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Star Wars Movie Premier
The original Star Wars movie, now known as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, was released in the United States on May 25, 1977. It quickly became a blockbuster hit, grossing over $775 million worldwide and launching a global pop culture phenomenon. The film was originally released under the simple title of Star Wars -
Mount. St. Helens Eruption
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens was a catastrophic event that killed 57 people, caused billions of dollars in damage, and dramatically altered the surrounding landscape. -
Three Mile Island Meltdown
The 1979 accident at Three Mile Island was a partial meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor due to a combination of equipment malfunctions, design flaws, and operator error. -
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 following his landslide defeat in the 1980 presidential election to Republican Ronald Reagan, after one term in office. -
Iran/ Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair (Persian: ماجرای ایران-کنترا; Spanish: Caso Irán-Contra), also referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the Iran Initiative, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that centered around arms trafficking to Iran between 1981 and 1986, facilitated by senior officials of the Ronald Reagan administration. -
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, Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States, was 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. Hinckley believed the attack would impress the actress Jodie Foster, with whom he had developed an erotomanic obsession after viewing her in the 1976 film Taxi Driver. -
George H.W. Bush Elected President
Bush, a Republican from Texas and the incumbent vice president for two terms under President Ronald Reagan, took office following his landslide victory over Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election. -
Challenger Shuttle Explosion
The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. The disaster was caused by a failure in one of the solid rocket boosters' O-rings, which were designed to seal the joints between booster sections. Unusually cold weather on the launch day caused the O-rings to lose their flexibility and fail to properly seal. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
The Chernobyl disaster, which occurred on April 26, 1986, was a catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). The explosion and fire released vast amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere, contaminating vast areas and causing numerous deaths and health problems. The disaster was a result of a combination of factors, including a flawed reactor design, operator errors, and a lack of safety culture. -
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. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, was a pivotal moment in history, marking the symbolic end of the Cold War and the division of Europe. It was triggered by a combination of factors, including the East German government's announcement of opening borders, widespread protests in East Germany, and the growing unrest in Eastern Europe. This event led to the reunification of Germany in 1990 and inspired movements for freedom across the region. -
Original U.S.A. Olympic Basketball Dream Team
The "Dream Team," the original USA Olympic basketball team, was the 1992 team that dominated the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It was a roster of all-time NBA greats who had never played together before, resulting in an undefeated record and a gold medal. -
Start of the Persian Gulf War
What incident triggered the Persian Gulf War? The Persian Gulf War, also called the 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
Rodney King's was among the first, but not the last, widely seen video of anti-Black violence. Thirty years later, Americans continue to reckon with police violence against Black men and women — and with vigilantes who assume the role of law enforcement. -
Launch of Google
Google was officially launched on September 4, 1998, when Google Inc. was formed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The company was formally incorporated in Menlo Park, California, in Susan Wojcicki's garage. The domain google.com was registered on September 15, 1997. -
Bill Clinton Impeached by the House of Representatives
Yes, Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, on two articles: perjury and obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal. The House impeached Clinton, but he was later acquitted by the Senate. -
World Trade Center/Pentagon/Shanksville, PA Attacks
On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, striking the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and crashing a fourth plane in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people, including the 19 hijackers.