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Passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act
In 1986, the National Council of Disability drafted the first copy of the American With Disabilities Act. In 1988, it was introduced to congress and by 1990, it was approved and signed into law by President H.W. Bush. Its purpose was to protect discrimination against disability (similar to Civil Rights Act of 1964). It also says that workplaces have to reasonably accomadate to allow people with disabilities to work. -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas
In 1990, Justice Thurgood Marshall retired from office. George H.W. Bush had a couple nominations but was most interested in nominating Clarence Thomas to be a Supreme Court Justice. Thomas had conservative ideals which conflicted with various groups such as women's rights and civil rights groups. Thomas, after winning the nomination, was voted in by a majority of 52-48. -
Magic Johnson's HIV Announcement
Magic Johnson was a very talented basketball player who mainly played for the Los Angeles Lakers. During a physical in the 1991-92 season, Johnson learned that he caught the HIV virus. He announced his retirement on November 7, 1991 as well as his immediate retirement. His wife and his unborn child did not have the disease. He wanted to spend his time fighiting the diesase. -
Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement was made by the US, Canada, and Mexico to create a trade bloc in North America. It was signed by each of the countries respective leaders on December 17,1992: President George H.W. Bush from the US, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and Mexican President Carlos Salinas. After this it had to be ratified by each of the nation's congress. The main goal of this agreement was to further rid the barriers of trade between the nations. -
US Soldiers in Somalia/Black Hawk Down
During OPC (Operation Provide Comfort) in Northern Iraq, the US had a friendly fire incident where two fighter jet pilots fired on Black Hawk helicopters that were identified as enemy helicopters "hinds." The 26 people on board died. Among them were military and civilians people from the US, the UK, France, Turkey, and the Kurdish Community. The main problem with the incident was the failing to indicated whether friend or foe. Investigations were launched by the House of Reps and the Senate. -
O.J. Simpson Trial
The O.J. Simpson murder trial was a criminal trial in California. He was sentenced to two counts of murder, one being his ex-wife and one being his restaurant waiter. This trial, judged by Judge Ito, was the most televised trial in law history. It spanned from the swear-ins on November 9, 1994, to the final verdict of "Not Guilty" on October 3, 1995. A lawsuit was launched on him later, and he was found "resonsible for the deaths" and had to compensate the family. -
Explosion of TWA Flight 800
A Boeing 747-100 flying internationally from US to Rome crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 230 passengers and crew on board were killed during impact. Investigators originally thought it was a terrorist plot but then found out the cause and closed the investigation. It was a flammable air fuel issue that was still not determined. Further preventions were made to not have that occur ever again. -
Centennial Olympic Park Bombing
In the Summer Olympic Games, held at Atlantic, Georgia, multiple pipe bombs went off and killed 1 person and injured 111 others. A man named Eric Rudolph carried out the attack through a planned scheme of events. President Bill Clinton described this event as an evil act of terror and wanted to find those responsible and punish them. -
NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) bombed the Serbian people and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo war. The bombing killed 480-520 civilians as well as destroyed military installments, private businesses, and trasportation routes. Code name "Operation Allied Forces" was put into place because of the rights abuses in Kosovo. It was a success with the Yugoslav forces withdrawing and a treaty was put in place. -
Columbine High School Massacre
The Columbine High School Massacre was a highly planned attack that lead to 12 deaths, 21 injured, and another three injured in attempt to escape from the school. The assailants behind this attack were fellow students. They committed suicide after the attack. The motives behind the massacre remained unclear. After a thorough investigation including searches through personal journals, the only motive found was to mimic a different deadly event during the 90s.
