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The most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history; it led to permanent changes in how the industry is regulated. -
Following the Watergate scandal, Carter's election represented a shift toward "outsider" politics and a focus on human rights. -
The deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history, located in Washington state. -
52 Americans were released after 444 days in captivity, exactly as Ronald Reagan was being inaugurated, ending a major diplomatic crisis. -
A secret operation where the U.S. sold weapons to Iran (to free hostages) and used the proceeds to illegally fund "Contra" rebels in Nicaragua. -
The shuttle disintegrated 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew members, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. -
A catastrophic nuclear accident in the Soviet Union (modern-day
Ukraine) that released 400 times more radioactive fallout than the Hiroshima bomb. -
Served as a bridge between the late Cold War era and the "New World Order" following the collapse of the Soviet Union. -
The symbolic end of the Cold War, leading to the reunification of Germany and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. -
A U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. -
His victory ended 12 years of Republican control of the White House, focusing largely on domestic economic policy. -
Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, it revolutionized how the world accesses information. -
Clinton was impeached by the House on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from the Monica Lewinsky scandal; he was later acquitted by the Senate. -
The deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil, leading to the
"War on Terror" and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security