Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States. He was born in Denison, Texas, on October 14, 1890, and died in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 1969.
As president, Eisenhower oversaw the end of the Korean War and the beginning of the Space Race. He also signed into law the Interstate Highway System. Eisenhower is generally considered to have been a successful president. He left office with high approval ratings.
Eisenhower was a popular figure in the United States. He was known for his calm demeanor and his sense of humor. He was also a devout Christian.
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First Term
January 20, 1953 - Dwight Eisenhower is inaugurated, and in his speech, he presents a nine-point plan.
January 26, 1953 - The International Information Activities Board is created by executive order.
February 2, 1953 - Eisenhower announces the end of U.S. Navy patrols in the Formosa Straits.
February 6, 1953 - By executive order, Eisenhower wipes out all control on wages.
March 30, 1953 - Congress establishes the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Eisenhower then appointed Oveta Culp Hobby as its secretary.
April 16, 1953 - He delivers a speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors that calls for the international limitation of military forces, the peaceful use of atomic power, and the banning or curtailing of other weapons.
April 20, 1953 - The Subversive Activities Control Board prohibits the Communist Party from registering in the Department of Justice.
May 22, 1953 - Eisenhower signs the Tidelands Bill.
June 19, 1953 - Eisenhower rejects the final clemency plea of atomic spies Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were sentenced to death by a U.S. civil court on charges of conspiracy to commit espionage and supplying atomic data to the Soviet Union in 1951.
July 27, 1953 - The Korean War ends
August 7, 1953 - Eisenhower signs the Refugee Relief Act that provides for the entry of 214,000 refugees into the United States over the next three years.
December 8, 1953 - Eisenhower proposed the Atoms for Peace program to the United Nations.
January 7, 1954 - He delivers his second State of the Union Address
January 21, 1954 - The first atomic submarine, Nautilus, was launched at Groton, Connecticut.
March 1, 1954 - Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire in the House of Representatives, wounding five representatives.
April 22 - June 17, 1954 - The McCarthy Hearings begin.
May 13, 1954 - President Dwight Eisenhower signs a bill that authorizes joint Canada-U.S. construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
May 17, 1954 - Brown v. Board of Education decision is made and says that the segregation of schools is unconstitutional.
July 21, 1954 - Fighting in Indochina ends, and the Geneva Conference is held.
August 24, 1954 - Eisenhower signs the Communist Control Act, which bans the existence of the Communist Party.
August 30, 1954 - He signs the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 that permits sharing information with allies.
September 8, 1954 - The South East Asia Treaty Organization is formed with the signing of the collective defense treaty.
November 2, 1954 - Democrats gain control of the Senate and the House in the midterm elections.
December 2, 1954 - The Senate agrees to censure Senator McCarthy.
January 6, 1955 - Eisenhower delivers his third State of the Union Speech.
January 28, 1955 - Congress authorizes the president to use his emergency powers to deploy U.S. forces to help Formosa fight Communist aggression.
April 1, 1955 - The Senate ratifies the treaty that recognizes the sovereignty of West Germany.
May 20, 1955 - Eisenhower vetoed a bill that would raise USPS workers' pay by 8.8%. the bill is renegotiated, and he signs in favor of an 8% increase.
June 24, 1955 - He issued an executive order prohibiting the Atomic Energy Commission to release 440 pounds of enriched uranium to 22 nations.
August 12, 1955: Minimum wage is raised to $1.00 an hour.
September 24, 1955 - Dwight Eisenhower suffers a heart attack while on vacation in Denver.
January 28, 1956 - Eisenhower rejects the Soviet's treaty of friendship.
February 17, 1956 - He vetoes a bill that would amend the Natural Gas Act.
March 12, 1956 - A Southern manifesto is introduced with the intent to legally reverse integration.
May 21, 1956 - The first H-Bomb is tested at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands.
July 19, 1956 - The United States withdraws its offer to help finance the construction of the Aswan Dam in Egypt. This would speed up Egypt's seizure of the Suez Canal.
October 26, 1956 - 82 nations agree on a new international Atomic Energy Agency.
October 29, 1956 - Israel begins its assault on Egyptian military positions. Great Britain also began air raids on Egypt over the Suez Canal.
October 31, 1956 - Eisenhower condemns the attack on Egypt.
November 6, 1956 - Dwight Eisenhower wins the election of 1956.
November 8, 1956 - Eisenhower admits 5,000 Soviet refugees after the Soviet Union puts down a revolt in Hungary.
December 22, 1956 - Anglo-French forces withdraw from Egypt
Second Term
January 5, 1957 - Eisenhower submits to the joint session of Congress a policy proposal that would aid any Middle Eastern country that fought Communist aggression. It became known as the Eisenhower Doctrine.
March 20, 1957 - The United States agrees to provide Britain with missiles capable of hitting the Soviet Union.
April 25, 1957 - The United States sends its 6th fleet to the Middle East to suppress an uprising in Jordan.
April 30, 1957 - Eisenhower proposes "Open Skies" aerial surveillance of the Soviet Union.
May 14, 1957 - The United States sends $100 million to Yugoslavia as military aid.
July 16, 1957 - Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson is authorized to reduce armed forces down to 100,000.
August 7, 1957 - Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which established the Civil Rights Commission.
September 19, 1957 - The First Underground Nuclear Explosion in Nevada is carried out.
September 20, 1957 - The federal court enjoins Governor Faubus to withdraw the National Guard from Little Rock Central High. This follows the Supreme Court's decision to allow the integration of schools. Arkansas sought to use its National Guard to block nine black children from attending Central High School.
September 24, 1957 - After the withdrawal of the National Guard, violence erupts, and Little Rock Central High remains closed. Eisenhower responded by deploying federal troops to reopen the school and enable black students to attend.
October 4, 1957 - The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, which becomes the first Earth satellite.
November 19, 1957 - The United States and NATO agree to the development of missile bases in Western Europe.
December 17, 1957 - The United States makes its first successful test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the USAF Atlas, at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
January 31, 1958 - The Explorer I is launched into space and becomes the first American satellite to orbit the Earth.
March 31, 1958 - The Soviet Union says that it will stop nuclear testing and asks America and Britain to do the same. Their testing resumed later that year.
April 1, 1958 - Eisenhower signs the Emergency Housing Act.
April 14, 1958 - The Federal Reserve Board releases figures that suggest the country is in a recession.
May 13, 1958 - Vice President Richard Nixon travels to Latin America.
July 15, 1958 - In a letter to Congress, President Dwight Eisenhower explains why he deployed Marines to Lebanon.
September 2, 1958 - He signs the National Defense Education Act.
November 4, 1958 - The Democrats gain control of the House and Senate again in a sweeping landslide victory.
November 8, 1958 - The United States signs an agreement with the European Atomic Energy Community in Brussels to expedite nuclear power production in Europe.
January 1, 1959 - Cuban President abdicates his office after Fidel Castro captures Havana.
January 3, 1959 - Alaska becomes the 49th state.
March 18, 1959 - Hawaii becomes the 50th state.
June 19, 1959 - The Senate rejects Eisenhower's appointment of Lewis L. Strauss as secretary of commerce.
July 15, 1959 - The Steel Strick occurred that would lead Dwight Eisenhower to invoke the Taft-Harley Act.
December 1, 1959 - The United States and 11 other countries sign a treaty to develop Antarctica peacefully.
December 2, 1959 - President Eisenhower goes on a tour of Peace and Goodwill.
May 6, 1960 - Eisenhower signs the Civil Rights Act of 1960.
May 7 - 16, 1960 - A U-2 plane was shot down in the U.S.S.R. and led to an international incident. The U.S. admits that it was on a spying mission. The Soviet Union then threatened retaliation.
June 8, 1960 - President Dwight Eisenhower signs the Military Construction Authorization Act.
July 11, 1960 - John F. Kennedy becomes the Democratic nomination for President.
July 25, 1960 - Republicans nominate Richard Nixon.
September 22, 1960 - Eisenhower proposed a broad peace program to the United Nations.
September 26, 1960 - Nixon and Kennedy participate in the first televised Presidential debate.
November 8, 1960 - John F. Kennedy wins the election of 1960.
January 3, 1961 - The United States severed Diplomatic Relations with Cuba.