1950 - February 9 – Second Red Scare: In his speech to the Republican Women's Club at the McClure Hotel in Wheeling, West Virginia, Senator Joseph McCarthy accuses the United States Department of State of being filled with 205 Communists.

On February 9, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a speech at the McClure Hotel in Wheeling, West Virginia, marking a pivotal moment in American history known as the start of the Second Red Scare. McCarthy, known for his aggressive anti-communist stance, dramatically accused the United States Department of State of harboring 205 communists. This sensational claim sent shockwaves across the nation, igniting widespread fear and paranoia about communist infiltration within American institutions.

McCarthy's allegations tapped into Cold War anxieties already prevalent in American society, fueled by the recent victory of communist forces in China and the Soviet Union's acquisition of nuclear weapons. The speech catapulted McCarthy into the national spotlight and set the stage for his crusade against alleged communist subversion, characterized by aggressive investigations, blacklisting of suspected individuals, and a climate of suspicion that pervaded American politics and culture throughout the 1950s.