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Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was the 37th president of the US. Nixon served for two terms and resigned in the second term. He served from January 20, 1969 - August 9, 1974. A few of Nixon's major events as a president included; ending U.S. involvment with the war in Vietnam, visiting the People's Republic of China and bringing the two nations closer, and signing the Anti-Ballistic Treaty with the Soviets. In a general sense, Nixon was all about taking the power from Washington and giving more to the people. -
Watergate
The Watergate Scandal was a political scandal that involved Richard Nixon. There was a break in at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate building. Nixon was taken to court and evidence was stacked on him. He had been recording conversations to cover-up the scandal and had to eventually turn them into the government. Most of his staff was in on the scandal and forty-three members were indicted. This event is what led to Nixon's resignation. -
Munich Olympics
During the summer olympics in Munich, Germany, there was a terrorist attack. Eleven members of the Israeli team and a German police officer were killed by the Palestinian group known as Black September. The group wanted the release of Israeli prisoners and German prisoners. Five of the 8 terrorists were killed while 3 were captured, released, and then tracked down and killed. The massacre made other European countries realize that they need to come up with counter-terrorism tactics and forces. -
Energy Crisis
The OAPEC announced an oil embargo in October of 1973. More or less, the Arab nations, along with Egypt and Syria, attacked Israel. Because Israel was outnumbered, they panicked. The United States decided to help supply Israel with arms and goods. The OAPEC punished the United States for this. The US Secretary of State negotiated troop withdrawl from an Israeli area and this ended the embargo. The crisis mostly effected the US motor industry. Cars became smaller and more fuel efficient. -
Gerald Ford
President Gerald Ford was the 38th and only president to never have been elected into office because of Nixon's resignation. Ford's first big decision as a president was to pardon Nixon of all charges for the Watergate Scandal. Ford dealt with domestic issues involving the economy and it's inflation and also with foreign policy issues involving the Vietnam War. The war ended while Ford was president and shortly after his ordered military attack on Kho Tang Island. -
Jimmy Carter
Carter was the 39th President of the United States and said that he wanted to change his government and give it back to the people of the US. His presidency was significant due to a number of events; US no longer has control over the Panama Canal, the Department of Energy is created, Camp David peace breakthrough, U.S. and China get full diplomatic relations again, creation of the separate department of education, the Iran Hostage Crisis, and when the US boycotts the Summer Olympics in Moscow. -
Chernobyl/Three Mile Island
On March 28, 1979 in a non-nucleur section of Three Mile Island's second station, TMI-2, broke down. Pressure started to rise inside of the station, and operators received incorrect signals from the machine, they tried to resolve the problem, but didn't realize what was really going on. Radiation began to leak out and get to the local population. Due to poor design and human error, 50 workers died. Many new designs and new safety regulations were taken. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
The Shah of Iran fled from his country before the hostages were taken because of uprisals with his people, he wanted to come to the US, but even though he was suffering from cancer, President Carter was cautious about letting him into the US. Iran became upset that Carter let the Shah in and took 60 of our embassy employees hostage. After a failed mission from the US to free the hostages, some were finally released because the Iran government realized there was no gain in holding the hostages. -
1980 Olympic Hockey Team
The United States and the USSR both had won several games in the winter Olympics hockey tournament going on. Both teams pushed to the medal round, and they were to face off on February 22, 1980. The Soviets had won the Olympic Medal seven years in a row, but that stopped on that day. The United States came through to win 4-3 and that game was then known as "The Miracle on Ice". The US went on to win the gold medal and lit the next 2002 Winter Olympics. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States. His presidency made a significant effect on the US in many ways. He ended the Cold War, helped the economy with tax-cuts, domestic spending, and deregulation, he revitalized the GOP and the conservative movement, made nucleur weapon cuts, and he passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986. -
The Discovery of Aids
Aids was first observed in the US in 1981. The first cases were found in gay men with symptoms of PCP. At first, the disease didn't have a name so they referred to it as GRID (gay-related immune deficiency), the term was later dropped when it was discovered that it was not only found in gay men. It is said that AIDS first developed in Africa from non-human primates. -
Iran Contra Affair
In 1985 Iran secretly asked the United States to help them by buying weapons from the US, while Iran and Iraq were at war. At the time, though, there was an embargo against selling weapons to Iran. The National Security Advisor for President Raegan tried to convince him that it would help with US and Middle East relations. Lebanon was holding American prisoners, so the situation became an arms for prisoners exchange. Lebanon released three prisoners, but captured three more around the same time. -
Challenger Explosion
On January 28, 1986 the Challenger space shuttle blew up shortly after its lift off. The explosion was caused by an O-ring failure at lift off. Many crew members survived the explosion, but since the shuttle blew up over the ocean, the crew members were trapped because there was no escape system. After the explosion several new tactics were taken, there were new safety measures, a new solid rocket booster design, and a new management-decision making policy for future references/launches. -
George H.W. Bush
Bush was the 41st President of the United States. His presidency had many significant marks on the US, some are as follows; Lebanese hostage crisis, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the ongoing war against drug trafficking, the invasion of Panama, and the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. -
The fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was the division between West Berlin and East Germany, physically and symbologically. After WW2, Germany was divided into four sectors, and so was its capital (each piece being owned by four different countries). As the Soviets started to have worse relationships with the other countries, things became hostile and the wall was built. Many people tried escaping East Germany, but failed. Communism began to faulter, so down came the wall. Germany became one country again, undivided. -
Rise of Computers/internet
In 1947 the transistor was invented, leading up to more computer use. In the 1950s and 60s the military and governments now had computer systems. The first personal computers came out in the 1970s. In 1999 almost every country had internet and half of Americans used the Internet on a regular basis. This is significant to the US because it became easier to connect with people in other countries, business boomed, etc... -
U.S. Military Acts in Iraq (Operation Desert Storm)
Operation Desert Storm took place because Iraq invaded the small island of Kuwait. The war was waged by the United Nations Coalition Force. The first thing done to try and get the Iraqi troops out of Kuwait was an aerial bombardment which was followed by a ground assault. Iraq responded with missle launches. The coalitions dominated the air and eventually ground, liberating Kuwait.
