-
Richard Nixon
Promised to negotiate the end of the Vietnam War. However, Nixon escalated the war by bombing bases in Cambodia, trying to destroy the Ho Chi Min Trail. The bombing failed to destroy the trail, so Nixon decided to send in troops to finish up the job. The invasion of Cambodia provoked a wave of demonstrations in the United States. People were calling him a fraud. Nixon was convinced that a victory in Vietnam was unobtainable in 1972. -
Watergate
Several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee, located in the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. This was not an ordinary robbery, the burglars were connected to President Nixon’s reelection campaign. They had been caught while attempting to wiretap phones and steal secret documents. Nixon took steps to cover it up afterwards, providing money for the burglars, in order to stop the FBI from investigating the crime. -
Munich Olympics
Remembered for the murder of eleven Israeli Olympians. On September 5, a day before the Games were to begin, eight Palestinian terrorists entered the Olympic Village and seized eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team. Two of the hostages were able to wound two of their captors before they were killed. The terrorists requested the release of 234 Palestinians that were being held in Israel. During a failed attempt at rescue, all of the remaining hostages and five of the terrorists were killed, -
Period: to
1971-1991 Timeline
-
Energy Crisis
OPEC oil countries embargoed their oil to countries that supported Israel during the Arab-Israeli War. Arab supporters within OPEC stopped shipping oil to the western supporters of Israel.When the embargo was lifted the in early 1974, the price of oil dramatically went up.The United States depended on OPEC oil for transportation and industrial needs. The high price of oil caused the price of coal to increase as well. This affected not only the economy, but affected the citizens as well. -
Gerald Ford
As President, Ford tried to calm earlier controversies by granting former President Nixon a full pardon. He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign. Ford dealt with challenges of mastering inflation, reviving a depressed economy, solving chronic energy shortages, and trying to ensure world peace. -
Jimmy Carter
Worked hard to overcome the continuing economic woes of inflation and unemployment. During his presidency he dealt with the energy shortages, he prompted Government efficiency through civil service reform, he sought to improve the environment, and he created the Department of Education. He also helped bring amity between Egypt and Israel. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
Group of Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking more than 60 American hostages. The cause of this action was President Jimmy Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s deposed Shah, a pro-Western autocrat, to come to the Untied States for cancer treatment. The hostage-taking was more than the Shah’s medical care, it was a way for the student revolutionaries to declare a break with Iran’s past and an end to American interferencin its affairs. Were freed on 1-21-1981. -
Discovery of AIDS
The first AIDS case in the United States to be recognized was from a man named Ken Horne. He was reported for having Kaposi’s Sarcoma. In the beginning the syndrome only affected a handful of gay men, however the disease quickly grabbed attention as cases rapidly increased and the death toll mounted. -
Olympic Hockey team
The 1980 United States Olympic Hockey Team will forever remain as one of the greatest sporting events of all-time. In fact, Sports Illustrated selected the team's victory over the Soviet Union en route to winning the gold medal as the No. 1 sports moment of the 20th century. It was a magical ride that happened amidst the backdrop of the Iranian hostage crisis and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan - events that made the now fabled "Miracle on Ice" even more impacted on American history. -
Ronald Reagan
Took office and sixty-nine days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to office. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to rise. Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit. -
Rise of Computers/Internet
In 1982, the Internet protocol suite was standardized and a network called the internet was introduced.Commercial Internet service providers began to emerge in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including electronic mail, instant messaging, video calls, online shopping and etc. -
Iran Contra Affair
The Boland Amendment passed, which said that the CIA and Department of Defense could not give militaristic aid. The conflict began in 1985, while Iran and Iraq were at war with each other. Reagan had hopes that if he were to supply Iran with United States military supplies and weapons, then the relations with Iran may be strengthened, and in turn would lead to improved relations with Lebanon and a stronger U.S. position in the Middle East. -
Challenger Explosion
On its 10th launch, on Jan. 28, 1986, the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, killing the seven crew members. The accident changed the space program forever. It was a cold morning on Challenger was supposed to fly into space, temperatures dipped below freezing. There were certain people at NASA and among contractors that worried about the integrity of the seals on the solid rocket boosters in cold weather. The Challenger broke up 73 seconds after launch in front of television. -
Chernobyl/Three Mile Island
Operators were performing a test to see how the reactor would fare in case of electrical failure.. The power surge triggered events that sent the nuclear reaction out of control, causing two explosions. The reactor was not surrounded by a containment structure, so the explosions and subsequent fire sent a giant wave of radioactive material into the atmosphere and was spread out by the winds. Two Chernobyl plant workers died and 28 more people died within a few weeks. -
George H.W. Bush
In office, he launched successful military operations against Panama and Iraq. His popularity at home was marred by an economic recession, and in 1992 he lost his bid for re-election to Bill Clinton. In 2000, Bush’s son and namesake was elected the 43rd U.S. president; he served until 2009. -
Fall of Berlin Wall
East Germany's Communist rulers gave permission for gates along the Wall to be opened after hundreds of people converged on crossing points. They surged through cheering and shouting and were be met by jubilant West Berliners on the other side.Ecstatic crowds immediately began to clamber on top of the Wall and hack large chunks out of the 28-mile barrier. -
U.S. military acts in Iraq (Operation Desert Storm)
Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, ordered his army across the border into tiny Kuwait. The United States had provided massive military aid to Iraq during their eight-year war with Iran, giving them the fourth largest army in the world.On February 24, the ground war began. Although the bombing lasted for weeks, American ground troops declared Kuwait liberated just 100 hours after the ground attack was initiated. American foot soldiers moved through Kuwait and entered southern Iraq.
