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The opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics Games are held in Lake Placid, New York.
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The inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States occurs in Washington, D.C.
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The Senate passes a bill that virtually eliminated the practice of busing to achieve racial integration.
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President Ronald Reagan wins reelection over Democratic challenger Walter F. Mondale.
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Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States.
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The United States House of Representatives rejects the request of President Reagan for $36.25 million to fund the Nicaraguan Contras.
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The Berlin Wall, after thirty-eight years of restricting traffic between the East and West German sides of the city, begins to crumble.
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Bank of Credit and Commerce International is indicted in New York for the largest bank fraud in history.
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The World Trade Center is bombed by Islamic terrorists when a van parked below the North Tower of the structure explodes. Six people are killed and over one thousand are injured.
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President Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban, which bars the use of these weapons for ten years.
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The Monica Lewinsky scandal begins when U.S. President Bill Clinton denies his relationship with the White House intern in a televised interview.
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Hillary Rodham Clinton wins a seat for the United States Senate from New York. It is the first time a former First Lady wins public office.
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Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. Killing thousands.