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December 17, 1903 — Flight at Kitty Hawk - The Wright Brothers original airplane’s first flight took place in Kitty Hawk, NC.

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December 17, 1903 — Flight at Kitty Hawk - Orville Wright was at the controls while his brother, Wilbur, assisted from land. This historic first flight lasted 12 seconds.

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April 1906 — San Francisco earthquake - The earthquake caused a firestorm that killed 3,000 people and destroyed about 80% of San Francisco.

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March 25, 1911 — The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire - The fire in this New York City factory is one of the deadliest industrial disasters in US history. The tragedy led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU).

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The advances in photography of the 20th century means that historic events can now be easily recorded and spread. This enables us to reflect on and learn from our past. Here are some of the events that changed America caught on camera. - The consequences of World War I forced more than six million African Americans to leave the rural South for the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West. The Morris family, pictured, are one of the many who took part in this event that helped shape the US as we know it today.

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August 19, 1925 — Ku Klux Klan march - The controversy of whether to allow white supremacists to march openly on the streets is nothing new. The city fiercely debated the issue in 1925 before deciding to allow KKK members to march in Washington, D.C., as long as they didn’t wear their signature masks.

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March 1936 — The Great Depression - Photographer Dorothea Lange captured this photo known as ‘Migrant Mother,’ which has become a symbol of the Great Depression.

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May 6, 1937 — Hindenburg disaster - The disaster that took place in Lakehurst, NJ killed 36, and marked the end of the era of passenger-carrying airships.

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June 1944 — Allies invade Normandy - In an act of heroism, US troops sought to liberate France from Hitler's grasp and end World War II in Europe.

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June 1944 — Allies invade Normandy - Two-thirds of Company E became casualties in the course of the initial historic landing. Pictured, US paratroopers prepare for the invasion of Normandy on D-Day.

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February 1945 — Battle of Iwo Jima - The capture of Iwo Jima was part of a three-point US plan for winning the World War II in Asia.

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August 1945 — The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Both bombings combined claimed the lives of at least 129,000 people, mainly civilians. The bombings remain the only use of nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.

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August 1945 — The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Shortly after the bombings Japan surrendered, ending World War II. The ruins of Nagasaki are pictured here.

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August 1945 — V-J Day - Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945. Celebrations carried out at Times Square produced this famous picture, known as ‘V-J Day in Times Square.’

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1946 — Completion of the Manhattan Project - The discovery that atomic power could be harnessed to meet energy needs marked the completion of the research project.

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April 4, 1949 — NATO is born - After intervening twice in the previous 32 years to restore peace in Europe, the US showed a commitment to preventing war by signing the North Atlantic Treaty.

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August 28, 1955 — Murder of Emmett Till -

The murder of the black teenager in Mississippi a year after the ‘Brown v. Board of Education’ decision sparked an upsurge of activism and resistance that helped give rise to the Civil Rights Moveme

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December 1955 — Rosa Parks mugshot - Park’s arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white passenger marks an important event in the Civil Rights Movement. The US Congress called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement" for her activism. (Photo: CC BY 2.0)

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April 1961 — Bay of Pigs - In the picture, then-Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro talks to the families of American prisoners who were held hostage for food and supplies by the Cuban government after the failed military invasion at the Bay of Pigs.

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August — 1963 Civil Rights rally - The Great March on Washington, in which between 200,000 to 300,000 people participated, is credited with helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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August 28, 1963 — Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech - At the end of the Great March on Washington, King delivered the famous lines: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

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November 22, 1963 — Assassination of President John F. Kennedy - Kennedy held unique status as the nation's first "television president,” which caused Americans to attach a feeling of personal loss to his death.

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November 22, 1963 — Assassination of President John F. Kennedy - Kennedy’s assassination is also important in American history because it happened in the era of the Civil Rights Movement.

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November 22, 1963 — Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president of the United States - Johnson assumes the presidency just 2 hours and 8 minutes after Kennedy’s death, making this a powerful moment in American history.

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November 25, 1963 — John F. Kennedy’s burial - The photo of John Jr. saluting his father’s flag-draped casket is particularly emotional because his father was buried on his third birthday.

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February 25, 1964 — Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston -

The boxing match was one of the most anticipated, watched, and controversial in sports history.

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c. 1955 - 1975 — Vietnam War - As the first televised war, this conflict became the first to be widely criticized by Americans. The massive demonstrations against it, starting primarily in 1964, became a broader movement that helped give rise to the Flower Power generation.

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June 1966 — March Against Fear - This major demonstration in the Civil Rights Movement in the South was launched by activist James Meredith, who finished his protest march from Memphis, TN to Jackson, MS despite being shot.

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1967 — Flower Power - The peace demonstrations during the Vietnam War transformed into a full-blown cultural movement.

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April 9, 1968 — Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral - The assassination of the Civil Rights Movement’s leader in Memphis, TN, reverberated across the globe. Thousands of people, pictured, lined the streets of Atlanta, GA, for his funeral.

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June 1968 — Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination - Kennedy’s assassination appears to have been a retaliation towards his support of Israel.

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October 1968 — Olympic Protest - African-American athletes Lee Evans (gold), Larry James (silver), and Ron Freeman (bronze) wore black berets in sympathy for their suspended compatriots, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, for giving the Black Power salute as the American national anthem was played during the medal ceremony for the 200 meters.

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December 1968 — Earth rising - Earth rises above the moon’s horizon as seen by the crew of the Apollo 8 mission.

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July 20, 1969 — Apollo 11 - The moon landing is often regarded as one of the main accomplishments of the 20th century. Pictured is astronaut Neil Armstrong inside the Lunar Module.

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December 8, 1980 — John Lennon’s assassination - Known for his activism, the music legend’s assassination in New York City sent waves of shock around the world.

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February 22, 1980 — Miracle on ice - The US national team, consisting of amateurs and collegiate players, defeated the Soviet Union national team, which had previously won six gold medals in seven previous Olympic games. This victory became symbolic during the Cold War.

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March 1981 — Assassination attempt on President Reagan - John Hinckley Jr. shot the president and three others in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to impress actress Jodie Foster. Pictured is the crowd that greeted Reagan as he returns to the White House.

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January 28, 1986 — Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - About 17% of Americans were watching the launch live on TV and witnessed the explosion that killed the shuttle's seven crew members.

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November 9, 1989 — Fall of the Berlin Wall - The wall’s fall marks the beginning of the end of the Cold War, which consolidated the US’ position as the most powerful nation in the world.

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1991 — The Gulf War - The war was important in the “New World Order” after the Cold War. The US attempted to consolidate itself as the world’s sole leader.

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March 1995 — O.J. Simpson criminal trial -

The trial of the former professional football player and actor is often dubbed as the "The Trial of the Century."

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April 19, 1995 — Oklahoma City bombing - The domestic terrorist truck bombing killed 168 people. In the picture, Oklahoma bombing suspect Timothy McVeigh arrives at court.

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1998 — Bill Clinton scandal - The former president’s involvement with the White House intern partially led to his impeachment in the House of Representative.

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April 20, 1999 — Columbine High School massacre - The picture shows a student kneeling down in front the coffin carrying teacher David Sanders in Littleton, CO. The massacre sparked debates over gun control laws, high school cliques, and bullying, which are still going on today.

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September 11, 2001 — Terror attacks - 9/11 is the historic event that every American generation (Millennials, Generation X, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation) consider as the country’s most important event, according to the Pew Research Center.

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September 11, 2001 — Terror attacks - The attacks gave rise to heightened tension between the US and the Middle East, which has had a myriad of consequences.

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September 11, 2001 — Terror attacks - The destruction of the World Trade Center and nearby infrastructure damaged the economy of Lower Manhattan, and had immediate effects on global markets.

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September 11, 2001 — Terror attacks - The long-term consequences of 9/11 are still heavily studied by academics, but there is no doubt that the attacks changed the world in unforeseen ways.

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April 9, 2003 — Fall of Saddam Hussein - The fall of the former dictator marks a turning point in the complicated relationship between the US and Iraq.

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August 29, 2005 — Hurricane Katrina - Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast region, particularly New Orleans, resulted in one of the deadliest natural disasters to ever hit the US. The hurricane killed more than 1,800 people.

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January 2009 — Obama assumes presidency - Barack Obama becomes the first African-American—and first minority—to ever assume the US presidency.

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May 1, 2011 — Situation Room during the mission against Osama bin Laden - President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and members of the national security team follow the mission that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden.

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December 2011 — Withdrawal from Iraq - President Obama’s decision to return troops home from Iraq was both praised and heavily criticized.

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December 14, 2012 — Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting - Claiming the lives of 20 children and 6 teachers, the shooting became the deadliest at either a high school or grade school in US history.

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December 14, 2012 — Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting - The shooting prompted renewed debate about gun control in the US.

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April 15, 2013 — Boston Marathon bombing - The terrorist attack resulted in the largest manhunt carried by police in the US, all of whom were looking for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

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June 26, 2015 — Legalization of same-sex marriage - Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark civil rights case, determines that same-sex couples are entitled to the fundamental right to marry.

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February 6, 2018 — SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy -

The launching marks an important milestone in spaceflight, as it is the first time a powerful rocket is sent into space by a private company rather than a government space agency.

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2020 - Coronavirus outbreak -

The first case of suspected local transmission in the US was on February 26, with a patient in California. In March, President Trump declared a national emergency and the borders were closed for the first time. 

See also: History's greatest tank battles

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