50-46: Highways, High Stakes, and New Frontiers
50: President Eisenhower signs the Federal Aid Highway Act, allocating $25 billion to build 40,000 miles of interstate roads.
49: President Kennedy navigates the Cuban Missile Crisis, negotiating a secret deal with Khrushchev to avert nuclear war.
- Guest: Dr. Graham Allison, Harvard Kennedy School professor and author of Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Guest: Dr. Vincent J. Cannato, UMASS Boston professor and author of American Passage: The History of Ellis Island.
48: Ellis Island opens in New York Harbor, processing over 12 million immigrants into the country.
47: President Washington issues the Neutrality Proclamation, establishing America’s first formal foreign policy.
46: Astronaut John Glenn launches into space aboard Friendship 7, becoming the first American to orbit the Earth.
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