American Legacies Organization, Inc.

By Heidi Welte

November 22, 2022

Every hurricane or severe storm to hit the capitol of the United States brings with it photos of the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier solemnly carrying out their watch despite the terrible weather. None of these moments, however, can possibly surpass the eventful journey that brought the Unknown Soldier back home from France, or that of the USS Olympia, the ship tasked with this special mission which very nearly ended in tragedy. 

Express/Hulton Archive // Getty Images

Around the world, 1969 was a year for the ages: the Vietnam War reached its bloody peak, the United States took a giant leap for mankind and safely landed astronauts on the moon, and a youth-driven counterculture emerged that would come to define the next decade through protests and music.

By Jonathan Den Hartog

Public debates have recently focused on school history standards – what the Advanced Placement program should teach in its African-American Studies course and what the state of Florida should say about the effects of slavery. These are important questions. But I’m concerned about a longer-term problem: the danger of making American history and civics dull.

“I want to be a dictator for one day,” proudly declared former President Donald Trump to the New York Young Republican Club on December 9, 2023. Two hundred and forty years earlier on December 23, 1783, General George Washington humbly informed Congress that he did not want to be a dictator – not even for one moment. That day is when the victorious commander-in-chief willingly gave up power at the end of the American Revolution.

Jed Jacobsohn // Getty Images

From wars to elections, international incidents to civil unrest, entertainment to sports, the key defining moments of history profoundly influence who and what we are today.

To discover some of the most iconic moments from each of the last 100 years, Stacker mined historical data, government reports, and newspaper accounts. While most years offered more than one major incident that helped mold our attitudes and beliefs, we strove to provide the most important, defining event of each year since 1920.

Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason established a friendship on the set of "The Hustler" (1961). At one point, Newman got a little cocky about his newfound pool skills and challenged the much more experienced Gleason to a $50 bet on a game. Newman broke, then it was Gleason's turn. He knocked all 15 balls in and Newman never got another shot. Gleason recalled that the next day Newman paid him off with 5000 pennies.

The pendant and medallion shield were added to the center of the dome during the 1917 renovation. The pendant is 12 feet long and the medallion shield is 27 feet in diameter.

Southern Indiana History

Stephen Saalman

On February 27, 1987, West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick was named a National Historic Landmark.

Troy, Indiana

Stephen Saalman

Land Purchased.

Rockport, Indiana

Stephen Saalman

Lincoln Pioneer Village is an unusual example, unique in Indiana, of an educational tourist attraction built under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration(FERA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).