Lyndon Johnson

An elderly white man in front of a white background

Khrushchev’s son recalls Sputnik, Gagarin ascent in US-Soviet space race

In October 1957, a beach-ball sized metal globe hurtled through space a couple hundred miles above the United States. That orb was the first artificial Earth satellite — Sputnik. Sergei Khrushchev, former missile engineer and son of Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, remembers the US-Soviet race into space.

Khrushchev’s son recalls Sputnik, Gagarin ascent in US-Soviet space race
Jimmy Carter sitting down with several women standing behind him

In 2019, women’s rights are still not explicitly recognized in US Constitution

In 2019, women’s rights are still not explicitly recognized in US Constitution
A tent is seen next to Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles, California, April 11, 2018.

America's poor becoming more destitute under Trump, UN human rights investigator finds

America's poor becoming more destitute under Trump, UN human rights investigator finds
Vietnam on TV

The Tet Offensive shocked the nation and permanently changed US attitudes toward the Vietnam War

The Tet Offensive shocked the nation and permanently changed US attitudes toward the Vietnam War
MLK LBJ White House 1963

Martin Luther King's 1967 speech opposing the Vietnam War ended a historic partnership with Lyndon Johnson

Martin Luther King's 1967 speech opposing the Vietnam War ended a historic partnership with Lyndon Johnson
LBJ 1965

The carrot and the stick: LBJ addresses the nation on the conflict in Vietnam

In an April 1965 address to the nation, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his argument for expanding US involvement in Vietnam. From archival audio, we now know that Johnson had believed for at least a year that the conflict was a disaster in the making. Why did he continue to push for escalation in a war he didn't think was worth fighting?

The carrot and the stick: LBJ addresses the nation on the conflict in Vietnam
USS Maddox

What really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964?

Historians still argue about what exactly happened in the Gulf of Tonkin in August of 1964. What’s not in dispute is the aftermath: A resolution from the Senate passed by a vote of 98 to 2 authorizing President Lyndon Johnson to use whatever force he thought he needed against North Vietnam. The resolution was a major escalation of US involvement in Vietnam and helped Johnson win the presidential election. But it was built on a lie.

What really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964?
Medicare

50 years later, how Medicare changed America

The desegregation of hospitals in the South was just one of many things to come from the Medicare law.

50 years later, how Medicare changed America
Clyde Foster analyzing data for NASA

How JFK made NASA his secret weapon in the fight for civil rights in America

NASA's black engineers, mathematicians and technicians didn't just help American win the space race, they also played a key role in reshaping the American South.

How JFK made NASA his secret weapon in the fight for civil rights in America

U.S.-Russia hotline celebrates 50th anniversary

For 50 years, the hotline between Washington, D.C., and Moscow has helped protect the peace and avoid nuclear confrontation. But the popular image of a red telephone on the president's desk is actually a far cry from what the hotline really is.

U.S.-Russia hotline celebrates 50th anniversary
President Kennedy meets with Chairman Khrushchev at the US Embassy residence, Vienna.

The White House to Kremlin Hotline: Avoiding War for 50 Years

In 1963, at the height of the Cold War, a hotline was set up to enable communication between the world's two biggest powers. First established by President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev, it provided a vital link between the leaders of two nations.

The White House to Kremlin Hotline: Avoiding War for 50 Years

50 years after death, civil rights icon Medgar Evers recalled in music he inspired

Medgar Evers, a NAACP field secretary and civil rights activist, was shot in the back at his home in 1963. The murder is considered a turning point in the Civil Rghts movement, in part thanks to the artists who used his name as a rallying cry. Fifty years later, we remember Evers through the music he inspired.

50 years after death, civil rights icon Medgar Evers recalled in music he inspired

How the Voting Rights Act Came to Be

How the Voting Rights Act Came to Be

President Lyndon Johnson's Legacy Ahead of Barack Obama's Second Inaugural

President Lyndon Johnson's Legacy Ahead of Barack Obama's Second Inaugural

Lessons from President Lyndon Johnson's Time in the Oval Office

Lessons from President Lyndon Johnson's Time in the Oval Office