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On this day – September 26th, 1960
On September 26th, 1960, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy faced off in the first televised presidential debate in United States’ history. The debate attracted about 60-70 million total viewers. It was also followed by a series of further debates, which are now known as “the Great Debates.”
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On this day – September 9th, 1776
On September 9th, 1776 the Second Continental Congress declared the nation’s name to be the “United States of America.” This replaced the previous term the “United Colonies.”
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On this day – April 4th, 1949
On April 4th, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO was formed primarily as a military alliance against the Soviet Union. Belgium, Denmark, Canada, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Great Britain all decided to sign the treaty to form NATO after United States President Harry Truman expressed a need for an alliance in the struggle between democracy and communism. NATO has now grown from 12 to 32 member allies and still remains a crucial part of international safety today.
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On this day – March 23rd, 1933
On March 23rd, 1933, the Enabling Act was passed by the German parliament. This act enabled Adolf Hitler to pass laws without the involvement of Reichstag, the German Parliament. This law allowed Hitler to assume complete dictatorial control over Germany and allowed the National Socialist party to start taking steps to their revolution.
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China Invades Vietnam
On February 17th, 1979, China invaded Vietnam in response to Vietnam’s growing ties with China’s rival, the Soviet Union, as well as the invasion of Cambodia. Although the conflict only lasted for nine days, it is estimated that there were tens of thousands of casualties, and tensions between the countries remained high.
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On this day – February 3rd, 1989
On February 3rd, 1989, after more than 30 years as dictator of Paraguay, Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in a coup d’etat led by General Andres Rodriguez. He was driven into exile in Brazil where he lived until the end of his days.
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On this day – January 23rd, 1997
On January 23rd, 1997, Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the first female Secretary of State. Madeleine Albright gained governmental power after Bill Clinton’s election as president when she was appointed as US ambassador to the United Nations. She had many great impacts as Secretary of State, some of which include expanding the reach of NATO to former Soviet bloc nations as well as expanding free-market democratization.
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On this day – January 2, 1980
On January 2nd, 1980, President Jimmy Carter asked the Senate to halt any action on the SALT II Program (nuclear weapons treaty agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union). This came in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December of 1979. By postponing SALT II, Jimmy Carter and the United States made it clear that the friendly, detente relationship between America and the Soviet Union had come to an end. This also led to a halt of exports, such as grains and technology, to the USSR, as well as a boycott by American athletes of the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow.
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On this day – August 13, 1961
On this day in history August 13, 1961 – Germany was divided when soldiers started to build a wall between the democratic western portion of Berlin and the Soviet-controlled eastern portion. It was not until November 9, 1989 that the wall fell to reunite Germany.
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On this day – August 8, 1945
On this day in history August 8, 1945 – The Soviet Union declared war on Japan. This led to the Soviets gaining significant influence in the Northern portion of Korea. The United States was forced to propose the division of Korea in an effort to limit complete Soviet control of the peninsula.
