1980-2001

By meg.young

  • Census of 1980

    The 1980 census shows a population in the United States of 226,542,203, an 11.4% increase since 1970.

  • Mount Saint Helens Erupts

    An earthquake followed by the eruption of Mt St Helen's kills 57 people in Washington. There was over $1 billion in damage and the eruption caused the land to be wasteland.

  • Ronald Reagan is Elected

    The inauguration of Ronald Reagan (R) as the 40th president of the United States occurs in Washington, D.C. He brought back national pride back to the country after the hard times of the 60's and 70's. He also survived an assassin's bullet.

  • First Female Supreme Court Associate Justice

    Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first woman Supreme Court justice.

  • WIndows Operating System

    The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released.

  • Martin Luther King Day

    Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States.

  • The Challenger

    The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire school teacher. It is the worst accident in the history of the U.S. space program.

  • George H. W. Bush is Inaugurated

    George H. W. Bush (R) became the 40th president. President Bush ended the Cold War and led the first war with Iraq.

  • Hubble Space Telescope Launch

    The Hubble Telescope is placed into orbit by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery. One month later, the telescope becomes operational. Launched during a Space Shuttle Discovery mission. The telescope allows us to see further into space.

  • Bill Clinton Elected 42nd President

    For the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats President George H.W. Bush. President Clinton did many good things like the NAFTA trade agreement, but later faced impeachment.

  • Columbian Massacre

    Fourth deadliest school shooting in US history. Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, leaves 14 students and 1 teacher dead including 2 shooters and 23 others wounded.

  • 9/11 Terrorist Attack

    Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. The attack of two planes levels the World Trade Center and the crash of one plane inflicts serious damage to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing more than 3,000 deaths. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden.