The 100 Days

In July 1956, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, prompting a response from Israel, Great Britain and France. By the end of the crisis Britain and France had assembled impressive invasion fleets in the Mediterranean, issued an ultimatum and by the 100th day military action was engaged from Sinai to the Canal. The incident remains one of the great follies of modern history from which the British and French were obliged to timidly withdraw, their posture as global powers diminished.

In 1968, 100 days began and ended with tragedy. On April 4th civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated. As MLK’s assassin seeks to change his identity and his appearance, political activity takes a new turn as presidential primary campaigning crisscrosses the country. Within weeks, Robert Kennedy is assassinated in California.

On November 9th, 1989, the most solid symbol of the Cold War for nearly 30 years, the Berlin Wall, was knocked down. The removal of a feature that once divided a city now represents the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union itself. Explore the days and actions that surrounded this key geopolitical event.

On January 17th, 1991, the UN Security Council passed resolution 678, giving Iraq an ultimatum to leave Kuwait following their invasion a year before. During these 100 days, the largest international coalition since World War II was formed to force Iraq out. Operation Desert Shield would become Desert Storm and a war costing US $61 billion dollars would be over in a matter of weeks, but the consequences are still felt today.