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National Rifle Associate (NRA) Lobbying Begins
NRA created a committee to lobby for legislation in the interest of the organization. Its first lobbying effort was to petition the New York State legislature for $25,000 to purchase land to set up a range. -
Conservative Resurgence
A movement begun in the early 1980's among religious conservatives that supported primarily conservative Republicans opposed to abortion, communism and liberalism. An economic philosophy that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase the incentive people have to work, save, and invest. -
“Trickle Down Economics”
refers to the economic proposition that taxes on businesses and the wealthy in society should be reduced as a means to stimulate business investment in the short term and benefit society at large in the long term -
War on Drugs
The war on drugs is a largely unsuccessful campaign, led by the U.S. federal government, of drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim being the reduction of the illegal drug trade in the United States. -
AIDS Epidemic
The AIDS epidemic, caused by HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), found its way to the United States as early as 1960, but was first noticed after doctors discovered clusters of Kaposi's sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia in gay men in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco in 1981. -
Sandra Day O’Connor Appointed to U.S. Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor is best known for being the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Reagan in 1981 and quickly became an important decision maker in many split decisions -
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Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and became a highly influential voice of modern conservatism. Prior to his presidency, he was a Hollywood actor and union leader before serving as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975. -
Marines in Lebanon
On October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. -
Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra scandal, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. -
The Oprah Winfrey Show First Airs
On September 8, 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show is broadcast nationally for the first time. -
“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”
President Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the wall that divided Communist East Germany from the western enclave in Berlin. In August 1961, the East Germans, with strong support from Moscow, erected the wall to deter their citizens from leaving for the West. -
End of Cold War
During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end.
