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Fifty-two American hostages held in Iran released.
in 1979 Iranian students stormed a U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
The United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union was in response to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
(1981-1986) senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the Khomeini government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. -
Reagan inaugurated
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States. at the West Front of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. This was the first inauguration to be held on the building's west side. -
Spending speech (increase defense, decrease taxes)
Reagan proposes increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending in speech to Congress. -
Reagan shot
United States president Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington D.C. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order and banned them from federal service for life. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan -
Military buildup (B-1 Bomber and MX missiles)
President Reagan announced yesterday that he will seek Congress' approval to build 100 MX land-based missiles and 100 B1 bombers -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) is a law passed in 1982 that was designed to reduce the federal budget deficit through a combination of tax increases, spending cuts, and tax reform measures. -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
President Ronald Reagan delivered his first State of the Union address in a televised prime time speech -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
in the first speech by an American president to a meeting of both houses of the British Parliament President Ronald Reagan presents his hope for a future that would "leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history." -
Strategic Defense Initiative
Strategic Defense Initiative U.S. strategic defensive system against potential nuclear attacks as originally conceived, from the Soviet Union The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television. -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
Unfortunately, the Marines were fighting an enemy using terrorist tactics and 241 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers, lost their lives in a suicide truck bombing -
Invasion of Grenada
President Ronald Reagan said the American troops were sent into Grenada to protect U.S. citizens there and to prevent the island's use as a base for Soviet and Cuban aggression in the Western Hemisphere. -
Social Security reform becomes law
The Social Security Disability Benefits Reform Act of 1984 was signed into law by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan -
Farm credit crises (Feb 1985)
encouraged farmers to put much more grain into their own reserves than the original program envisioned. It gave farmers a way to make money on new crops even when the domestic and world markets were flat. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua. In a strategy similar to the embargo against Cuba -
Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
was a Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The two leaders met for the first time to hold talks on international diplomatic relations and the arms race. -
Democrats gain seats (Nov 1986)
Democrats won the national popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 7.7 percentage points -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. -
South African sanctions
The law imposed sanctions against South Africa and stated five preconditions for lifting the sanctions that would essentially end the system of apartheid, which the latter was under at the time. -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
was a summit meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev, held in Reykjavík, Iceland -
Water Quality Control Act
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (the Clean Water Act) to authorize appropriations for FY -
Sanctions on Poland
two years before the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe, President Ronald Reagan lifted all U.S. sanctions against Poland. -
Tower Commission concludes report (1987)
concluded that CIA Director William Casey, who supported the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks and notified Congress as legally required. -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin (1987)
Gorbachev, tear down this wall", also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin -
Gorbachev, Reagan sign treaty (1987)
US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed the treaty The US Senate approved the treaty on 27 May 1988, and Reagan and Gorbachev ratified it on 1 June 1988 -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988)
prohibit use of federal money for Medicaid abortions for the poor, coverage of abortions in health insurance plans for government workers, research on abortion and population control programs abroad that promote abortion. -
Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
The Moscow Summit was a summit meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. -
Reagan says farewell
It's been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.