From 1953 to 1979, Iran was ruled as a monarchy by the Shahs, members of the Pahlavi family, with immense Western backing. Under economic and societal pressures, a revolution broke out against the Shah in 1979, led by Islamic radicals under the leadership of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Deeply disdainful of Western powers, and responding to anger about the United States' global presence and involvement in the Shah's government, the worker at the American embassy in Tehran were held hostage from November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981. The Americans were released despite the unwillingness to negotiate on the Ayatollah's part, only as Ronald Reagan was sworn in at his inauguration.

Germany had, in 1917, resumed its unrestricted submarine warfare in the North Sea and the Atlantic. This threatened United States trade interests and, more significantly, resulted in the deaths of dozens of U.S. civilians when the Lusitania was attacked. Although affinity for the English and economic rivalry with the Germans played a part in the Congressional debates, it was Germany’s use of U-Boats that finally convinced Wilson that war could not be avoided.

The Lend-Lease policy, officially "An Act to Promote the Defence of the United States," was effectively the end of the United States' neutrality in World War II. While it did not officially enter the war, the Act made the United States firmly support the Allies, Great Britain, Free France, and the Soviet Union, with economic aid and war material. From its enactment in March 1941 to the end of World War II, the US supplied the Allies with over  in aid and supplies.

The events leading up to WWI are a little crazy in that, taken piecemeal they seem relatively small, but put together, they created one of the most deadly conflicts in history. At any rate, Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Black Hand assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand (of Austria-Hungary—and, coincidentally, the name of a modestly successful band) and his wife. This led to A-H issuing an ultimatum to Serbia, which led to escalation and war, which led to the various different treaties coming into play, which, in turn, led to countries that were not even remotely involved in the original conflict becoming embroiled in a massive war.

The entirety of the referenced line reads as follows:

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attacked the US Pacific Fleet, launching America into World War II.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuban locations during October of 1962.  John F. Kennedy was president from 1961 until his death in November of 1963.

 Kennedy’s line came in a 1963 speech in West Berlin that sought to show solidarity with the “free people” of Berlin.  It was also widely seen as a speech which stood against any sense of Soviet aggression in East Germany.  Kennedy’s marked anti-communism and Berlin’s place in the Cold War are important starting points to rule out answer choices that do not indicate either of those facts.

Following the culmination of World War II, the economies of Europe were heavily ravaged by the effects of war. The Marshall Plan, implemented in 1948, was designed to assist these countries economically and re-build them to close to their pre-war strength. The intention was to prevent the Western countries from embracing Communism which was taking hold throughout, the even more impoverished, Eastern Europe.

The Contras were an anti-Communist force dedicated to overthrowing the Sandinista government of Nicaragua, led by Daniel Ortega.  The Reagan administration had attempted to fund the Contras by selling Arms to Iran, despite an Embargo on trade there since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.  The Scandal was discovered in November 1986 after Iranian elements leaked information of the arms sales.

The Kellogg-Briand pact was the brain child of United States Secretary of State Frank Kellogg in 1928. It was a treaty, signed by many nations, including the Soviet Union, which officially renounced war as a means of national policy. Although proposed by a United States’ representative, it did not gain majority support in American society and the U.S. continued to heavily invest in its military throughout peacetime.