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First Persian Gulf War
Between Iran and Iraq. 1980- 1988. It led to economic issues. Jeoparized oil shipments from Iran and Iraq. The U.S. had to keep the gulf open and protect the gulf as well. -
Ronald Regan Elected President
The Reagan Revolution. 2 terms of presidency. 4 main goals: "reduce government spending, cut the size of the government, slash taxes by 30%, and never back down from enemies." By the time he left office, the U.S. had its longest time without a recession or depression. -
John Lennon's Assassination
Mark Chapman, a deranged fan, murdered him. The news of his tragic death left the Beatles' fans heart broken. Lennon's death led to the end of the seventies period. -
Period: to
International Events: 1980s
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Anwar Sadat Assassination
Former president of Eygpt. He was shot and killed in Cairo. Marked the beginning of Islamic terrorism. The terroists who killed Sadat hated the peace treaty between Eygpt and Israel. From the 80's to the early 21st century, the terriost groups commited acts against humanity in several countries, including the U.S. -
Bombing of U.S. Embassy in Beirut
A truck bomb was exploded. 52 people died. The U.S. embassador said, "The April, 1983 bombing taught Americans that peaceful intentions were not enough to protect us from those who would use terror to achieve their aims in the Middle East." -
Martial Law in Poland
Gdansk Shipyard, Solidarity was formed. Ordered to be shut down. They declared war. The U.S. viewed an invasion of Poland an act of war. Reagan helped Poland and tensions grew smaller. This changed America, because the U.S. stopped a war from starting. -
The Challenger Disaster
73 seconds into its launch, the Challenger exploded in air. All crew members died. Afterwards, the space program was suspended for 8 months. This disaster led many Americans to doubt the importance of NASA and other space progams. It left many families in grief. -
The Chernobyl Disaster
Worst of its kind. 56 dead at the time of the meltdown and 4,000 died later on. The radiation exposed 800,000 people. It affected the Soviet Union and other parts of Europe. People had to be evacuted. It devastated the American public. It caused the U.S. to bring more precautions to nuclear power plants. -
Global Stock Market Crash
Largest one-day stock crash in history. In this time period companies had tried to raise capital to buy other companies out. Big companies sold "junk bonds" to raise capital. "October 19th 1987, the stock ... market was flooded with billions of dollars worth of sell orders within minutes, causing...stock markets to crash." This changed America, because the stock market crash caused a depression. -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Thousands of people of west and East Germany gathered together and in 3 days, they made the Berlin wall crumble down. This event represented the collapse of the Soviet Union. This changed America because it was a huge victory to the U.S., freedom, and democracy.
