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Period: to
1980s
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US boycotts Moscow Olympics
The United States Olympic Committee, responding to the request of President Jimmy Carter on March 21, votes to withdraw its athletes from participation in the Moscow Summer Olympic Games, due to the continued involvement of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. -
Pac-Man introduced
On May 22, 1980, the Pac-Man video game was released in Japan and by October of the same year it was released in the United States. -
Ronald Reagan elected
Ronald Reagan wins with 489 electoral votes to Carter's 49 electoral votes. -
Attempted Assassination
25-year-old John Hinckley Jr. opened fire on U.S. President Ronald Reagan just outside the Washington Hilton Hotel. President Reagan was hit by one bullet, which punctured his lung. -
Sandra Day O'Connor named to Supreme Court
The United States Senate confirmed O'Connor in a vote of 99 for and zero against. -
E.T. Released
The movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was a hit from the day it was released (June 11, 1982) and quickly became one of the most beloved movies of all time. -
Vietnam War Memorial Opens
The first visitors toured the newly completed Vietnam Veterans Memorial near the National Mall in Washington. -
First Woman in Space
When she blasted off aboard the space shuttle Challenger, she became the first American woman—and, at 32, the youngest American—in space. -
Beirut Marine Barracks Bombed
241 Marines killed in Beirut in a terrorist attack. -
AT&T Reorganized
The court-ordered reorganization of AT&T into seven independent regional telephone companies takes place. -
First Female Vice-Presidential Candidate
July 12, 1984 - Democratic candidate for President, Walter Mondale, selects Geraldine Ferraro as his Vice Presidential running mate, the first woman chosen for that position. -
LA Olympics
The opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games is held. There is a retaliatory boycott by most allies of the Soviet Union due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow games -
Reagan and Gorbachev Meet
The first meeting in six years between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States occurs when Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan engage in a five hour summit conference in Geneva, Switzerland. -
Challenger Explodes
The Space Shuttle Challenger launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. As the world watched on TV, the Challenger soared into the sky and then, shockingly, exploded just 73 seconds after take-off. All seven members of the crew, including social studies teacher Sharon "Christa" McAuliffe, died in the disaster. An investigation of the accident discovered that the O-rings of the right solid rocket booster had malfunctioned. -
Iran-Contra Affair First Reported
The first reporting of the Iran-Contra affair, diverting money from arm sales to Iran to fund Nicaraguan contra rebels, begins the largest crisis in the Reagan tenure. -
Stock Market Crashes
The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurred on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in one day. Stock markets around the world would mirror the crash with drops of their own. -
Bush elected President
Vice President under Ronald Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, claims victory in the presidential election over Democratic challenger Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts. The Electoral College vote tallied 426 for Bush and 111 for Dukakis. -
Pan-Am Flight 103 Explodes
A Pan Am passenger jet explodes 31,000 feet above Scotland, killing all 259 persons on board as well as 11 on the ground (189 Americans). An investigation determines that a bomb caused the explosion and the U.S. offers a $500,000 reward for information leading to the prosecution of those responsible. -
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
The Exxon Valdez crashed into Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, causing the largest oil spill in American history, eleven million gallons, which extended forty-five miles. -
Berlin Wall comes down
The Berlin Wall, after thirty-eight years of restricting traffic between the East and West German sides of the city, begins to crumble when German citizens are allowed to travel freely between East and West Germany for the first time. One day later, the influx of crowds around and onto the wall begin to dismantle it, thus ending its existence.
