1977 Jimmy Carter was elected the 39th President

James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr., born Plains, Georgia in October 1, 1924. He was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office. The end of his presidential tenure was marked by the 1979–1981 Iran hostage crisis, the 1979 energy crisis, the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the United States boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow (the only U.S. boycott in Olympic history), and the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington state.

1974 Gerald Rudolph Ford is sworn in as the 38th President

Born Omaha, Nebraska, as Leslie Lynch King, Jr.; July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006. Vice President Ford is sworn in as President after the resignation of President Nixon. He presided over the worst economy in the four decades since the Great Depression, with growing inflation and a recession during his tenure. Ford lived longer than any other U.S. president, living 93 years and 165 days, while his 895-day presidency remains the shortest of all presidents who did not die in office.

1969 Richard Milhous Nixon was elected the 37th President

Born Yorba Linda, California; January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994. Nixon waged an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1960, narrowly losing to John F. Kennedy. He was serving from 1969 to 1974, when he became the only president to resign the office. In retirement, Nixon's work as an elder statesman, authoring nine books and undertaking many foreign trips, helped to rehabilitate his public image.

1963 Lyndon Baines Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President

Born Stonewall, Texas; August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973. Often referred to as LBJ, was sworn in as President, hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  He is one of only four people who served in all four elected federal offices of the United States: Representative, Senator, Vice President, and President. Johnson is ranked favorably by some historians because of his domestic policies.

1961 John Fitzgerald Kennedy was elected the 35th President

Born Brookline, Massachusetts; May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963. Commonly known as "Jack" or by his initials JFK, serving from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of the crime and arrested that evening. Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald two days later, before a trial could take place.

1959 Hawaii was admitted the 50th state to the Union

Its capital and largest city is Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu. Hawaii is the most recent of the 50 U.S. states (joined the Union on August 21, 1959), and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. The eight "main islands" are (from the northwest to southeast) Niʻihau, Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Maui and the island of Hawaiʻi (called "The Big Island"). Hawaii is the only U.S. state not to be located in the Americas and also the only state with an Asian plurality.

1959 Alaska was admitted to the Union as the 49th state

Alaska capital is Juneau, largest city is Anchorage. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the oil, natural gas, and fishing industries, tourism is also a significant part of the economy. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($120 million adjusted for inflation) at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²).