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U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan debate in Cleveland, Ohio. Reagan's genial, witty performance causes him to overtake Carter in the polls. -
Republican challenger and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California defeats incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter, exactly one year after the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis. -
Ronald Reagan is sworn in as the 40th President of the United States, and George H. W. Bush is sworn in as Vice President of the United States. -
Iran releases the 52 Americans held for 444 days, ending the Iran hostage crisis. -
U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr. Two police officers and Press Secretary James Brady are also wounded. -
Strategic Defense Initiative: U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes his initial proposal to develop technology to intercept enemy missiles. The media dub this plan "Star Wars". -
Ronald Reagan defeats Walter F. Mondale with 59% of the popular vote, the highest since Richard Nixon's 61% victory in 1972. Reagan carries 49 states in the electoral college; Mondale wins only his home state of Minnesota by a mere 3,761 vote margin and the District of Columbia. -
President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush are sworn in for a second term in office. -
In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time. -
During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. -
George H. W. Bush is elected as 41st President of the United States over Democratic opponent, Michael Dukakis. -
George H. W. Bush is sworn in as the 41st President of the United States, and Dan Quayle is sworn in as Vice President of the United States. -
The Berlin Wall is brought down. -
Bill Clinton is sworn in as the 42nd President of the United States, and Al Gore is sworn in as Vice President of the United States. -
U.S. President Bill Clinton orders a cruise missile attack on Iraqi intelligence headquarters in the Al-Mansur District of Baghdad, in response to the attempted assassination of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush during his visit to Kuwait in mid-April. -
U.S. President Bill Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin sign the Kremlin accords, which stop the preprogrammed aiming of nuclear missiles toward each country's targets, and also provide for the dismantling of the nuclear arsenal in Ukraine. -
Amazon is founded by Jeff Bezos. -
168 people, including eight Federal Marshals and 19 children, are killed at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Timothy McVeigh and one of his accomplices, Terry Nichols, set off the bomb. -
Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term. This election had the lowest voter turnout since 1924. -
President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore begin their second term. -
The bombings of the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya kill 224 people and injure over 4,500; they are linked to terrorist Osama bin Laden, an exile of Saudi Arabia. -
U.S. President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. -
President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives. -
Republican candidate Texas Governor George W. Bush defeats Democratic Vice President Al Gore in the closest election in history, but the outcome is not known for over a month because of disputed votes in Florida. -
Hillary Clinton is elected to the United States Senate, becoming the first First Lady of the United States to win public office. -
The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the ruling by the Florida Supreme Court, ending the recount and effectively giving the state, and the Presidency, to Texas Governor George W. Bush.[6] The following day, U.S. Vice President Al Gore concedes the election and suspends the activities of his recount committee. -
George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States, and Dick Cheney is sworn in as Vice President of the United States. -
U.S. President George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act into law.