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One of the benefits of living a long life is the wealth of knowledge and experience you receive. For Tom Callicolt, this is no different. Tom was born on February 7, 1944 in the small town of Flatonia Texas. He and his family moved to Corpus Christi in 1950. Throughout Tom’s life he bares witness to many historical and tragic events. Right before Tom was born Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, destroying five battle ships, three destroyers, several smaller vessels, and over 200 airplanes. This angered the American people and a day after the attack the United States declared war on Japan. During that time of the war Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps fearing they could be spies. The United States also helped allied forces battle the Germans. Then in August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. A second atomic bomb was dropped on August 9, 1945 in Nagasaki, Japan. These bombings were in fact the biggest factor in the surrender of Japan to America on September 2,1945. In Tom’s early childhood he saw his older brother sent off to the Korean War. On June 27, 1950 the United Nations declared war on North Korea. During this time on May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional to segregate schools by race. This decade was also when Rosa Parks refused to give her seat on a crowded bus to a white man. This started the Montgomery bus boycott. The Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite into orbit around the earth, it was named Sputnik. A year later the United States launches its first satellite into space called Explore 1. The 60's were a kind of "New Frontier" for the country. The youth and ambition of president Kennedy coming into office in 1960 started this. He energized the country with powerful speeches and exuberance.
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