Ellison Shoji Onizuka, a Japanese-American, became the first Asian American astronaut in space on the space shuttle Discovery.
Thelma Buchholdt became the first Filipino American legislator in the Alaska House of Representatives.
Hawaii elected George Ariyoshi as the first Asian-American governor.
March Fong Eu elected as California’s Secretary of State becoming the first Asian American woman ever elected to a state constitutional office in the United States.
Lau v. Nichols (San Francisco School District) rules that school districts with children who speak little English must provide them with bilingual education.
NY Chinatown riots sparked by a case of police brutality against Asian Americans for Equal Employment (AAFEE) led protest to incite change and raise political awareness.
The capital of South Vietnam leads to the first wave of Vietnamese refugees to the U.S. from Vietnam, Kampuchea, and Laos.
President Gerald Ford rescinds Executive Order 9066, 34 years after World War II. It had authorized the Army to evacuate any persons considered a threat to national security. As a result, over 120,000 Japanese people were forced to relocate to one of ten different internment camps around the United States.
Eilberg Act restricts immigration of professionals into the U.S.
National convention of the Japanese American Citizens League adopts resolution calling for redress and reparations for the internment of Japanese Americans.
Diplomatic ties established between People’s Republic of China and the U.S.