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Jimmy Carter announces the embargo on the sale of grain.
President Jimmy Carter announces the embargo on sale of grain and high technology to the Soviet Union due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. -
Mt St. Helens erupts
In Washington State, Mt. St. Helens erupts killing fifty-seven people. The blast was estimated to have the power five hundred times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. -
Ronald Reagan Becomes President
Ronald Reagan beats Jimmy Carter in a landslide. -
The Iranian Hostage Crisis Hostages are Released
The Hostages were released just a few hours after President Ronald Reagan made his inauguration speech. -
Ronald Reagan Gets Shot
President Ronald Reagan survives a shot in the chest during an assassination attempt. -
Unemployment is at 10.4%
The highest unemployment rate since 1940 is recorded at 10.4%. -
Sally Ride Is the First Woman in Space.
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space. -
Ronald Reagan is reelected.
President Ronald Reagan wins reelection and starts his second term. -
Martin Luther King Day is celebrated
Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States. -
Challenger Explodes
The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire school teacher.