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"We Didn't Starting time the Burn" (Facts) History Summary from 1949-1989

by Ron Kurtus (revised 14 May 2019)

The lyrics to the song Nosotros Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel list historical personalities and events from 1949 until 1989.

1949	1955	1961
1950	1956	1962
1951	1957	1963
1952	1958	1964-1989
1953	1959
1954	1960

This lesson lists those people and events and gives a brusk caption of their role in history.

1949

Harry Truman

Harry S Truman became U.S. President when President Roosevelt died in 1945. He was responsible for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan and catastrophe World War II. Truman initiated the Marshall Programme to rebuild Europe subsequently the war.

Annotation: Truman'south center proper noun is the letter "Due south", such that shoud exist no period after the letter.

He started his 2d term in 1949, defeating Thomas Dewey. A famous picture show shows him grin and holding up the Chicago Tribune newspaper with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman".

During his second term, he brought the United States into the Korean State of war.

Doris Mean solar day

Doris Mean solar day was built-in on 3 Apr 1922 and passed away on 13 May 2019 at age 97. She started singing and touring with the Les Brown Ring at age 16 and fabricated her outset movie in 1948. She soon became a popular movie star and vocalist, best known for her movies with actor Rock Hudson.

Red Mainland china

Communists took control of China after a struggle that started earlier World War Two and renamed the country the People's Republic of Communist china. It was called Red China by the U.s.a. to point they were Communists.

Red Prc entered the Korean War in the 1950s, when it looked similar the U.N. forces would defeat Communist Democratic people's republic of korea.

Johnnie Ray

Partially deaf vocalizer, whose song Cry was a number-i hit, Johnny Ray really cried in performing the song. He was a top star in 1949 and 1950 with his other hit songs The Niggling White Deject that Cried and Walking in the Rain.

Southward Pacific

Due south Pacific was a highly popular Broadway musical composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein. It was afterwards made into a hit picture show in 1958.

Walter Winchell

Walter Winchell was a top gossip reporter, whose newspaper column and radio show could make or intermission a celebrity.

Joe DiMaggio

Joe DiMaggio was a popular baseball histrion for the New York Yankees. In 1941, he set a Major League record of hitting safely in 56 direct games. He was affectionately known as "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper" until he retired in 1952. DiMaggio married extra Marilyn Monroe in 1954, only the marriage lasted simply 9 months.

In the 1980s, he became known as "Mr. Coffee" because of his Telly ads for that brand of coffee maker. He was as well mentioned in the song Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel.

1950

Joe McCarthy

Joe McCarthy was a Senator from Wisconsin. He was best known for his work chairing the Senate Commission on Government Operations, which focused on suspected communists in the authorities. He even investigated the Voice of America,

He was known for his brutal interrogations of suspects, resulting in ruining the lives of both guilty and innocent people. It was later noted that McCarthy would be careful not to interrogate suspects who might resist his efforts. Usually, he picked on people with weak personalities.

While investigating possible communists in the U.Southward. Army, the Army's attorney full general Joseph Welch responded to McCarthy's interrogation of a young soldier. He told McCarthy, "Allow united states of america not assassinate this lad further, senator. Y'all've washed enough. Have y'all no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" Since the hearings were broadcast on national television, millions realized that these interrogations were not right. The hearings before long ending and McCarthy was left in aversion.

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon was a member of the Business firm of Representatives from California when he became involved in the trial of Alger Hiss, who was accused of existence a Communist and a spy. Nixon presented evidence that help prove Hiss guilty in 1950. This advanced Nixon's political career, and he soon ran for the Senate and won. Nixon later became Vice-President nether President Dwight Eisenhower. Years later, he became President of the U.s.a..

Studebaker

Studebaker was a popular car in 1950. The styling consisted of a torpedo front and read window. People joked that the motorcar looked like information technology was going backwards. The company went out of business in 1966.

Telly

Goggle box became popular in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Most big cities had only one station. Sets in those days had ten inch screens and were in black and white. Colour was introduced in 1951, merely it was years afterward until color television set became universally pop.

North Korea / South korea

Korea was dissever into north and due south after Earth War 2. North Korea became established every bit a Communist dictatorship by Soviet Union and Reddish Mainland china, after Japan was defeated.

In 1950, North korea attacked South Korea , starting the Korean War. The United nations entered the war to defend Republic of korea. The Soviet Spousal relationship made the mistake of walking out on the U.N. vote, allowing the measure to pass. Since declaring state of war was non acceptable without the blessing of Congress, President Harry Southward. Truman declared the fighting a "police force activeness" to permit the entry of American troops. The state of war resulted in a stalemate, and Korea is still divided to this day.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe was a pop "sexual activity symbol" moving-picture show star. She was married to baseball hero Joe Dimaggio and later author Arthur Miller. She as well was rumored to have relationships with President John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, likewise equally mafia dominate Joe Gianconna. She died under suspicious circumstances.

1951

Rosenbergs

The Rosenbergs were a husband and married woman who were arrested and executed for selling secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.

H-flop

The hydrogen bomb ( H-bomb ) was developed under the guidance of Dr. Edward Teller. It was many times more powerful than an diminutive bomb and in fact required an atomic flop to detonate. The United States exploded the first H-bomb and a few years later on the Soviet Matrimony and then exploded their version of the flop.

Sugar Ray

Carbohydrate Ray Robinson was the middle-weight boxing champion of the world. At the time considered pound-for-pound the all-time boxer ever. He was also highly personable and popular.

Panmunjom

Panmunjom , Korea is where negotiations between the United Nations—led by the United States—and the Communist North Koreans to cease the Korean War took place. The separation between North Korea and South Korea was originally the 38th Parallel, merely the new truce decided on a purlieus betwixt the countries that was more than defensible. The countries likewise exchanged prisoners-of-war as a result of the Panmunjom negotiations.

Brando

Marlon Brando became a top picture show thespian when he received an Academy Award nomination for the function of Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 flick adaptation of Tennessee Williams' playA Streetcar Named Desire.

He was famous for his brooding and mumbling interim style. He received an Academy Award for his role in On the Waterfront that brought him to be a tiptop box-office draw. Many years afterwards, he starred in the Godfather movie.

The King and I

The Male monarch and I was a popular Broadway play and after turned into a movie starring Yul Brunner and Deborah Kerr.

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger was an farthermost popular book amidst teens, as it epitomized their attitudes and feelings.

1952

Eisenhower

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhowe r ("Ike") had been Supreme Commander in the Globe War II fight against the Nazis. He later on became a pop president of the United States. "I like Ike" was the motto of his followers.

Vaccine

The vaccine to the dreaded illness polio was discovered by Jonas Salk and distributed to the globe.

England'southward got a new Queen

On February half dozen, 1952, Queen Elizabeth 2 ascended to the throne upon the death of her father, King George 6. Her coronation didn't have place until June 2, 1953. This was a bang-up event, not only in Britain but in all the countries of the British Democracy. It was also big news in the United states and many other countries as well. Filmed documentaries of the event circulated in Commonwealth countries for a long time after the result and every schoolhouse child was taken to organized cinema screenings in school time.

(Thanks to Jim Cablevision of New Zealand for his input)

Marciano

Rocky Marciano was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He retired undefeated.

Liberace

Liberace was a popular pianist and entertainer, who had his own TV show in the 1950s. He was known for wearing sequined tuxedos and having a candelabrum on his piano. He is credited with advising vocaliser Elvis Presley to also wear "fancy dress" during his performances. Women adored Liberace, because of his sweet smiling and wavy pilus.

Santayana good-goodbye

Famed philosopher George Santayana died in 1952. He was popularly known for aphorisms, such as "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

(Thank you to Glenn Todd for providing that adage)

1953

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was the dictator of the Soviet Marriage. He was a harsh leader who had millions of his people executed or sent to labor camps in Siberia. On his way to political ability, he inverse his name to Stalin, which means "steel" in Russian.

Malenkov

Georgy Malenkov was a Soviet politico and Communist Party leader, and a close collaborator of Joseph Stalin. He briefly became leader of the USSR (March 1953-February 1955) after Stalin's expiry.

Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second President of Egypt after Muhammad Naguib. He was considered 1 of the more influential Arab leaders in history.

Prokofiev

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was the most prolific Russian composer, pianist and conductor of the twentieth century. His works include such widely heard works ballets from Romeo and Juliet andPeter and the Wolf. He died in 1953.

Rockefeller

Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller were grandsons of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller.

In 1953, Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Nelson as chair of the President'southward Informational Commission on Government Arrangement. He served as Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. He was the 41st Vice President of the Us from December xix, 1974 to Jan 20, 1977.

Also in 1953, Winthrop Rockefeller—who was known as a playboy and hard drinker—moved from Florida and New York to Arkansas. It was jokingly said he moved at that place because he loved playing the banjo. Winthrop became Governor of Arkansas in 1966 and was said to be a great influence on future Arkansas Governor and U.Southward. President Bill Clinton.

Winthrop was probably the Rockefeller that Baton Joel was referring to, since his playboy antics were more in the news than things that Nelson was doing.

Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller were the only brothers in U.S. history to serve equally governors at the same fourth dimension until the late 1990s when George W. Bush and Jeb Bush became governors or their states.

Campanella

Roy Campanella was the all-star catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game team. His career was cutting brusque by a paralyzing motorcar accident.

Communist bloc

USSR and their satellite countries formed what was chosen the Communist bloc .

1954

Roy Cohn

Roy Cohn was the counselor to Senator Joseph McCarthy during the McCarthy Hearings on Communists in the motion-picture show industry and government.

Juan Perón

Juan Perón was a popular leader in Argentina, elected first in 1946 and then again in 1952. Perón pursued social policies aimed at empowering the working class. His wife Evita was known for helping the poor. He was strongly anti-American and anti-British, confiscating much of the British and American-owned avails in Argentine republic. In 1955, he was overthrown by a armed services coup. It wasn't until 1973 that he returned to power. He died soon afterward in 1974.

Toscanini

Arturo Toscanini was a world-famous conductor, considered to have been one of the greatest classical conductors of all time. On Apr 4, 1954, while conducting a radio broadcast of the NBC Symphony at Carnegie Hall in New York, Toscanini suffered a retentivity lapse during the functioning. That was the terminal fourth dimension he conducted live in public. He died at the age of 89 in 1957.

Dacron

A new wonder-material Dacron hit the market.

Dien Bien Phu falls

The French lose control over Indo-China—at present known as Vietnam—with the autumn of the urban center Dien Bien Phu

Rock Around the Clock

Bill Haley and the Comets came out with what was considered the first stone-and-roll striking vocal, Rock Around the Clock. It was the theme music for the popular movie Blackboard Jungle.

1955

Einstein

Albert Einstein adult the Theory of Relativity in 1903 and was considered one the globe's smartest scientists. He became a popular figure in the later years of his life. He died in 1955.

James Dean

James Dean was a picture star who became a symbol of young people for his role in the moving-picture show Rebel Without a Cause.

After completing his next movie Giant, Dean decided to bulldoze his new 1955 Porsche Spyder to Salinas, California to enter in a sports car race in that location. His mechanic rode with him. On the manner there, Dean'south car was struck by some other vehicle which crossed the centerline. James Dean was the simply one killed in the accident. The driver of the other car had minor injuries, while the mechanic was thrown from the car and suffered some cleaved bones.

Brooklyn'due south got a winning team

The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team finally won the World Series over the New York Yankees. They after moved to Los Angeles.

Davy Crockett

Actor Fess Parker starred in the highly popular Telly serial Davy Crockett. The novelty song The Ballad of Davy Crockett became the number-one song in 1955. Coonskin caps—like Davy Crockett wore—likewise became popular among young boys.

In the late 1950s, the U.S. military created what they called the M-29 Davy Crockett weapons arrangement. This was a tactical nuclear recoilless gun, intended to burn down at enemy troops in the example of state of war with the Soviet Matrimony. They probably gave it that name as a consequence of the tv set serial.

Peter Pan

Peter Pan was a top Broadway play starring Mary Martin, who flew through the air as Peter Pan.

Elvis Presley

Singer Elvis Presley became a national miracle with such number-one striking songs as Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Exist Barbarous and Hound Dog. He was called "Elvis the Pelvis" because of the mode he shook his hips while dancing. Many religious leaders and schoolhouse officials banned his songs, which only made them more than popular. He later went on to be nicknamed "The Rex" as the nearly pop vocalizer ever.

Disneyland

Disneyland opened in 1955 in Anaheim, California. It was a theme park, adult past Walt Disney and based around his drawing characters. It was designated as a place for family entertainment.

An interesting and trivial-known fact is that although Disney forbade the serving of alcoholic beverages in Disneyland, he had a private suite in the park where bartenders would serve drinks to his personal guests.

1956

Bardot

Brigitte Bardot was a pop French "sexual activity-kitten" flick star.

Budapest

Anti-communist riots took part in Budapest, Hungary. Soviet troops put down the revolt and arrested many Hungarians, especially students.

Alabama

In Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, African-American Rosa Parks refused to surrender her seat in the "colored section" to a white rider, later on the "white section" was filled, equally was the law at that time. She was then arrested for her act of defiance. That abort resulted in demonstrations and a boycott of Montgomery buses by African-Americans that lasted until December 1956.

Since the cold-shoulder was costing downtown stores and white businesses considerable money, negotiations were fabricated to stop the action. But it took a Supreme Court ruling in November 1956 that segregation on transportation is unconstitutional to finally integrate the buses.

This event was also a starting point for the Civil Rights movement of Martin Luther Rex and others.

Khrushchev

Nikita Khrushchev emerged as a leader in the Soviet Union afterward the death of dictator Josef Stalin. In 1956, he advocated reform and indirectly criticized Stalin and his methods. He became the Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1974.

Princess Grace

Extra Grace Kelly left Hollywood to ally Prince Ranier of Monaco. She then attained the title of Princess Grace.

Peyton Place

The book Peyton Place became the number-i best-seller. Teens often marked the "skilful parts" in the book, as they passed it amid each other.

The book is quite tame according to today's standards.

Trouble in the Suez

After Great britain and the Us withdrew their financial support for the Egyptian Aswan dam projection, General Nasser nationalized the important Suez Canal. Arab republic of egypt was then invaded by British, French and Israeli forces. Under force per unit area from the United states the invaders left Arab republic of egypt and a UN emergency strength was sent to Egypt.

1957

Little Stone

Nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Petty Rock, Arkansas. Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High School to keep the nine students from entering the schoolhouse, because he believed black and whites should be segregated, despite Federal laws on integration. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Partition into Little Rock to insure the safety of the students. The crisis gained globe-wide attention.

Pasternak

Boris Pasternak was a Russian poet and writer. He is best known in the Due west for his monumental novel on Soviet Russian federation, Doc Zhivago. The book was also made into an award-winning movie.

Although he was celebrated in Russia as a great poet, his book was banned in the Soviet Marriage for many years.

Mickey Pall

Mickey Mantle was a bang-up baseball histrion for the New York Yankee squad. He batted both left- and right-handed, hitting at a leading batting average, as well every bit led the league in home runs.

In 1957, he was voted the nigh valuable actor (MVP) for the second consecutive year.

Kerouac

Jack Kerouac was the author of the all-time-selling book On the Road, which epitomized the Beat Generation of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Upon achieving fame, Kerouac became a serious alcoholic and died at an early age.

Sputnik

Sputnik was the proper noun of the first orbiting satellite sent into infinite by the USSR. Turmoil over its launch in the United States initiated the race for supremacy in space.

Chou En-Lai

Chou En-Lai (Zhou Enlai) was the Premier and Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of Red china (also called China past Western journalists). He was a popular and applied administrator during the "Not bad Leap Frontward" of 1958 and subsequently pushed for modernization to undo impairment caused past the "Cultural Revolution" of 1966 to 1976. Zhou was largely responsible for the re-establishment of contacts with the Due west during the Nixon presidency.

Bridge on the River Kwai

The Bridge on the River Kwai was a 1957 University Award winning moving picture nigh a World War 2 Japanese prisoner-of-war army camp.

1958

Lebanese republic

U.S. President Eisenhower ordered U.South. Marines into Lebanon at the request of Lebanese President Chamoun to help finish riots that were occurring in the country.

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle returned to power equally the leader of French republic.

California baseball game

The Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game squad moved to Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Giants moved to San Francisco.

Starkweather homicide

Charles Starkweather was a serial killer who made the news 1958 because of his gruesome murders. Starkweather and his girlfriend, Caril Fugate, went on a killing spree of 11 to xv people over a bridge of a month and a half. They were captured and he was executed in 1959.

Children of Thalidomide

Thalidomide was a medication intended for pregnant women to gainsay morning time sickness and equally an aid to aid them sleep. Unfortunately, inadequate tests were performed to appraise the drug's safety. Between 1957 and 1962, children of women who took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy were built-in with astringent deformities, including just stubs for arms. Considering of this tragedy, the drug was taken off the market in 1962. Of the 10,000 children built-in with birth defects, only 5000 lived beyond childhood.

After years of inquiry on the uses of thalidomide, information technology was immune to be used to preclude nausea in chemotherapy patients, as well as treating painful pare atmospheric condition. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted blessing for thalidomide in special cases.

1959

Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly was a popular singer and leader of the Crickets stone group. He was killed in a plane crash, along with singers The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens.

In 1971, the striking song American Pie referred to his decease in the line "...the 24-hour interval the music died."

Ben Hur

Ben Hur was a spectacular movie starring Charlton Heston. It was set up around the time of Christ.

Infinite Monkey

Starting in 1948. a number of monkeys had been sent into space in various rockets, merely unfortunately all died during their flights. Information technology wasn't until 1959 that Able, a rhesus monkey, and Miss Bakery, a squirrel monkey, became the kickoff monkeys to successfully travel in space and successfully return to Earth.

The about famous " space monkey " was Ham, who was sent up in an American infinite satellite for a suborbital flying, as a prelude to sending a man in space. Ham was non really a monkey, but a chimpanzee. The bodily year he went into space was 1961.

Annotation: He was a mean piffling guy who would often attempt to bite the workers who put him in the space capsule.

Mafia

Mafia leaders met in upstate New York to get better organized.

Hula Hoops

Hula Hoops became a national fad. Everywhere, you would see children and fifty-fifty adults trying to spin the large plastic hoop around their waist. TV celebrities would likewise display their skills with the hoop. The fad peaked and died out speedily.

Castro

Fidel Castro had been a wealthy lawyer, advocating social justice and protesting the influence of the United States in Cuba. He became involved in political activism and led the revolution to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959. He was then sworn in every bit the Prime number Minister of Cuba. Moving toward Communism, he alienated the United states of america.

Castro was besides known for his long-winded speeches.

(Run into Fidel Castro's 1960 Address to the U.North. General Assembly).

Edsel is a no-go

Ford Motor Company came out with a new car, the Edsel. The car was named after Edsel Ford, who was Henry Ford's son. The auto was to fit in between the Ford and Mercury, but information technology was the wrong machine at the wrong time and lasted only a few years until it was discontinued.

1960

U-ii

The United states had been sending the undercover U-2 loftier-flight spy plane over the Soviet Union to take pictures and gather information, when one was shot downwards by a Russian missile. The pilot Francis Gary Powers was taken prisoner and afterward released in an substitution for a Soviet spy who had been arrested in the U.S.

An interesting notation is that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was stationed at the military base where Powers' U-2 took off for the flying. No connection was always made, but information technology did seem suspicious,

Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee was the first President of South korea, serving from 1948 to 1960. His method of rule became unpopular, and he was forced to resign past a pupil-led democratic motility.

Payola

Many disk jockeys were exposed for taking bribes to pay sure songs on the radio, thus biasing the record sales. Meridian national disk jockey Allen Freed was convicted of payola. American Bandstand TV dance bear witness host Dick Clark was accused of payola just establish innocent.

Kennedy

John F. Kennedy was elected President of the Us in 1960. He was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963.

Stubby Checker

Vocalizer Chubby Checker came out with the song The Twist, which started a national dance sensation. Soon, not only teens merely besides adults where doing the twist. The trip the light fantastic toe was responsible for popularizing "fast dancing" or rock-and-roll among adults. Chubby Checker's name was a spin-off of the name of the popular rock singer Fats Domino.

Psycho

Psycho was a thriller movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock. A young woman, Marion Crane—played by Janet Leigh—steals some coin from work and leaves town, getting a room at the Bates Cabin. A shy man, Norman Bates—played past Anthony Perkins—runs the motel with his domineering mother.

The most memorable scene is when the character Marion is stabbed to death while taking a shower, evidently past the mother. Only in the cease, it was Norman who was "psycho" and took on the graphic symbol of the mother to kill women who stopped at the motel.

Belgians in the Congo

The land of Belgian Congo gained independence from Belgium in 1960 to become simply the Congo. For the next several at that place was civil strife, resulting in 100,000 deaths, every bit Congolese political parties fought for power.

1961

Hemingway

Famous author Ernest Hemingway committed suicide.

Eichmann

Former Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann was arrested in Argentina and brought to Israel, where he was convicted of war crimes and executed.

Stranger in a Strange State

Stranger in a Foreign Land was an award-winning fictional book by Robert A. Heinlein about Valentine Michael Smith, who was born during the first manned mission to Mars and was the only survivor. He is raised by Martians, and when he arrived on Earth he had no knowledge of annihilation about the planet or its cultures. In fact, he had never even seen a woman. But he was the legal heir to an enormous financial empire. He then explored human morality and the meanings of dearest and founded his own church, preaching free honey. Many young rebels of the 1960s selected Stranger as their counterculture bible.

Dylan

Vocalizer Bob Dylan led the folk music craze.

Berlin

The Soviets erected the Berlin Wall, dividing the urban center into the Russian-controlled part and the area controlled past the U.Southward., British and French.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

In 1960, the Eisenhower Administration created a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba. In April of 1961, newly-elected President John F. Kennedy immune the attack on Cuba. Armed Cuban exiles sailed from Florida and landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Considering of poor planning by Kennedy, as well every bit spies and U.S. government leaks, Castro was set up for the set on. The exiles were all either captured or killed. President Kennedy was greatly criticized for the failure of the mission.

1962

Lawrence of Arabia

The 1962 picture show Lawrence of Arabia starring Peter O'Toole won the Academy Awards. The picture was based on the life of T. E. Lawrence, a British armed forces officer who performed intelligence and led troops in engagements during the Arab Defection of 1916 against the Ottoman empire. He was known for wearing the Arab clothing of the troops he led.

British Beatle-mania

British rock grouping the Beatles took over the music scene, with numerous hit records on the Pinnacle-40 charts. Their long hair styles—or "Beatle haircuts"—initiated the style amongst your people the world wiide.

The grouping was comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

Ole Miss

University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) admitted its first blackness or African-American pupil, James Meredith, with U.S. Marshals enforcing the rules to integrate the school.

John Glenn

John Glenn became the starting time American to orbit the Globe in 1962. He had previously been a U.S. Marine test pilot, but in 1959 he was assigned to NASA as i of the original grouping of Mercury astronauts. After he piloted the starting time American manned orbital mission aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft, he was considered and American hero and given a tickertape parade. He later get a U.S. Senator.

Liston beats Patterson

Boxer Sonny Liston easily defeated Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson to gain the title. Liston was a large, hateful-looking boxer that struck fear in the hearts of his opponents. He was finally defeated by Cassius Dirt, who later on the fight changed his name to Muhammad Ali

1963

Pope Paul

Pope Paul VI was pope—or leader—of the Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. He followed Pope John and completed the implementation of the goals of the Second Vatican Council. He became the first pope to visit six continents, but he also known to be an indecisive leader. His views were important to the world's Catholics.

Malcolm Ten

Malcolm X came into the news when he preached separation of the races every bit office of the Black Muslim teachings. His real proper name was Malcolm Trivial, and he was the son of a lay Baptist government minister. His family unit had been harassed by white-supremacists a number of times. Apparently, three of Malcolm'south uncles and his father were killed past white men. After his mother was institutionalized every bit insane, Malcolm grew upwards in foster homes. He was discouraged in schoolhouse from wanting to exist a lawyer, because his white teacher said it wasn't a realistic goal for blackness people.

He quit school and drifted through menial jobs, until he was arrested for break-in and sent to prison for 10 years. In that location, Footling became a voracious reader and presently converted to the Islam organized religion. Later on leaving prison, he worked for the Nation of Islam—too called the Black Muslims in the popular printing.

He dropped his "slave proper noun" and changed his proper name to Malcolm X. A compelling public speaker, Malcolm X gained publicity for the Nation of Islam and their concepts that whites were "devils" and that separatism was the all-time for his people. In 1963, he commented that he was not sad that President Kennedy was assassinated. This brought outrage from most of the white public. Merely he also started to separate from the Nation of Islam and its radical views.

He moved toward orthodox Islam and started to champion economical and social equality for blacks. This brought about respectability amid all races, merely then members of the Nation of Islam made death threats to Malcolm 10 for separating from their motility. So in February 1965, he was assassinated. Three members for the Nation of Islam were arrested and convicted of the murder.

British politician sex activity

A sex scandal rocked British Parliament. Secretarial assistant of State for State of war John Profumo was highly respected and married, but after it was discovered that he had a several week matter with a showgirl named Christine Keeler, he was forced to resign. Not just did he prevarication to the Firm of Commons about the matter, simply is was also found out that Keeler had besides had a relationship with a senior naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London.

JFK blown away

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Kennedy was riding in an open up-top automobile in a presidential motorcade when Lee Harvey Oswald shot him through the caput with a sniper rifle from a sixth flooring window of a nearby building. Oswald was arrested eighty minutes later after killing a Dallas law officer. He was captured hiding in a picture palace. He claimed he was innocent of killing Kennedy and was being fix as a patsy. Later, information technology was establish that he confessed his guilt to his brother, who visited him in jail. Oswald was killed two days later every bit he was being transported to the Dallas Land Jail. Nightclub owner Jack Ruby shot Oswald in front of police officers and a national television news audience.

1964 to 1989

Notation: Billy Joel didn't put the post-obit events quite in social club by year. And so we couldn't separate them out hands.

Birth control

Birth Control became an issue with the advent of the birth control pill. Later, abortion was legalized.

Ho Chi-Minh

Ho Chi-Minh was the leader of the Communist North Vietnamese, who first fought the French and then the Americans.

Richard Nixon dorsum once again

After losing the election for President to John F. Kennedy in 1960 and and then losing his bid to be Governor of California in 1962, one-time Vice President Richard Nixon fought back to regain prominence in national politics. One interesting thing he did was to be a guest on the popular television comedy prove Express joy-In. Nixon repeated the show's running gag-line, "Sock it to me" a number of times. It gave the impression that he was not such a bleak person afterwards all. Nixon was elected President in 1968.

Moon shot

The United states landed the first homo on the moon.

Woodstock

A farmer in the Woodstock surface area of New York country donated his state for a rock concert. Surprisingly, 600,000 rock fans showed upward, making information technology the biggest rock concert always held.

Watergate

Supporters and staff of U.South. President Richard Nixon were accused of breaking into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate hotel. Nixon tried to cover upwardly the fact and soon he forced to resign from office because of that cover up. Several of his staff members were sent to prison equally a event of the thing.

Punk Rock

Punk stone hits the music scene with such groups every bit the Sexual practice Pistols, who would spit at the audience.

Brainstorm

Begin was Prime Government minister of Israel.

Reagan

Onetime moving-picture show actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United states of america.

Palestine

Palestinians protested unfair treatment by the Israelis.

Terror on the airlines

Numerous airline hijackings were in the news.

Ayatollah's in Iran

The Shah of Islamic republic of iran—who was supported by the United States—was overthrown and Ayatollah Khomeini took over the country. Hostages were taken at the U.s. diplomatic mission in Tehran and finally released 444 days later.

Russians in Transitional islamic state of afghanistan

The Soviet Union entered Afghanistan to "protect" Communist interests in the state. Rebels were supported by the Us, and finally afterwards a long, costly war, the Soviets were forced to withdraw from the country. Ironically, the Afghan rebels subsequently used the arms supplied by the U.S. to fight the Americans.

Cycle of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune TV show became a favorite.

Sally Ride

Sally Ride became the outset American woman in infinite as a member of the Infinite Shuttle crew in 1983. Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Marriage was the very commencement adult female in infinite in 1963, orbiting the Earth 48 times.

Heavy metal, suicide

I viewpoint is that Billy Joel had ii topics here: Heavy Metal, where heavy metal rock comes on the music scene, and Suicide, where the suicide rate among immature people seemed to be rising.

(Baton Joel's website states: "heavy metsl, suicide")

However in the 1980s, there were lawsuits against heavy metal groups of Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Priest, claiming that their lyrics encouraged and acquired some young people to commit suicide.

(Wikipedia has the lyrics without the comma))

Foreign debts

Foreign debts were causing an increase in inflation, as well as a burden on American taxpayers.

Homeless Vets

Many veterans of the Vietnam disharmonize became homeless. A major problem with them was drug addiction or alcoholism.

AIDS

AIDS (Acquired Allowed Deficiency Syndrome) disease started to spread throughout the globe.

Fissure

A potent class of the highly addictive drug cocaine called "crack" or "rock" had been chop-chop spreading in the United States, particularly in troubled neighborhoods.

Bernie Goetz

Bernie Goetz was a New Yorker who was concerned about offense in the city. Later on he got on a subway in the afternoon, four African-American youths approached Goetz and demanded $5 from him. He pulled out a gun and shot all four. And then he shot one of the youths again, every bit he lay on the floor, severing the spinal string and paralyzing him.

Goetz escaped but later on turned himself in. Many Northward.Y. citizens deemed him a hero. The case brought about the debate every bit to whether people accept the right to have the law into their own hands. Goetz was convicted only of illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to 8 months in prison house. Afterwards, the youth he paralyzed sued and won a $43 one thousand thousand judgment.

Hypodermics on the shore

News reports showed how hundreds of carelessly discarded hypodermic needles had washed upwards on the New Jersey shoreline.

China's Under Martial Law

In June 1989, thousands of protesters marched in Tiananmen Foursquare in Beijing, China. Many were killed and China went under martial law until order was restored.

Stone and Roller Cola Wars

Pepsi and Coke battle for supremacy in the marketplace. Each hired musicians to promote their drink. Coke hired Paula Abdul, while Pepsi had Michael Jackson. They and so started to try to outdo each other by getting other musicians and celebrities to help promote their drinks.

Summary

This gives you a good overview of what happened during that time period.

Your graphic symbol is important is how people meet you

Resources and references

Ron Kurtus' Credentials

(Cheers to Justin Moore for contributing some of the facts.)

The post-obit are some resources on this topic.

MP3 audio

We Didn't Get-go The Fire - MP3 (Remastered past Columbia Records 2014) $0.99

Websites

Billy Joel website

History Resources

Books

(Discover: The School for Champions may earn commissions from volume purchases)

Summit-rated books on Billy Joel

Top-rated books on History

Questions and comments

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start_fire_facts.htm

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History topics

"We Didn't Start the Fire" (Facts) History Summary from 1949-1989

"We Didn't Start the Burn" (Lyrics)

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Source: https://www.school-for-champions.com/history/start_fire_facts.htm