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  A bombing in Oklahoma City kills 168 and wounds 800 people, being the worst domestic terrorist incident. This sparked a debate on security measures.
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  A gay college student named Matthew Shepard was killed near the University of Wyoming. He became the symbol of gay-bashing victims and started a public reflection on homophobia in the United States.
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  Two teenagers from Columbine High murdered 13 students and teachers, creating the deadliest mass murder at a school. This sparks a debate on how people reprimand bullying and debates on the laws of gun control.
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  The No Child Left Behind Act was passed, making sure that children now have a better chance of learning and graduating school.
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  After the Twin Towers were hit by airplanes, the Department of Homeland Security was created to better protect our country.
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  A few days after 9/11, letters were mailed to Mail departments containing anthrax spores, killing and infecting people. This caused the US to amp up their security on suspicious mail packages.
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  This act helped secure some of our airports and other dangerous areas by allowing law enforcement to search people in cases of suspected terrorism.
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  One of the world's largest social networking sites, Facebook, is launched to the public. This site helps people meet with people they knew a long time ago, or generally meet new friends.
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  A South Korean student at Virginia Tech shoots and murders 32 students and then commits suicide. It is the worst mass-shooting in history and sparks a debate on journalism ethics and gun control.
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  Citizens of the LGBT community suddenly commit mass suicides due to a variety of reasons from threats to teasing to being forcefully "outed" to their loved ones. This spurs and equal rights campaign for minorities and makes it a crime to discriminate based on gender and sexual identity, known as the Matthew Shepard Act.