Important Events of the 1970's
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Nixon's visit to China : February 1972

Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant Accident

Women's Liberation Movement

Watergate Scandal : July,1972

Space Exploration : The Apollo-Soyuz Mission : July,  1975

Nixon's Visit to China

 

                                                                         Nixon shakes hand with Mao          Eating lunch with Chinese Officials

 

  On February 1972, at 10:35 am.  Richard Nixon went to Peking, China from Andrew's Air Force Base.  Nixon was the first U.S. president to ever set foot on Chinese soil.

    Nixon met to talk with Mao Zedong, the leader of China, to make a compromise and end the tensions between the U.S. and China. China agreed not to invade Taiwan and to stop relations with the Soviet Union in the east. As a direct result the United States was able to withdraw from the Vietnam War. Richard M. Nixon also went to China to improve trading relationships and to make trade agreements.  Accompanied by his wife, Richard M. Nixon arrived to China on Air Force One.  Nixon shook hands with China's chairman Mao Zedong. 

    His trip to China was very successful.  Nixon’s visit to China was important one because it helped the United States to improve relationships with foreign countries. It opened the door for future relations with China.
       

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The Three mile Island Nuclear Plant Accident

    

 

 

 

 

 

                       Nuclear Reactor         A nuclear plant in Arizona     A nuclear plant in Germany     

    The Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant was located near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  There was an accident in it that showed the many dangers of radioactive materials.  There was also financial damage with the plant, at least one billion dollars or more.  Small amounts of radioactive materials escaped from the building, causing human exposure to the gases.  People who lived near the Three Mile Nuclear plant suffered.  They were hurt severely.

    The accident had happened because of a loss of coolant accident.  The reactor had shut itself down with a safety system, which was a major error in the system.  This error caused, core damage, and it released very dangerous materials from the reactor vessel. 
    The Three mile island was important because it had shown the U.S.A. how dangerous radioactive and nuclear material were.  It also showed the U.S.A. how much this would cost, which was a lot. 
 
 

Women's Liberation Movement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                        Women Demonstrating at City Hall                               Demonstrations in Washington D.C.

         Although advancements had been made in women’s rights, women had been treated like the property of their husbands ever since colonial times. However, during the 1970’s, women demanded equal rights at home and in the workforce. Women demanded that they received all rights that the men were given, some of which are the right to vote, and the right to hold office. They wanted to be treated equally in the workplace, at home and in government. 

        They held conferences in major cities, just like the colonists did in the 1700’s.  They discussed different issues that they wanted changed, and what they can do to enforce the change.  With most jobs, women were paid less than the men.  Even though they worked the same jobs and the same times, they were treated unfairly.  They decided that they would protest until they received the same wages, rights, and were treated as equals.

        If it wasn’t for these women, protesting and some even getting arrested, women today might still not have been able to vote, hold office, and have the same rights as men.

For more information visit: http://www.jofreeman.com/feminism/liberationmov.htm

The Watergate Scandal

 

The Watergate Hotel                                               Nixon resigns and leaves the White House      Investigations into the scandal               

Key People involved in the Watergate Scandal

  During the 1970s, a scandal broke out that caused the American people to become disillusioned with government and government officials including the president- Richard Nixon.  It resulted with the resignation of Nixon as President. The word “Watergate” was used to describe a group of scandals for two years in the 1970s. 

    At the Watergate Hotel, a hotel in Washington, burglars broke into the Democratic Party’s National Committee offices, on July 17, 1972.  They were trying to adjust the bugging equipment that they had installed in May of that year.  The intruders were caught thanks to the quick reflexes of the security guard patrolling the area at the time, Frank Wills.  Nixon was allegedly involved in breaking into the hotel to steal information about the Democrats’ information.  In response to this accusation, Nixon took full responsibility for the Watergate Scandal, but he said that he wasn’t involved in it personally. 

    The Watergate Scandal had many repercussions and caused many people in government positions, including President Nixon, to resign.

For more information visit:   http://watergate.info/

The Apollo-Soyuz Mission



                                                             

                                                The American Space Crew

        The Apollo-Soyuz link up in space on July 17, 1975, was designed to test docking system compatibility and open the way for future joint human flights.
    The American astronauts were Thomas P. Stafford, Donald K. Slayton and Vance Brand. The Russian astronauts were Alexei Leonov and Valeri Kubasov.
    During the linking of these two space crafts, the astronauts conducted a variety of experiments over a two day period and exchanged many gifts.
    The U.S. made great advancements in the Space roll. The Apollo-Soyuz mission was the first space flight conducted jointly by two different nations and resulted in major technological advancements.
 

For more information visit:  http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/apollo/apsoyhist.html

More Events from the 1970's

1972
President Nixon is reelected 

Calley convicted of  My Lai massacre 

1973
Nixon accused of Watergate cover-up 

1978
Muhammad Ali regains heavyweight boxing title

1971
Mark Spitz won seven Olympic gold medals at the Munich Olympic Games

1972 
US astronauts explore moon 
Skateboard invented 

1976  

Viking probe finds no life on Mars 

1974
Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's home-run record

1977
STAR WARS out on the big screen. It thrills audiences

1970
Gas explosion at a subway construction site 
 Apollo XIII explosion

1977
Electrical blackout in New York City

1979 
American Airlines DC-10 crash 
273 people killed

 

Music Theme From Apollo 13: The Movie