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The first website went live and the World Wide Web (WWW) made its public debut as an internet service. The world’s first internet server was released on a NeXT desktop in Switzerland by a scientist of the CERN named Tim Berners-Lee. This was a huge advancement in society and can be documented as a life-changing event of history. This was the first way for people to simply access this quickly growing information network. (History.com editors) -
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) created a free trade zone between the countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This agreement was made in an effort to increase trade, investment, and economic growth. This agreement had many critics as they felt that this would cause companies in the US to move to Mexico to lower their costs, which they accurately predicted as we would see this happen as this was implemented in 1994. (Kruse and Zelizer, 202-209) -
David Koresh, leader of a religious cult group “Branch Davidians”, in a gunfight against agents of the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms). From this, 4 ATF agents and 2 cult members died. After, the cult hid in a compound, where the FBI attempted to force them out using tear gas. This failed as Koresh arranged for the building to be set on fire where he and over 70 members died. This horrible scandal would add to the many surrounding Clinton’s presidency. (Kruse and Zelizer, 207-208) -
Clinton ran saying he would advocate for and legalize gay participation in the forces. Although, in trying to implement this, even those from his own party turned on him. Ultimately, this is the compromise that he comes up with: people should not ask if someone is gay and if they are, they should not say it, and since it is unspoken, they can serve. “DADT” (Don't ask, don't tell) continued to stay in place from here in 1996 until 2011. (Kruse and Zelizer, 205-207) -
This was a terrorist attack by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, who detonated a bomb at the Alfred P Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City. This killed 168 people including young children in a daycare, injured 600, and damaged over 300 buildings. This was the largest act of terrorism in America until 9/11. This shocking attack showed the rise in white hate groups, caused increased security measures, and reminded people attacks can occur from inside the country. (Kruse and Zelizer, 220-21) -
Bill Clinton was impeached from office. The main reason is not solely for the act of having an affair with an intern in the white house but for lying about it to the grand jury. As he denied the affair under oath, he ultimately got caught in his lies and was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Ultimately, this tarnished his reputation as president, overpowering his successes throughout his presidency. (Kruse and Zelizer, 223-231) -
This was a school shooting that occurred at Columbine High School in Littleton, Connecticut. This shooting was committed by two seniors, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. In this doing, they killed 12 students and 1 teacher, injured 20 other students, and took their own lives, shocking the nation with this abnormal act of terror. This raised attention to the issues of school violence and safety laws as well as gun control laws. (History.com Editors) -
This was the closest election to go on, won by only several hundred votes. As the final verdict was up to the results of Florida, Al Gore was thought to win the state, but after a contentious legal battle and checking thoroughly, Bush won becoming the 43rd president. Bush can be seen to have won for his values, advocating for limited government and lower taxes. His communication skills and great success as governor of Texas also helped his popularity and credibility. (Kruse and Zelizer, 238-42) -
Through this terrorist attack by al Qaeda, about 3,000 Americans were killed. Two planes were hijacked and flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in NYC. Another crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The last was likely planning to crash into the Capital Building until the passengers realized, took over the plane, and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. This day has had a vast impact and will be forever remembered throughout US history. (Kruse and Zelizer, 243, 249-54) -
This was the government’s response to the attacks of 9/11. This began with the invasion of Afghanistan in an effort of dismantling the terrorist group, al-Qaeda. They’ve been criticized as they tortured the captives to extract information, which they call “enhanced interrogation” yet their tactics were extremely brutal and unethical. They also invaded human rights by collecting vast amounts of information through social media platforms through their PRISM program. ((Kruse and Zelizer, 254-69) -
The 2004 election between Bush and John Kerry was relatively closely contested. The victory of George W Bush can be seen as a result of a number of factors including his strong leadership in a time of insecurity in the US, his role in the invasion of Iraq, and how he focused on cultural issues such as his opposition to same-sex marriage. Ultimately this allowed Republicans to keep their hold on Congress. (Kruse and Zelizer, 277-79) -
This category 4 hurricane was a tragic and devastating event, causing complete havoc to New Orleans. Katrina caused a massive amount of flooding and at least 1,800 deaths. The government took 96 hours to get fresh water into the city. Their weak response led people to think it would have been taken more seriously if the deaths were majority whites rather than people of color. This was a defining moment for Bush and his administration, that would be noted by many. ((Kruse and Zelizer, 280-83)