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Soviet Grain Embargo Lifted
The United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union was enacted by Jimmy Carter -
Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act
The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982, also known as TEFRA, is a United States federal law that rescinded some of the effects of the Kemp-Roth Act passed the year before. -
52 American Hostages in Iran released
The American hostages that were held in Iran were released after being held since November of 1979. -
Reagan Inaugurated
Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States -
Spending Speech
Ronald Reagan calls for a large cut of taxes and federal spending. -
Reagan Shot
President Reagan was shot in an attempted assassination. -
Reagan and air-traffic controllers strike
President Ronald Reagan begins firing 11,359 air-traffic controllers striking in violation of his order for them to return to work. -
Sandra Day O'Connor appointed to Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, and served from 1981 until 2006. -
Military Buildup
President Reagan announced that he will seek Congress' approval to build 100 MX land-based missiles and 100 B1 bombers under a $180.3 billion program to upgrade the nation's nuclear forces. -
Reagan delivers his first state of the union
Ronald Reagan delivers his first State of the Union address as president of the United States, remarking on the historical significance of the tradition. -
Reagan addresses Parliament in England
President Ronald Reagan presents his hope for a future that would "leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history." -
Social Security Reform becomes law
Under the '83 Amendments, up to one-half of the value of the Social Security benefit was made potentially taxable income. -
Reagon prohibits Abortion Assistance
President Reagan endorsed a bill that would prohibit use of federal money for Medicaid abortions for the poor, coverage of abortions -
Strategic Defensive Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative, nicknamed the "Star Wars program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons. -
Suicide Bomb attack in Lebanon
On October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon, a military peacekeeping operation during the Lebanese Civil War. -
Invasion of Grenada
The U.S. and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, 100 miles north of Venezuela. -
Farm Credit Crisis
Exports fell, due in part to the 1980 United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union -
Sanctions on Poland
President Reagan was easing some economic sanctions against Poland because of ''a significant move in the direction of national reconciliation'' by the Polish Government -
Embargo on Nicaragua
The United States embargo against Nicaragua was declared by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan on May 1, 1985 -
Reagan, Gorbachev summit in Switzerland
The Geneva Summit, the first meeting between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev -
Democrats gain seats in 1986.
Democrats gained a net eight seats, and recaptured control of the Senate from the Republicans with a 55–45 majority. -
US Illegally sells arms to Iran
Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to the Khomeini government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a fatal incident in the United States' space program that occurred on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. -
South African Sanctions
The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 was a law enacted by the United States Congress. -
Reagan and Gorbachev meet in Iceland
Reykjavík summit of 1986, meeting held in Reykjavík, Iceland, on October 11 and 12, 1986, between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev. -
Tower Commission concludes Report
The Commission's report, published on February 27, 1987, concluded that CIA Director William Casey, who supported the Iran-Contra arrangement, should have taken over the operation and made the president aware of the risks and notified Congress as legally required. -
Water Quality Control Act
The Water Quality Act of 1987, enacted April 2, 1987 provided the most recent series of amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act. -
Berlin Wall Speech
Gorbachev, tear down this wall", also known as the Berlin Wall Speech, was a speech delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987 -
Gorbachev and Reagan sign treaty
8 December 1987, the treaty was officially signed by Reagan and Gorbachev at a summit in Washington and ratified the following May in a 93–5 vote by the United States Senate.