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The opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics Games are held in Lake Placid, New York.
One of the most thrilling moments include the Miracle on Ice when a team of U.S. amateur ice hockey players defeated the vaunted Soviet Union professional all-star team in the semi-final game, then won the gold medal over Finland. U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden also concluded one of the most amazing feats in sports history when he won all five speed skating medals from the sprint at 500 meters to the marathon 10,000 meter event. -
President Carter signs legislation establishing Boston African American National Historic Site
President Carter signs legislation establishing Boston African American National Historic Site, which includes the oldest black church in America and other historic sites of the Black Heritage Trail in Boston, Massachusetts. -
presodemt-Ronald Reagan
-Ronald Reagan, the former Republican governor of California, beats President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. Anderson, also a Republican, in a landslide victory, ousting the incumbent from office. The victory in the Electoral College, 489 to 49, as well as an 8 million vote margin in the popular vote over Carter, ensured a mandate for the new president. -
The first launch of the Space Shuttle from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center occurs as Columbia begins its STS-1 mission.
The Space Shuttle is the first reusable spacecraft to be flown into orbit, and it returned to earth for a traditional touch down landing two days later. -
the first female Supreme Court associate justice-Sandra Day O'Connor
September 21, 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor is approved unanimously, 99-0, by the United States Senate to become the first female Supreme Court associate justice in history. -
Elimination of the bus practice for racial integration
The Senate passes a bill that virtually eliminated the practice of busing to achieve racial integration. -
The Knoxville World's Fair opens on the topic of energy by President Reagan.
A special category exposition sanctioned by the Bureau of International Exhibitions, the Knoxville event would draw over eleven million people to the Tennessee valley over the next six months. -
the Strategic Defense Initiative Program, or Star Wars
The initial proposal to develop technology to intercept incoming missiles, the Strategic Defense Initiative Program, or Star Wars, is made by President Ronald Reagan. -
Astronaut Sally Ride
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. -
the first astronauts to fly free of a spacecraft in orbit during a space shuttle flight
Navy Captain Bruce McCandless and Army Lt. Colonel Robert Stewart become the first astronauts to fly free of a spacecraft in orbit during a space shuttle flight that began four days earlier. -
the first woman chosen for that position.
Democratic candidate for President, Walter Mondale, selects Geraldine Ferraro as his Vice Presidential running mate, the first woman chosen for that position. -
the Los Angeles Olympic Games
The opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games is held. The games run by Peter Ueberroth, prove a financial and U.S. success, despite a retaliatory boycott by most allies of the Soviet Union due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow games. -
The first meeting in six years between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States occurs
The first meeting in six years between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States occurs when Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan engage in a five hour summit conference in Geneva, Switzerland. -
The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released.
November 20, 1985 - The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released. -
Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States.
Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States. -
A tentative agreement on a world-wide ban on medium-range missiles is reached between the Soviet Union and the United States.
This agreement would not be expanded to include long-range missiles when President Reagan refused capitulation to the demand from Mikhail Gorbachev to limit development of the Star Wars missile defense shield. -
Black Monday
The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurs on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in one day. Stock markets around the world would mirror the crash with drops of their own. -
The first patent for a genetically engineered animal is issued to Harvard University researchers Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart.
The first patent for a genetically engineered animal is issued to Harvard University researchers Philip Leder and Timothy Stewart. -
Poverty Point National Monument in Louisiana
Poverty Point National Monument in Louisiana is established by President Ronald Reagan in order to preserve some of the most extensive earthworks from prehistoric times in North America. -
the first African American to be nominated to that post--Colin Powell
Army General Colin Powell is elevated to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming the first African American to be nominated to that post. -
The Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Telescope is placed into orbit by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery. One month later, the telescope becomes operational. -
The Gulf War ends one day after Iraq withdraws its forces from Kuwait and sets the oil fields on fire.
A cease fire is declared and Iraq accepts the condition of disarmament after one hundred hours of ground fighting. On April 3, the United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 687, calling for the destruction and removal of the entire Iraqi chemical and biological weapons stockpile, plus ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers. Iraq also agrees to withdraw its support of international terrorism. -
The renewed nation of Russia, part of the Soviet Union dissolved on December 26, 1991
The renewed nation of Russia, part of the Soviet Union dissolved on December 26, 1991, and their leader Boris Yeltsin announce that they will stop targeting the cities of the United States with nuclear weapons. -
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed two hundred and two years after its initial proposal.
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed two hundred and two years after its initial proposal. It bars the United States Congress from giving itself a midterm or retroactive pay raise. This amendment had been originally proposed by James Madison in 1789, as part of twelve amendments, of which ten would become the original Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. -
Intel ships the first Pentium chips, revolutionizing the processing of computers around the world.
Intel ships the first Pentium chips, revolutionizing the processing of computers around the world. -
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. -
The Republican revolution concludes with the midterm elections when for the first time in forty years,
The Republican revolution concludes with the midterm elections when for the first time in forty years, the party gains control of both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. -
The World Trade Organization (WTO)
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is created, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) formed from a series of post-war treaties on trade. The World Trade Organization is more highly structured than the previous GATT and counted seventy-six nations among its members in 1995. -
For the first time, the Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir.
For the first time, the Space Shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir. -
At the Roslin Institute in Scotland, Dolly, the sheep, becomes the first mammal to be cloned.
At the Roslin Institute in Scotland, Dolly, the sheep, becomes the first mammal to be cloned. This begins a rampant debate on the ethics of the procedure in animals and the viability and morality of cloning in human beings. -
President William J. Clinton
President William J. Clinton defeats Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole, as well as the second run of businessman Ross Perot. Clinton gained 49.2% of the popular vote, and increased his total in the Electoral College to 379. Dole gained 40.7% of the popular tally and 159 in the Electoral College. Perot's influence on this race was marginal compared to 1992, receiving only 8.4% of the vote in 1996. -
Federal funding for any research into human cloning is barred by President Bill Clinton.
Federal funding for any research into human cloning is barred by President Bill Clinton. -
The Monica Lewinsky scandal begins when U.S. President Bill Clinton denies his relationship with the White House intern in a televised interview.
January 26, 1998 - The Monica Lewinsky scandal begins when U.S. President Bill Clinton denies his relationship with the White House intern in a televised interview. This denial, and other denials to a grand jury investigation, would lead to the impeachment of the president. -
John Glenn
John Glenn, thirty-six years after becoming the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, becomes the oldest astronaut in space at seventy-seven years old. His role on the Space Shuttle Discovery flight tests the effect of space travel on aging. -
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice. -
The first major mobilization of the anti-globalization movement occurs in Seattle, Washington, during the days before the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings
The protests and rioting caused the cancellation of the WTO opening ceremonies. -
Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York.
Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former First Lady wins public office. -
Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W.
Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W. Bush as the victor, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President. -
911
Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. The attack of two planes levels the World Trade Center and the crash of one plane inflicts serious damage to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing nearly 3,000 deaths.
