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Richard Nixon
Most of Richard Nixon’s success was his foreign affairs and the Vietnam War. He negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, which was designed to distract the Soviet Union from launching their first strike. Nixon re-established American influence in the Middle East. He was able to achieve détente with China and the Soviet Union. Nixon was the first ever president to resign. This was because of the Watergate scandal. -
Watergate
Watergate was the effect of President Nixon’s resignation. The robbers were connected to Nixon’s reelection campaign. They were caught stealing secret documents. Nixon took steps to try to cover up the scandal, giving the burglars money. He fired a few uncooperative staff members that did not want to help in covering it up. The Watergate scandal changed American politics forever. This led Americans to think a little more about the presidency. -
Munich Olympics
During the 1972 Olympics in Munich there was a terrorist attack. Eight terrorists from Palestinian killed two of the Israeli people on the Olympic team and took nine others hostage. It ended in a gun fight that killed five of the terrorists and all the hostages. That September was known as Black September. -
Energy Crisis
There was never really a shortage in gas. Europe did not feel they were getting paid enough for the petroleum so they would not export it to different countries. Europe began to raise the prices of petroleum to twelve times its regular amount. The shortage of oil led to restrictions, such as, no using cars on Sundays, speed limits, and heating restrictions. The energy crisis of 1973 created a sense of insecurity in European countries. It showed the vulnerability in their economy. -
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford Became President in August 8, 1974. In 1963 he was Richard Nixon's Vice President after Spiro Agnew resigned. Before becoming president he was a republican representative in Michigan. Ford became president after the resignation of president Richard Nixon. He pardoned Nixon a month after he became president. Ford was the first U.S. president to visit Japan, but he was remembered as clumsy because of the many falls it brought. He was then defeated in the 1976 elections by Jimmy Carter. -
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter became president in 1977. Because of his poor relationships with Congress, he didn't communicate his policies very effectively. In 1979 he gave a terrible speech known as, “Crisis of Confidence” speech. In this speech he blamed America’s problems on the poor spirit of its people. He tried to return the Panama Canal to Panama, which made people believe he was a weak leader. Although he had a poor and unsuccessful presidency, he was considered the best ex-president in American history -
Three Mile Island
This reactor melted down on March 28, 1979 in PA. The plant experienced a failure in the secondary, non-nuclear part of the plant. The pump that circulates the water failed, so the water would not circulate. This caused pressure to build until the relief valve was busted and leaded radiation. There was no cancer found in anyone that was around. There was one billion dollars spent on cleanup and it lasted for 13 years. This meltdown created many changes which enhanced U.S. reactor safety. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
On November 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the United States Embassy complex in Tehran. Jimmy Carter caused this anger Iranians felt to take over the Embassy complex. Jimmy Carter allowed Shah Reza Pahlavi, the former Iranian ruler, to enter the U.S. for medical treatment. This crisis created a near state of war and ruined Jimmy Carter’s presidency. To this day, Iran still fights with America. -
1980 Olympic Hockey Team
The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team will always be remembered as the greatest sporting event of all-time. The Soviet Union hockey team was undefeated in their group. When the U.S. defeated the Soviet Union during the Olympics it was known as the Miracle on Ice. With twenty minutes to go the U.S. scores the final point putting them ahead 4-3. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan created the Reagan Revolution, which aimed to strengthen the American people and reduce their dependence upon the government. He helped pressure the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. Reagan also created a solid agenda for decades after his presidency. In 1984 he was re-elected as president. He won 49 of the 50 states elections. This was the largest number ever won by any president. -
Rise of Computers/Internet
The first color computer hits the market for less than three hundred dollars in 1981. More than one million units were sold. Also in 1980 the microcomputer was created. In 1981 the portable computer was made called the Osborne 1. Adam Osborne created it. In 1983 Microsoft Word was created by Bill Gates. -
Discovery of AIDS
During the 1970s HIV enters the U.S. With doctors knowing nothing, people thought God sent a plague to gay people on Earth. In 1981 AIDS were detected in California and New York. The first cases were in gay men and injected drug users. In 1982 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is created. During 1984 scientists identify HIV as the cause of AIDS. In 1988 the government conducts a national AIDS education campaign. By 1990 around 8 million people are living with HIV worldwide. -
Challenger Explosion
The space shuttle Challenger was one of NASA’s greatest triumphs, but it was also their darkest tragedy. It successfully completed nine milestone missions, but on its tenth launch the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after the liftoff. It killed seven crew members. This accident changed the space program forever. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Iran-contra affair was a secret arrangement in the 1980s to give funds to the Nicaraguan contra rebels. To get this money President Ronald Reagan sold arms to Iran. This created a commitment to aid the contras in making a guerrilla war against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. It was used to placate within the Iranian government to secure the release of American hostages. It also helped influence the Iranian foreign policy in a pro-Western direction. -
Chernobyl
Chernobyl was a nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union. The safety protocols did not work, which caused two reactors to catch fire and created a huge radiation cloud. The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded. The radiation was released into the air for about ten days. Around sixty people were killed during this. The radiation caused many birth defects. -
George H.W. Bush
George H.W. Bush became president in 1988. During his speech at the Republican National Convention, he stated, “Read my lips: No new taxes.” Bush handled foreign affairs very well. He created a national coalition and led Hussein, the Iraqi President, out of the oil-rich country. This was thought as his greatest presidential success. Bush gave a speech saying, he will destroy Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons facilities. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
After WWII, Berlin was split into four zones. The Berlin wall was created to split West Berlin from East Berlin. The wall was a symbolic boundary between democracy and communism during the Cold War. The wall started with barbed wire, then became larger and stronger each time it was rebuilt. As the wall was put up many people tried to escape. One family escaped by digging a tunnel from one side of the wall to the other. The wall had fallen in November of 1989. -
Operation Desert Storm
Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, ordered his army across the border into Kuwait to start a war. Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world. This affected the U.S. because Kuwait supplied oil to the U.S. The U.S. defended Saudi Arabia, which was near Kuwait. This was known as Operation Desert Shield. Over 500,000 American soldiers were put in Saudi Arabia in case Iraq attacked. This Operation turned into Operation Desert Storm, because the U.S. began bombing Iraq.
