat later that year.

Millions of Americans participated in the first Earth Day, a nationwide demonstration calling for environmental protection and awareness. Organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson, the event brought together activists, students, and communities to protest pollution, oil spills, and the destruction of natural habitats. Earth Day is credited with helping to launch the modern environmental movement and led to the creation of landmark U.S. legislation such as the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, declaring that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson, the decision became a cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement and a critical step toward ending legalized segregation in the United States.

In a speech before a joint session of Congress, President John F. Kennedy declared the ambitious goal of landing an American on the moon and returning them safely to Earth before the end of the 1960s. This bold commitment galvanized NASA’s Apollo program and became a defining moment of the Space Race, culminating in the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

During a visit to West Berlin at the height of Cold War tensions, U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech to a crowd of hundreds of thousands. The speech expressed solidarity with the people of West Berlin, who were surrounded by communist East Germany and the Berlin Wall. Kennedy’s words became one of the most iconic statements of U.S. commitment to defending freedom against Soviet pressure.

NASA’s Apollo 11 mission successfully landed astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module. Armstrong’s famous words, 'That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,' were broadcast to millions around the globe. The landing fulfilled President Kennedy’s 1961 goal, showcased U.S. technological achievement during the Cold War, and marked a defining milestone in human exploration.

Senator Edward 'Ted' Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, resulting in the drowning death of his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, a young campaign worker. Kennedy did not immediately report the accident, leading to widespread criticism and scandal. The incident damaged his reputation, derailed his presidential ambitions, and remains one of the most controversial episodes in modern American political history.

Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, setting off a chain reaction of alliances and mobilizations that drew the major powers of Europe into conflict. Within weeks, Germany, Russia, France, and Britain were at war, plunging the world into one of the deadliest conflicts in history. World War I reshaped global politics, collapsed empires, and set the stage for World War II.

More than 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, one of the largest civil rights rallies in American history. The event called for racial equality, economic justice, and civil rights legislation. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial, which became a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement and helped galvanize support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Nine African American students, known as the 'Little Rock Nine,' enrolled at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, testing the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Facing violent mobs and resistance from state officials, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops from the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students into the school. The event became a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, symbolizing the struggle to enforce desegregation in the United States.

On October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday, the U.S. stock market suffered a catastrophic collapse as panicked investors sold off millions of shares. Billions of dollars were lost in a single day, devastating banks, businesses, and individuals. The crash was a key trigger of the Great Depression, a global economic crisis that lasted through the 1930s, causing mass unemployment, poverty, and significant political and social upheaval worldwide.

The Volstead Act took effect, enforcing the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and banning the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. While intended to reduce crime and improve public morality, Prohibition instead fueled the rise of organized crime, speakeasies, and bootlegging. The policy proved widely unpopular and difficult to enforce, leading to its repeal in 1933 with the 21st Amendment.

President John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated while riding in an open motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. He was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, though conspiracy theories about the assassination have persisted for decades. Kennedy’s death shocked the world, abruptly ending a presidency marked by Cold War crises and civil rights struggles, and it brought Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson into office.

Aboard the ship Mayflower, anchored off Cape Cod, 41 Pilgrim men signed the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document created in the New World. Drafted to maintain unity and order among settlers, it established a form of self-government based on majority rule. The compact laid a foundation for later colonial governments and is considered a key step in the development of American democracy.

On Christmas Day, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev announced his resignation, formally ending the existence of the Soviet Union after 69 years. The red Soviet flag was lowered for the last time over the Kremlin, and the fifteen former republics became independent nations. The collapse ended the Cold War, reshaped international politics, and left the United States as the world’s sole superpower.

In protest of the Tea Act, which allowed Britain’s East India Company to sell tea at reduced rates while still taxing the colonies, American patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water. The act of defiance escalated tensions with Britain, leading to harsh retaliatory laws and fueling revolutionary sentiment that culminated in the American Revolution.

Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved the first successful powered, controlled, and sustained airplane flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville piloted the aircraft for 12 seconds over 120 feet. Their breakthrough revolutionized transportation and laid the foundation for modern aviation, ushering in a new era of global mobility and technological advancement.

Pan Am Flight 103, traveling from London to New York, was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground. The attack, carried out by Libyan operatives, was one of the deadliest acts of aviation terrorism in history. It reshaped international security measures, fueled years of investigations and trials, and highlighted the global threat of state-sponsored terrorism.