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| 1955, Jan. 25 |
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| Pres. Eisenhower asked Congress to authorize the use of armed force to defend Taiwan, the Pescadores, and certain “closely related localities.” Congress granted his request by a large majority. | 1 |
| The U.S. sent advisers and increasing amounts of military aid to Vietnam, replaced France as the dominant foreign power in the area, and set the stage for the Vietnam War. | 2 |
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| Feb. 9 |
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| A joint AFL-CIO unit committee announced agreement on unification, which was formally consummated in the following December. The new organization represented over 90 percent of the nation's 17.5 million union members. Contracts shifted toward emphases on workers as consumers rather than producers. | 3 |
| Mechanization of industry continued apace during the 1950s. In 1952, the Ford Motor Co. introduced drilling machines in its Cleveland engine facility, which permitted 41 workers to perform a job that previously had required 117 workers. | 4 |
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| March 23 |
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| Pres. Eisenhower declared that the U.S. would not use nuclear weapons in a “police action.” | 5 |
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| May 31 |
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| The Supreme Court ruled that STATES MUST END RACIAL SEGREGATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS “with all deliberate speed.” | 6 |
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| June 15 |
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| An accord with Great Britain on the peaceful use of nuclear power was concluded. | 7 |
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| July 11 |
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| The U.S. Air Force Academy near Denver, Colo., was dedicated. | 8 |
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| Nov. 25 |
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| The Interstate Commerce Commission issued an order to end, after Jan. 10, 1956, racial segregation on buses and trains that crossed state lines. | 9 |
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| Dec.–1957, Jan |
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| African Americans fought the segregated policies of the Montgomery city bus line with a 13-month boycott. Though the bus company nearly went bankrupt, the city did not desegregate the buses until mandated to do so by a Nov. 1956 Supreme Court ruling. The boycott is credited as the impetus for the modern civil rights movement. | 10 |
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