One of the most enduring icons of early African-American civil rights movement in the United States is this academic institution located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock Central High School came into national prominence in 1957 when an incident involving nine African-American, now famously known as “Little Rock Nine”, were denied entrance into the high school in defiance of the 1954 Supreme Court Ruling ordering racial integration in public schools.

The institution’ refusal to let these students study challenged the then testy waters of American government’s policies on racial segregation. The iconic image of 101st Airborne Division soldiers escorting the nine students burned itself into the national consciousness. The school was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 20, 1982.