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1980 Election
Jimmy Carter lost to Republican Ronald Reagan. (There was an independent candidate as well, John B. Anderson).
The Iran Hostage crisis and the awful economy helped Reagan win by a "landslide" winning 489 of the 538 electoral votes. For the first time in 28 years, Republicans had control of the Senate.
www.270towin.com/1980_Election/ -
Release of the American Hostages by Iran
After 444 days, Iran released the 52 American hostages they held in response to President Carter's allowing the Shah come to America for medical treatment.
http://www.history.com/topics/iran-hostage-crisis -
Assassination Attempt on President Reagan
March 30, 1981 John Hinckley, Jr. shot President Reagan and James Brady, a police officer and one of the Secret Service agents. The shot to the president's chest was actually from a bullet that ricocheted off of the limo.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/ronald-reagan-is-shot-by-john-hinckley-jr -
Trickle Down Economics
Reaganomics: the trickle down effect was the thought that reducing government spending/income tax and capital gains tax and inflation could be done by having control of the money supply and decreasing government regulations. This theory believes benefits for wealthy will trickle down to everyone else. In July of '81 he outlined his plan in a televised address from the Oval Office.
http://www.history.com/topics/1980s -
Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) STAR WARS
President Reagan announced his plan to develop an anti-missile that would be able to counter an attack from Soviet ballistic missiles making nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete."
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/ronald-reagan/videos/reagan-announces-star-wars -
Election of 1984
Another landslide win for Reagan: 525 Electoral votes over Walter Mondales 13. Reagan won all but one state!
http://www.270towin.com/1984_Election/ -
The "Reagan Doctrine"
This was Reagan's outline for his foreign policy- military support for "freedom fighters" around the globe.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-reagan-doctrine-is-announced -
Gorbachev's Glasnost and Perestroika
After becoming the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev introduced his dual reform policy: Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness). These policies were the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. He resigned his office on December 25, 1991.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/perestroika-and-glasnost# -
AIDS
The 1980s saw the peak of the AIDS epidemic. This ignited a movement for awareness and a demand for treatment. The CDC reported the first cases of a rare lung infection in June of 1981. Rock Hudson was the first Hollywood actor to die from the disease on October 2, 1985.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/14/health/aids-atlanta-emory-university-the-80s/ -
NASA: The Challenger Disaster
Just 73 seconds after liftoff, the space shuttle Challenger exploded. This incident claimed the lives of all crew members. A teacher from NJ was aboard this shuttle- she was going to teach from space.
http://www.history.com/topics/challenger-disaster -
Iran-Contra Affair
The White House sold weapons to Iran to free hostages from Lebanon. The money was used to support the contras- the Nicaraguan rebels.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/iran-contra-connection-revealed -
1988 Election
George HW Bush beat Michael Dukakis in the election of 1988. He won 426 of the 535 electoral votes. There were a lot of controversial TV ads with this election.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/presidential-elections -
Tiananmen Square Massacre
Pro-democracy protesters in the center of Beijing (Tiananmen Square) were brutally assaulted by the Chinese government. Many were mowed down by tanks. Most of the protesters were students. The US issued sanctions in response to this event.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tiananmen-square-massacre-takes-place -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
June 12, 1987 President Reagan urges Gorbachev to "tear down the wall". On November 9th, 1989, East German border guards allowed passage through the wall.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/berlin-wall/videos/reagan-demands-fall-of-berlin-wall -
Operation Desert Storm
Operation Desert Storm was an offensive air attack led by the US in response to Saddam Hussein's refusal to withdraw from Kuwait. The cease fire came on February 28th, just 4 days after the ground attacks started.
http://www.history.com/topics/persian-gulf-war -
Unraveling of the Soviet Bloc
A few days before Gorbachev resigned from his office, representatives from eleven Soviet republics: Ukraine, Russian Federation; Belarus, Armeni, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikaistan, and Uzbekistan, came together and announced their plans to leave the Soviet Union. This caused the might USSR to fall.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union -
Collapse of the USSR
The collapse of the USSR came with the resignation of Gorbachev, after most of the union announced they were no longer part of it.
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union/videos/the-fall-of-the-soviet-union
