-
1980 census shows 11.4% population growth
The nation's population is now 226,542,203. California is the only state with more than 20 million inhabitants. -
Mt. Helen errupts
The dormant volcano throws off a large portion of the mountainside, killing 57 people and scarring the land for decades. -
Ronald Reagan wins the 1980 election to become the 40th U.S. President
Republican Reagan defeats incumbent Jimmy Carter and Republican John B. Anderson with 489 electoral votes. A former Hollywood actor turned politician and governor of California, Reagan is heralded as one of the most popular Republican presidents in recent history. -
President Reagan survives an assassination attempt
The bullet punctured Reagan's chest and caused serious internal bleeding. He recovered quickly and returned to the Oval Office on April 11. Three other members of the White House are injured, with one wound-related death in 2014. The shooter, John Hickley is charged not guilty due to his mental instability. Hickley is placed in a psychiatric ward. -
The first personal computers are sold by IBM
The PC ushered in the technological age in America. Data processing technology that once only the military and NASA possessed now is available to everyone who owns a PC. -
First Female Supreme Court Justice: Sarah Day O'Connor
The Senate votes unanimously in favor of O'Connor. She retired in 2006 and was succeeded by Samuel Alito. -
Unemployment reaches 10.4%, the highest since the1940
More than eleven million people are unemployed following a world-wide recession. Housing, automobiles, and steel corporations are the hardest hit industries. -
Star Wars: a nuclear missile shield for the United States
Officially called Strategic Defense Initiative Program, Star Wars boasted of the capability to shoot down incoming missiles on the United States, neutralizing the threat high above Earth. Although it took years to develop, Star War gave America an advantage in potential nuclear wars. Ronal Reagan introduced the program in his 'Star Wars' speech on March 23, 1983. -
Sally Ride: First American Woman in Space
As a physicist and astronaut at NASA, Sally contributed to the Canadarm robotic arm on the Space Shuttle used to capture, dock, and discharge payloads. -
The United States invades Grenada
The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States asks the United States to overthrow the communist government in Grenada. -
President Reagen secures a second term in the 1984 elections
Reagan defeats his Democratic opponent Walter F. Mondale with 523 electoral votes. -
The United States and the Soviet Union leaders meet in Switzerland
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev meet for five hours in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the relationship between the countries. Although no agreements are reached, the two leaders develop a close friendship -
Explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle
The accident occurred off the coast of Florida and killed eleventh people: ten astronauts and Christa McAuliffe, a high school teacher who was chosen to fly into space. The cause of the explosion was a leak in the launching rockets which lead to the explosion of the entire fuel tank. -
Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty
Reagan and Gorbachev agreed to disarm their nuclear weapons, mostly long-range missiles. The U.S. disarmed 1,752 missiles and the Soviet Union dismantled 859 missiles. -
Amnesty of Illegal Alies in the U.S.
Over 1.2 million applications for amnesty were received before the deadline on May 4, 1988. Conservative estimates say more than 70% of the applicants came from Mexico. -
George H. W. Bush wins the 1988 election to become the 41st U.S. President
Geroge Bush, a Republican, served as Reagan's Vice President. Bush defeats his Democratic opponent Michael S. Dukakis with 426 electoral votes. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
On November 9, 1989, Berliners are allowed to travel to both sides of the city. The following night, thousands of people begin to tear down the wall that divided the city for 38 years with hammers. -
The 1990 census shows a 9.8% population growth
There are nearly a quarter-million inhabitants (248,718,301) in the United States, even though this growth is the smallest since 1940. -
Hubble Telescope goes to space
Hubble allows scientists around the world to explore the universe beyond our atmosphere. -
Chemical Weapons Accord of 1990
President Bush and Premier Gorbachev agree to stop producing and destroy their chemical weapons. -
Operation Desert Storm
The United States starts airstrikes on Iraq after that country refuses to remove its army from the neighboring country of Kuwait. The UN warned Iraq several months before that there would be military repercussions if Iraq refused to cooperate. -
Gulf War ends
Iraq agrees to withdraw its troops from Kuwait and cease fighting within a couple of weeks of the U.S. airstrikes. The UN passes Resolution 687 to destroy Iraq's biological and chemical weapons as well as prohibit Iraq from supporting terrorist groups. Iraq agrees to all the terms of surrender. -
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed.
The Amendment prohibits changes in Congress members' salaries to go in effect until the following term. Although Jame Madison originally proposed the amendment to be part of the original Bill of Rights, Congress waited 202 years before accepting the proposal. -
William J. Clinto wins the 1992 election to become the 42nd U.S. President
"Bill" Clinton, a Democrat, defeats incumbent George H. W. Bush and H. Ross Perot with 370 electoral votes. -
World Trade Center terrorist attack
Iraqi terrorists explode a van parked under the World Trade Center in NYC. More than 1,000 people are injured and 6 die. -
North American Freetrade Agreement (NAFTA)
NAFTA is a treaty between the United States, Canada, and Mexico to allow free trade between the three countries. -
Murrah Federal Building terrorit attack
Two self-proclaimed anarchists exploded a vehicle with diesel and fertilizer outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK. A total of 168 people died, including 19 children. Tim McVeigh drove the vehicle to the building and lit the fuse but received help from Terry Nichols creating the bomb. Both were captured and sentenced. -
Science: Dolly, the sheep, is the fist cloned mammal
The ethics of cloning, artificially creating genetic replicas of an organism, is a major debate across the nation and world. Many opposed the cloning of humans, but within a few years scientist had successfully cloned the first human embryo. -
President Clinton wins his second term in the 1996 elections
Clinton defeats Republican Bob Dole and independent candidate Ross Perot with 379 electoral votes. -
President Clinton prohibits federal funding to support human cloning research
Although Clinton recognized cloning was not inherently immoral, he refused to aid scientists in creating a cloned human child. -
Lewinsky-Clinton Scandal
The beginning of the trial charging Clinton with inappropriate relations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Clinton was later impeached for lying under oath by denying such relations. -
President Clinto acquitted of impeachment charges
The Senate voted 55-45 not-guilty on Clinton's charges of obstructing justice during his testimony to the federal court. Earlier in the case, Clinton had denied sexual relations with Lewinsky, but physical and testimonial evidence was found proving otherwise. -
The 2000 census shows 13.2% population increase
There are 281,421,906 persons living in the United States at the turn of the century. -
George W. Bush is nominated the 43rd U.S. President
Bush and his opponent Al Gore were tied in votes but the electoral results of Florida were disputed. The Supreme Court voted on the issue the following month and announced Bush as the rightful winner. Bush's father, George W. H. Bush served as U.S. President from 1989-1993. -
Hainan Island Incident
An American intelligent aircraft and a Chinese fighter plane collided above the South China Sea. The American plane survived the incident but made an emergency landing on Hainan Island which was occupied by the Chinese military. The American flight crew was detained for ten days before returning them to America but both governments were able to diffuse the situation. -
9/11
Islamic terrorists hijacked four American planes, of which two were crashed into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, one crashed into the Pentagon, and the last plane was crashed in a field thanks to the passenger's interference. The three accidents claimed nearly three thousand lives. The Islamic terrorist organization, Al Queda, led by Osama Bin Ladin, boasted they were responsible for the attacks. -
War on Terror
President George Bush launches a military campaign against Islamic terrorist groups in the Middle East, specifically Al Queda and their leader Osama Bin Laden. The war on terror continues to this day.