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Signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act
This act was signed by President George H.W. Bush to guarantee disabled individuals with an “equal opportunity”. The act was based off of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, sex and etc.The act included mental and physical conditions that did not need to be severe or permanent. Conditions that are that are prone to illegal activity wer excluded from the clause in order to avoid abuse of the act’s purpose. -
Confirmation of Clarence Thomas to the US Supreme Court
President George H.W Bush nominated Clarence Thomas for the Supreme Court. The nomination was controversial due to various women’s and civil rights groups opposing Thomas’s conservative views. Near the end of the Thomas’s confirmation hearings, sexual harassment allegations from Anita Hill, a law professor who worked under Thomas lead to media panice and further investigations. Televised hearing were reopened by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Thomas was confirmed by 52 to 48. -
Entrance of US Soldiers in Somalia
The US Joint Special Operations force, Task Force Ranger was dispatched to capture two of Mohamed Farrah Aidid’s lieutenants. Though the mission was accomplished, violence escalated into the Battle of Mogadishu. -
Signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement
This bill was signed by President Bill Clinton as a way to stimulate job growth in the US economy. Under the bill, trade barriers restricting the exchange of goods and services between the US, Canada and Mexico would be removed. The bill came at a disadvantage to Mexico who suffered major job reductions and economic growth. Tariffs on more than half US exports to Mexico and vice versa were eliminated shortly after the bill was eliminated. -
Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down was a friendly fire situation in northern Iraq that occured during Operation Provide Comfort. Two US F-15 fighter aircraft misidentified two US UH-69 Black Hawk helicopters as Iraqi Mil Mi-24. The pilots shot down both of the helicopters, killing all 26 military personnel and civilian aboard. -
Million Man March
This march comprised of African-American men in Washington D.C near the National Mall. The march was created by several civil rights groups such as the National Association for the Rights of Colored People and the Nation of Islam. The march was a political demonstration to promote African American unity and family values. The number of individuals who attended the event nearly topped 1.1 million, making the march one of the largest of its kind in US history. -
Explosion of TWA Flight 800
This Boeing 747-100 crashed into Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York after taking off from JFK. All 230 passengers perished, making the incident the third-deadliest aviation accident in the US. Although there was conspiracy of a terrorist attack or missle causing the crash, the FBI confirmed that it was not criminal and closed its investigation. After a four year investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board reported that the crash was caused by an explosion in the fuel tank. -
Olympic Park Bombing
This terrorist attack occurred on the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia after a pipe bomb detonated. The blast instantly killed 1 person and injured 111, with another victim later dying from a heart attack. The attack was committed by Eric Robert Rudolph. Richard Jewell discovered the bomb prior to the blast and evacuated the majority of spectators. He investigated temporarily by the FBI and was falsely portrayed as the culprit. In October, he was no longer a person of interest. -
Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
This child beauty queen was murdered in her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. A long handwritten ransom note was found in the house. John Ramsey, JonBenét’s father, found her body in the eight hours after she was reported as missing. The autopsy revealed that the child had been strangled in addition to suffering a severe blow to the head. The homicide garnered widespread attention due to conspiracy theories of the families involvements. The case is still unsolved. -
Murder of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard was a University of Wyoming student who was brutally beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie in the middle of the night. Six days after being taken to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, Shepard died from sustained head injuries. Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested and charged with first degree murder. The attack sparked a discussion over prosecuting crimes based on sexual orientation as hate crimes in addition to division over LGBT+ issues. -
Beginning of NATO bombing in Yugoslavia
This was an operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The bombings were intended to stop the bloodshed and ethnic cleansing of thousands of Albanians and risk of the region collapsing. NATO had originally tried to get authorisation from the UN Security Council. Russia and China opposed the request, resulting in NATO launching a campaign without authorisation in the name of “humanitarian intervention”. -
Columbine Shooting
This school shooting occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado as part of a complex terrorist plot to involving a fire bomb to divert law enforcement and firefighters, knives, propane tank bombs in the cafeteria, explosive devices and car bombs. Committed by students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, 12 students and a teacher were murdered in addition to 23 being injured. The students committed suicide in the library shortly after exchanging fire with police.
