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Click on a hyperlink in the timeline to learn more about a subject. |
Milwaukee Timeline 1946-1979
1946
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World News: Japanese Earthquake Creates Tsunami
Also: Republic of the Philippines Established, First Cannes Film Festival Held, Dead Sea Scrolls Discovered US News: Underwater Test of Atomic Bomb at Bikini Atoll Also: Spock Publishes Child Care Book, Tsunami Strikes Hawaii, First Drive Up Bank Teller Windows Milwaukee News: Prisoner of War Camp Billy Mitchell Closes Also: Temporary Houses & Trailers Built in Parks to Accommodate Returning Veterans, Fourth Hiawatha Train Route Opens, End of 11-Month Strike by Allis-Chalmers Employees |
1947
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World News: Republics of Pakistan and India Founded
Also: US News: Pres. Truman Signs National Security Act Creating CIA, Air Force Also: Chuck Yeager Breaks Sound Barrier in X-1, Explosion Destroys Texas City and Claims 600 Lives Milwaukee News: Seventeen Inches of Snow in January Closes City Also: WTMJ Becomes First State TV Station, Allis Art Library Opens, City Votes to End No-Debt Policy, UW-Milwaukee Hosts First Home Football Game Ever at Wauwatosa Athletic Field |
1948
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World News: Berlin Airlift Begins as Soviets Blockade West Berlin
Also: Velcro Invented, Israel Recognized as Independent Country by United Nations US News: Marshall Plan Authorizes $15 Billion in Aid to 15 Countries Also: President Truman Issues Peacetime Draft, Hells Angels Founded, Palomar Observatory Finished Milwaukee News: Socialist Frank Zeidler Mayor for First of Three Terms Also: Elmer Winter and Aaron Scheinfeld Found Manpower, National Cycling Track Championship Held at Brown Deer Velodrome, Reported 2779 Television Sets in the City, Sanitation Dept Completely Motorized |
1949
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World News: NATO Formed as Twelve Nations Sign the North Atlantic Treaty
Also: Soviet Union Detonates Their First Atomic Bomb, US News: Secretary of the Navy & Admirals Resign to Protest Budget Cuts Also: Babe Didrikson Wins 19 Straight Golf Tournaments, "Hopalong Cassidy" First Airs, Emmy Awards Milwaukee News: Also: First City Parking Meters Installed, |
1950
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World News: North Korea Invades South Korea
Also: US News: US Combined Armed Forces Aid South Korea War Effort Also: NCAA Basketball Point Shaving Scandal, "On the Road" Published, First Sales of TV Remote Control Milwaukee News: Also: Census Reveals 90% of Milwaukeeans are American Born, Milwaukee Arena Opens, Serb Hall Dedicated |
1951
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World News: People's Republic of China's Armed Forces Assist North Korea
Also: Japan-U.S. Security Treaty Signed US News: 22nd Ammendment Ratified Limiting President to Two Terms Also: UNIVAC-I Commercial Computer Debuts, Rosenbergs Convicted of Espionage, I Love Lucy Debuts Milwaukee News: Also: Hawks NBA Franchise Relocates to Milwaukee |
1952
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World News:
Also: 12,000 Perish in "Great Smog" of London, American Occupation of Japan Ends US News: Jonas Salk Develops Polio Vaccine Also: Army Tests First Hydrogen Bomb, Today Show Premiere, President-Elect Eisenhower Visits Korea Milwaukee News: Zeidler Wins Second Mayor Term with 72.5% of Votes Also: City Sells Transportation System to Private Corp For $10M, Whitefish Bay HS Wins 16th Straight State Track Title, Council Approves Expressway Plan, Packers Play 3 Home Games at Marquette Stadium |
1953
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World News: Armistice Ends Korean War
Also: North Sea Flood Results in 2500 Fatalities, Watson and Crick Describe Structure of DNA, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Summit Mt. Everest US News: Earl Warren Appointed Chief Justice of Supreme Court Also: Spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Executed Milwaukee News: Milwaukee County Stadium Opens Also: Braves First Season Draws NL Record Fans, Milwaukee Pops Orchestra Organized, Fluoride Added to Water Supply |
1954
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World News:
Also: Soviet Union Builds World's First Nuclear Power Plant, Bannister Runs First 4-Minute Mile US News: Brown Vs Board of Education Rules Segregation Unconstitutional Also: Nuclear Sub Nautilus Launched, CIA Sponsors Guatemala Military Coup, Sports Illustrated Debuts Milwaukee News: $18,000,000 School Bond Issue Approved Also: Milwaukee Repertory Theater Established, Town of Lake Annexed by Milwaukee, Mitchell Field Terminal Opens |
1955
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World News:
Also: Warsaw Pact is Formed US News:Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat, Montgomery Bus Boycott Also:First McDonald's Opens, Disneyland Opens, Crash Kills James Dean, Human Chromosomes Counted Milwaukee News: Also: Voters Approve $7.5M Bond to Aid Public Museum, NBA Hawks Leave Milwaukee |
1956
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World News:
Also: Soviets Crush Uprising in Hungary US News: TWA & United Airlines Planes Mid-Air Collision Over Grand Canyon Also: DJIA Closes Above 500, Videotape Demonstrated, Jerry Lewis & Dean Martin Final Show Together Milwaukee News: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Formed Also: Vel Phillips First African American and First Woman Elected to the Milwaukee Common Council, Eight Nike Missile Bases Open in Milwaukee Area |
1957
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World News: European Community (European Union) Founded
Also: First Rotary Piston Engine Tested, Nissin Foods Introduces Instant Ramen US News: Civil Rights Conflict in Integration of Little Rock High School Also: FBI Arrests Jimmy Hoffa, Elvis Buys Graceland, Dodgers Move From Brooklyn to Los Angeles Milwaukee News: Milwaukee Braves Win World Series Also: $39M Bond Approved for Public Schools Construction, Asian Flu Infects 300,000 in Milwaukee, War Memorial Center Opens |
1958
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World News:
Also: 8 Manchester United Players Among Victims of Plane Crash, Lego Brick Patented US News: Boeing 707's First Transatlantic Passenger Flight Also: NASA Established, Detroit Unemployment Reaches 20%, 5000 Marines Sent to Beirut, Lebanon Milwaukee News: Last Streetcar Line Ends Service Also: Zoo Begins Move From Washington Park, Braves Lose World Series, Pabst Buys Blatz, $11M Harbor Upgrade Begins, Mayor Ziedler Receives Honorary UWM Doctorate, Koss Personal Headphones Debut |
1959
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World News:
Also: Fidel Castro Assumes Power in Cuba US News: Alaska Becomes 49th State, Hawaii Becomes 50th State Also: St. Lawrence Seaway Completed, First Daytona 500, Plane Crash Kills Holly, Valens & Big Bopper Milwaukee News: Marine Plaza 28-Story Building Begun Also: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Founded, QE II Sails Through Outer Harbor En Route to Chicago, Water Pollution Levels Close Many City Beaches |
1960
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World News:
Also: Brasilia Becomes New Capitol of Brazil, Trieste Reaches Mariana Trench Bottom US News: In Close Race JFK Elected U.S. President Over Richard Nixon Also: Adolph Coors III Kidnapped and Murdered, California Hosts Winter Olympics, First Patent for Laser Milwaukee News: Henry Maier Elected Mayor Also: New Public Museum Building Starts Construction, City Purchases Pabst Theater, Final Season of Marquette University Football, Milwaukee Population Reaches Highest Mark at 741,324 People |
1961
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World News: Berlin Wall Divides East and West Berlin
Also: Peace Corps Established, Unsuccessful "Bay of Pigs" Invasion, Gagarin First to Orbit Earth US News: Also: Peace Corps Established Milwaukee News: Also: Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church Completed, Miller Buys A. Gettelman Brewing |
1962
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World News: Nuclear Superpowers Avert War During Cuban Missile Crisis
Also: US News: John Glenn Orbits the Earth Also: Sam Walton Opens First Walmart Store Milwaukee News: Also: Marine Bank Building Downtown Completed, Kohl's First Department Store Opens, Allen-Bradley Clock Tower Constructed, Gimbel's Acquires Schuster's |
1963
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World News:
Also: French Navy Permanently Leaves NATO, London Great Train Robbery US News: Civil Rights March on Washington, "I Have a Dream" Speech Also: JFK Assassinated, Early Skateboard Demonstration in California, General Hospital Premieres Milwaukee News: First Great Circus Parade Also: Last of the Animals Moved From Washington Park Zoo, Lakefront Festival of Arts First Held |
1964
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World News:
Also: US News: Civil Rights Act Outlaws Segregation and Racial Discrimination Also: First Japanese Player Makes MLB Debut, Draft for Vietnam War Begins, New York World's Fair Milwaukee News: Boycott by Milwaukee United School Integration Committee Also: Maier Reelected Mayor on Platform of "Milwaukee Idea", Milwaukee-Downer College Closes, Beatles Play Lone Milwaukee Concert at Arena, |
1965
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World News:
Also: US News: Federal Medicare Created Also: Gateway Arch in St. Louis Completed, Voting Rights Act Passes, Milwaukee News: Final Season for Milwaukee Braves Baseball Team Also: Two Remaining Trackless Trolley Routes Converted to Diesel Bus Routes, United Migrant Opportunity Services Established, Construction Begins on New Federal Post Office Building |
1966
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World News:
Also: US News: Miranda Rights Created Also: Texas Western Defeats Kentucky for NCAA Basketball Title Milwaukee News: Also: La Casa de Esperanza Founded, St. Joan of Arc Chapel Rededicated on Marquette's Campus, Milwaukee Union Depot Demolished, Construction Starts on Oak Leaf Trail |
1967
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World News: Israel Defends Itself During Six-Day War
Also: Che Guevara Shot by Bolivian Army for Inciting Revolt, US News: Astronauts Grissom, White and Chafee Die During Rocket Tests Also: First Super Bowl Held, Pro Basketball's ABA and Three-Point Shot Debut, Packers Win Ice Bowl Milwaukee News: 200 Day Campaign of Protest Marches Begin in August Also: Mitchell Park Domes Completed, End of July Sees Nights of Looting and Rioting, Milwaukee Journal Wins Award For Campaign Against Water Pollution, Mayor's Office Destroyed by Sit-in Demonstrators |
1968
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World News:
Also: Khmer Rouge Launches Insurgency in Cambodia US News: Explosions in West Virginia Coal Mine Kill 78 Workers Also: Last Year For Silver Certificate Redemption, Fair Housing Act Signed, MLK Jr. Assassinated Milwaukee News: "Milwaukee 14" Arrested for Burning Draft Files Also: Summerfest First Held, Milwaukee Bucks Form as NBA Expansion Club, Maier Re-elected Mayor with 86% Votes, Marquette Interchange Dedicated, Chicago-Northwestern Lake Front Depot Demolished |
1969
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World News:
Also: First Supersonic Concorde Flight US News: Armstrong and Aldrin are First Men To Walk on the Moon Also: Woodstock Music Festival, ARPANET (Internet Precursor) Launched Milwaukee News: Crime Rates Fall by Fourteen Percent Also: Marcus Center for the Performing Arts Completed, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir Visits Her Hometown |
1970
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World News:
Also: Egypt Completes Aswan High Dam US News: Nationwide Student Protests of Vietnam War Also: Apollo 13 Oxygen Tank Explodes, Pro Football AFL and NFL Merge, Sen. Nelson Founds Earth Day Milwaukee News: Father Groppi Resigns his Parish Duties Also: Milwaukee Brewers' First Season, Public Museum Displays Moon Rock, Philip Morris Buys Miller, 45,000 Petition for Property Tax Relief, Southridge Mall Opens, Muirdale Sanitorium Closes |
1971
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World News:
Also: US News: Attica, New York Prison Riot Also: Walt Disney World Resort Opens, Amtrak Passenger Service Starts, Starbucks Founded Milwaukee News: Milwaukee Bucks Win NBA Championship Also: Last Missile Bases Protecting Milwaukee Close |
1972
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World News: Israeli Olympians Attacked at Summer Olympics in Munich
Also: Americans & Soviets Sign SALT Agreements, US Returns Okinawa to Japanese Administration US News: Apollo 17 is the Sixth and Last Moon Landing Also: Title IX Passed For Equality of Education and Athletics, Atari Founded, J.Edgar Hoover Dies Milwaukee News: Also: Mayor Maier Vetoes Expansion of Park East Freeway |
1973
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World News: Arab-Israeli Yom Kippur War
Also: Sydney Opera House Opens US News: All U.S. Forces Leave Vietnam and End Cambodian Support Also: Marlon Brando Declines Oscar For Godfather, Selective Service Draft Ends, Roe V Wade Decision Milwaukee News: Also: First Wisconsin Center Opens, Milwaukee Admirals Established, Northridge Mall Opens |
1974
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World News:
Also: US News: Nixon Impeached, Pardoned by President Ford Also: Billie Jean King Founds Women's Sports Foundation, AIM Occupies Wounded Knee, Post-It Notes Milwaukee News: Also: Final Year of UWM Panthers Football, Milwaukee County Grounds Cemetery Closes |
1975
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General Billy Mitchell
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World News: Khmer Rouge Regime Kills Over 1 Million People in Cambodia
Also: Saigon Captured by North Vietnamese Army, Zuiderzee Dike Project Completed US News: Also: Milwaukee News: Uptown Theater Bomb Scare During Springsteen Concert Also: Kahler Building Opens at Milwaukee Art Center |
1976
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World News: Spain Parliament Votes to Become Democracy
Also: Nadia Comăneci Awarded 6 Tens in Olympic Gymnastics, VHS Introduced in Japan by JVC US News: Pro Basketball ABA and NBA Merge Also: Apple Computer Founded, Dr. J Wins First Slam Dunk Contest Milwaukee News: Milwaukee Public Schools Ruled Unlawfully Segregated Also: Socialist Frank Zeidler Runs for US President, Marquette Stadium Demolished |
1977
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World News:
Also: Pelé Plays Final Professional Soccer Match, Last Naturally Occurring Case of Smallpox US News: Also: Voyager I Space Probe Launched Milwaukee News: Hoan Bridge Completed Also: NBA All Star Game Held in Milwaukee, Marquette University Wins Mens Basketball Championship |
1978
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World News: Jonestown Massacre/Suicide in Guyana
Also: Remains of Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan Discovered in Mexico City, World's First Test Tube Baby US News: Camp David Accords Signed Between Israel & Egypt Also: Large Blizzards Hit Great Lakes and New England Regions, Garfield Comic Strip Debuts Milwaukee News: Festa Itialian and Mexican Fiesta Debut Also: Super Mercado El Rey Opens, MECCA Basketball Floor Gets Unique Paint Job, Italian Community Center Founded, City Hosts National Road Race Championship, Pabst Mansion Saved From Demolition |
1979
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World News: Soviet Tanks and Troops Invade Afghanistan
Also: Sony Releases the Walkman, IRA Kills Lord Mountbatten, China Mandates One-Child Policy US News: Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident Also: US Establishes Diplomacy with People's Republic of China, Happy Meal Introduced at McDonald's Milwaukee News: Also: Program Approved to Integrate Milwaukee Public Schools, Concrete Roof Built Over Kilbourn Reservoir |
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Some Sources: |
Milwaukee Sentinel Archives, Milwaukee Journal Archives, National Archives, www.linkstothepast.net Anderson, Harry and Olson, Frederick. Milwaukee, At the Gathering of the Waters. Tulsa: Continental Heritage Press, 1991, Print Gurda, John. The Making of Milwaukee. Milwaukee: Milwaukee County Historical Society, 1999, Print The majority of images are from the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear |
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