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Eruption of Mt St Helens
The eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 was the worst volcanic disaster in U.S. history -
The new president.
Ronald Reagan, the former Republican governor of California, beats President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. -
John Lennon Assassinated
He was shot by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, in New York City on 8 December 1980. -
The Iranian hostage crisis
which lasted four hundred and forty-four days, was negotiated for the return of $8 billion in frozen Iranian assets. -
E.T. Movie Released
The movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was about a 10-year-old boy, Elliott (played by Henry Thomas), who befriended a little, lost alien. Elliott named the alien "E.T." and did his best to hide him from adults. -
Unemployment
The highest unemployment rate since 1940 was recorded at 10.4%. -
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
holding the names of the more than 58,000 killed or missing in action during the conflict. -
Soviets Shoot Down a Korean Airliner
Soviet jet fighters intercept a Korean Airlines passenger flight in Russian airspace and shoot the plane down, killing 269 passengers and crewmembers. -
Michael Jackson Releases Thriller
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 13-minute-and-43-second-long music video -
PG-13 Movie Rating Created
This rating still allows children under 17 to be admitted without a parent or guardian, but the rating does note that parents are "strongly cautioned" to be aware of potentially shocking violence or sexual content. The first movie to officially be released with a PG-13 rating was 1984's 'Red Dawn.' -
The ozone hole was discovered
There was no realy date for the discovering of the ozone hole. It ws found in May of 1985. -
Martin Luther King Day
officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States. -
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
As the world watched on TV, the Challenger soared into the sky and then, shockingly, exploded just 73 seconds after take-off. All seven members of the crew, including social studies teacher Sharon "Christa" McAuliffe, died in the disaster. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Thirty-one people died shortly after the explosion and thousands more are expected to die from the long-term effects of radiation. -
The stock market crash
Black Monday occurred on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in one day. -
Robert Bork
The President's nominee to the Supreme Court is rejected by the U.S. Senate, 58-42, in the largest margin of rejection for the role in history. -
El Malpais National Monument
It preserved a natural volcanic area, a seventeen mile lava tube system, and remains from the Pueblo Indian culture. -
Poverty Point National Monument in Louisiana
established by President Ronald Reagan in order to preserve some of the most extensive earthworks from prehistoric times in North America. -
The Savings and Loan Bailout
approved by Congress and signed into law by President George Herbert Walker Bush. -
The Berlin Wall
after thirty-eight years of restricting traffic between the East and West German sides of the city, begins to crumble when German citizens are allowed to travel freely between East and West Germany for the first time.
