Sunday, August 21, 2011

Historical Events : 1960- 1965


1961- On August 13th, 1961 the Berlin Wall was dividing Western Berlin from Eastern Germany. After World War II, the Berlin was divided into four sections. The Russians, Americans, British, and French each had a city under their power. The Russian section was covering almost all of eastern Berlin. Citizens of Berlin were able to move through all four sections but during the Cold War, movement became restricted with the border between east and western Germany was closed in 1952.  2 millions eastern Germans crossed the Border to western Germany between 1952 and 1961. To stop the migration, a wall was built bordering the tree sections of Berlin on August 13th, 961. The wall was over 155km long and originally was made out of barbed wire, but then was replaced by a concrete wall. The border was also guarded by mesh fencing, signal fencing, anti-vehicle trenches, barbed wire, over 300 watch towers, and thirty bunkers. The wall was destroyed, but some is still left in three locations!  


1962- On May 31st, 1962 Adolph Eichmann died in Tel Aviv, Israel after being hung for his part in the Holocaust. Adolph joined the Nazi Party in April 1932 and rose through party hierarchy. In 1942 a conference of Nazi high official was called to organize “logistics” of what the Nazis called the “final solution to the Jewish question”. The solution was execution and Adolph was the chief executioner. He transported all Jews from Europe to their destination being extermination camps in Poland. Adolph was captured by the U.S, but escaped from a prison camp in 1946. He then went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was arrested by Israeli Secret Service Agents. His trial in Court lasted from April 11 to December 15th, 1961 were he was sentenced to death. Adolph was hanged on May 31st, and his ashes were dumped into the sea.  




1963- On November 22nd, 1963 President John F. Kennedy and his guests arrived in Dallas Texas. They were in the presidential limousine with a series of cars in front and behind him. At about 12:30 p.m the limousine entered Dealey Plaza. Shortly after, a shot was fired.  The driver was told to “get out of here” but he hit the brakes instead, when a series of shots hit the presidential limousine and John F. Kennedy and John Connely. The limousine was rushed to the hospital were President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead.  Police took initiative to investigate were witnesses said they saw shots coming from, the Texas School Book Depository. Once they investigated they found three cartridge cases, and a Mannlicher-Caracno rifle. A witness saw a man hiding behind passing police cars, and after the police was called the man arrested was Lee Harvey Oswald.  The police found out Lee worked at Texas School Book Depository and his finger print was on the rifle found at the Depository. Fellow workers said they saw Lee at 11:55 and another saying he saw Lee holding the rifle.  The police decided to take Lee to the county jail on November 24th when a man rushed up towards Lee and shot him in the stomach, dying soon after.  The Warren Commission stated that Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots at John Kennedy and John Connely and there was no evidence on why Lee killed President Kennedy. President Kennedy will always be remembered for the work he did for the United States of America. 

Video- The video is a news broadcast from Dallas. The video starts off with regular TV programs when the program is cut and a news broadcast begins to take place. The news reporter states that “about ten or fifteen minutes ago President Kennedy and Governor John Connely where shot with a series of bullets while driving in an open automobile.  The president’s wife, Jacklyn holds her husband’s lint body as they rushed to the Hospital.” The news reporter then does an interview with a witness of the assassination of President Kennedy. His name was Abraham Zupruder, and he was trying to find a good spot to take pictures of the limousine driving down the street. Once he found a spot, he began to take pictures as the President was turning onto the street. Halfway down the street, Abraham heard a shot, and President Kennedy slumped to the side of the car. Another shot or two was fired when john. F Kennedy’s head opened with blood. Abraham brought his camera to the news station, willing to show the footage to the world, but it would be twelve years before all twenty-six seconds of the film would be broadcast. Abraham Zupruder did profit from the film, but he was disturbed of the footage he shot with his camera. President John Kennedy will be remembered.

1964- On March 27th, 1964, at 5:36 p.m an earthquake of 9.2 magnitudes struck the Prince William Sound Region of Alaska. The earthquake was the second largest earthquake ever recorded in world history, with Chile’s earthquake 9.5 magnitudes in 1960. The earthquake only lasted for four minutes. IN the first day of the earthquake eleven aftershocks were recorded with magnitudes greater the 6.0, there were thousands of aftershocks during the year after the main shock. The earthquake caused many landslides and avalanches and to reconstruct what was damaged cause 300-400 million dollars.  The Alaskan tsunami was the second largest recorded, after Chile’s 1960 tsunami. The maximum heights of the waves were 70 meters tall.  About 131 people passed away due to the earthquake and 119 due to the tsunami. The Great Alaskan Earthquake and tsunami made a huge impact to Alaska.  




1964- On February 7th, 1964, the English rock band the “Beatles” would come to America. It was the first American visit for band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. They were greeted by 3,000 screaming fans giving the band a hard time getting of the plane. Once in America the quartet inspired “Beatlemania” with their mod suit and trademark bowl haircuts. Two days later the band made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Shows. The performance was filled with screaming teenage girls and about 73 million viewers in the U.S watched the show. The Beatles performed two more appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and then three concerts in Washington D.C and in New York before heading back to England. They quickly planned their American Tour and sold millions of singles and albums including a movie called “Hard Day’s Night”. The Beatles music remained popular to the youth throughout the 1960’s. In 1970’s, the Beatles disbanded and began to pursue solo career leaving a legacy of 18 albums and 30 Top 10 U.S Singles!  

1965- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leads Civil Rights March in Alabama, from Selma to Montgomery. On March
7th, 1965 about 700 civil right marchers headed out to Montgomery from Selma, Alabama. They didn’t get far before state and local lawmen attacked them with billy clubs and teargas, forcing them to walk back to Selma. Two days later Martin Luther King Jr. led the civil rights march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge where they had been forced back to Selma, two days ago. On March 21st, about 3,200 walkers walked to Montgomery, walking 12 miles a day and sleeping in fields. Once they reached Montgomery, March 25, they’re 25,000 people participating in the Civil Rights March. In less than five months President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  

Video- This video is an excerpt from a PBS Documentary.  It shows the Civil Rights March through pictures and videos. There is a video of the marchers marching to Edmund Pettus Bridge, where Governor Wallace station Policemen with billy clubs and teargas. The policemen began to push the marchers forcing them back across the bridge, starting to beat them and drop teargas grenades along the paths. The event which is now called “Bloody Sunday” was witnessed on live television by a disturbed audience of Alabama. Governor Wallace supposedly never intended to hurt the marchers, but his police chief lost control of himself, letting those actions take place giving him a bad political image. That day created political impact, and days later President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The marched then continued on to Montgomery where thousands of citizens nation-wide President Johnson signed the Voting rights Act of 1965. 



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