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Democrat and former Governor of Georgia, was elected the 39th President of the United States -
Initially released in fewer than 32 theaters, it became an immediate blockbuster, defying low expectations to become a massive cultural phenomenon and launching a franchise that included sequels -
This was the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, although its small radioactive releases had no detectable health effects on plant workers or the public. -
The catastrophic eruption, was preceded by 2 months of intense activity that included more than 10,000 earthquakes. -
Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, ending a 444-day crisis. The hostages were flown to Wiesbaden, Germany, for medical evaluations before returning to the U.S.. -
Shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C., as Reagan was returning to his limousine after a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton hotel. -
National Security Council officials secretly sold weapons to adversary Iran violating an embargo to free U.S. hostages in Lebanon. -
Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated 46,000 feet -
Destroyed the Chernobyl 4 reactor, killing 30 operators and firemen within three months and several further deaths later. -
Republican and sitting Vice President, was elected as the 41st U.S. President in 1988, defeating Democrat Michael Dukakis with 53% of the popular vote and 426 electoral votes. Running with Dan Quayle -
Was a pivotal Cold War event where East German spokesman Günter Schabowski mistakenly announced immediate, unrestricted travel to the West. -
Iraq invaded Kuwait, triggering a U.S.-led coalition response to liberate the nation. Following the invasion, Operation Desert Shield was initiated to defend Saudi Arabia, which later transitioned into the Operation Desert Storm air campaign -
The not guilty verdict in the trial of the four officers accused of beating King sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots. -
Olympic Basketball "Dream Team" was the first American Olympic squad to feature active NBA players -
Democrat and former Governor of Arkansas, was elected the 42nd U.S. President on November 3, 1992, defeating incumbent Republican George H.W. Bush and independent H. Ross Perot. -
Stanford research project named "BackRub" that used links to analyze website importance. The company was incorporated in California and quickly moved to a garage in Menlo Park, later moving to Mountain View in 2003, with its initial public offering in 2004. -
U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice regarding his affair with Monica Lewinsky, making him the second U.S. president impeached. -
al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four U.S. commercial airliners, killing 2,977 people in a coordinated attack. Planes struck the World Trade Center (WTC) in NYC and the Pentagon in Virginia, while Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA, after passengers fought back. The attacks caused unprecedented destruction, long-term health crises for responders, and transformed U.S. security.