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October 21, 1947 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1947: The war starts following the invasion of Kashmir by Pakistani troops
May 14, 1948 - Arab-Israeli War: Following its declaration of independence, Israel is attacked by its Arab neighbors
June 24, 1948 - Cold War: Berlin Blockade begins leading to the Berlin Airlift
July 20, 1949 - Arab-Israeli War: Israel makes peace with Syria ending the war
1950s
June 25, 1950 - Korean War: North Korean troops cross the 38th Parallel beginning the Korean War
September 15, 1950 - Korean War: United Nations troops under General Douglas MacArthur land at Inchon and push the North Koreans back to the Yalu River
November 1950 - Korean War: Chinese forces enter the conflict, driving UN forces back over the 38th Parallel.
November 26-December 11, 1950 - Korean War: UN forces fight the Chinese at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir
March 14, 1951 - Korean War: Seoul is liberated by UN troops
June 27, 1953 - Korean War: Fighting ends following the establishment of a cease-fire between UN and North Korean/Chinese forces
July 26, 1953 - Cuban Revolution: The revolution begins following an attack on the Moncada Barracks
May 7, 1954 - First Indochina War: The French fortress at Dien Bien Phu falls effectively ending the war
November 1, 1954 - Algerian War: National Liberation Front guerrillas attack French targets across Algeria beginning the war
October 26, 1956 - Suez Crisis: Israeli troops drop into the Sinai, beginning the conquest of the peninsula
1960s
April 15-19, 1961 - Cuban Revolution: The American-backed Bay of Pigs invasion fails
January 1959 - Vietnam War: The North Vietnamese Central Committee issues a secret resolution calling for an "armed struggle" in South Vietnam
August 2, 1964 - Vietnam War: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurs when North Vietnamese gunboats attack American destroyers
March 2, 1965 - Vietnam War: Operation Rolling Thunder begins as US aircraft start bombing North Vietnam
August 1965 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1965: The conflict begins when Pakistan launches Operation Gibraltar in Indian Kashmir
August 17-24, 1965 - Vietnam War: US forces begin offensive operations in Vietnam with Operation Starlight
November 14-18, 1965 - Vietnam War: US troops fight the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam
June 5-10, 1967 - Six-Day War: Israel attacks and defeats Egypt, Syria, and Jordan
November 3-22, 1967 - Vietnam War: American forces win the Battle of Dak To
January 21, 1968 - Vietnam War: North Vietnamese forces launch the Tet Offensive
January 23, 1968 - Cold War: The Pueblo Incident takes place when the North Koreans board and capture USS Pueblo in international waters
April 8, 1968 - Vietnam War: US troops relieve the besieged Marines at Khe Sanh
May 10-20, 1969 - Vietnam War: US troops fight the Battle of Hamburger Hill
July 14-18, 1969 - Central America: El Salvador and Honduras fight the Football War
1970s
April 29, 1970 - Vietnam War: American and South Vietnamese forces begin attacking into Cambodia
November 21, 1970 - Vietnam War: US Special Forces raid the POW camp at Son Tay
December 3-16, 1971 - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: The war begins when India intervenes in the Bangladesh Liberation War
March 30, 1972 - Vietnam War: The People's Army of North Vietnam begins the Easter Offensive
January 27, 1973 - Vietnam War: The Paris Peace Accords are signed ending US involvement in the conflict
October 6-26, 1973 - Yom Kippur War: After initial losses, Israel defeats Egypt and Syria
April 30, 1975 - Vietnam War: Following the fall of Saigon, South Vietnam surrenders ending the war
July 4, 1976 - International Terrorism: Israeli commandoes land at Entebbe Airport in Uganda and rescue the passengers of Air France Flight 139
December 25, 1979 - Soviet-Afghan War: Soviet airborne forces enter Afghanistan beginning the conflict
1980s
September 22, 1980 - Iran-Iraq War: Iraq invades Iran beginning a war that lasts eight years
April 2-June 14, 1982 - Falklands War: Following the Argentinean invasion of the Falklands, the islands are liberated by the British
October 25-December 15, 1983 - Invasion of Grenada: After the deposition and execution of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, US forces invade and capture the island.
April 15, 1986 - International Terrorism: American aircraft bomb Libya in retaliation for an attack on a West Berlin night club
December 20, 1989-January 31, 1990 - Invasion of Panama: US forces invade Panama to oust dictator Manuel Noriega
1990s
August 2, 1990 - Gulf War: Iraqi troops invade Kuwait
January 17, 1991 - Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins with American and coalition aircraft striking targets in Iraq and Kuwait
February 24, 1991 - Gulf War: Coalition ground forces advance into Kuwait and Iraq
February 27, 1991 - Gulf War: Fighting ends as Kuwait is liberated
June 25, 1991 - Former Yugoslavia: The first of the wars in the former Yugoslavia begins with the Ten-Day War in Slovenia
March 24-June 10, 1999 - Kosovo War: NATO aircraft bomb Yugoslav forces in Kosovo
2000s
September 11, 2001 - War on Terror: Al Qaeda attacks the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington
October 7, 2001 - War on Terror: American and British aircraft begin bombing Taliban forces in Afghanistan
December 12-17, 2001 - War on Terror: Coalition forces fight the Battle of Tora Bora
March 19, 2003 - Iraq War: US and British aircraft begin bombing Iraq as a prelude to the ground invasion
March 24-April 4 - Iraq War: American forces fight the Battle of Najaf
April 9, 2003 - Iraq War: US forces occupy Baghdad
December 13, 2003 - Iraq War: Saddam Hussein is captured by members of the US 4th Infantry Division and Task Force 121
November 7-16, 2004 - Iraq War: Coalition forces fight the Second Battle of Fallujah
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