Led by Mao Zedong, the communist party (CCP) took over China. Although Mao controlled the nation, the United States refused to recognize the communist state and instead referred to the exiled government residing in Taiwan as "China".

Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy the Red Scare was a fear of communist and leftist beliefs. It can be described as a communist witch hunt when those who were accused of being a communist or a sympathizer were arrested and persecuted.

North Korea (a communist state) invaded South Korea. United States backed South Korean forces while China back the North Koreans. This conflict ended with no practical shift in the border but was a large propaganda victory for both USA and China.

Sputnik was the first man made object to orbit the Earth. Launched by the Soviets, this satellite astounded and frightened many Americans and marked the beginning of the Space Race (a competition between the United Sates and the USSR over space dominance).

Under the presidency of Eisenhower, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established in order to expand the human knowledge of space and to compete with the scientific achievements of the USSR.

A U-2 spy plane which was taking high altitude photos of Soviet territory was shot down. The plane should have undergone self destruction and the pilot should have killed himself, but neither of these two happened and instead further exacerbated American-Soviet relations.

The Berlin Wall seperated West Germany (occupied by USA forces) and East Germany (occupied by Soviet forces). This wall was a symbol of the tensions between the United States and the USSR

Written by Rachel Carson, Silent Spring was one of the first books that warned of the adverse effects humans were and still are having on the environment. This book focused on insecticides and how using chemicals can alter and ruin the environment.

A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over ballistic missiles found in Cuba. These missiles were in range to kill millions of Americans and because of JFK's diplomacy, war was averted.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or nation of origin. This law was a landmark piece of legislation which led to the Voting Rights act of 1965.