Timeline

20th century

1. January 2, 1963★★★★★

   Battle of Ấp Bắc

   A smaller Viet Cong force repels an attack by South Vietnamese troops with US advisers near Mỹ Tho.

   War· Vietnam, United States
2. May 25, 1963★★★★★

   Organisation of African Unity founded

   Leaders of 32 independent African states founded the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa to promote unity and end colonialism on the continent.

   PoliticsTreaty· Ethiopia
3. June 11, 1963★★★★★

   Self-immolation of Thích Quảng Đức

   Monk Thích Quảng Đức burns himself to death in Saigon in protest at the Diệm government's treatment of Buddhists; the photograph shocks the world.

   ReligionPolitics· Vietnam
4. June 16, 1963★★★★★

   Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space

   Valentina Tereshkova flies into orbit aboard Vostok 6, becoming the first woman in space.

   Exploration· Russia, Kazakhstan
5. August 28, 1963★★★★★

   "I Have a Dream" speech

   Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

   Politics· United States
6. September 16, 1963★★★★★

   Formation of Malaysia

   Malaya unites with Singapore, Sabah (North Borneo) and Sarawak to form Malaysia.

   Politics· Malaysia, Singapore
7. November 1, 1963 – November 2, 1963★★★★★

   1963 South Vietnamese coup

   Generals led by Dương Văn Minh overthrow President Ngô Đình Diệm, who is killed with his brother Ngô Đình Nhu the next day.

   Politics· Vietnam, United States
8. November 22, 1963★★★★★

   Assassination of John F. Kennedy

   US President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.

   PoliticsDeath· United States
9. December 12, 1963★★★★★

   Kenya gains independence

   Kenya became independent from Britain following the Mau Mau uprising, with Jomo Kenyatta as its first prime minister and later president.

   Politics· Kenya, United Kingdom
10. July 2, 1964★★★★★

    Civil Rights Act of 1964

    President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

    Politics· United States
11. August 2, 1964 – August 7, 1964★★★★★

    Gulf of Tonkin incident

    A clash between USS Maddox and North Vietnamese torpedo boats leads Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, enabling US escalation.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam, United States
12. October 1, 1964★★★★★

    Shinkansen high-speed rail opens

    The Tōkaidō Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka opens as the world's first high-speed railway line.

    TechnologyEconomy· Japan
13. October 16, 1964★★★★★

    China's first nuclear test

    China detonates its first atomic bomb at Lop Nur, becoming the world's fifth nuclear power.

    TechnologyWar· China
14. 1965 – 1966★★★★★

    Indonesian mass killings of 1965–66

    After the failed 30 September Movement coup, the army and militias kill hundreds of thousands of alleged communists, paving the way for Suharto's rise.

    Politics· Indonesia
15. January 24, 1965★★★★★

    Death of Winston Churchill

    Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dies in London and is given a state funeral.

    Death· United Kingdom
16. March 2, 1965 – November 2, 1968★★★★★

    Operation Rolling Thunder

    A sustained US aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnam.

    War· Vietnam, United States
17. March 8, 1965★★★★★

    US Marines land at Đà Nẵng

    Two battalions of US Marines land at Đà Nẵng, the first American ground combat units deployed to Vietnam.

    War· Vietnam, United States
18. August 6, 1965★★★★★

    Voting Rights Act of 1965

    A federal law prohibits racial discrimination in voting, protecting the voting rights of African Americans.

    Politics· United States
19. August 9, 1965★★★★★

    Singapore becomes independent

    Singapore separates from Malaysia and becomes an independent republic led by Lee Kuan Yew.

    Politics· Singapore, Malaysia
20. November 14, 1965 – November 18, 1965★★★★★

    Battle of Ia Drang

    The first major battle between US Army forces and the North Vietnamese army, fought in the Central Highlands.

    War· Vietnam, United States
21. 1966 – 1976★★★★★

    Cultural Revolution

    Mao Zedong launches a decade-long political movement that brings social upheaval, persecution and the destruction of cultural heritage.

    PoliticsRevolutionCulture· China
22. June 5, 1967 – June 10, 1967★★★★★

    Six-Day War

    Israel fights Egypt, Jordan and Syria, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Golan Heights.

    War· Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Syria
23. July 6, 1967 – January 15, 1970★★★★★

    Nigerian Civil War (Biafran War)

    War followed the secession of south-eastern Nigeria as the Republic of Biafra; the fighting and blockade-induced famine killed an estimated one to two million people.

    War· Nigeria
24. August 8, 1967★★★★★

    Founding of ASEAN

    Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand sign the Bangkok Declaration, founding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

    PoliticsTreaty· Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand
25. October 9, 1967★★★★★

    Death of Che Guevara

    Revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is captured and executed by the Bolivian army in La Higuera.

    Death· Bolivia, Argentina, Cuba
26. December 3, 1967★★★★★

    First human heart transplant

    Christiaan Barnard performs the first human-to-human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town.

    Science· South Africa
27. January 5, 1968 – August 21, 1968★★★★★

    Prague Spring

    A period of political liberalisation in Czechoslovakia under Alexander Dubček ends when Warsaw Pact armies invade the country.

    PoliticsRevolution· Czechia, Slovakia, Russia
28. January 21, 1968 – July 9, 1968★★★★★

    Battle of Khe Sanh

    North Vietnamese forces besiege the US Marine base at Khe Sanh in Quảng Trị; US forces abandon the base in July.

    War· Vietnam, United States
29. January 30, 1968 – September 1968★★★★★

    Tet Offensive

    North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack more than 100 cities and towns in the South; despite heavy losses, the offensive erodes US public support for the war.

    War· Vietnam, United States
30. March 16, 1968★★★★★

    Mỹ Lai massacre

    US soldiers of Charlie Company kill hundreds of unarmed civilians at Sơn Mỹ, Quảng Ngãi; the killings become public in 1969.

    War· Vietnam, United States
31. April 4, 1968★★★★★

    Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

    Martin Luther King Jr. is shot dead at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, triggering riots in many American cities.

    PoliticsDeath· United States
32. May 1968 – June 1968★★★★★

    May 1968 events in France

    Student protests and a nationwide general strike shake France, leaving a lasting mark on its culture and society.

    PoliticsCulture· France
33. July 20, 1969★★★★★

    Apollo 11 Moon landing

    Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the Moon.

    ExplorationTechnology· United States
34. September 2, 1969★★★★★

    Death of Hồ Chí Minh

    Hồ Chí Minh, President of North Vietnam, dies in Hanoi.

    Death· Vietnam
35. October 29, 1969★★★★★

    First message sent over ARPANET

    The first message is sent between UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute over ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet.

    Technology· United States
36. November 12, 1970★★★★★

    1970 Bhola cyclone

    A tropical cyclone strikes East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people, one of the deadliest natural disasters of the 20th century.

    Disaster· Bangladesh, India
37. 1971★★★★★

    First networked email

    Ray Tomlinson sends the first email between computers on ARPANET, choosing the @ sign to separate user and host names.

    Technology· United States
38. March 26, 1971 – December 16, 1971★★★★★

    Bangladesh Liberation War

    East Pakistan declares independence as Bangladesh; after nine months of war and Indian intervention, Pakistani forces surrender in Dhaka.

    WarRevolution· Bangladesh, Pakistan, India
39. November 1971★★★★★

    Intel 4004, the first commercial microprocessor

    Intel introduces the 4004, the first commercially available single-chip microprocessor, paving the way for personal computers.

    Technology· United States
40. February 21, 1972 – February 28, 1972★★★★★

    Nixon visits China

    U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit opens the way to normalised relations between the United States and China.

    Politics· China, United States
41. March 30, 1972 – October 1972★★★★★

    Easter Offensive

    North Vietnam launches a large conventional offensive on three fronts in the South, including prolonged fighting at Quảng Trị.

    War· Vietnam, United States
42. December 18, 1972 – December 29, 1972★★★★★

    Operation Linebacker II

    The United States carries out intensive B-52 bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong for twelve days, known in Vietnam as the "Điện Biên Phủ in the air".

    War· Vietnam, United States
43. January 27, 1973★★★★★

    Paris Peace Accords

    The United States, North and South Vietnam and the Provisional Revolutionary Government sign an agreement ending direct US involvement in the war.

    Treaty· Vietnam, United States, France
44. March 29, 1973★★★★★

    Last US combat troops leave Vietnam

    The last US combat units leave South Vietnam under the terms of the Paris Peace Accords.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam, United States
45. September 11, 1973★★★★★

    1973 Chilean coup d'état

    The Chilean military under General Augusto Pinochet overthrows President Salvador Allende, beginning a 17-year military dictatorship.

    PoliticsRevolution· Chile
46. October 1973 – March 1974★★★★★

    1973 oil crisis

    Arab oil producers impose an embargo on countries supporting Israel, causing world oil prices to soar.

    Economy· Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, United States
47. October 6, 1973 – October 25, 1973★★★★★

    Yom Kippur War

    Egypt and Syria launch a surprise attack on Israel to regain Sinai and the Golan; the war ends in a ceasefire and paves the way for later negotiations.

    War· Israel, Egypt, Syria
48. 1974★★★★★

    Terracotta Army discovered

    Farmers digging a well near Xi'an uncover thousands of terracotta warriors buried with Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum.

    CultureArt· China
49. January 19, 1974★★★★★

    Battle of the Paracel Islands

    Chinese naval forces clash with the South Vietnamese navy and take control of all of the Paracel Islands.

    War· Vietnam, China
50. April 25, 1974★★★★★

    Carnation Revolution

    A largely bloodless military coup in Lisbon overthrows the Estado Novo dictatorship, leading to democracy in Portugal and the independence of its African colonies.

    Revolution· Portugal