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Water Quality Control Act
The Clean Water Act (CWA) establishes the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
It remained in effect until Ronald Reagan ended it in 1981 upon taking the office of president. American farmers felt the brunt of the sanctions -
Military buildup
The American electorate shooed in a leader with an eye toward countering domestic social changes wrought by Civil Rights and Affirmative Action programs and military superiority and a new sense of political direction. -
Fifty-two American hostages held in Iran released
An agreement having been made, the hostages were released on January 20, 1981, minutes after the inauguration of the new U.S. president, Ronald Reagan. -
52 American hostages held in Iran released
An agreement having been made, the hostages were released, minutes after the inauguration of the new U.S. president, Ronald Reagan -
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, DC -
Reagan inaugurated
The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981, 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. -
Ronald Reagan Spending Speech
Reagan proposes increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending in a speech to Congress. Reagan sends the budget to Congress. -
Spending speech
Reagan proposes increased defense spending, and decreased taxes and domestic spending in a speech to Congress. March 10, 1981. Reagan sends the budget to Congress. -
Reagan shot
United States President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. in Washington, D.C. -
Reagan shot
On March 30, 1981, United States President Ronald Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. -
Soviet grain embargo lifted
President Reagan plans to lift the grain embargo against the Soviet Union today after the stock and commodity markets have closed for the -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, the Reagan administration fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored the order and banned them from federal service for life. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
On August 5, following the PATCO workers' refusal to return to work, 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, thus fulfilling his 1980 campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the highest court in the United States. -
Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan on August 19, 1981, thus fulfilling his 1980 campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the highest court in the United States. -
Tax Equity & Fiscal Responsibility Act
President of the United States Ronald Reagan agreed to the tax hikes on the promise from Congress of a $3 reduction in spending for every $1 increase in taxes. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in EnglandtReagan addresses Parliament in England
On June 8, 1982, 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." -
Suicide bombers attack U.S. Marines in Lebanon (1983)
A suicide bomber drives a truck packed with explosives into the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel. That same morning, 58. -
Strategic Defense Initiative
The SDI was first proposed by President Ronald Reagan in a nationwide television address on March 23, 1983. Because parts of the defensive system that Reagan put. -
Invasion of Grenada
The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The U.S. and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles (160 km) north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in military occupation within a few days. -
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 on 9 October 1984. It has been described as "one of the key pieces of social welfare legislation" enacted toward the end of Reagan's first term in office. -
Farm credit crises (Feb 1985)
The resulting crisis would cause Ronald Reagan to slightly bend his economic model to get the farmers through the crisis. -
Embargo on Nicaragua
The United States embargo against Nicaragua was declared by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan on May 1, 1985, and prohibited all trade between the U.S. and Nicaragua. -
Reagan, Gorbachev hold summit in Switzerland
The Geneva Summit of 1985 was a Cold War-era meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. It was held on November 19 and 20, 1985, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. -
U.S. illegally sells arms to Iran (Iran-Contra Affair)
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. -
Space Shuttle Challenger explosion (Reagan Speech)
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. -
Democrats gain seats (Nov 1986)
Democrats won the national popular vote for the House of Representatives by a margin of 7.7 percentage points, making a net gain of five seats -
Reagan delivers his first State of the Union
The 1986 State of the Union Address was given by the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan, at 9 p.m. EST, in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 99th United States Congress. -
South African sanctions
The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was a law enacted by the United States Congress. The law imposed sanctions against South Africa -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
Reykjavík summit of 1986, meeting held in Reykjavík, Iceland, on October 11 and 12, 1986, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev -
Berlin Wall Speech in West Berlin (1987)
In April 1987, when I was assigned to write the speech, ... The wall itself, which from West Berlin had seemed a simple concrete structure -
Military Buildup
President Reagan proposed the largest peacetime military build-up in US history, a 180 billion dollar expansion over a six-year period. The build-up included the B-1 bomber, the B-2 stealth bomber, and an array of conventional weapons programs. -
In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty.
In 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty. -
Sanctions on Poland
Reagan noted the Polish government had lifted martial law, freed thousands of political prisoners, and refrained from mass arrests since a broad -
Sanctions on Poland
On this day in 1987, two years before the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe, President Ronald Reagan lifted all U.S. -
Tower Commission concludes report (1987)
The Commission's report, published on February 27, 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 -
Reagan visits Soviet Union (1988)
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 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. It was held on May 29, 1988 – June 3, 1988 -
Reagan prohibits abortion assistance (1988)
In the first formal step of what promises to be a major legal battle, the Reagan Administration today prohibited most of the nation's family planning clinics from providing advice or other assistance that would help women obtain abortions. -
Reagan says farewell
People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, ``parting is such sweet sorrow.'' The sweet part is California and the ranch and freedom.