AMERICAN HISTORY

CLASS

Week 22

During the Cold War the USSR and the US competed again in almost every way—even in science and inventions

In 1957, the Soviets shocked the United States by putting the first satellite, called Sputnik, into space.

The United States wanted to beat the Soviets at what became known as the “Space Race”.

In 1961 President Kennedy announced that the US would work to have the first man on the moon and the it would occur before the end of the 1960s.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the Communists had missiles pointed at the US from Cuba.

President Kennedy was assassinated in 1962.

(The Space Center was named after him—The Kennedy Space Center in Florida)

The first US man in space was Alan Shepard in 1961.

In 1962 John Glenn became the first man to orbit the earth.

Finally, in July, 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon with 2 men. Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 was the first man to walk on the moon.

Other moon missions followed and astronauts even drove a little car called the Lunar Rover on the moon.

After the moon missions stopped in the 1970s, work on the space shuttle began. Shuttles have been used to work in space ever since until this

Because of WW2, the US became the greatest manufacturer of goods in the entire world.

The US supplied goods to many of our former enemies, German and Japan during the 1950s.

The Cold War stimulated the US to work hard at military defense and technology.

The US quickly started making its ships nuclear powered after WW2. The space race brought about many new technological improvements.

Our God given freedoms, inherited from our forefathers through the Constitution, allowed us to grow and enjoy the best standard of living in the entire world.

In 1989 communism fell apart. The US became the world leader in every area: military, industry, food production, medicine, and technology.

Democracy and Capitalism enables America to thrive.