1963:
- Assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas.
- Civil Rights March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.
1964:
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
- U.S. and Soviet Union sign the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
1965:
- Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 abolishes national-origin quotas and opens U.S. immigration to a more diverse population.
- The Rolling Stones release their first album and tour the United States and Europe.
1968:
- Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War.
- Assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
- Student protests and counterculture movements gain momentum globally.
1969:
- Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
- Woodstock Music Festival.
1972:
- Munich Olympics hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.
- U.S. President Richard Nixon visits China as the Cold War thaw begins.
1973:
- Watergate scandal unfolds, leading to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon.
- U.S., North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Viet Cong sign the Paris Peace Accords to end the Vietnam War.
1979:
- Iranian Revolution overthrows the U.S.-backed Shah and establishes the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Soviet Union invades Afghanistan in support of a communist regime, triggering the Afghan-Soviet War.
1980:
- Cold War intensifies with U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics and the U.S.S.R. boycotting the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.
- Ronald Reagan's election as U.S. President.
1989:
- Fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union.
1990:
- Iraq invades Kuwait, leading to the Persian Gulf War under a U.S.-led coalition force.
- Nelson Mandela is released from prison after 27 years, contributing to the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa.
1991:
- Dissolution of the Soviet Union into independent states marks the end of the Eastern Bloc.
2003:
- U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to overthrow President Saddam Hussein, followed by a prolonged U.S. occupation of the country.
2008:
- Global financial crisis begins with the failure of major financial institutions and banks in the United States.
2010:
- Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in an immense environmental catastrophe.