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Iran Releases Hostages
On November 4, 1979, a group of Iranian students raided the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, capturing more than 60 American hostages. The hostage-taking was a dramatic way for the student revolutionaries to declare a break with Iran’s past and an end to American interference in its affairs. The students set their hostages free on January 21, 1981, 444 days after the crisis began and just hours after President Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural address. -
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Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran-Contra Affair was a government scandal that occurred during President Reagan's second presidential term. It was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon, but also used funds from the arms deal to support armed conflict in Nicaragua. The scandal was so controversial that it threatened to end the presidency of Ronald Reagan. -
1989 San Francisco Earthquake
On October 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, killing 67 people, injuring over 3000, and causing more than $5 billion in damages. The disaster is known as both as the San Francisco-Oakland earthquake and the Loma Prieta earthquake because it was centered near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The city of Watsonville was also severely affected by the earthquake, where 1 in 8 houses were destroyed. -
Hubble Space Telescope Launched
Made by Edwin Hubble, the Hubble Space Telescope, which is often referred to as HST or Hubble, is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit on April 4, 1990. It was designed to orbit above the Earth's distorting atmosphere, allowing astronomers to make the very high resolution observations that are vital to opening new windows into planets, stars and galaxies. There have been five Space Shuttle missions to repair, replace, and update the Hubble and it still remains in operation. -
Centennial Olympic Park Bombing
The Centennial Olympic Park Bombing occurred during the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta. In this terrist attack, one person died on the scene and 111 were injured; however, another person died later of a heart attack. The three pipe bombs that went off in the Centennial Olympic Park were planted by Eric Robert Rudolph, now known as the Olympic Park Bomber. -
Columbine High School Massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. During the Columbine High School massacre, the perpetrators, twelfth grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. It is speculated that Harris and Klebold carried out the shootings as retaliation for being bullied. The teens opened fire inside the school, and in addition to the 13 killed, 23 people were wounded before they shot themselves. -
Y2K Scare
At the turn of the 21st Century, computer users and programmers feared that computers would stop working on December 31, 1999. The phenomenon was also referred to as the "Millennium Bug" or "Year 2000 problem" by technology experts. The scare mostly spurred from the fact that instead of allowing four digits for the year, many computer programs only allowed two digits, such as '99' rather than 1999. -
September 11 Attacks
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.The attacks resulted in 2,977 fatalities, over 25,000 injuries, and at least $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.