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Passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act was a wide ranging civil-rights law designed to prevent discrimination based on disability, especially in the workplace, public transportation, and telecommunications. The act states that a "covered entity" should not descriminate against a "qualified individual with a disability." It also requires that public transportation provide paratransit options for disabled individuals. The act has improved conditions for disabled individuals since its passage, -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas
The contraversial appointment of Clarence Thomas for a seat on the Supreme Court came about because Clarence, despite his impressive resume, had only served as a federal judge for 19 months, and was therefore considered unqualified by many people. Later, a former employee of his, Anita Hill, came forward with a testimony that he had sexually harrased her. That played a role in the Thomas nomination, too. Bush announced that Clarence was qualified and his race made no difference in the nomination -
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the most powerful hurricane to hit South Florida in almost 30 years. It was a category 4 hurricane, and it featured wind gusts above 175 miles an hour. here was a total of 65 deaths attributed to the storm while around 150,000 to 250,000 people in South Florida were left homeless. There was a total of approximately 600,000 homes and businesses that were destroyed or severely impaired by the winds, waves, and rain from Andrew. Over 1.4 million customers lost power, too. -
US Soldiers in Somalia/Blackhawk Down
Somali militia fighters loyal to Mohammed Farah Aidid shot down two American helicopters using rocket-propelled grenades. Mobs then hacked the fallen pilots to death with machetes and dragged their mutilated bodies through the streets as trophies. The incident encouraged many people to consider the destructive conseqences of military intervention. All of this intensified the pressure on then-President Clinton to get U.S. troops out of the country. -
Passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was a trilateral trade bloc signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. From America, the agreement was signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton. The agreement was designed to eliminate barriers to trade such as tariffs, import bans, and complex regulatory requirements, Trade relations among Canada, Mexico, and the United States have broadened substantially since NAFTA's implementation, and many argue that it has created many jobs. -
Million Man March
Led by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, more than a million Black men gathered in Washington, D.C. to declare their right to justice and develop a spirit of brotherhood. The event was important because it showed mainstream America a different side of the Black Man, the willingness to stand up for what is right and improve the community. Along with those who attended, many people spent the day at home watching it on TV. Workers did not go to work, children did not go to school, etc. -
Olympic Park Bombing
The Olympic Park bombing occurred during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia and resulted in two deaths and over 100 injuries. The bombing occurred in Centennial Olympic Park, near the main sites of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. A single homemade pipe bomb was left in a knapsack and the force from it's explosion injured a crowd of spectators. After initially suspecting a security guard who wasn't guilty, police identified Eric Rudolph as the bomber and sentenced him to life in prison. -
Murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson near Laramie, Wyoming. The murder captured media attention because of the role Matthew's sexuality may have played in the killing. There were even anti-gay protesters at Matthew's funeral, with homophobic and hateful signs. It brought a new meaning to the word "hate-crime" and passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act. -
NATO Bombing in Yugoslavia
NATO commenced air strikes against Yugoslavia by bombing Serbian military positions in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo. The bombing and continued Serbian offensives drove hundreds of thousands of Kosovar Albanians into neighboring Albania. Also targeted were Serbian government buildings and important infrastucture in order to destabilize the Milosevic regime. The operation lasted 78 days, and while no NATO soldiers lost their lives, many Serbian civilians and Albanian refugees did. -
Columbine Shooting
The Columbine Shooting occurred in Littleton Colorado at Columbine High School in the library and hallways of the school. Two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold planned what they hoped to be the biggest school massacre in history. When the bombs they planted didn't go off, they began to shoot at students, killing 13 people and wounding 20 others before killing themselves. The event spurred a discussion about school safety, teen mental health and gun control. -
Y2K Scare
Also known as the Y2K Bug, the Year 2000 bug, or the Millennium Bug, the Y2K Scare was a computer scared that wrecked havoc on the nation. Many people thought that the year 2000 would destroy computer software that was intended to interpret only two digit numbers such as 99 and 98 and the computers wouldn't understand 00 or 02, thus destroying their programs. People were scared of computer failures in important areas as banking, utilities systems, government records. This didn't happen.
