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Mt. Saint Helen erupts
An earthquake followed by the eruption of Mt St Helen's kills 57 people in Washington. There was over $1 billion in damage and the eruption caused the land to be wasteland. -
Summer Olympics Boycott
US boycotts 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest against 1979 invasion of Afgahnastan. -
John Lennon Assassinated
John Lennon, a member of the Beatles, was assasinated on December 8, 1980 Mark David Chapman killed him in New York City. -
Iran Releases Hostages
US citizens were held hostage for 444 days from Nov. 4 1979 - Jan. 20 1981 after the US embassy was taken over by Islamic students and militants. -
Beirut Barracks Bombing
Marked the end of peacekeeping operations in Lebanon. -
Challenger Explosion
The space shuttle Challenger exploded during lift off, killing all on board including school teacher Christa McAuliffe. -
Tax Reform Act Passed
Simplified the tax code and broadened the tax base. It was referred to as "Reagan tax cuts". -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
Agreement between US and USSR. Limits ground intermidiate range nuclear weapons. -
President George H.W. Bush
George H W Bush becomes the 41st president -
Cold War Ends
George HW Bush declares the Cold War to be over at the Malta Summit. -
Hubble Space Telescope
Launched during a Space Shuttle Discovery mission. The telescope allows us to see farther into space. -
USSR is Dissolved
The Cold War offically ends when the USSR is dissolved. -
27th Amendment is Ratified
Prohibits changes in Congressional salaries to take effect until after the next election cycle. It was first proposed in 1789. -
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd president -
NAFTA Goes Into Affect
Allows for free trade between the US, Mexico, and Canada -
Oklahoma City Bombing
The Oklahoma City Bombing was an attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed including 19 children under the age of 6. It was the worst tragedy on US soil before 9/11. -
9/11 Terrorist Attack
four airplanes were hijacked and two destroyed the twin towers in NYC, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth was crashed in a field in PA after the passengers on board took over the aircraft.