American History 1980-2001

By Tommie Williams

  • Regan becomes the 40th President

    The first inauguration of Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States was held on Tuesday, January 20, 1981

  • Reagan's second term

    January 20, 1985, President Regan was reelected

  • Challenger Space Shuttle explodes

    January 28, 1986, the Challenger space shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, and exploded seconds after takeoff.

  • Tax Reform Act of 1986 Passes

    he Tax Reform Act of 1986 (TRA) was passed by the 99th United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on October 22, 1986

  • Black Monday

    Black Monday refers to the stock market crash that occurred on Oct. 19, 1987.

  • U.S. warship downs Iranian passenger jet

    In the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy cruiser Vincennes shoots down an Iranian passenger jet that it mistakes for a hostile Iranian fighter aircraft.

  • George H. W. Bush

    George H. W. Bush is sworn in as the 41st President of the United States

  • Super Bowl XXIII

    On January 22, 1989, Francisco 49ers defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII.

  • End of the Cold War

    On 3 December 1989 the Cold War 'officially' ended when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met with US president George Bush aboard a Soviet ship docked at Malta's Marsaxlokk

  • First use of stealth planes

    On 20 December 1989, two United States Air Force F-117s bombed a Panamanian Defense Force barracks in Rio Hato, Panama.

  • 42nd president

    Bill Clinton becomes the 42nd U.S. President after defeating President George H.W. Bush. President

  • Centennial Olympic Bombing

    Rudolph began his violent attacks on July 27, 1996, when he planted a backpack containing a bomb in crowded, Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Clinton's second term

    Monday, January 20, 1997, Bill Clinton was elected for his second term as President of the United States.

  • Y2K scare

    The Y2K bug was a computer flaw or bug, that may have caused problems when dealing with dates beyond December 31, 1999. That never happened.

  • George W. Bush becomes 43rd President

    George W. Bush's becomes the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001