Timeline

20th century

1. April 12, 1955★★★★★

   Salk polio vaccine declared safe and effective

   Results of a mass field trial show Jonas Salk's polio vaccine to be safe and effective, opening the way to mass vaccination.

   ScienceDisease· United States
2. April 18, 1955 – April 24, 1955★★★★★

   Bandung Conference

   Delegates from 29 Asian and African nations meet in Bandung to promote Afro-Asian cooperation and oppose colonialism, a forerunner of the Non-Aligned Movement.

   Politics· Indonesia
3. October 26, 1955★★★★★

   Proclamation of the Republic of Vietnam

   After the 23 October referendum deposing Bảo Đại, Ngô Đình Diệm proclaims the Republic of Vietnam with himself as president.

   Politics· Vietnam
4. November 1, 1955 – April 30, 1975★★★★★

   Vietnam War

   A conflict between North Vietnam and the Viet Cong on one side and South Vietnam, backed by the United States and its allies, on the other; it ends with the fall of Saigon in 1975.

   War· Vietnam, United States, Laos, Cambodia
5. December 1, 1955 – December 1956★★★★★

   Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott

   Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, sparking a year-long bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

   Politics· United States
6. October 23, 1956 – November 10, 1956★★★★★

   Hungarian Revolution of 1956

   A nationwide uprising against Hungary's Soviet-backed government is crushed by Soviet forces.

   Revolution· Hungary, Russia
7. October 29, 1956 – November 7, 1956★★★★★

   Suez Crisis

   After Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal, Israel, Britain and France attack Egypt but withdraw under US and Soviet pressure.

   WarPolitics· Egypt, Israel, United Kingdom, France
8. March 6, 1957★★★★★

   Ghana gains independence

   The British Gold Coast became independent Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah, the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence after World War II.

   Politics· Ghana, United Kingdom
9. March 25, 1957★★★★★

   Treaty of Rome establishes the European Economic Community

   Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands sign the treaty creating the European Economic Community, forerunner of the European Union.

   TreatyEconomy· Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands
10. August 31, 1957★★★★★

    Independence of the Federation of Malaya

    Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaims the Federation of Malaya's independence from Britain at Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

    Politics· Malaysia, United Kingdom
11. October 4, 1957★★★★★

    Launch of Sputnik 1

    The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, Earth's first artificial satellite, opening the Space Age.

    TechnologyExploration· Russia, Kazakhstan
12. 1958 – 1962★★★★★

    Great Leap Forward

    A campaign of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation leads to a great famine that kills tens of millions.

    EconomyPoliticsDisaster· China
13. 1959★★★★★

    Ho Chi Minh trail established

    North Vietnam forms Group 559 to build a supply network through Laos and Cambodia to the South along the Trường Sơn range.

    War· Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
14. January 1, 1959★★★★★

    Triumph of the Cuban Revolution

    Dictator Fulgencio Batista flees Cuba and revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro take power.

    Revolution· Cuba
15. 1960★★★★★

    "Year of Africa": 17 nations gain independence

    In 1960, seventeen African countries gained independence, most of them former French colonies along with Nigeria, Somalia and the Congo.

    Politics· Nigeria, DR Congo, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Madagascar, Somalia, Niger, Chad
16. March 21, 1960★★★★★

    Sharpeville massacre

    South African police opened fire on a crowd protesting pass laws at Sharpeville, killing 69 people; the ANC and PAC were subsequently banned.

    Politics· South Africa
17. April 21, 1960★★★★★

    Brasília inaugurated as Brazil's capital

    Brasília, a newly planned city in the interior, officially replaces Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's capital.

    PoliticsArt· Brazil
18. June 30, 1960 – 1965★★★★★

    Congo Crisis

    Immediately after independence from Belgium, the Congo descended into secession, foreign intervention and civil war, ending when Mobutu Sese Seko seized power in 1965.

    WarPolitics· DR Congo, Belgium
19. September 14, 1960★★★★★

    OPEC founded

    Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela found the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries at the Baghdad Conference.

    Economy· Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela
20. December 20, 1960★★★★★

    National Liberation Front founded

    The National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Viet Cong) is founded to oppose the South Vietnamese government.

    PoliticsWar· Vietnam
21. January 17, 1961★★★★★

    Execution of Patrice Lumumba

    Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of independent Congo, was deposed, captured and executed in Katanga, with the involvement of Katangan secessionist authorities and Belgian officials.

    DeathPolitics· DR Congo, Belgium
22. April 12, 1961★★★★★

    Gagarin becomes the first human in space

    Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard Vostok 1, becoming the first human in space.

    ExplorationTechnology· Russia, Kazakhstan
23. April 17, 1961 – April 20, 1961★★★★★

    Bay of Pigs Invasion

    CIA-backed Cuban exiles land at the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro but are defeated within days.

    War· Cuba, United States
24. August 13, 1961★★★★★

    Construction of the Berlin Wall

    East German authorities begin erecting barriers, later a wall, sealing off West Berlin from East Berlin, a defining symbol of the Cold War.

    Politics· Germany
25. 1962 – 1971★★★★★

    Operation Ranch Hand

    The US Air Force sprays herbicides, including dioxin-contaminated Agent Orange, over large areas of South Vietnam, with lasting health and environmental effects.

    WarDisaster· Vietnam, United States
26. October 11, 1962★★★★★

    Second Vatican Council opens

    Pope John XXIII opens the Second Vatican Council, which brings sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church.

    Religion· Vatican City
27. October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962★★★★★

    Cuban Missile Crisis

    A 13-day standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba brings the world closest to nuclear war.

    Politics· Cuba, United States, Russia
28. October 20, 1962 – November 21, 1962★★★★★

    Sino-Indian War

    China and India fight a Himalayan border war over Aksai Chin and present-day Arunachal Pradesh, ending in a unilateral Chinese ceasefire.

    War· India, China
29. 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
30. 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
31. 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
32. 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
33. 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
34. September 16, 1963★★★★★

    Formation of Malaysia

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

    Politics· Malaysia, Singapore
35. 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
36. 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
37. 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
38. 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
39. 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
40. 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
41. 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
42. 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
43. 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
44. March 2, 1965 – November 2, 1968★★★★★

    Operation Rolling Thunder

    A sustained US aerial bombing campaign against North Vietnam.

    War· Vietnam, United States
45. 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
46. 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
47. August 9, 1965★★★★★

    Singapore becomes independent

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

    Politics· Singapore, Malaysia
48. 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
49. 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
50. 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