20th Century US History

President William McKinley was assassinated in Buffalo, NY. He was shot at close range by anarchist, Leon Czolgosz. He survived the initial wound, but on the 14th he died due to gangrene. After this assassination, Congress directed the Secret Service to protect the president.

In Kitty Hawk, North Carolina the Wright brothers successfully completed their first controlled flight.

Oklahoma is welcomed into the union as a state.

Ford starts producing the Ford Model T, which continues production until May 26, 1927. This marks the beginning of mass-producing affordable cars and the car starting to become the main form of transportation. The regularity of motorized vehicles leads to the development of suburbs and migration out of cities.

New Mexico is welcomed into the union as a state.

Arizona is welcomed into the union as a state.

The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank.

Due to the new states admitted to the union, a new national flag with 48 stars is adopted as the new national flag.

The first case of the Spanish Flu in Camp Devons was documented on September 7, 1918. Although it appears there were other earlier cases in Europe as early as April 1918, this does mark the beginning of what would be a 2 year long international epidemic. This disease targetted the young and healthy primarily, which lead to increased challenges with war logistics.

The 18th ammendment banning the sale, manufacture, or transportation of liquor within the United States was passed in 1919, but took effect a year after ratification. This amendment led to an era of Speak Easies where people would go to illicit establishments to drink. It also led to the prevalence of moonshine and an increase in wood alcohol poisoning. However, there was a significant decrease in liver disease and other health problems.

The 19th Ammendment, granting women the right to vote was ratified.

The first commercial radio broadcast aired out of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio was founded in Hollywood, California by Walt Disney and his brother Roy. This company would produce its first major hit in 1928 called Steamboat Willie, which introduced Mickey Mouse. The studio eventually went on to produce its first full length film and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out just before Christmas of 1937.

A Supreme Court case that ruled that court mandated compulsory sterilization for those unfit or mentally disabled was in compliance with the due process clause. This court case was in response to a woman who would be forced to be sterilized under Virginia's Eugenical Sterilization Act. This Virginia law was utilized by Germany to pass their own laws similarly for sterilization of certain population for what was believed to be the public welfare.

Although this court case was never officially overturned, it was weakened by Skinner v. Oklahoma (1942) and believed to be obsolete since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

The first television drama is broadcast from Schenectady, New York. This drama is titled The Queen's Messenger.

A radio station worked with Orson Welles to adapt his fictional novel, War of the Worlds, into a radio format. Unfortunately, some people who tuned into the program thought they were really listening to news of an alien invasion.

A significant stock market dip called Black Thursday leads many to lose their life savings. This also marks the beginning of the Great Depression. This international depression is only truly ended by the beginning of WWII and is a significant factor for Hitler's rise to power.

Al Capone, a notorious crime boss, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion. He served out his sentence in Alcatraz and after being released, he passed away in 1947.

With the passage of the 21st Amendment, Prohibition ends. This was largely due to the prevalence of organized crime arrising to provide people with alcohol.

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were notorious outlaws who died in a confrontation with police.

The United States banned sliced bread. This ban only lasted a few months, being revoked on March 8, 1943. Yes, when people say "the best thing since sliced bread" it is because sliced bread was, in fact, a big thing.

The United States Air Force was created.

The first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a shepherd. These scrolls are some of the oldest manuscripts of the Christian Bible.

Hawaii is welcomed into the union as a state.

The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into orbit.

Alaska is welcomed into the union as a state.

The modern 50 star American Flag was adopted in response to the addition of Alaska and Hawaii into the union.

Rachel Carson wrote a book titled Silent Spring, which discussed the lack of birds she had noticed. The birds were dying off, apparently, due to the widespread use of a pesticide called DDT, which was used to prevent the spread of malaria and other mosquito born diseases. This book allowed the environmental movement to gain further momentum.

President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for his assination although various conspiracy theories abound.

A scientist from the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), J.C.R. Licklider, proposed ensuring computers could talk to each other to deal with a potential infrastructure attack. This idea would eventually form the makings of what is the internet today.

The Clean Air Act sought to reduce air pollution and was part of the early environmental movement.

The first episode of the TV show Star Trek was released. This would later become a franchise and inspire cell-phone designs.

This Act sought to establish basic standards for motorist safety including seat belts.

A prominent civil rights advocate and promoter of nonviolent protests, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. James Earl Ray was convicted after confessing, but later recanted his confession.

Niel Armstrong becomes the first man on the moon. He famously states, "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This event was televised to people across the country.

IBM releases the first floppy disk drive designed for 8" floppy disks. In 1976, the 5 1/4" mini-floppy started being sold.

DOS Days 

A federal 55-mph speed limit was implemented federally. This speed limit was suspected to reduce fuel consumption and assist in handling the oil crisis.

Motorola created the first cell phone.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Lake Superior during a storm.

The first Star Wars movie came out. This movie would later become part of a lasting franchise.

Compact Disks were introduced by Philips at a press conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands. On March 14, 1983 the first commercially available CD titles in North America were released.

President Ronald Reagan proposed a strategic defense system in a nationwide television address. This project was meant to defend against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from the Soviet Union. It consisted of land and space based lasers to intercept the missiles at different points in their flight.

Nokia creates their first cell phone after creating various car phones. This phone was a brick style phone. Although Nokia was slow to adapt to the hardware, they appear to have made great strides in both 1G and 2G technology.

The court case Recording Industry Association of America v. Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc cleared the way for digital music and the prevalence of MP3 players after the recording industry sued an MP3 player company for assisting in piracy. The court decided that MP3 players were legal under the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992.