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Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was first signed into law on July 26th, 1990. It is intended to protect against discrimination based on disability. It also requires employers to provide reasonable accomodations to employees with disabilities, and imposes accessibility requirements on public accomodations. Equal employment opportunities arose for people with conditions such as deafness, blindness, partial or fully missing limbs, autism, cancer, etc. -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas
On July 1st, 1991, President George H.W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to replace the retiring Thurgood Marshall. The nomination proceedings were controversial from the start, and toward the end of the confirmation hearings, Anita Hill, a law professor who had worked under Thomas previously, had made sexual allegatiosn against Thomas. These allegations by Hill led to a media frenzy. The nomination was then moved to the full Senate for a vote, and Thomas was cofirmed by a vote of 52-48. -
Magic Johnson's HIV Announcement
Magic Johnson was an NBA player, and during a physical before the 1991-1992 NBA season, it was discovered that Magic had tested positive for HIV. In a press conference on November 7th, 1991, Johnson made an announcement that he would retire immediately. At the time, HIV was thought to be only a disease for gay men, and it was rumored that Johnson could have been bisexual or gay, but Magic denied all rumors. -
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the most destructive hurricane in United States history. Classified as a category 5 hurricane, it killed 65 people and costed an estimated $26.5 billion in damages. Andrew destoryed more than 25,000 houses in the Miami-Dade County alone, obliterating everything except for their foundations. Reaching speeds of 175 mph, it affected the Bahamas, S Florida, Louisiana, and other areas of the Southern Untied States. -
US Soldiers in Somalia / Blackhawk Down
The Battle of Mogadishu was fought from October 3rd to the 4th in 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia, between the forces of the United States (backed by NATO) versus Somalia militia. Right after the assault began, Somalian militia shot down two Black Hawk helicopters, and the following operation to save the people on board both helicopters extended overnight until the morning of October 4th. The operation was initially supposed to last 4 hours, but instead lasted longer. -
Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada that created a trade bloc between the three countries. This agreement allowed barriers for trade between Canada, Mexico, and the US to be limited. It replaced the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement. The impact of NAFTA on the US was great, as 95% of Americans benefited from the agreement. -
O.J. Simpson Trial
Former NFL star O.J. Simpson was tried on two counts of murder for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and waiter Ronald Lyle Goldman. This case has been thought to have been the most publicized criminal trial in American history. Before Simpson was arrested, 269 helicopters joined the low-speed chase after him, and right before a verdict was reached, an estimated 100 million people worldwide stopped what they were doing to listen or watch the verdict, and O.J. was found not guilty. -
Million Man March
The Million Man March was a mass gathering of African American men in Washington DC on October 16, 1995. Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, organized the March to "convey the world a vastly different picture of the Black male". About 837,000 people showed up to the march, which was less than the March organizers had hoped for. The March organizers primary goal of the march was to get rid of the stereotype of African Americans that was brought on by people like OJ Simpson. -
NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
The NATO bombing in Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Serbian people and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. NATO's explanation for the operation was to stop human right abuses in Kosovo. It was also the first time NATO used military force without getting approval from the UN Security Council. The bombings lasted from March 24th, 1999 to June 10th, 1999. About 500 civilians were killed and bridges, industrial plants, private businesses were destroyed also -
Columbine Shooting
The Columbine High School masacre was a school shooting at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. The perpetrators were students at the high schoo, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. They killed 12 students and 1 teacher, as well as injuring 24 other students. After about 49 minutes, each of them shot themselves in the head to commit suicide. This massacre is known as the most deadliest high school shooting in US history.
