-
The U.S. invasion of Panama lasted from December 1989 to January 31, 1990. President Bush justified the invasion by citing 4 reasons: protecting U.S. citizens in Panama, defending democracy in Panama, combating drug trafficking, and securing the outlines provisioned by the Torrijos-Carter treaties. However, the underlying motive behind the invasion was the overthrow of criminal Panamanian leader, Manuel Noriega. This invasion would later be regarded as an infraction upon international law. -
After a high speed car chase, Rodney King was pulled over by the LAPD and brutally beat. This footage was broadcasted to the American public and was one of the earliest public examples of police brutality. In addition to this, Rodney King's beating would lead to the L.A. Riots in which many gathered to protest this systemic injustice. The L.A. Riots lasted from April 29 to May 4, and there were 63 casualties. -
Hurricane Andrew was an extremely powerful Category 5 hurricane that impacted the Bahamas and parts of the Southern United States. Lasting from August 16 through August 29, Andrew took its time while gradually killing 65 people and reaping 27 million dollars from the United States. George H.W. Bush proposed a 7.1 billion dollar relief package in response, yet this aid still could not distract from the fact climate change could have been a large factor in the storm. Andrew left impacts for years. -
The North America Free Trade Agreement connected Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. through free trade. This agreement was first idealized by Ronald Reagan, and was officially put into practice by George H.W. Bush. Some of the issues surrounding NAFTA (e.g. environmental impacts) nominated it for renegotiation contention. However, the amount of jobs lost and impacts on the economy kept NAFTA well alive into the 21st century. -
While preparing for the US figure skating championships, Nancy Kerrigan was struck in the knee with a baton, rendering her knee for a short period of time. The attack was attributed by many to former friend turned rival, Tonya Harding. However, it was determined it was committed by Harding's ex-husband, and she claimed she had no knowledge of the attack. The Nancy Kerrigan scandal supports the idea that sports are very much ingrained in American culture, and have the potential to be violent. -
The Olympic Park Bombing was a terrorist attack committed by Eric Rudolph during the 1996 olympics. The blast killed 1 person and injured 111 others. The bomber was unbeknownst to the police until her committed multiple more bombings. The bombing foreshadowed a future of terrorist attacks and the methods used to combat them. -
JonBenet Ramsey was a 6 year-old model/beauty queen who was murdered in her home. A ransom note addressing her father demanding $110,000 for her return was left on their staircase. When JonBenet's body was discovered in the basement, suspicions arose about her family's involvement in her death. This case shocked the American as it went unsolved, along with the fact that the child who was so early thrust into the spotlight was the victim of the crime. -
During the Kosovo War, NATO launched a plan to drop numerous bombs on the warring Yugoslavia. From March 24 to June 10, bombs were repeatedly dropped upon the nation. The bombs were dropped to protect those in Kosovo from the invading Yugoslavian government, however many innocents were killed by the bombs. Much controversy has followed the dropping of these bombs, and it is speculated that the U.S. lied about the number of Kosovans killed by the enemy to justify involvement. -
The Columbine Massacre was a shooting and attempted bombing performed by two senior students at Columbine High School. In this massacre, 15 people were killed and 24 were injured. This shooting was significant for American history as it inspired many copycat shootings while simultaneously posing the idea of gun control. As new legislation regarding age needed to purchase a gun was passed, many cited the 2nd amendment as defense for the actions performed at Columbine. -
The Y2K scare references a computer bug in which technology would not know how to process numbers greater than 1999. Many speculated that if technology stopped working, the economy would crash, and the world would spiral into chaos. The U.S. spent millions of dollars in preparations for Y2K, almost as a way to project their issues on to something that didn't even exist. Furthermore, some believed that a missile launch in Russia was a result of Y2K, and this furthered heightened tensions in U.S.