1955: Marian Anderson is the first black singer to appear with the Metropolitan Opera.

Today: There are many black opera singers appearing on stages across America. One of the most famous is Jessye Norman.

1955: The first woman is admitted to the Harvard School of Divinity.

Today: The first woman graduates from one of the last gender segregated institutions, the Citadel.

1954: The Supreme Court rules in Brown v. Board of Education that public schools should be integrated. To follow this order, many schools resort to bussing students.

Today: There is a movement away from bussing students and letting them attend their neighborhood schools. This sometimes means that schools are racially segregated once again.

1955: While riding a bus, Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white person. This leads to the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott and a firestorm of controversy.

Today: Rosa Parks is...