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he Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms becomes independent from the IRS.
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The last U.S. ground troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
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Nixon re-elected in the largest plurality of votes in American history.
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eleventh and final manned mission in the American Apollo space program.
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A landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court on the issue of abortion
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The United States Dollar is devalued by 10%.
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The first handheld cellular phone call is made by Martin Cooper in New York City.
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The World Trade Center officially opens in New York City with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
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Yankee Stadium, known as "The House That Ruth Built", closes for a two year renovation at a cost of $160 million. The New York Yankees play all of their home games at Shea Stadium in 1974 and 1975.
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The largest series of tornadoes in history (at 149), hits 13 U.S. states and one Canadian province. 315 people are killed and more than 5,000 are injured.
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Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves breaks Babe Ruth's home run record by hitting his 715th career home run.
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Nixon resigns presidency. Gerald Ford becomes President.
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President Ford ends investigations by granting Nixon a pardon.
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The television series Wheel of Fortune premieres on NBC.
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Bill Gates founds Microsoft, which in time, will dominate the home computer operating system market.
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The event marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of a transition period leading to the formal reunification of Vietnam into a communist state.
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President Ford survives two assassination attempts in a 17-day time span.
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The television series Saturday Night Live premieres on NBC.
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In Guatemala and Honduras an earthquake kills more than 22,000.
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The first 4.6 miles of the Washington Metro subway system opens.
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The Act spells out the basic rights of copyright holders, codified the doctrine of "fair use".
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Jimmy Carter of Georgia defeats President Ford
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Apple Computer Inc. is incorporated.
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The first home personal computer, Commodore PET, released for retail sale
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Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll dies in his home in Graceland at age 42. 75,000 fans lined the streets of Memphis for this funeral
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Atari 2600 becomes the first successful home video game system, popularizes the use of microprocessor based hardware and cartridges containing game code.
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Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds gets his 3,000th major league hit.
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Argentina defeats the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time to win the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
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Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, is born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, UK.
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Humphrey Hawkins Full Employment Act signed into law, adjusting the government's economic goals to include full employment, growth in production, price stability, and balance of trade and budget.
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The State of Ohio agrees to pay $675,000 to families of the dead and injured in the Kent State shootings.
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Three Mile Island nuclear accident, America's most serious nuclear power plant accident in history.
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American Airlines Flight 191 crashes after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport killing all 271 aboard and 2 on the ground, making it the deadliest aviation incident on U.S. soil
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Iran hostage crisis begins. In the aftermath, a second energy crisis develops, tripling the price of oil and sending gasoline prices over $1 per gallon for the first time.
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Refugee Act, which reformed United States immigration law and admitted refugees on systematic basis for humanitarian reasons
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U.S. boycotts Summer Olympics in Moscow to protest Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, also announces grain embargo against the Soviet Union with the support of the European Commission.
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Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington kills 57
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Ronald Reagan defeats Jimmy Carter in the 1980 presidential election.
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John Lennon, one of the founding members of The Beatles, is assassinated.
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The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched, marking America's first return to space since 1975
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MTV signs on, becoming the first 24-hour cable network dedicated to airing music videos.
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It was an Act to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 to encourage economic growth through reductions in individual income tax rates.
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Sandra Day O'Connor becomes first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court
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AT&T agrees to divest itself into 22 subdivisions.
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A crowd of over 100,000 attends the first day of the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. The fair is kicked off with an address by President Ronald Reagan. Over 11 million people attend the fair during its 6-month run.
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In Orlando, Florida, Walt Disney World opens the second largest theme park, EPCOT Center, to the public for the first time.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average surges 43.41 points, or 4.25%, to close at 1,065.49, its first all-time high in more than 9 years. It last hit a record on January 11, 1973 when the average closed at 1,051.70.
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Apple Inc. releases the Apple Lisa personal computer.
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241 U.S. Marines killed by suicide bomb in Lebanon
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United States invades Grenada
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Chrysler unveils its minivans - the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager (as 1984 models) - to the public
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Michael Jackson's hair catches on fire during a Pepsi commercial.
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U.S. presidential election, 1984 (Ronald Reagan is re-elected)
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The drug problem intensifies as crack (a smokeable form of cocaine) is first introduced into the Los Angeles area
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Awareness of child sexual abuse by pedophiles raised through high-profile media coverage on programs such as 60 Minutes and 20/20.
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Professional wrestling hits the mainstream with the World Wrestling Federation's first WrestleMania and the debut of Saturday Night's Main Event, and the WWF's flagship star, Hulk Hogan, becoming a cultural icon
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8th seeded Villanova defeats national powerhouse Georgetown 66–64 to win the first 64 team field NCAA Tournament in Lexington, Kentucky.
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Back to the Future opens in American theatres and ends up being the highest grossing film of 1985 in the United States and the first film in the successful franchise.
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World awareness of famine in Third World countries spark "We Are the World" and Live Aid. Also, awareness of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is raised with the death of actor Rock Hudson.
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A total solar eclipse occurs over Antarctica at 14:11:22 UTC
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United States Navy divers find the largely intact but heavily damaged crew compartment of the Space Shuttle Challenger; the bodies of all seven astronauts are still inside.
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The Statue of Liberty is reopened to the public after an extensive refurbishment.
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U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs the Goldwater–Nichols Act into law, making official the largest reorganization of the United States Department of Defense since the Air Force was made a separate branch of service in 1947.
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In New York City, WNBC Radio's traffic helicopter crashes into the Hudson River, killing traffic reporter Jane Dornacker. The last words heard on-the-air were Dornacker's screams of terror, "Hit the water! Hit the water! Hit the water!"
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Iran–Contra affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret, in order to secure the release of 7 American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.
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Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 22.6% in single session on Black Monday
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 2,000 for the first time, gaining 8.30 to close at 2,002.25.
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Black Monday: Stock market levels fall sharply on Wall Street and around the world.
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The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is signed in Washington, D.C. President Reagan and Soviet Premier Gorbachev.
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Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, becomes the last Major League Baseball park to add lights for night games
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Discovery launched as first post-Challenger space shuttle flight
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U.S. presidential election, 1988 (Vice president George H. W. Bush is elected)
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Severe droughts and massive heat wave grip the Midwest and Rocky Mountain states. The crisis reaches its peak with the Yellowstone fires of 1988.
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Time, Inc. and Warner Communications announce plans for a merger, forming Time Warner.
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Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound
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Hurricane Hugo strikes the East Coast, causing $7 billion in damage.
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The animated comedy The Simpsons debuts.
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United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega, the deposed "strongman of Panama", surrenders to American forces.
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Apartheid: In South Africa, President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to free Nelson Mandela.
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STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.[2]
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Cold War: West Germany and East Germany agree to merge currency and economies
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The United States Department of Justice announces that Exxon has agreed to pay $1 billion for the clean-up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time ever, at 3,004.46.
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The Oakland Hills firestorm kills 25 and destroys 3,469 homes and apartments.
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The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves.