APUSH!!! This is your LAST blog! But, it is kind of intense. You have to do 3 things...pick one thing from the 70s, one from the 80s, and one from the 90s and explain its significance. One event has to be a political item, one has to be a social item, and one has to be a technological item.
Have fun!
Mrs. Demmel
1979: IRAN HOSTAGE CRISIS
ReplyDeleteUS support of the Western-minded Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi soured relations between the US and Iran. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979 overthrew the Shah, they took a turn for the (even) worse when President Carter's allowance of the Shah seeking refuge in the US caused Islamic fundamentalists to become infuriated and storm the US embassy in retaliation. A total of 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days after Carter's failed attempts to return the hostages home through negotiation and a failed rescue attempt. The hostages were released, with intention, the day of Reagan's inauguration to office. The disaster of the Iran Hostage Crisis was the defining event of Carter's presidency, and ultimately his political downfall. it resulted in the resignation of his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, and increased oil prices, making it a black mark on Carter's legacy.
1980s: WEALTH IN POP CULTURE
In the turnout of the economic upturn of the 1980s, there was a social obsessionn with the idea of getting rich and living well. This was reflected in popular culture as the themes of money, status, and power dominated American society. A number of TV series showcasing the rich sprung up, such as Dallas and Dynasty, creating a fanatic obsession within the public that sparked a growth in consumerism and obsession with material wealth. Media outlets expanded and privatized, fueling the consumer's vulnerability to purchasing persuasion and creating an image that to get rich was glorious.
1990s: THE VCR AND CABLE
A number of new technologies sprung up from the 1990s, including the videocassette recorder and cable, both of which contributed to the growth and refinement of the power television wielded. These new technologies not only offered new programming to the public, but they revolutionized how the American people used their television sets and started the shifted toward the "couch culture" of the US. By the end of the 1990s, about two-thirds of the homes in the US had pay cable services and VCRs. It brought more people into the growing technology age and introduced new lifestyles that heavily-included the television. More shows and movies were available at a more readily available rate, helping in the rate of the spread of news and information.
1970s: Camp David Accords
ReplyDeleteOn September 17, 1978, the Camp David Accords were signed by Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar el Sadat. The accords were named after Camp David in Maryland where they were brokered by American president Jimmy Carter. The first such agreement between Israel and an Arab nation, the Camp David Accords outlined a plan for lasting peace in the region. Although the issue of East Jerusalem remained, the Egyptian government agreed to evacuate the Sinai peninsula in exchange for an end to Israeli settlements in Palestine. Both sides agreed to further talks concerning the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A five year timeline was introduced for Israel to evacuate the occupied territories and set up an interim Palestinian government. Six months later Egypt and Israel signed a bilateral security pact.
The Camp David Accords were a major victory for the Carter administration. Brokering peace in the Middle East was a cornerstone of American foreign policy at the time. Unfortunately, the advances made in the Camp David Accords were short-lived. On October 6, 1981, president Sadat was assassinated by an extremist Egyptian faction for his conciliatory policies towards Israel and the United States. Furthermore, many of the components of the Camp David Accords were not respected and failed to mitigate the conflict. Israeli settlements continue to encroach on Palestinian communities and the Sinai peninsula is a hotbed of terrorist activity. Finally, and maybe most importantly, Israel still occupies large swathes of what would become any conceivable Palestinian homeland. Since the 1970s, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a significant part of American foreign policy that still confounds American presidents and diplomats to this day.
Sources:
Delete"1981: Egypt's President Sadat Assassinated." On This Day 1950-2005. BBC, 10 June 1981. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
CNN Library. "Camp David Accords Fast Facts." CNN World. Cable News Network, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. "Camp David Accords (Egyptian-Israeli History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014
"Israel and Egypt Make Peace." A History of Conflict. BBC News, 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Office of the Historian. "Carter's Foreign Policy." Carter's Foreign Policy. U.S. Department of State, 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
1980s: Black Monday
ReplyDeleteOn October 19, 1987, the stock market crashed and the value of the American market fell by more than 30%. Named after the stock market crash that started the Great Depression on October 29, 1929, Black Monday threw financial markets all over the world into a panic. The effects of the crash were felt as far away as Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mexico. Many feared a sharp recession as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 22.6%. More than $500 billion was lost and, as on Black Tuesday, investors rushed to withdraw their money. Despite predictions of a large-scale economic recession, the financial sector rebounded very quickly. Markets fully recovered in only two years and stocks continued to rise for the rest of the century. The 1990s was the largest and longest bull market in American history. Because the stock market recovered so quickly and completely, few to no reforms where made. Instead, Black Monday is remembered as a slight disruption in the steady climb of finance during the latter half of the twentieth century.
Sources:
Delete"The 80s Timeline." National Geographic Channel. Foxtel. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Itskevich, Jennifer. "What Caused the Stock Market Crash of 1987?" History News Network. George Mason University, 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Richardson, Angelique. "Black Monday Stock Market Crash." Business Reference Services. Ed. Ellen Terrell. Library of Congress, Apr. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
1970s: Star Wars and Society
ReplyDeleteIn 1977, George Lucas's first Star Wars movie (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) premiered in theaters, later becoming the top-grossing film of the decade. The movie was eventually followed with five more Star Wars movies and won six Academy Awards. More importantly, though, the breakthrough science fiction movies created several important precedents in the sci-fi film industry, including its novel use of special effects and computer-initiated imagery. The movie itself became wildly popular, with several of its keynote phrases becoming normal English expressions.
1980s: New Developments in Computer Technology
The 1980s saw several critical developments in the fields of computer science and programming beginning with the inventions of MS-DOS in 1981, a revolutionary new Microsoft operating system created initially for the first IBM PC also invented in 1981. The products combined produced a smaller and generally less expensive computer for the average American and lead to massive increases in computer use across the nation. This in turn benefited other fields by increasing the availability of information and ease of communications, effects furthered by the introduction of the Apple Macintosh computer in 1984 and the invention of Windows for Microsoft in 1985.
1990s: North American Fair Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
An agreement for fair trade regions around the North American nations Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada, the North American Fair Trade Agreement was instituted in 1994 and helped eliminate trade and investment barriers between the three member nations. President Clinton was the incumbent president who signed this bill after intense debate in the House of Representatives and Senate, both of which eventually passed the agreement. In addition to encouraging a moderate increase in GDP for each country, NAFTA helps resolve trade disputes and contains environmental protection clauses which helped pollution decrease slightly.
1990s: First Successful Animal Cloning
ReplyDeleteOn February 22, 1997, the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh announced the successful cloning of a sheep. Born on July 5, 1996, the clone Dolly was created by implanting an egg containing a cell from a single sheep into a surrogate mother. The result was that Dolly had identical DNA to the sheep from which the cell was taken. After creating Dolly, the scientists at Roslin Institute created two more cloned sheep. The successful cloning of sheep was a landmark in the field of genetics. Many scientists hoped to better understand the human genome and make advances in combatting genetic diseases. Despite these potential gains, the cloning experiment raised numerous ethical issues. Human rights activists protested and the Church of Scotland expressed reservations. American president Bill Clinton announced that a special task force would be established to investigate potential legal and ethical opposition to cloning and other genetic research.
Sources:
Delete"1997: Dolly the Sheep Is Cloned." On This Day 1950-2005. BBC, 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
1970: Beatles Band Breaks Up (Social Item)
ReplyDeleteThe Beatles were among the most influential music groups on both national and international levels. They were extremely popular among young adults as their music related to the "Hippie Movement" and was rather liberal. Songs featured references about sex, drugs, and religious beliefs, and these bold and radical ideas appealed so much to the younger generation of America. People had developed a classic bond with this music group, and they are still highly valued. However, after ten years of being one of the most successful music groups, the Beatles broke up, and that became a cause of national depression. Those who idolized music, especially the Beatles, had lost faith altogether. This is significant because it shows one of the most extreme cases of media's connection with society, and how the Hippie Movement started to come to an end once this group broke up. This event was the landmark event of the 1970's on a social level, because people had never before been so affected by the music industry.
1983: U.S. Embassy in Beirut Bombed (Political Item)
In 1983, over 63 Embassy members, CIA employees, and Armed Forces workers were killed in a suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. At that time, this event was shocking to the U.S. as it was the most violent attack on a diplomatic agency till then. This landmark event marks the beginning of most anti-American acts by Islamist extremist groups. Anti-American sentiment from many Islam-focused countries arose in the 1980's. Then-President Ronald Reagan addressed the country and named this the most vicious and cowardly attack thus far, and refused to change any policies in the Middle Eastern and Sahel regions. The most memorable part of this incident, however, is the allegations placed on Iran in being behind the attack. Although Ali Akbar Velayati, then-foreign minister of Iran denied all claims put on Iran, relations between the United States and Iran also went down hill.
1993: Electronic Mail Becomes Available (Technological Item)
Technology was advancing on all different levels in the 90's, including in the fields of communication. The E-mail, a commonly used form of communication used today, was created in 1993, and revolutionized the way international communication worked. People at long-distances, across the country and world, could now send a message over the internet for a faster process. Earlier, hand-written letters were sent, and would often get lost, or would take weeks or months to reach the receiver. However, with email, communication was faster, more efficient, and more convenient for people.
Post it notes:
ReplyDeleteInvented in the early 1970’s by Art Fry who was looking for a way to mark his church hymnal with something that would stay in without damaging the book. He knew that Doctor Spencer Silver had developed an adhesive that was able to stick and then be removed and placed again, all without leaving any residue. He took the adhesive and applied it to the side of a piece of paper and it worked. In fact, it worked so well that Art Fry began to produce them commercially in the late 70’s after realizing how many possible uses there was for them. Today they are used all over America.
The fall of the Berlin wall
In 1989 the Berlin wall separating East and West Berlin was torn down. The Berlin wall had become a symbol of communism and its fall represented the fall of communism in Europe. The Berlin wall had been erected 28 years earlier, in the dead of night, to prevent people from escaping from the communist East Berlin to the Capitalist West Berlin. The Berlin wall was tore down in part by the people of Berlin who were overjoyed that they would now once again be a united nation. Family once separated was able to meet each other again. The wall was eventually stripped away into smaller pieces and while some of it remains today most of it is gone. That being said the difference in architecture between East and West Berlin can still be see today.
O.J. Simpson’s trial
In 1995 the trial of Orenthal James Simpson, a former football player and then news reporter, captured America’s attention. On the night of June 12, 1994 Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman bodies were discovered in Nicole’s house by neighbors. Nicole’s neck had been slashed and Ronald had been stabbed around 30 times. Simpson was eventually indicated for the murders. Police made a deal that O.J. would turn himself in after Nicole’s trial but O.J. did not turn up and a note that sounded similar to a suicide note was found in his house. Simpson was found driving around with friends and after a slow motion car chase Simpson was arrested in his own driveway. Prosecution put forth 72 witnesses and had evidence that was technical and circumstantial. Some of the most potentate evidence was blood found at the scene which wich matched O.J’s type and overall only matched 1 out of 170 million different types of blood. Furthermore blood found on O.J.’s socks matched Nicole’s blood a 1 out of 6.8 billion sources of blood chance that this was someone else’s. Defendants suggested that the blood had been planted. Some blame the persecution saying there was certain slip ups in how they prevented the case but one thing is certain O.J. eventually walked free. The court declaring him not guilty caused international
"Back to the 1980's - Politics." Back to the 1980's - Politics. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
DeleteBellis, Mary. "Post It Note - Art Fry and Spencer Silver." About.com Inventors. About.com, 05 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"The Trial of Orenthal James Simpson." The Trial of Orenthal James Simpson. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
"The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall (Part 2)." About.com 20th Century History. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
1970's (Political Item): In 1970, the Dawson's Field hijackings occured. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked four planes bound for New York and one plane heading towards London. The PFLP wanted to free Palestinians that were imprisoned in Israel. The planes were landed in the "Revolutionary Airport". Most of the people were released as they were not Jewish, but those who were Jewish were held in custody. Many of the hostages were recovered in exchanged for PFLP prisoners and one of the hijackers who was captured. This event was significant because it was a first sign of what was to come in the Palestine-Israel area. It also showed how far the Palestinians were will to go to "gain their freedom"
ReplyDelete1980s (social item): In 1981, MTV was launched. Music videos became extremely popular and artists such as Whitney Houston, Madonna and Queen showed how to turn the business into a profitable one. Michael Jackson, however, was the most popular icon of the 80's. He became a role model to many. With pop artists showing that music could be profitable and with the artists being role models to kids, the launch of MTV influenced the dreams of many kids and how they chose to live their lives.
1990's (technological): In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was created and launched. This telescope was put into low Earth orbit and remains there today. Because it is outside the area where Earth's atmosphere can distort the images, the telescope provides extremely detailed and clear photos. Because of the Hubble's extraordinary capabilities, it has led to many breakthroughs in astrophysics. One such example is that it has allowed scientists to accurately determine how fast the universe is expanding.
1970s: The Kent State shootings marked an important part of the Vietnam War where protests were very large in number as well as very widespread. Many students at Kent State University were protesting on May 4, 1970 against Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia to aid the US in the Vietnam War. This decision caused huge opposition to nixon and the war effort as a whole, and resulted in many protests including the one at Kent State. However, what set Kent State apart was the fact that four students were shot and killed by the Ohio National Guard. The publicizing of incidents like the Kent State shootings caused even more opposition to the war.
ReplyDelete1980s: The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986. This was the second space shuttle that NASA used. It had nine successful flights, but on the tenth, it broke apart, killing all of the seven passengers. This was a huge tragedy for the American people, mainly because one of the crew members was Christa McAuliffe, a teacher and the first participant in the Teacher in Space program. Because of this fact, 17 percent of all American witnessed the disaster live, and 85 percent learned of it within an hour of it happening. This disaster resulted in the grounding of US shuttles for 2 and a half years.
1990s: The World Wide Web was invented by Tim Berners-Lee. Berners-Lee was a British computer scientist who had worked for some time at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. He created the WWW as a communication system for CERN. The WWW used the internet to allow people to access a system of hypertext documents that were linked together and could be accessed using a web browser. With the help of Belgian computer scientist Robert Cailliau, Berners-Lee released the first test for his idea in 1990. The WWW is obviously still used today, and has grown massively over the past 24 years. Last year, there were 14 trillion web pages on the internet.
1970's: (political item) On June 17, 1972, five men were caught breaking into the Democratic Party's National Committee Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. The break-in seemed insignificant until the items the men were carrying where inspected and were proven to be the highest end surveillance equipment. Later, repeated reports in the Washington Post confirmed that Presidential staff and possibly even the President were involved in the break-in or at least in the cover up. In 1974, after repeated accusations against President Nixon and his staff, along with Nixon's refusal to release critical information about the case, resulted in his resignation from office after being charged with contempt of court and obstruction of justice.
ReplyDelete1980's: (technological event) The year 1982 was the first time that the Compact Disc, or CD was commercially available. This invention opened up an entire new field of business, allowing for many new inventions. The CD allowed for the creation of movie discs, CD players, and much more. The Compact Disc became the smallest and most easily portable media device of the modern world.
1990's: (social event) In the year 1991, the annual music festival, Lollapalooza, was created by Perry Ferrell. Lollapalooza features alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock, and hip hop. The festival was inspired by other festivals like Woodstock and The Gathering of The Tribes concerts and was created originally as a concert to celebrate the retirement of Jane's Addiction, Perry Ferrell's band. Lollapalooza is still a popular music festival today.
1970s (political event) In 1973 the nations apart of OPEC decided to set an embargo on oil exported to the United States and other countries in support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This embargo made the prices in the United States shoot up and there was also a shortage of oil in the United States. This embargo created acts where only certain people could get oil, the US created a national speed limit to have the best gas mileage.
ReplyDelete1980s (technology event) The original macintosh was out and sold. This was the gateway item for Apple that has now become a major owner of the computer market. They are the leader in phones, computers, and tablets, and was all started by the release of the original Macintosh of 1984.
1990s (social event) It was March 3, 1991 and a major police chase was occurring on the highways of Los Angeles. Once stopped Rodney King was taken out of his car and beaten close to death. The police would just report this and no problem, but this was all caught on camera, and these police officers were charged with assault. All the police officers were acquitted of these charges and riots took over the city. This showed a major gap between races. Many of these riots took place in south-central Los Angeles, a predominantly black area but spread to areas just north that had many Koreans. Whites in Los Angeles had tried to stay out but rioting spread throughout the city, This gap was prevalent as these Koreans were neighbors with the blacks and had a deep divide.
1970's (technological): In the 1970 there weren't many technological advancement that made a huge impact until the invention of the cellular phone in 1979. Martin Coopers break through idea of changing the way we communicate completely changed the lives of every person in the world today. Cooper created a device that needed no cords and could communicate with people from all around the globe. The cell phone was the size of a large brick and very awkward looking for us now, but at the time it was the newest coolest invention of them all. If it weren’t Coopers technological development of the cell phone in the 1970's maybe there would be no cell phones to day. No iPhones, no androids, no Samsung just regular corded home phones.
ReplyDelete1980's (Political): In the 1980’s one major political event that happened was the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. On March 30th, 1981 a 25-year-old man named John Hinckley open fired on President Ronald Reagan outside of the Washington Hilton Hotel. The President was shot by one bullet that punctured his lung. 3 other people were injured in the shooting. The President was rushed to a near by hospital and saved. Ronald Reagan’s famous quote to the doctor just before he went into surgery was “ I hope you are a Republican”. Reagan would live on to serve another many years as president of the United States.
1990’s (Social): In 1997 James Cameron wrote and produced a film about the most epic romance disaster films of all time called the Titanic. The film stared Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as lovers who spent their final days together on the Titanic. The story models the disaster that happened on April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. This caused the deaths of over 1500 people in the most deadly peacetime catastrophe in the history of the seas. The movie became on of the most popular of all time capturing the hearts and souls of millions of Americans.
1970s(technological item):
ReplyDeleteIn 1972, one of the first video games, Pong, was developed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Pong was extremely popular, and it helped expose the American public to video games. Following its release, it consistently earned four times more revenue than other arcade machines, and its creators, Dabney and Bushnell, used their success to found the video game company Atari. Pong revolutionized the world of video games and turned gaming into the booming industry it is today.
1980s(Political item):
On April 26, 1986, the Soviet nuclear power plant at Chernobyl melted down. The resulting nuclear disaster was the worst in history. A huge cloud of radiation spread across Europe, reaching as far as Ireland. People living in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia needed evacuation and 800,000 people were exposed to deadly levels of radiation. The incident caused huge public panic and outrage, as well as generating massive opposition to the use of nuclear energy.
1990s(Social item):
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won 6 national championships during the 1990s. Jordan and the Bulls won in 1991, 1992, and 1993 before Jordan announced that he was retiring to pursue a career in a minor league baseball. However, Jordan returned in 1995, and led the Bulls to three more titles in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Jordan quickly became wildly popular and wowed crowds with his flashy dunks and scoring ability. Jordan became one of the most prominent sports heroes in history and is still considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
1970s: Antiabortion and the Supreme Court Case of Roe v. Wade (Social)
ReplyDeleteIn 1973, the case of Roe v. Wade touched the subject of women and their right to abortion. The Supreme Court testified against state laws which upheld abortion as a crime during a woman's first two trimesters of pregnancy. Those who opposed "Roe" enthusiastically fought for an amendment that defended and argued that "the rights of the unborn" ultimately come first in a situation in which one is considering abortion. The first antiabortion demonstrations and organizations began to be organized by the Roman Catholic Church, which also established the National Right to Life Committee. Additional antiabortion groups rallied against sex education in public schools, yet some took the movement to an extreme by resorting to violent tactics. As reflected upon this particular case, the Antiabortion movement throughout the late 20th century had rapidly gained national support and favor as society continued to further question and investigate certain social issues.
1980s: The Strategic Defense Initiative: Star Wars (Political)
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as Star Wars, was a program first initiated on March 23, 1983 under President Ronald Reagan. This particular program was essentially established to develop a sophisticated anti-ballistics missile system for defense from other countries' missile attacks and more specifically, the Soviet Union. Given the circumstances with the Cold War still looming overhead, the United States took the necessary measures to halt possible nuclear attacks from afar. Even though the program didn't necessarily bring forth any negative consequences, there were concerns brought up about the program violating the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks years before. For this reason, in conjunction with budgetary constraints, the Strategic Defense Initiative was ultimately set aside. This program merely highlights the heightened tension and fear of the United States in response to the Soviet Union's clear and demonstrative nuclear power.
1990s: The Ultraviolet Water Purifier (Technological)
In 1993, Ashok Gadgil, a Civil and Environment Engineering Professor, invented the method of using ultraviolet rays to disinfect drinking water. This innovation took its roots at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. This invention proved to significantly benefit developing nations by allowing individuals to control the spread and creation of certain waterborne diseases. This project was therefore sponsored by the United Nations, for various UV filters were distributed in developing and poor nations.
1970s: Silent Spring (social)
ReplyDeleteThis helped launch a movement to protect the environment. It expressed concerns on waste (especially on nuclear grounds), rates of wildlife, and pollution. It was an important aspect of American life, as 70% of Americans ranked the environment as the nation's most important issue to address. They created Earth Day and campaigned for congress to pass laws to set standards for clean air, water, and protection of wildlife.
1980s: Evil Empire (political)
In Reagan's foreign policy, he charged the Soviet Union as "the focus of evil in the modern world." This speech became infamously known as the "Evil Empire" speech, as he essentially proclaimed the Soviets to be the main antagonist of the modern world. He undid many of the relations that previous presidents were able to preserve. The Reagan Doctrine is even known for the giant military buildup against the Soviet offensives. He increased the defense budgets by more than two fold.
1990s: Google (technological)
Google, beginning in March of 1996, became one of the most prominent aspects of the internet and World Wide Web. Created by two Ph. D. students at Stanford, it has become a crucial search engine for exploring the web. By 1998, Google was classified as being the most technologically innovative than other portal sites, such as Yahoo! and MSN.com. Even today, it is the most preferred search engine for an outlet to research.
1970s (Social)--PBS (Public Broadcasting System)
ReplyDeletePBS begins operations on October 5, 1970, succeeding National Educational Television (NET). PBS is the most prominent provider of television programs to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as Sesame Street, PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, Frontline and Antiques Roadshow. The service later becomes one of America's most-trusted national institutions. It later launches programs like PBS kids, which is well known and well watched by kids across America. The BBC and British broadcasters such as Channel 4 also often cooperate with PBS stations, producing material that is shown on both sides of the Atlantic.
1980s (Technological)--Space Shuttle: Discovery
The Space Shuttle Discovery takes its first flight on August 30, 1984. It is notable for being launched in the first post-Challenger space shuttle flight, when it was chosen as the "Return to Flight" Orbiter in 1988, which was two years after the 1986 Challenger disaster. Discovery launched the Hubble Space Telescope and also conducted the second and third Hubble service missions. It also launched the Ulysses probe and three TDRS satellites. Discovery later flies more than any other spacecraft, completing 39 successful missions in over 27 years of service.
1990s (Political)--Republican Revolution
Following the 1994 elections, in 1995 Republicans were able to gain control of both the House and Senate for the first time since 1955. This was known as the Republican Revolution, in which members of the Republican Party captured majorities in the House and Senate. Republicans were able to gain eight Senate seats and fifty-four House seats. It was also known as the Gingrich Revolution, since the clear leader of the so-called revolution was Republican congressman Newt Gingrich, who became Speaker of the House as a result of the victory. The 1994 election also marked the end of the Conservative Coalition, a bipartisan coalition of conservative Republicans and Democrats, which had often managed to control Congressional outcomes since the New Deal era.
April 30, 1975- Fall of Saigon (Political)
ReplyDeleteApril 30, 1975 marks the day that North Vietnamese forces captured the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, marking the end of the Vietnam War. The city, defended by the remainder of the South Vietnamese Army, easily fell after the capture of the presidential palace and later it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the North Vietnamese leader.
By this time, the Vietnam War had been dying down. Most American troops had left Vietnam during Nixon’s Vietnamization and the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973, officially ended direct American involvement in the war. The last Americans left on April 29 in Operation Frequent Wind, after 7,000 were evacuated from across the city during the North Vietnamese siege. Without American support, South Vietnam began to steadily lose ground in the war until the capture of their capital the next day. The Fall of Saigon affirmed the belief in most Americans that the U.S. lost the Vietnam War. It saw the failure of the major goal of the war, the containment of Communism, in the establishment of a Vietnamese Communist government.
1980’s- The “Golden Age” of Hip Hop (Social)
The 1980’s is considered to be the “Golden Age” of the hip hop culture that emerged in the South Bronx and Harlem in the 1970’s which is characterized by rap music, turntablism or scratching, breakdancing, and graffiti art. During the 80’s, the culture saw huge innovations in the proliferation of many music genres, new rapping techniques, and large numbers of talented and innovative new artists. Practiced mostly by poor African Americans, hip hop culture provided a means for blacks to speak out and protest their position in society.
November 20, 1998- Construction begins of the International Space Station (Technological)
On November 20, 1998, a Russian Proton rocket brought the first module of the International Space Station, Zarya, into orbit around the Earth. Several weeks later, a second module, the Unity, was connected to the Zarya. Since then, four modules from various nations, including the U.S., Russia, Japan, and several European countries, have been installed. The International Space Station is significant to the space flight and science community in that it serves as a laboratory for numerous experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and other fields and acts as a major stop for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
The ISS Program originated in Cold War Era competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union in the Space Race. The Soviet Space Program, who had previously established the first space station, the Mir, in 1986, were planning a second space station, the Mir-2, by 1976. In 1984, the American Freedom space station was announced in direct response to the Mir-2 by President Reagan in his State of the Union Address. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and an end to U.S.-Soviet hostilities, it was announced in 1993 that the two space stations would be combined into the new International Space Station with the cooperation of both nations. The ISS represented the official end to the Space Race that took place as a result of the Cold War Era and ushered in a new age of Russian-American cooperation in space travel.
1970's: The invention of the LCD screen also known as the liquid-crystal display revolutionized how we see things. It works by allowing molecules to align up when an electrical field is applied. Light passes through the molecules and we have a display. This is important because LCDs are used everywhere today in cellphones, computers, cars and even clocks
ReplyDelete1990s: (political) The Gulf war began in 1991 with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. This is a significant event because it lead to Operation dessert storm which was the largest coalition of forces since WWII lead by the U.S.
1980s:(Social) in 1982 "E.T." was realeased. This movie is significant because people still watch it today and there are numerous social references to it. It gave young people everywhere hope that they too could have an alien best friend
1970: The United States gradually takes its forces out of Vietnam and Indochina culminating in the first American war loss and the longest overall time period of conflict.
ReplyDelete1980: Commercial CD's were released in the 1980s revolutionizing the music sharing and listening technology for people everywhere.
1990: The emergence of post-modernism in literature, art, and societal thinking in general was probably the biggest societal impact of this time period. It was a perception shift from the norm and predestined nature of american society compared to the inability of knowledge to be gained, only examined through cautious observations.
1970: Watergate Scandal- a group of four men were arrested breaking into to democratic headquarters, on them was high tech C.I.A technology, unmarked 100 dollar bills, and masks. It was later found that behind the whole thing was Richard Nixon, and this later lead to his resignation.
ReplyDelete1980: Crack-Cocaine was invented in the early 80's, this is considered a social item because many people enjoyed using it together.
1990:The world wide Web, we were now able to access the web through our football sized computers.