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
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Events this year
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
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
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
Ongoing
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
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
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