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Period: to
Presidency of Richard Nixon
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Occupational Safety and Health Administration Established
It was an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law. OSHA's mission is to "assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance." -
Nixon Visits China
The American people had seen little of the world's most populous nation since the Communists had taken power. Nixon's visit to China in February 1972 was widely televised and heavily viewed. It was only a first step, but a decisive one, in the budding rapprochement between the two states. -
Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Signed
A treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union on the limitation of the anti-ballistic missile systems used in defending areas against missile-delivered nuclear weapons. Under the terms of the treaty, each party was limited to two ABM complexes, each of which were to be limited to 100 anti-ballistic missiles. -
Break-in at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters
5 men were discovered and arrested inside the DNC's office.They were Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James McCord, Eugenio Martínez, and Frank Sturgis, who were charged with attempted burglary and attempted interception of telephone and other communications. The attempted cover up of the break-in led to Nixon's resignation. -
Christmas Bombings Begin
A US aerial bombing campaign, conducted against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of US involvement in the Vietnam War. It saw the largest heavy bomber strikes launched by the US Air Force since the end of World War II. -
Paris Peace Accords Signed
Brought an end to the participation of U.S. ground forces in the Vietnam War. -
1973 Oil Crisis Begins
The members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC (consisting of the Arab members of OPEC, plus Egypt, Syria and Tunisia) proclaimed an oil embargo. By the end of the embargo in March 1974, the price of oil had risen from $3 per barrel to nearly $12. The oil crisis caused many global short-term and long-term economic and political effects. -
Period: to
Presidency of Jimmy Carter
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Formal Diplomatic Recognition of China Reestablished
Carter continued to expand American contacts with communist China, granting the communist regime formal diplomatic recognition. -
1979 Oil Crisis Begins
It occurred in the United States due to decreased oil output in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Despite the fact that global oil supply decreased by only ~4%, widespread panic resulted, driving the price far higher than justified by supply. The price of crude oil rose to $39.50 per barrel over the next 12 months. A 1980's US recession was triggered. Oil prices did not return to pre-crisis levels until the mid-80's. -
Three Mile Island Accident
A partial nuclear meltdown that occurred in one of the two Three Mile Island nuclear reactors in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was the worst accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. -
Iran Hostage Crisis Begins
A diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States. Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days (November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981), after a group of Iranian students, belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who were supporting the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. President Jimmy Carter called the hostages "victims of terrorism and anarchy," adding that "the United States will not yield to blackmail. -
Soviet War in Afghanistan Begins
In response to the Soviet move Carter ended detente, escalated the Cold War, and led the international boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. -
Period: to
Presidency of Ronald Reagan
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Reagan Assassination Attempt
Only 69 days into the new administration, Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy were struck by gunfire from would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr., outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. He recovered and was released from the hospital on April 11, becoming the first serving U.S. President to survive being shot in an assassination attempt. -
Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization Strike
The union declared a strike, seeking better working conditions, better pay and a 32-hour workweek.Reagan stated that if the air traffic controllers "do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated". They did not return and on August 5, Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored his order. -
US Invasion of Grenada Begins
A 1983 United States–led invasion of Grenada, resulted in a U.S. victory within a matter of weeks. Triggered by a bloody military coup that had ousted a four-year revolutionary government, the invasion resulted in a restoration of constitutional government. Media outside the U.S. covered the invasion with a negative outlook despite Soviet and Cuban presence on the island and the presence of American medical students at the True Blue Medical Facility. -
Iran–Contra Affair Begins
A political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, the subject of an arms embargo.Some U.S. officials also hoped that the arms sales would secure the release of several hostages and allow U.S. intelligence agencies to fund the Nicaraguan Contras. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
The shuttle broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle program and the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by United States President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. -
1986 United States Bombing of Libya
Libya represented a high priority for President Ronald Reagan shortly after his 1981 inauguration. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was firmly anti-Israel and had supported violent organizations in the Palestinian territories and Syria. There were reports that Libya was attempting to become a nuclear power. The air strikes were in response to the 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing. There were 40 reported Libyan casualties, and one US plane was shot down, resulting in the death of two airmen. -
Tax Reform Act of 1986 Enacted
Passed to simplify the income tax code, broaden the tax base and eliminate many tax shelters and other preferences. The act raised overall revenue by $54.9 billion in the first fiscal year after enactment. -
Reagan Speaks at the Berlin Wall
Reagan believed that if he could persuade the Soviets to allow for more democracy and free speech, this would lead to reform and the end of Communism. Speaking at the Berlin Wall, Reagan challenged Gorbachev to go further, saying:
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"