General Resources

Cycles of U.S. History - Present Cycle (1943 - Present)

"This is, of course, our very own cycle. Beginning with the birth of our version of the idealist generation, the Baby Boomers (approximately 1943), and continuing to this very day."

History: U.S. - http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/USA/index.html

This page has links to other pages on each of the decade of the twentieth century. Look on the right under "Chronological Periods." (WWW-Virtual Library)

American Historical Documents - http://vweb.sau.edu/bestinfo/Reading/Document/docindex.htm

Links to historic documents, images and maps from St. Ambrose University Library in Davenport, Iowa.

Vincent Voice Library

"The G. Robert Vincent Voice Library [at Michigan State University] is the largest academic voice library in the nation. It houses taped utterances (speeches, performances, lectures, interviews, broadcasts, etc.) by over 50,000 persons from all walks of life recorded over 100 years." At this site are samples from the recordings of U.S. Presidents from Cleveland to Clinton as well as voice recordings of various other famous people. Uses RealAudio or MP3 formats.

Life of the People - http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/goldstein/

This exhibit from the Library of Congress, subtitled Realist Prints and Drawings from the Ben and Beatrice Goldstein Collection, 1912-1948, displays 59 works of art "informed by a sympathy for the condition of working people." Over the years Goldstein collected works about New York City, "the American people, and the human condition during the first half of the twentieth century. His concerns encompassed a broad spectrum of social and political issues that touched on life in urban centers and in rural areas, American labor and industry, and the experience and achievements of minority groups." (Library of Congress)

Minority Studies Page

Huge collection of links to information about minority groups, with an emphasis on civil rights and history of their struggles. (The Voice of the Shuttle)

We Didn't Start the Fire

Words to the popular song "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel, mentioning many names and events of the twentieth century, with links to Web pages for most of the words mentioned.

20th Century USA

Links to prominent events and people of the past century. (Historical Text Archive)

20th Century America - http://members.aol.com/Tchrfromoz/20thcent.html

This is a huge personal Web site maintained by a history teacher with links to all sorts of other sites about people and events of the 20th century. (Tracey Oz)

Yahoo! U.S. History: 20th Century

Yahoo's collection of links to Web sites about people and events of the century just past. Be sure to check the bottom of the page for links to specific sites.

Posters American Style

The National Museum of American Art has mounted a wonderful exhibition of poster art through American history. Most of the posters are from the 20th century, and "brings together some of the great graphic images made in the United States." Sections include: American Events, Designed to Sell, Advice to Americans, and Patriotic Persuasion.

Flappers 2 Rappers

Flapper and rapper and other slang in between is explained and discussed in this article from the online WWWebster's dictionary. Many examples are given, decade by decade. Sponsored by Merriam-Webster.

The Nobel Prizes

The official home page of the organization which annually awards prizes to distinguished world leaders in several fields: Chemistry, Literature, Peace, Physics, Economics, Physiology & Medicine. Find out who won which prize each year. Includes speeches and background information on each winner.

The Nobel Prize Winners

Information about all the people who have won the Nobel Prizes.

The Pulitzer Prizes

The finest works of writing are annually recognized by this famous American prize for 80 years. Includes Pulitzer Prize-winning works from the past three years, including photos, editorial cartoons, music clips and the full text of all winning articles. Awards are given for journalism, letters, drama and music. See especially the Archive and History sections.

TIME Magazine Past Man of the Year

Essays about the famous people of the 20th century, from the pages of Time.

Chicano History Links

This page lists links to Websites that cover various aspects of Chicano history and culture. Women's resources are on Chicana Resources from the same site. Sponored by the University of California.

Fidel Castro Speech Databases

A huge collection of the speeches of the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Use the search engine to find speeches that mention people or topics of your interest, with the text translated to English.

A Hundred Years of Terror

A special report on the history of the Ku Klux Klan, by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Covers from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.

Virtual Photo Gallery

Collection of links to online photo galleries and exhibits. This is an excellent collection, with several famous photographers listed. Sponsored by Life magazine.

A History of American Agriculture: 1776-1990

Chart following eleven major themes of agricultural history in the U.S., decade by decade. Click on the theme/decade to see what major events and developments happened. Provided by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

The Southern Folklife Collection

Although this page is primarily information about the Southern Folklife Collection library, there are several superb online exhibits about various musical styles which were developed in the South: Early Country Music, Old-Time String Bands, Gospel and Spiritual Song, and Southern Blues Traditions. Includes short sound samples.

Those Were the Days

Provides a list of interesting events that happened on this day in history.

Pulp Fiction Central

"Pulp fiction magazines were the main source of everyday entertainment for the masses during the first half of the 20th century. These magazines delivered action and heroes that were some of the most creative in literary history. Pulp heroes and their authors have influenced every medium including comics, movies, and television. The Pulps delivered stories for every possible genre, including detective, western, adventure, spicy, spy/military, as well many other, smaller niche genres. The Pulps were also responsible for the creation of the hardboiled detective story as well as the sci-fi genre." This site offers a broad collection of links to many examples of this type of popular literature.

Social Security History

Exceptionally well presented collection of information on the history of the Social Security program and Social Security Administration. A mix of general-interest material and items that may appeal primarily to scholars. Graphics and photos abound, and there are sound and video clips.

Architecture and Interior Design for 20th Century America (1935-1955)

Over 29,000 images primarily of architectural subjects, including interiors and exteriors of homes, stores, offices, factories, historic buildings, homes of notable Americans, and of several U.S. presidents, as well as color images of the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. Many were commissioned by architects, designers, owners and architectural publications, and document important achievements in American 20th-century architecture and interior design. From the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress.

Creative Americans: Portraits by Carl Van Vechten, 1932-1964

1,400 portraits of literary figures, artists, and celebrities; scenic views, mostly in the Northeast. Includes African Americans, celebrities and prominent individuals, scenic views. Consists of 1,395 photographs taken by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) between 1932 and 1964. The bulk of the collection consists of portrait photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. A much smaller portion of the collection is an assortment of American landscapes.

Harlem 1900-1940: An African-American Community

"Harlem's early days as the Cultural Capital of African Americans are represented here by graphic and photographic images. Some of the subjects include political movements, education, sports, social organizations, religion, the Harlem Hospital, theater, business and music." From the N.Y. Public Library.

Washington as It Was: Photographs by Theodor Horydczak, 1923-1959

Spanning from the mid 1920s through the 1950s, the Theodor Horydczak collection(about 14,350 photographs online) documents the architecture and social life of the Washington metropolitan area in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, including exteriors and interiors of commercial, residential, and government buildings, as well as street scenes and views of neighborhoods. A number of Washington events and activities, such as the 1932 Bonus Army encampment, the 1933 World Series, and World War II preparedness campaigns, are also depicted. Discovering Theodor Horydczak's Washington, a special presentation is also included.

Shadowball: Remembering the Negro Leagues

For much of baseball history professional leagues excluded African-American players. "As early as 1884, Blacks had organized their own teams and then their own leagues. By 1920, a Black professional baseball league was formed. Several years later, a "Negro American League" was established, and an all-black world series was held annually."

The History of Broadcasting, 1920-1960

Decade by decade history of radio and television broadcasting. Click on the decade and subtopic of interest.

American Studies Web

A guide to American Studies resources on the Internet, with lots of links organized by sub-topic of interest. From Georgetown University.

United States Air Force Museum

From Kitty Hawk to the Space Age, over 200 aircraft, missiles, and aeronautical displays.

National Air and Space Museum

The most visited of all our national museums, this is the one which documents the exploration and use of air and space.

Military History

U.S. Army Center of Military History.

American History 102: Civil War to the Present - http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/

A remarkable set of links to resources from a course at the University of Wisconsin by Stanley K.

Yahoo! Civil Rights Movement - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/20th_Century/Civil_Rights_Movement/

Yahoo's links to the people, court cases, boycotts of the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Yahoo! Red Scare - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/20th_Century/Red_Scare/

Yahoo's links to the controversy surrounding the Palmer Raids and other excesses of the fight against Bolshevism in the time between the two world wars.

Photographs from the Chicago Daily News: 1902-1933 - http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/ichihtml/cdnhome.html

"This collection comprises over 55,000 images of urban life captured on glass plate negatives between 1902 and 1933 by photographers employed by the Chicago Daily News, then one of Chicago's leading newspapers." The photos are from the collection of the Chicago Historical Society; over one-third are related to sports. Search by keyword, or browse by names or subjects. Another excellent site from the American Memory Project of the Library of Congress. (LII)

 

1900-1919

1920-1939

1940-1949

1950-1959

1960-1969

1970-1979

Yahoo! U.S. History 1970s - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1970s/

Yahoo's links to the decade of the Vietnam War, the Watergate Affair, Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, Patty Hearst, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Jonestown Tragedy, Kent State and the Pentagon Papers.

1950s-1970s: Social Reform - http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/topics6.html

Calisphere is the University of California's online collection of primary source materials about California history. This particular page takes you to documents about the civil rights movement, the Free Speech movement, Watts, and the struggle for social justice.

Television News Archive

The Television News Archive has systematically recorded, abstracted, and indexed national television newscasts since 1968. Although there is limited full-text here, it is excellent as a starting point, and as a timeline of modern history. Go to a particular date, and read the transcript of what was covered on the evening TV news that night. (Vanderbilt University)

Illusion and Delusion: The Watergate Decade

Excellent photographic essay on the Seventies, focusing on the Watergate Affair that resulted in the resignation from office by President Nixon in 1974. Brief historical notes are helpful.

The Seventies: Energy Urgency

The seventies from the point of view of the nuclear energy industry. From the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

History: USA: 1970-1979 - http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/USA/ERAS/20TH/1970s.html

Index to the last decade of the twentieth century. Includes links to sites about the Vietnam War and the adminstrations  of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter. (WWW-Virtual Library)

1980-1999

ChuckyG's 80s Page

This page has links to events, fads, movies, music, television programs, and many other items about the 1980s.

Yahoo! U.S. History 1980s - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1980s/

Yahoo's links to the decade of the Iran Contra Affair, Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush, and the invasion of Grenada.

Yahoo! U.S. History 1990s - http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1990s/

The decade of the Persian Gulf War, Bill Clinton, impeachment, Dot Com bubble, and war in the Balkans.

The Online News Hour

The highly respected news program from public television is on the Web, offering current news and transcript archives of past programs. Please note that the bar on the right of the screen organizes past news about various topics. A good place to look for events of the 80s and 90s.

Television News Archive

The Television News Archive has systematically recorded, abstracted, and indexed national television newscasts since 1968. Although there is limited full-text here, it is excellent as a starting point, and as a timeline of modern history. Go to a particular date, and read the transcript of what was covered on the evening TV news that night. (Vanderbilt University)

Open for Business: The Eighties - http://www.ornl.gov/swords/eighties.html

Description of how Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a nuclear lab operated during the 1980s, including a review of what was going on in American society at the time.

Project Censored - http://www.projectcensored.org/

At Sonoma State University, "The primary objective of "Project Censored" is to explore and publicize the extent of censorship in our society by locating stories about significant issues of which the public should be aware, but is not, for one reason or another."

Frontline Online - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/

The excellent PBS news program that offers much of its reporting on the Web. Their reports are in-depth, and fairly objective. This is an excellent place to review some of the major events and people of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Time Magazine Index - http://www.time.com/time/index.html

Enables you to search Time, the weekly news magazine for current events.

Yahoo! President Clinton's Impeachment - http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/U_S__Government/Executive_Branch/Clinton_Administration/Impeachment/

This page will lead you to several good sites about President Clinton's impeachment and Senate trial in 1998-99.

Yahoo! World coverage of Kosovo - http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/World/Kosovo/

This page has links to the latest news articles about the crisis in the Yugoslavian province of Kosovo.

History: USA: 1980's - http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/USA/ERAS/20TH/1980s.html

Year by year index of links to web sites about the 1980s from the end of Jimmy Carter's presidency to the first George Bush presidency and the war against Iraq. (WWW-Virtual Library)

History: USA: 1990-2000 - http://www.ku.edu/history/VL/USA/ERAS/20TH/1990s.html

Index to the last decade of the twentieth century. Includes links to site about the Persian Gulf War and the adminstration of Bill Clinton. (WWW-Virtual Library)