Dwight D. Eisenhower Timeline

Dwight D. Eisenhower 30

1890 Dwight D. Eisenhower born in Denison, Texas The third of seven sons, he grows up in Abilene, Kansas.
1915 Dwight D. Eisenhower graduates from West Point He graduates in the class of 1915, later called the class the stars fell on because 59 of its members became generals.
1916 Dwight D. Eisenhower marries Mamie Doud They marry at her parents home in Denver.
1918 Dwight D. Eisenhower commands Camp Colt He trains the armys new tank corps at Gettysburg and misses the chance to fight in France.
1921 Dwight D. Eisenhower loses his son Doud Their first son dies of scarlet fever at the age of three.
1926 Dwight D. Eisenhower tops the Command and General Staff School He graduates first in a class of 245 officers at Fort Leavenworth.
1935 – 1939 Dwight D. Eisenhower serves under MacArthur in the Philippines He helps build up the Philippine army as Douglas MacArthurs chief of staff.
1941 Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Louisiana Maneuvers His planning in the largest US army exercise to date wins him promotion and a post in the War Department.
1942 Dwight D. Eisenhower commands Operation Torch He leads the Allied landings in French North Africa, the first large American offensive in the European theatre.
1943 Dwight D. Eisenhower named Supreme Allied Commander Roosevelt announces that Eisenhower will command the invasion of Western Europe.
1944 Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the go-ahead for D-Day After a days delay for weather he decides the invasion of Normandy will go ahead on 6 June.
1944 Dwight D. Eisenhower promoted to General of the Army He receives the new five-star rank.
1945 Dwight D. Eisenhower visits Ohrdruf Seeing the first liberated camp, he orders journalists and politicians to witness and document the Nazi crimes.
1945 Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes Army Chief of Staff He succeeds George C. Marshall and oversees the demobilisation of the army.
1948 Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes President of Columbia University He also publishes his war memoir, Crusade in Europe.
1951 Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes NATO commander He takes command as the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
1952 Dwight Eisenhower elected US president Republican war hero wins by landslide Dwight D. Eisenhower defeated Democrat Adlai Stevenson in the US presidential election on 4 November 1952, ending twenty years of Democratic control of the White House. Eisenhower's running mate was Richard Nixon. The election was also notable for early television use of computer-based vote prediction.
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower Inaugurated as US President Former general takes office Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in as the 34th President of the United States, having won the 1952 election in a landslide as a war hero and political newcomer. His administration would oversee the end of the Korean War and the early buildup of Cold War nuclear strategy. He served two terms until 1961.
1953 – 1961 Eisenhower presidency 34th President — 1953 to 1961 Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the 34th President from January 20, 1953 to January 20, 1961. He ended the Korean War, presided over post-war prosperity, created the Interstate Highway System and managed Cold War tensions.
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower ends the Korean War The armistice signed at Panmunjom fulfils his campaign promise to end the war.
1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower gives the Atoms for Peace speech At the UN he proposes sharing nuclear technology for peaceful use, leading to the IAEA.
1955 Dwight D. Eisenhower suffers a heart attack He falls ill while on holiday in Denver and recovers in time to run again in 1956.
1956 Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the Federal-Aid Highway Act The act funds the Interstate Highway System, later named after him.
1956 Eisenhower reelected US President Eisenhower wins second term Dwight D. Eisenhower won reelection as President of the United States, defeating Democratic challenger Adlai Stevenson for the second consecutive time. Eisenhower carried 41 of the 48 states. The election took place amid the unfolding Suez and Hungarian crises abroad.
1957 Eisenhower Doctrine announced US pledges military and economic aid to counter communism in the Middle East President Eisenhower asked Congress for authority to provide military and economic assistance to Middle Eastern nations resisting communist aggression. Congress approved the policy, known as the Eisenhower Doctrine, in March 1957.
1957 Dwight D. Eisenhower sends troops to Little Rock He orders the 101st Airborne to protect nine Black students integrating Central High School.
1958 Dwight D. Eisenhower creates NASA He signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act in response to Sputnik.
1960 Dwight D. Eisenhower and the U-2 incident A U-2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union, wrecking the Paris summit two weeks later.
1961 Eisenhower's farewell address Warns of the "military-industrial complex" In his final address as president, Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the growing political influence of the arms industry and permanent military establishment. The speech is remembered as a prescient statement on the risks of unchecked defense spending.
1969 Dwight D. Eisenhower dies in Washington He dies at Walter Reed Army Hospital at 78 and is buried in Abilene, Kansas.