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Star Wars Movie Premier
The first Star Wars hit theaters. Sci-fi movies were never the same. -
Three Mile Island Meltdown
A nuclear plant accident scared the country. No one died, but people panicked. -
Mount. St. Helens Eruption
A volcano in Washington blew its top. Massive destruction. -
Iran Hostages Released
After 444 days, U.S. hostages in Iran were finally freed. Huge sigh of relief. -
Assassination Attempt on President Reagan
A guy tried to impress an actress by shooting Reagan. Reagan lived. -
Iran/ Contra Affair
The U.S. was secretly doing shady stuff with weapons and rebels. Big scandal. -
Challenger Shuttle Explosion
A space shuttle exploded just after launch. It shocked the whole country. -
Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
A Soviet nuclear plant exploded. Fallout lasted decades. -
George H.W. Bush Elected President
Reagan’s right-hand man won. He led during some major world changes. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The wall dividing East and West Germany came down. Cold War basically ended. -
Start of the Persian Gulf War
U.S. launched airstrikes on Iraq to stop their invasion of Kuwait. Fast and fierce -
Rodney King Decision & L.A. Riots
Cops got off after beating a Black man on video. L.A. erupted in protests and violence. -
Original U.S.A. Olympic Basketball Dream Team
The first Olympic team with NBA stars. They dominated and made basketball global. -
Bill Clinton Elected President
A young, smooth-talking guy won the presidency. Focused on the economy. -
Jimmy Carter Elected President
A peanut farmer beat the odds and became president after a major political scandal. -
Launch of Google
Two students started a search engine. Now it runs the internet. -
World Trade Center/Pentagon/Shanksville, PA Attacks
Terrorists crashed planes into U.S. landmarks. It changed everything overnight. -
Bill Clinton Impeached by the House of Representatives
He lied about an affair. Got impeached, but kept his job.