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US: *notices Soviets invading Afghanistan* "NO. Just NO! You're grounded: no technology & no dessert either!"
President Jimmy Carter announces the embargo on the sale of grain and high technology to the Soviet Union due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
The 1980 US Census
The 1980 census shows a population in the United States of 226,542,203, an 11.4% increase since 1970. For the first time, one state had over 20 million people living within its borders, the state of California with 23.7 million. Due to a trend of western migration, Missouri now contained the geographic population center of the United States, one quarter mile west of De Soto in Jefferson County. -
US refuses to participate in Olympic Games in Moscow
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. -
Iran Hostage Rescue Mission: FAIL
The attempt to rescue the American hostages held captive in the U.S. Embassy in Iran fails with eight Americans killed and five wounded in Operation Eagle Claw when a mid-air collision occurs. -
KA-BOOM!!! Mount St. Helens EXPLODES! LITERALLY!!!
The Mt. St. Helens volcano, in Washington State, erupts, killing fifty-seven people and economic devastation to the area with losses near $3 billion. The blast was estimated to have the power five hundred times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. -
President Ronald Reagan is elected (Finally! We're out of the bad presidents phase :D)
Ronald Reagan, the former Republican governor of California, beats President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. Anderson, also a Republican, in a landslide victory, ousting the incumbent from office. The victory in the Electoral College, 489 to 49, as well as an 8 million vote margin in the popular vote over Carter, ensured a mandate for the new president. -
WHAT IS IT WITH PEOPLE & ASSASINATION ATTEMPTS FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS?!?!?!
President Ronald Reagan withstands an assassination attempt, shot in the chest while walking to his limousine in Washington, D.C. -
The Space Shuttle
The first launch of the Space Shuttle from Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center occurs as Columbia begins its STS-1 mission. The Space Shuttle is the first reusable spacecraft to be flown into orbit, and it returned to earth for a traditional touch down landing two days later. -
TAX CUTS! (Everyone liked that :D)
Tax cut legislation proposed by President Ronald Reagan, the largest in history, is passed by both houses of the U.S. Congress. It would reduce taxes by $750 billion over the next five years. -
The chunky & bulky version of the laptop is developed :D
IBM introduces the IBM-PC personal computer, the IBM 5150. It was designed by twelve engineers and designers under Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division. It sold for $1,565 in 1981. -
The First Female Supreme Court Justice is appointed
Sandra Day O'Connor is approved unanimously, 99-0, by the United States Senate to become the first female Supreme Court associate justice in history. -
The Knoxville World's Fair
The Knoxville World's Fair opens on the topic of energy by President Reagan. A special category exposition sanctioned by the Bureau of International Exhibitions, the Knoxville event would draw over eleven million people to the Tennessee valley over the next six months. -
Unemployment rate skyrockets!
The highest unemployment rate since 1940 is recorded at 10.4%. By the end of November, over eleven million people would be unemployed. (lol noobs. Have they SEEN how many people are unemployed because of this virus right now?) -
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., holding the names of the more than 58,000 killed or missing in action during the conflict. -
"Star Wars" (lol I wonder if the idea of that's where they got teh idea of the Death Star in teh movie Star Wars from)
The initial proposal to develop technology to intercept incoming missiles, the Strategic Defense Initiative Program, or Star Wars, is made by President Ronald Reagan. -
Social Security saved from going bankrupt
President Reagan signs legislation meant to rescue the Social Security System from bankruptcy. -
The First Woman in Space
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. -
The Double Terrorist Attack Tactic: Lebanon
A terrorist truck bomb kills two hundred and forty-one United States peacekeeping troops in Lebanon at Beirut International Airport. A second bomb destroyed a French barracks two miles away, killing forty there. -
US invades Grenada (wherever that is...)
The United States invasion of Grenada occurs at the request of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to depose the Marxist regime. -
I believe I can fly...!
Navy Captain Bruce McCandless and Army Lt. Colonel Robert Stewart become the first astronauts to fly free of a spacecraft in orbit during a space shuttle flight that began four days earlier. -
The Lousiana World Exposition
The Louisiana World Exposition of 1984 opens along the Mississippi River waterfront in New Orleans. The event, the last world's fair held in the United States, was plagued with financial trouble, and drew significantly fewer visitors than predicted over the next six months, 7.3 million, although it was regarded as the catalyst in the recovery of the waterfront and warehouse district to public use -
First Woman to be chosen as a VP candidate
Democratic candidate for President, Walter Mondale, selects Geraldine Ferraro as his Vice Presidential running mate, the first woman chosen for that position. -
The Los Angeles Olympics & the Soviet Olympic Boycott
The opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games is held. The games run by Peter Ueberroth, prove a financial and U.S. success, despite a retaliatory boycott by most allies of the Soviet Union due to the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow games. -
Reagan is reelected
President Ronald Reagan wins reelection over Democratic challenger Walter F. Mondale, increasing his Electoral College victory since the 1980 election to a margin of 525 to 13. -
The Geneva Summit
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. -
Windows: the Computer Program
The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released. -
MLK Day established
Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States. -
The Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion
The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift-off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire school teacher. -
Medium-ranged missiles are banned
A tentative agreement on a world-wide ban on medium-range missiles is reached between the Soviet Union and the United States. This agreement would not be expanded to include long-range missiles when President Reagan refused capitulation to the demand from Mikhail Gorbachev to limit the development of the Star Wars missile defense shield. -
The Iran-Contra Affair
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. -
Black Monday
The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurs 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. -
The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
The United States and the Soviet Union sign an agreement, the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, to dismantle all 1,752 U.S. and 859 Soviet missiles in the 300-3,400 mile range. -
George H. W. Bush is elected (RIP, he was a good guy)
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. -
Economic growth & low unemployment
Economic reports on the previous year from the Labor Department indicate a growth rate of 3.8%, the largest in four years and an unemployment rate of 5.3%, a low of fourteen years. -
The Berlin Wall is torn down & the Soviet Union is declared "dead"
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. -
The Cold War officially ends
The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party gives up its monopoly of power, continuing the trend, since the beginning of the Berlin Wall coming down, that the Cold War was about to end. The ending of the Cold War was completed, in many ways, by the strong policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan toward the Soviet block. Six days later, a plan to reunite Germany was announced. -
The 1990 US Census
The 1990 census is conducted, counting 248,718,301, for an increase of 9.8% over the 1980 census. This is the smallest increase in the population rate since 1940. The geographic center of the United States population is now ten miles southeast of Steelville, Missouri. -
The Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Telescope is placed into orbit by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery. One month later, the telescope becomes operational. -
US & Russia agrees to ban the use of chemical weapons
U.S. President George H.W. Bush and his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to eliminate chemical weapon production and begin the destruction of each nation's current inventory. -
The Invasion of Kuwait & the beginnings of US involvement in the Gulf War
Iraq invades its neighbor, Kuwait, setting into motion the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Gulf War. Four days later, the United Nations begins a global trade embargo against Iraq. On November 29, the United Nations passes a resolution, #678, stating that Iraq must withdraw its forces from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 or face military intervention. -
Operation Desert Strom & US entry into the Gulf War
U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm begins four days later with airstrikes against Iraq. Iraq responds by sending eight Scud missiles into Israel. -
Iraq surrenders & the Gulf War ends
The Gulf War ends one day after Iraq withdraws its forces from Kuwait and sets the oil fields on fire. A cease-fire is declared and Iraq accepts the condition of disarmament after one hundred hours of ground fighting. -
Terms & Conditions of Iraqi surrender are signed
The United Nations Security Council passes Resolution 687, calling for the destruction and removal of the entire Iraqi chemical and biological weapons stockpile, plus ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers. Iraq also agrees to withdraw its support of international terrorism. -
Russia declares its neutrality to the US
The renewed nation of Russia, part of the Soviet Union dissolved on December 26, 1991, and their leader Boris Yeltsin announces that they will stop targeting the cities of the United States with nuclear weapons. -
The 27th Amendment
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed two hundred and two years after its initial proposal. It bars the United States Congress from giving itself a midterm or retroactive pay raise. This amendment had been originally proposed by James Madison in 1789, as part of twelve amendments, of which ten would become the original Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. -
Clinton is elected
In a three-way race for the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats incumbent President George H.W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot of the Reform Party. Many trace the loss of President Bush to his reneging a pledge for "no new taxes." Clinton received only 43% of the popular vote, but 370 Electoral votes to Bush with 37.4% and 168 Electoral College votes. Perot garnered 18.9% of the popular vote, but no Electoral College delegates. -
The Bombing of the World Trade Center
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. -
The Waco Cult Standoff
The fifty-one day Waco standoff begins when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms attempt to arrest the Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on federal arms violations. Four agents and five members of the cult are killed in the raid. The siege would end on April 19 when a fire, started by the Davidians, killed seventy-five members of the group, including the leader. -
Clinton orders missiles fired on Baghdad
President Bill Clinton orders a cruise missile attack on the Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad, responding to the attempted assassination attempt cultivated by the Iraq Secret Service on former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during his visit to Kuwait two months before. -
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. -
The NAFTA is established
The North American Free Trade Agreement goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. -
The Assault Weapons Ban
President Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban, which bars the use of these weapons for ten years. -
More drama in Kuwait
The President of the United Nations Security Council states that Iraq must withdraw its troops from the Kuwait border and cooperate with weapons inspectors. Iraq had threatened in September to withdraw their cooperation with UNSCOM inspectors and began deploying Iraqi troops near the Kuwaiti border. American reaction to this action during the months of September & October caused the deployment of its military force to Kuwait. On October 15, Iraq began to withdraw its troops from the region. -
WTO is born
The World Trade Organization is created, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) formed from a series of post-war treaties on trade. The World Trade Organization is more highly structured than the previous GATT and counted seventy-six nations among its members in 1995. -
The Oklahoma City Bombing
Anarchists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols explode a bomb outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing one hundred and sixty-eight people in a domestic terrorism attack. -
The Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty is extended
One hundred and seventy nations decide to extend the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty indefinitely. -
The Korean War Memorial is dedicated
The Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. is dedicated in ceremonies presided by President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Yong-sam. -
The Khobar Towers Bombing
The Khobar Towers bombing in Khobar, Saudi Arabia kills nineteen U.S. military personnel, destroying the majority of a six-building apartment complex that was home to the 440th Fighter Wing. It was carried out by Islamic terrorists seeking removal of the U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia. -
"I have an identical twin. Just kidding! It's actually my clone!"
At the Roslin Institute in Scotland, Dolly, the sheep, becomes the first mammal to be cloned. This begins a rampant debate on the ethics of the procedure in animals and the viability and morality of cloning in human beings. -
The Atlanta Olympics & the Centennial Park Bombing
The Summer Olympics Games are opened in Atlanta, Georgia by U.S. President Bill Clinton. The games are positively known for the achievements of American track and field athlete Michael Johnson, who won both the 200 and 400 meter races, setting a new World Record in the 200, and for the victory of the American women's gymnastics team. These games would be marred, however, by the Centennial Park bombing of Olympic tourists on July 27, which killed one person and injured one hundred and eleven. -
Clinton is reelected
President William J. Clinton defeats Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole, as well as the second run of businessman Ross Perot. Clinton gained 49.2% of the popular vote, and increased his total in the Electoral College to 379. Dole gained 40.7% of the popular tally and 159 in the Electoral College. Perot's influence on this race was marginal compared to 1992, receiving only 8.4% of the vote in 1996. -
Cloning funding is cut off
Federal funding for any research into human cloning is barred by President Bill Clinton. -
NATO extends to eastern Europe
The NATO alliance expands into eastern Europe when it extends an invitation to the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland to join the alliance in 1999. -
Iraq threatens to shoot down the UN's U-2s
Iraq states that it will begin to shoot down U-2 surveillance planes used by United Nations UNSCOM inspectors attempting to mandate Saddam Hussein (ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE DICTATOR GUY) meet the provisions of surrender in the 1991 Gulf War. -
The Clinton Affair
The Monica Lewinsky scandal begins when U.S. President Bill Clinton denies his relationship with the White House intern in a televised interview. This denial, and other denials to a grand jury investigation, would lead to the impeachment of the president. -
The Beginnings of a Monster: Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden publishes his fatwa that announced a jihad against all Jews and Crusaders. This announcement would push forward the Islamic fundamentalist agenda toward terrorism against western interests. -
Osama bin Laden develps his calling card: the twin terrorist attack.
Attacks on two United States embassies in Africa, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya kills two hundred and twenty-four and injures four thousand five hundred. The attacks are linked to Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization. On August 13, the United States launches cruise missile strikes against Al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in the Sudan. -
The Iraq Liberation Act
The United States Congress passes legislation, the Iraq Liberation Act, that states the U.S. wants to remove Saddam Hussein from power and replace it with a democracy. (FINALLY! Get rid of that EVIL guy!) -
John Glenn: the First American & the Oldest Man to orbit the Earth
John Glenn, thirty-six years after becoming the first American astronaut to orbit the earth, becomes the oldest astronaut in space at seventy-seven years old. His role on the Space Shuttle Discovery flight tests the effect of space travel on aging. -
The Euro currency is established
The Euro currency is introduced as a competitive tool to stem the power of the dollar and maximize the economic power of the European Union nations. -
Clinton is acquitted of the Clinton Affair
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice. -
The OK City Tornadoes (the exact reason I will never EVER live in Oklahoma)
A series of tornadoes strikes Oklahoma, including an F5 category storm that slams Oklahoma City, killing thirty-eight. The fastest wind speed ever recorded on earth is measured by scientists at 509 km (318 mph) during this tornado. -
Protests against WTO erupt
The first major mobilization of the anti-globalization movement occurs in Seattle, Washington, during the days before the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings. The protests and rioting caused the cancellation of the WTO opening ceremonies. -
The 2000 US Census
The 2000 census enumerates a population of 281,421,906, increasing 13.2% since 1990. As regions, the South and West continued to pick up the majority of the increase in population, moving the geographic center of U.S. population to Phelps County, Missouri. -
The Hannover 2000 World Expo
The United States of America does not participate in a major World's Fair, the Hannover 2000 World Expo, despite a record number, 187, of international participants. Congressional apathy toward participation in world events declined in U.S. involvement after the fall of the Soviet Union & end of the Cold War. Less than half, 18.1 million, of the original attendance estimate of 40 million, visited Hannover's event. -
George W. Bush is elected
George W. Bush, son of H. W. Bush, and Vice President Al Gore hold a virtual dead-heat for the presidency, with a disputed vote in Florida holding off the naming of the winner of the Presidential Election until the Supreme Court of the United States voted in favour of Bush on December 12. This ruling gave Florida to the Bush camp by a 527 vote majority and a victory in the Electoral College, 271-266, despite gaining less popular votes than Gore. -
George W. Bush is confirmed as President
Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W. Bush as the victor, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President. -
The 9/11 Attacks: the Twin Towers & the Pentagon
Islamic terrorists hijack 4 U.S. airliners & crash them into the Pentagon & the World Trade Center Towers. The attack of 2 planes causes the collapse of the Towers & another plane causes damage to the Pentagon, causing nearly 3,000 deaths. The 4th plane is crashed by passengers into a Shanksville, Pennsylvania cornfield when they learn of the plot, preventing another attack on the White House or the Capitol building. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden. -
The Anthrax Mail Attacks
Anthrax attacks by mail from Princeton, New Jersey against news and government targets begin. Federal officials announce the first case on October 4. -
The War on Terrorism is born
In response to the tragedy of September 11, the United States military, with participation from its ally the United Kingdom, commence the first attack in the War on Terrorism on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. By November 12, the Taliban government leaves the capital, Kabul.