100 Turning Points Flashcards
The Stock Market Crashes-1929
The stock market crash of 1929 – considered the worst economic event in world history – began on Thursday, October 24, 1929, with skittish investors trading a record 12.9 million shares. On October 28, dubbed “Black Monday,” the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged nearly 13 percent.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Announces a “New Deal”-1933
On January 10, 1941, Franklin Roosevelt introduces the lend-lease program to Congress. The plan was intended to help Britain beat back Hitler’s advance while keeping America only indirectly involved in World War II.
The Great Strike Wave Sweeps the Nation-1934-1937
was the largest strike in the labor history of the United States and it lasted 22 days
The Japanese Bomb Pearl Harbor-1941
Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.
Executive Order 9066 Authorizes the “Internment” of Japanese Americans-1942
Issued by President Franklin Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, this order authorized the evacuation of all persons deemed a threat to national security from the West Coast to relocation centers further inland. In the next 6 months, over 100,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry were moved to assembly centers.
The US Navy Prevails in the Battle of Midway-1942
The U.S. Navy’s decisive victory in the air-sea battle (June 3-6, 1942) and its successful defense of the major base located at Midway Island dashed Japan’s hopes of neutralizing the United States as a naval power and effectively turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific.
The American Crusade in Europe Begins on the Shores of Normandy-1944
On June 6, 1944, in Operation Overlord, Allied forces landed troops on the beaches of Normandy, France, for the largest amphibious assault in history. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.”
Congress Enacts the “GI Bill”-1944
Officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, the G.I. Bill was created to help veterans of World War II. It established hospitals, made low-interest mortgages available and granted stipends covering tuition and expenses for veterans attending college or trade schools
The Enola Gay Drops an “Atomic Bomb” on Hiroshima-1945
Enola Gay, the B-29bomber that was used by the United States on August 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive device had been used on an enemy target. The aircraft was named after the mother of pilot Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. The Enola Gay.
Jackie Robinson Signs a Contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers-1947
The 1947 contract with the Dodgers stipulates that Robinson will receive $5,000 for the season while the Minor League contract offers him $600 per month during the season. It’s fair to say that those deals will end up not being worth the paper they were printed on.
The Marshall Plan Goes into Effect, Putting the United States at the Center of Postwar European Recovery-1948
The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was a U.S. program providing aid to Western Europe following the devastation of World War II. It was enacted in 1948 and provided more than $15 billion to help finance rebuilding efforts on the continent.
President Truman Authorizes the Berlin Airlift-1948
Truman’s administration called for a direct military response. Truman, however, did not want to cause World War III. Instead, he ordered a massive airlift of supplies into West Berlin. On June 26, 1948, the first planes took off from bases in England and western Germany and landed in West Berlin.
The North Atlantic Treaty is Signed, Creating NATO-1949
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere.
Senator Joseph McCarthy Claims Communist Infiltration of US Department of State-1950
During a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy (Republican-Wisconsin) claims that he has a list with the names of over 200 members of the Department of State that are “known communists.” The speech vaulted McCarthy to national prominence and sparked a nationwide hysteria about subversives in the American government.
The Supreme Court Decision in Brown v. Board of Education Outlaws Racial Segregation-1954
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was a landmark 1954 Supreme Court case in which the justices ruled unanimously that racial segregation of children in public schools was unconstitutional.
