American History 1980-2001

  • US Olympic Committee

    April 12, 1980 - The United States Olympic Committee, responding to the request of President Jimmy Carter on March 21, votes to withdraw its athletes from participation in the Moscow Summer Olympic Games due to the continued involvement of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
  • Mt Saint Helen's Earthquake Eruption

    An earthquake followed by the eruption of Mt St Helen's kills 57 people in Washington. There was over $1 billion in damage and the eruption caused the land to be wasteland.
  • First female Supreme Court associate justice in history.

    Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first woman Supreme Court justice.
  • The highest unemployment rate since 1940

    By the end of November, over eleven million people would be unemployed.
  • Windows Operating System

    The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released.
  • President Ronald Reagan wins reelection in 1985

    President Ronald Reagan wins reelection
  • MLK Day

    Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States.
  • Space Shuttle explodes 73 seconds after lift off.

    The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people.
  • INF Agreement

    The United States and the Soviet Union sign an agreement, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, to dismantle all 1,752 U.S. and 859 Soviet missiles in the 300-3,400 mile range.
  • George H. W. Bush is inaugurated as US President

    George H. W. Bush (R) became the 40th president. President Bush ended the Cold War and led the first war with Iraq.
  • The Cold War Ends

    George H. W. Bush declares the Cold War to be over at the Malta Summit.
  • Resolution to liberate Kuwait

    U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait.
  • The 27th Amendment Ratified

    The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed two hundred and two years after its initial proposal.
  • Bill Clinton is elected as US President

    Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats President George H.W. Bush to become the 42nd President of the US.
  • The Blizzard Storm of the Century

    300 people are dead after one of the worst billzards in history hits the East Coast causing $6 billion in damages.
  • Oklahoma City Bombing

    With 168 killed, this marked the worst tragedy on US soil before 9/11.
  • Olympic Bombing

    The bombing occurred during the 1996 summer olympics in Atlanta. 1 person was killed and 111 were injured.
  • President Clinton found Not Guilty

    President Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
  • The Columbine Massacre

    Fourth deadliest school shooting in US history. Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, leaves 14 students and 1 teacher dead including 2 shooters and 23 others wounded.
  • George W. Bush (R) is inaugurated as US President

    Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W. Bush's victory, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President. He was in office on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked America.
  • 9/11 Attack

    Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City.