Biden Trump

Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the foreground, Republican candidate Donald Trump in the background (Credit: Below the Sky/Shutterstock)

History usually happens at a leisurely pace, with major events months or even years apart. But this year, it seems like someone has pushed fast-forward, with significant events coming on a weekly or even daily basis. One company is now selling a T-shirt declaring “THIS IS MY LIVING IN UNPRECEDENTED TIMES SHIRT.”

The announcement on July 21, 2024, that Joe Biden would withdraw from the presidential race was the latest in a dizzying series of major domestic events in 2024. Here’s a brief list:

While 2024’s fast pace of events is rare in American history, it’s not unique.

1968: Assassinations, political turmoil, war

Many observers have already compared 2024 to 1968. Both years saw incumbent Democratic presidents bow out of the election, as well as tragic outbreaks of political violence. But 1968 also saw a rapid unfolding of other historic events. Here’s what happened that year:

1940: War, US draft and FDR’s historic reelection

Two other years stand out for the rapid pace of significant events. The first is 1940, which was dominated by Nazi Germany’s invasions of European countries, the response to that aggression, and a precedent-setting third term for U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

FDR 1940s
Franklin D. Roosevelt would go on to serve an unprecedented 4 terms in the White House. (Credit: Openverse)

1973: Abortion, peace deal, Watergate, political mayhem

Finally, 1973 also witnessed a rapid sequence of historic events. The federal right to abortion was guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Vietnam War ended after almost 60,000 Americans and millions of civilians were killed. War began in the Middle East. And Congressional hearings commenced in a political scandal that would, the next year, end Nixon’s presidency.

Vice President Spiro Agnew
Richard Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, resigned after pleading no contest to federal corruption charges. (Credit: Openverse)

What do these years of unprecedented events have in common?

One factor seems to be that wars and presidential elections seem to generate a cascade of events. Second, important events seem to beget more events. In 1940, the Nazi invasions led to Churchill becoming British prime minister and probably boosted the likelihood of Roosevelt running for and winning a third term.

In 1968, the Tet Offensive helped trigger the challenges to President Johnson, which led to his decision to drop out. That helped set the stage for the calamitous Democratic convention that year.

Trump’s political and legal comebacks this year made Democrats even more desperate for a winning nominee, increasing the pressure on Biden after his poor debate performance.

We don’t know if the pace of news events this year will begin to slow down. What we do know is that most Americans might appreciate a bit of a breather before encountering another potentially historic event.

Philip Klinkner is the James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton College.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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2 Comments

  1. procyon loco says:

    You gotta include 1979 and 1980 too. Crazy times. Gas lines and shortages all summer, people shooting each other in said gas lines, wildcat trucker strikes, 14.5% inflation, Iran hostages, USSR invading Afghanistan, Moscow summer olympics boycott, revolutions in Rhodesia and Nicaragua and Iran, Disco Demolition Night, Hunt Brothers trying to corner the silver market leaving a trail of failed banks, John Anderson’s third party bid, Jerry Brown’s hilariously botched TV speech in Madison, Chrysler bailout, ABSCAM, Rely tampons and toxic shock symdrome, biggest one-quarter drop in the GDP since the Great Depression caused by Carter severely curtailing consumer credit trying to stop runaway inflation, pop-up “cash for gold” stores all over the place, financial books all over the bestseller list advising you to bail entirely from the market and stockpile toilet paper, riots and violence at screenings of The Warriors, Klansmen opening fire on Communists in North Carolina, the song “Bomb Iran” all over the radio…
    if you include the tail end of 1978 there’s also the Jonestown mass suicide and the Moscone-Milk assassinations within days of each other.

    Want me to go on?

    The result: Ronald Reagan in the White House.

    Think things are bad now? They aren’t that bad.

    Reply
  2. Robert Hoover says:

    I lived through all the eras you’ve described. It was NOT as you’ve painted with your “fantasy” slant.

    Today is unprecedented and extreme beyond Thank you.. R. Hoover

    Reply