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Census of 1980
The 1980 census shows a population in the United States of 226,542,203, an 11.4% increase since 1970. -
Response from United States Olympic Committee.
April 12, 1980 - The United States Olympic Committee, responding to the request of President Jimmy Carter on March 21, votes to withdraw its athletes from participation in the Moscow Summer Olympic Games due to the continued involvement of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. -
Mt Saint Helen's Eruption.
An earthquake followed by the eruption of Mt St Helen's kills 57 people in Washington. There was over $1 billion in damage and the eruption caused the land to be wasteland. -
Iran Releases Hostages.
US citizens were held hostage for 444 days from Nov. 4 1979 - Jan. 20 1981 after the US embassy was taken over by Islamic students and militants. -
Ronald Reagan was elected as the 40th American President.
The inauguration of Ronald Reagan (R) as the 40th president of the United States occurs in Washington, D.C. He brought back national pride back to the country after the hard times of the 60's and 70's. He also survived an assassin's bullet. -
First female Supreme Court associate justice in history.
Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as the first woman Supreme Court justice. -
The highest unemployment rate since 1940.
The highest unemployment rate since 1940 is recorded at 10.4%. By the end of November, over eleven million people would be unemployed. -
Reagan's second inauguration.
President Ronald 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. -
Windows operating system.
The first version of the Windows operating system for computers is released. -
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 explodes 73 seconds after lift off.
The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire school teacher. It is the worst accident in the history of the U.S. space program. -
Tax Reform Act of 1986 Passed.
Simplified the tax code and broadened the tax base. It was referred to as "Reagan tax cuts". -
Black Monday occurs.
October 19, 1987 - The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurs on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in one day. Stock markets around the world would mirror the crash with drops of their own. -
INF treaty First arms-control agreement.
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. -
Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing.
Also known as the Lockerbie bombing. All 270 people on board the aircraft were killed. -
George H. W. Bush is inaugurated as the 41st president.
George H. W. Bush (R) became the 40th president. President Bush ended the Cold War and led the first war with Iraq. -
Cold War Ends.
George H. W. Bush declares the Cold War to be over at the Malta Summit. -
1990 Census
The 1990 census is conducted, counting 248,718,301, for an increase of 9.8% over the 1980 census. This is the smallest increase in the population rate since 1940. -
Hubble Space Telescope Launched
The Hubble Telescope is placed into orbit by the United States Space Shuttle Discovery. One month later, the telescope becomes operational. Launched during a Space Shuttle Discovery mission. The telescope allows us to see farter into space. -
Resolution to liberate Kuwait.
U.S. Congress passes a resolution authorizing the use of force to liberate Kuwait. Operation Desert Storm begins four days later with air strikes against Iraq. Iraq responds by sending eight Scud missiles into Israel. -
USSR is Dissolved.
The Cold War offically ends when the USSR is dissolved. -
27th Amendment is Ratified.
The 27th Amendment to the Constitution is passed two hundred and two 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. -
Bill Clinton is elected as the 42nd U.S. President.
For the presidency of the United States, Democratic candidate Bill Clinton defeats President George H.W. Bush. President Clinton did many good things like the NAFTA trade agreement, but later faced impeachment. -
The Storm of the Century.
300 people are dead after one of the worst billzards in history hits the East Coast causing $6 billion in damages. -
NAFTA Goes Into Effect.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect, creating a free trade zone between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. -
Oklahoma City Bombing.
Anarchists Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols explode a bomb outside the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed including 19 children under the age of 6. It was the worst tragedy on US soil before 9/11. -
Centennial Olympic Park Bombing.
The bombing occurred during the 1996 summer olympics in Atlanta. 1 person was killed and 111 were injured. -
Clinton's second inauguration.
President William J. Clinton (D) defeats Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole. Clinton gained 49.2% of the popular vote, and increased his total in the Electoral College to 379. -
President Clinton found not guilty.
President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. The Senate trial, which began January 7 and needed a 2/3 majority to convict, ended with a 55-45 not guilty vote on the charge of perjury and 50-50 vote on the charge of obstruction of justice. -
Columbine Massacre.
Fourth deadliest school shooting in US history. Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, leaves 14 students and 1 teacher dead including 2 shooters and 23 others wounded. -
Census of 2000.
The 2000 census enumerates a population of 281,421,906, increasing 13.2% since 1990. -
George W. Bush (R) is inaugurated as the 43rd president of U.S.
Certification of the Electoral College victory of the 2000 United States Presidential election in the U.S. Senate confirms George W. Bush's victory, with Dick Cheney as his Vice-President. He was in office on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked America. -
9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Islamic fundamentalist terrorists hijack four U.S. airliners and crash them into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in New York City. The attack of two planes levels the World Trade Center and the crash of one plane inflicts serious damage to the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, causing more than 3,000 deaths. The plot is attributed to the Al-Qaeda organization led by Osama Bin Laden. -
U.S. and Britain launches air attacks in Afghanistan.
In response to the tragedy of September 11, the United States military, with participation from its ally the United Kingdom, commence the first attack in the War on Terrorism on the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Later on May 2, 2011, mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden is killed by US Special Forces during an early morning (approximately mid-afternoon on May 1 in the United States) raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
