-
Jimmy Carter Elected President
Carter, a Democrat from Georgia, took office following his narrow victory over Republican incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election. His presidency ended after his landslide defeat in the 1980 presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan, after one term in office. -
Star Wars Movie Premier
The first Star Wars movie, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, was released in 1977, marking the debut of the iconic franchise. Initially released simply as Star Wars, it was later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope in 1981. The film was a huge success, becoming a cultural phenomenon and spawning countless spin-offs, video games, and a merchandising empire. -
Three Mile Island Meltdown
The Three Mile Island accident, a partial nuclear meltdown that occurred at Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania on March 28, 1979 -
Mount. St. Helens Eruption
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was a catastrophic event that began on May 18, 1980, at 8:32 am PDT. It was preceded by two months of intense seismic and volcanic activity, including over 10,000 earthquakes and small explosions. The eruption was triggered by a magnitude 5.1 earthquake that caused the largest landslide in recorded history, removing a large portion of the volcano's north flank. -
Iran Hostages Released
The Iranian hostages were released on January 20, 1981, following a 444-day captivity that began with the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. The release occurred minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration as president, ending the crisis that had plagued President Jimmy Carter's administration -
assassination attempt on president reagan
On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. as he left the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., according to the Wikipedia article. Hinckley fired six shots from a .22 caliber revolver. Reagan was wounded, along with White House Press Secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, and police officer Thomas Delahanty. -
Iran/ Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra affair was a scandal during the Reagan administration involving the secret sale of weapons to Iran, with the profits used to illegally fund the Nicaraguan Contras, who were fighting against the Sandinista government. The scheme also aimed to secure the release of American hostages held in Lebanon -
Challenger Shuttle Explosion
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts aboard. The disaster was caused by a failure of an O-ring seal in the solid rocket booster, exacerbated by the cold launch temperature. This led to a chain of events that resulted in the external tank failing and the orbiter breaking apart. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). A surge of power during a test on reactor Unit 4 caused a steam explosion and fires that released large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere -
George H.W. Bush Elected President
Bush was inaugurated on January 20, 1989, succeeding Ronald Reagan. He entered office at a period of change in the world; the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet Union came in his presidency. In his inaugural address, Bush said: I come before you and assume the Presidency at a moment rich with promise. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, marked the end of the Cold War division between East and West Germany, symbolizing the collapse of communist rule in Eastern Europe. Erected in 1961 to prevent East Germans from fleeing to the West, the wall became a powerful symbol of repression and political division. -
Start of the Persian Gulf War
What incident triggered the Persian Gulf War? The Persian Gulf War, also called Gulf War (1990–91), was an international conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990 -
Rodney King Decision & L.A. Riots
The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the South Central riots or the Rodney King riots, were a series of protests and civil disturbances that erupted in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four LAPD officers in the beating of Rodney King. The riots, which lasted for six days, resulted in significant property damage, injuries, and deaths -
Original U.S.A. Olympic Basketball Dream Team
The "Dream Team," the 1992 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team, was a squad of NBA stars who dominated the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, winning a gold medal with an 8-0 record. The team included players like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler, and Christian Laettner -
Bill Clinton Elected President
Clinton was elected president in the 1992 election, defeating the incumbent Republican Party president George H. W. Bush, and the independent businessman Ross Perot. He became the first president to be born in the Baby Boomer generation and the youngest to serve two full terms. -
Launch of Google
Google was officially launched on September 4, 1998, when Google Inc. was incorporated in Menlo Park, California. The company was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to develop and market Google Search. The domain name google.com was registered on September 15, 1997. -
Bill Clinton Impeached by the House of Representatives
Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on two articles of impeachment: perjury and obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from his relationship with Monica Lewinsky and his testimony in the Paula Jones lawsuit. While impeached, he was later acquitted by the Senate. -
World Trade Center/Pentagon/Shanksville, PA Attacks
On September 11, 2001, four commercial airliners were hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists, leading to deadly attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people, including the 19 hijackers.