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Anccounment of embargo on the sale of grain
President Carter announced an embargo on the sale of grain and high technology to the Soviet Union due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
The opening ceremonies of the 1980's Olypmics.
The opening ceremonies of the 1980's Winter Oplypics Games were help in Lake Placid, New York. This brought in over millions of dollars to the U.S economy. -
The United States Olympic Committee.
The United States Olympic Committee responded to a request of President Carter on March 21, votes to withdraw the US athletes from participatiing in the Moscow Summer Olympic Games, also due to the continued involvement of Soviet Union in Afghanistan. -
Mt. St. Helens Volcano.
In Washington State the Mt. St. Helens volcano erpurt killing 57 people and the economic devastion to the area with losses near 3 billion dollars. The blast was estimated to have the power 500 greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. -
Legislation Establishing Boston African
President Carter signed a legislation establishing Boston African American National Historic Site, which includes the oldest black church in America and other historic sites of the Black Heritage Trail in Boston, Massachusetts. -
Operation Eagle Claw
The American hostages held captive in the U.S embassy in Iran failed eight Americans killed and wounded five in the Operation Eagle Claw in a mid-air collision occurs. -
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan beats President Cater. The victory in the Electoral College ensured a mandate for the new president. -
Inaurgation
The inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States occurs in Washington, D.C. It was followed by the release of the fifty-two Americans still held hostage in Tehran. The Iranian hostage crisis, which lasted four hundred and forty-four days, was negotiated for the return of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets. -
Assassination Attempt
President Ronald Reagan withstands an assassination attempt, shot in the chest while walking to his limousine in Washington, D.C. -
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 Cut
Tax cut legislation proposed by President Ronald Reagan, the largest in history, passed by both houses of the U.S. Congress. It reduced taxes by $750 billion over the next five years. -
IBM introduced
IBM introduced 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. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was approved unanimously, 99-0, by the United States Senate to become the first female Supreme Court associate justice in history. -
AT&T Lawsuit
The AT&T lawsuit was settled with the U.S. Justice Department. The agreement forced the independence of the twenty-two regional Bell System companies in return for expansion into the prohibited areas of data processing and equipment sales. -
No Racial Intergation
The Senate passed a bill that virtually eliminated the practice of busing to achieve racial integration. -
he Knoxville World's Fair
The Knoxville World's Fair was opened 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. -
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., holding the names of the more than 58,000 killed or missing in action during the conflict. -
Higher Unemployment
The highest unemployment rate since 1940 was recorded at 10.4%. By the end of November, over eleven million people would were unemployed. -
Star Wars
The initial proposal to develop technology to intercept incoming missiles, the Strategic Defense Initiative Program, or "Star Wars", was made by President Ronald Reagan. -
Reagan Saves Social Security
President Reagan signed legislation that rescue the Social Security System from bankruptcy. -
Astronaut Sally Ride
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. -
Terrorist Truck Bomb
A terrorist truck bomb kills 241 United States peacekeeping troops in Lebanon at Beirut International Airport. A second bomb destroyed a French barracks 2 miles away, killing 40 here. -
The United States Invasion of Grenada
The United States invasion of Grenada occurs at the request of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States to depose the Marxist regime. -
Bruce McCandless and Army Lt. Colonel Robert
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 4 days earlier. -
The Louisiana World Exposition
The Louisiana World Exposition of 1984 opened along the Mississippi River waterfront in New Orleans. The event, the last world's fair held in the US 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. -
Geraldine Ferraro
Walter Mondale, selects Geraldine Ferraro as his Vice Presidential running mate, the first woman chosen for that position. -
Los Angeles Olympic Games
The opening ceremony of the Los Angeles Olympic Games is held. The games run by Peter Ueberroth, proved 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 Reelected
Presiden 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. -
Bob Geldof
A famine relief concert organized by British artist Bob Geldof and held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia is seen in 152 countries. The 17 hour concert raised $70 million for relief efforts in Ethiopia and other African nations. -
Pete Rose
Pete Rose breaks Ty Cobb's record for most career hits in Major League Baseball history. He would be banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling, thus making him ineligible for election into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. -
Soviet Union and the United States
The first meeting in 6 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. -
General Electric Corporation
General Electric Corporation agreed to buy RCA Corporation for $6.28 billion in the largest corporate merger ever outside the oil industry. -
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 Space Shuttle
The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing 7 people. -
"Star Wars" Missile Defense Shield.
A tentative agreement on a world-wide ban on medium-range missiles is reached between the Soviet Union and the United States. This agreement wasn't be expanded to include long-range missiles when President Reagan refused capitulation to the demand from Mikhail Gorbachev to limit development of the "Star Wars" missile defense shield. -
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. -
Reagan Admitted to a Policy That Went Astray,
Near the end of hearings into the Iran-contra affair, President Reagan admitted to a policy that went astray, but denied knowledge of the diversion of funds to the contras. -
Black Monday
The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurred on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in 1 day. Stock markets around the world would mirror the crash with drops of their own. -
Robert Bork
The President's nominee to the Supreme Court, Robert Bork, is rejected by the U.S. Senate, 58-42, in the largest margin of rejection for the role in history. -
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. -
El Malpais National Monumen
El Malpais National Monument in New Mexico is established by legislation. It preserved a natural volcanic area, a 17 mile lava tube system, and remains from the Pueblo Indian culture. -
House of Representatives Rejects President Reagan
The United States House of Representatives rejects the request of President Reagan for $36.25 million to fund the Nicaraguan Contras. -
Illegal Aliens
The deadline for amnesty application by illegal aliens is met by 1.4 million, who apply. It is estimated that 71% of those who applied had entered the United States from Mexico. -
Poverty Point National Monument
Poverty Point National Monument in Louisiana is established by President Ronald Reagan to preserve some of the most extensive earthworks from prehistoric times in North America. -
George Herbert Walker Bush
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. -
Labor Department
Economic reports on the previous year from the Labor Department indicated a growth rate of 3.8%, the largest in 4 years and an unemployment rate of 5.3%, a low of 14 years. -
The Exxon Valdez
The Exxon Valdez crashed into Bligh Reef in Alaska's Prince William Sound, causing the largest oil spill in American history, 11 million gallons, which extended 45miles. -
Army General Colin Powell
Army General Colin Powell was elevated to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming the first African American to be nominated to that post. -
The Savings and Loan Bailout
The Savings and Loan Bailout was approved by Congress and signed into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush. The total cost of the bill would approach $400 billion over 30years to close and merge insolvent Savings and Loans. -
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall, after 38 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. President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall speech, fronting the Brandenburg Gate, June 12, 1987. -
Stealing of Art.
The largest art theft in U.S. history occurs in Boston, Massachusetts, when 2 thieves posing as policemen abscomb twelve paintings worth an estimated $100-200 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. As of 2005, the painting had not been recovered. -
The Hubble Telescope
The Hubble Telescope was placed into orbit by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery. 1 month later, the telescope becomes operational. -
Eliminate Chemical Weapon Production
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 inventor -
Iraq Invades Kuwait
Iraq invades its neighbor, Kuwait, setting into motion the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Gulf War. The United Nations begins a global trade embargo against Iraq.. -
Tumacacori National Monument
Tumacacori National Monument was enlarged and retitled a Historical Park by legislation signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. -
Liberate Kuwait
5 days after the U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait, Operation Desert Storm begins with air strikes against Iraq. Iraq responds by sending 8 Scud missiles into Israel. -
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 ceasefire is declared and Iraq accepts the condition of disarmament after one hundred hours of ground fighting. -
William Jefferson Clinton
The governor of Arkansas, William Jefferson Clinton, announces his intention to seek the 1992 Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. -
The United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council unanimously votes to adopt Resolution 721, which leaded the way to establishing peacekeeping forces in Yugoslavia. Three months later, another resolution would approve a peacekeeping force be sent. -
Nation of Russia
The renewed nation of Russia and their leader Boris Yeltsin announce that they will stop targeting the cities of the United States with nuclear weapons -
The Salt River Bay National Historical Park
The Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecolongical Preserve is established through legislation signed by President George H.W. Bush. The park in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands is the only location under the jurisdiction of the United States where the men of Christopher Columbus are known to have been. -
The 27th Amendment
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed 202 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. -
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. 6 people are killed and over 1000 are injured. -
Waco Standoff
The 51 day Waco standoff begins when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms attempt to arrest the Branch Dividian leader David Koresh on federal arms violations. 4 agents and 5 members of the cult are killed in the raid. The siege would ended on April 19 when a fire, started by the Davidians, killed 75 members of the group, including the leader. -
Cruise Missile Attack
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 2 months before. -
The Siege of Ruby Ridge
The Siege of Ruby Ridge is begun by United States Marshalls, lasting 10 days. -
Bail Out the Failed Institutions.
The Senate Ethics Committee censures California Senator Alan Cranston for his participation with Charles Keating in the Savings and Loan scandal. The scandal had begun in the 1980s due to a wave of mismanagement, failed speculation, and fraud within the industry, and eventually cost the U.S. government between $125-$150 billion to bail out the failed institutions. -
Clinton For President
In a three way race for the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats incumbant President George H.W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot of the Reform Party. -
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is signed into law by President Bill Clinton. -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. -
Assault Weapons Ban
President Bill Clinton signs the Assault Weapons Ban, which bars the use of these weapons for ten years. -
World Series
For the first time since 1904, the World Series of Major League Baseball is cancelled, this time due to a player's strike begun in August by the Major League Baseball Players Association. -
United Nations Security Council
The President of the United Nations Security Council states that Iraq must withdraw its troops from the Kuwait border and cooperate with weapons inspectors. -
Republican Revolution
The Republican revolution concludes with the midterm elections when for the first time in forty years, the party gains control of both the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
