American Paratroopers in field Below Helicopters in South Vietnam(Original Caption) 5/31/1965-Bien Hoa, South Vietnam: United States paratroopers spread out after disembarking from helicopters during a co-ordinated exercise, the first in which all elements of the 173rd Airborne were used. Communist forces are reported to be making heavy attacks against units of the South Vietnamese army and have caused heavy casualties.

Two U.S. soldiers in Vietnam exchanging vials of heroin. (Credit: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

Vietnam

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The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

Vietnam War

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World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

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1945

The 1950s were a decade marked by the post-World War II boom, the dawn of the Cold War and the civil rights movement in the United States. At this time the U.S. economy was booming and more (mostly white) Americans could afford new cars, suburban houses and other consumer goods. But the 1950s also saw great conflict and division, from the nascent civil rights movement to the crusade against communism at home and abroad in the Korean War.

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Explore the wars, battles, leaders, civilizations, regimes, prominent figures and major events from the continent that encompasses 2 percent of the Earth’s surface. From Stonehenge to the Great Awakening to the French Revolution to the rise and fall of Communism in Russia, see how Europe’s often tumultuous history unfolded.

Vietnam

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Battle of Dien Bien Phu

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How the Army’s Cover-Up Made the My Lai Massacre Even Worse

This Day in History

U.S. establishes diplomatic relations with Vietnam

Vietnam declares its independence from France

French defeated at Dien Bien Phu

Viet Minh take control in the north

President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnam

SEATO established