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Period: to
The 1980s in the United States
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AIDS Virus is discovered
History of HIV/AIDS in U.S. A large group of Scientists used their efforts to find the cause of Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). They circulated information informally; they held meetings to exchange ideas; and they published promising findings. A pioneer in this effort was Dr. Robert Gallo of the National Cancer Institute, who only recently had discovered the first two human retroviruses, HTLV-I and HTLV-II. In 1984, research groups led by Dr. Gallo, Dr. Luc Montagnier at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, and Dr. -
First U.S. Mandatory Seat Belt Law goes into effect
Mandatory Seat Belt Law in New York
On December 1st, 1984 New York became the first state to pass a law which required all vehicle occupants to wear seat belts. Most seat belt legislation in the United States is left to the state to decide. This law followed the federal seat belt law that took effect on January 1, 1968 and is included in title forty-nine of the United States Code, Chapter 301, and Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. -
Thrid person to recieve an artifical heart
Doctors implant artifical heart for 3rd timeOn February 17, 1985 a Lousiville, Kentucky man became the third human ever to recieve an artificial heart. The dying heart of Murray P. Haydon was replaced with a plastic and metal device- Jarvick-7, at Humana Hospital Audubon. Dr. William C. DeVries performed the three and a half hour surgery which turned out to be a major success. Prior to completing this operation, he also performed the two prior artifical heart surgeries. -
Hole in the ozone layer discovered
Ozone Debate
In 1985, Scientists startled the world with an astonishing discovering regarding the world’s ozone layer. While monitoring the stratosphere over Antarctica, they discovered a hole in the earth’s ozone layer. By the year 10987, the hole had increased to the size of the continental United States. Worldwide deterioration of the ozone layer had begun and was progressing at an alarming rate. -
Earthquake in Mexico/Volcano errupts in Columbia
Earthquake shakes Mexico On September 19, 1985 a 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country of Mexico and claimed the lives of thousands of people. This calarmity also injured and displaced thousands of others across the large landmass. Following the earthquake, a volcano errupted in Colombia which displaced tens of thousands and took the lives of approximately a thousand people. -
America celebrates national holiday- MLK Day for the first time
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Jan 19thThe holiday Martin Luther King JR. Day is celebrated for the first time ever in the United States. This helped to unite the United States and its diverse sector of citizens. This symbolic event helped to augment the feeling of equality dispite a person's race, socio-economic status, ethinicity or gender. -
The Challenger explodes
Challenger disaster On January 28, 1986, the American shuttle orbiter Challenger exploded within seventy-three seconds after liftoff, prompting sheer devastation to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who had been selected to join the mission and teach lessons from space to schoolchildren around the country. It was later determined that two rubber O-rings, which had been designed to separate the secti -
Nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, USSR
Chernobyl nuclear disaster
The April 1986 nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was the product of a flawed Soviet reactor design coupled with dire mistakes made by the plant’s operators. The disaster was a direct consequence of the isolation that was a result of the Cold war, and the resulting lack of any safety culture. The Chernobyl calamity killed thousands, injured thousands of others, and produced radiation particles that would later bring on various types of cancers in millions of peop -
The world population reaches 5 million people
World Population On July 11th, 1987 the world reached the five million mark in population. This event not only significantly effects the study of Demography, but it creates a even more dire demand for food and resources throughout the world. -
Largest stock market crash in U.S. history
Black Monday On October nineteenth the United States witnesses the largest stock market drop in Wall Street history. Nicknamed "Black Monday", the Dow Jones Industrial average plunged 328.32 points, losing 22.6% of its total value. This far surpassed the one-day loss of the 12.9% fall that began the Stock Market crash of 1929 and foreshadowed the Great Depression. -
Fall of Berlin Wall in Germany
Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall that seperated East and West Berlin in Germany offically fell, marking an important day in United States history. This fall of the Berlin wall help to spur the "beginning of the end" for the Communist rule in Eastern Europe. Following the end of the Communist era, the Cold War also ends.
