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The US Invasion of Panama
This invasion was codenamed "Operation Just Cause". It was carried out under the presidency of George H. W. Bush and aimed to drop the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noreiga. Guillermo Endara was then put in Noreiga's place after Noreiga surrendered on January 3rd 1990. Bush gave several reasons for the invasion, such as the need to defend human rights in Panama and to protect US citizens. -
Passage of the Americans with disabilities Act
The US devised this law in order to protect people with disabilities. It makes it so that private employers as well as state and local governments from discriminating and disabled individuals who are otherwise qualified for jobs. Once signed into law it gave the disabled community greater protections and workplace opportunities. -
The Rodney King Beating and LA Riots
An LA police chase turned violent when the police assaulted Rodney King and his accomplices after he pulled over. Subsequently, riots took place in and around Los Angeles over a six day period during which a total of 53 people were killed. The public was unhappy with the police brutality and revolted in an aggressive manner. -
Hurricane Andrew
A tropical wave moving off of the coast of Africa on August 14th 1992 was the first step that caused this hurricane, which fully formed by the 16th. It was put in category 5, the strongest category that exists, and the damaged it caused was the most expensive of any hurricane to hit the US up until that point. It made landfall in Dade County Florida, and caused an estimated $25 billion in damages. -
Blackhawk Down
The US Army Rangers 3rd battalion, 75th ranger regiment was deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia, on a "humanitarian mission" in order to bring food to starving people. In reality they were trying to extract two of the lieutenants of the self proclaimed president Mohammad Farrah Aidad, when two US helicopters were shot down by Somalian militia and armed civilians. An operation to recover the crews was set into motion, and it took a total of two days to succesfully get them out of the city. -
Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
This trade agreement was formed by The US, Mexico, and Canada. It was created in order to give North America an edge in the business world by reducing trading costs and increasing business investments. It was a threeway trade agreement between the three aforementioned countries that benefited them all. -
The OJ Simpson Trial
OJ Simpson is a former professional football player turned actor who was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her alleged lover Ronald Goldman. The two were discovered dead at 12:10 am on June 13th 1994 outside of Nicole's condo in LA. After a long and arduous trial, Simpson's lawyers were succesful in earning him a "not guilty" verdict, which was handed out on October the 3rd 1995. No one was ever found guilty of their murder. -
The Million Man March
The Million Man March was a massive gathering of African-Americans in Washington D.C, called together by the National African American Leadership Summit and the Nation of Islam to win the attention of lawmakers for various urban and minority related issues. At the time, African-Americans faced double the unemployment rate of white Americans as well as other social inequalities. The march aimed to bring these things to light. It is estimated that 837,000 people attended the march. -
The Olympic Park Bombing
Eric Robert Rudolph was upset with the US goverment and hoped that by bombing the 1996 Summer Olympics, being held in Atlanta, Georgia, he could get the Olympics canceled. He planted pipe bombs in a bag at the Centennial Olympic Park, which was ultimately uncovered by a security guard by the name of Richard Jewell. Despite its discovery, two people were killed by it and 111 people were injured. -
The Murder of Jon Benet Ramsey
The Murder of Jon Benet Ramsey is one that is shrouded in mystery. She was a young girl born in Atlanta Georgia, who at the age of nine months moved to Boulder, Colorado. Her mother, Patricia Ramsey, enrolled her in many beauty pageants in different states. On December 26th 1996 Patricia noticed her daughter was missing and then found a ransom note in the house. Jon Benet was found dead in her Boulder home, strangled and beaten on her head. No one was ever convicted of the crime. -
The Heaven's Gate Cult Suicide
The Heaven's Gate Cult leader Marshall Applewhite believed that there was a UFO following the Hale-Bopp commet on March 19th 1997. He told the other cult members that if they committed suicide that their souls would be taken to a "level of existence above human" by the same UFO. 39 members, including Applewhite, commited suicide on March 24,25, and 26 in a rented out mansion in San Diego, California. They were all dressed in identical black outfits and had purple cloths over their faces. -
The Murder of James Byrd
James Byrd - a 49 year old African-American man - accepted a ride that was offered a ride by Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King. The three drove Byrd out to a remote area and beat him before tying him to the back of their car and dragging him for several miles, which eventually lead to Byrd's death. The killers had white supremist ties, which lead to this being labeled a hate crime and contributed to the passing of the Matthew Shepard Act. -
The Murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard was a homosexual man who was beaten to killed by Russel Henderson and Aaron McKinney for his sexuality. After telling Shepard they would give him a ride home from a night out together, they drove him out to a remote area where he was beaten to death. He died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. At the time there were no laws in place to label it a hate crime, but in subsequent years that has changed as a result of this instance. -
The NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia
During the Kosovo War NATO would take military action against the Federal Reepublic of Yugoslavia, despite thefact that these operations were not condoned by the UN. These bombings would primarily take place in the Republic of Serbia. NATO sought to forcibly bring peace to the region and end all violence in the area between warring factions. The result of these bombings were Yugoslavian troops withdrawing from Kosovo. It is estimated that over 2000 civilians were killed in these bombings. -
Columbine Massacre
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attacked Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, with a wide arsenal of weaponry and bombs. The pair planted a fire bomb before attacking students at school in order to divert fire fighters. They converted propane tanks into bombs that were then planted in the school's cafeteria. Before committing suicide, they killed 12 students and one teacher. Their motives were never truely and fully uncovered.
