Regular TV broadcasting begins in the United States. Jackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier. Israel achieves statehood. Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott begins after Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white person. Atomic bomb tested in New Mexico.
American scientists patent the computer chip.
Marconi transmits radio signal across the Atlantic. White House sex scandal leads to impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy assassinated in California. Congress passes Voting Rights Act, outlawing measures used to suppress minority votes. Yuri Gagarin becomes first man in space.