1200px official portrait of president reagan 1981

Reagan Administration

  • National Rifle Associate (NRA) Lobbying Begins

    National Rifle Associate (NRA) Lobbying Begins
    On February 7, 1872, the NRA created a committee to lobby for legislation in the interest of the organization. Its first lobbying effort was to petition the New York State legislature for $25,000 to purchase land to set up a range.
  • Conservative Resurgence

    Conservative Resurgence
    The Reagan Era included ideas and personalities beyond Reagan himself; he is usually characterized as the leader of a broadly-based conservative movement whose ideas dominated national policy-making in areas such as taxes, welfare, defense, the federal judiciary, and the Cold War.
  • “Trickle Down Economics”

    “Trickle Down Economics”
    Trickle-down economics, also called trickle-down theory, refers to the economic proposition that taxes on businesses and the wealthy in society should be reduced as a means to stimulate business investment in the short term and benefit society at large in the long term.' Supply-side is 'trickle-down' theory.
  • War on Drugs

    War on Drugs
    The War on Drugs is a phrase used to refer to a government-led initiative that aims to stop illegal drug use, distribution and trade by dramatically increasing prison sentences for both drug dealers and users. The movement started in the 1970s and is still evolving today.
  • AIDS Epidemic

    AIDS Epidemic
    AIDS is detected in California and New York. The first cases are among gay men, then injection drug users. UCLA's Michael Gottlieb, MD, authored the first report to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention on June 5 identifying the virus that would be known as AIDS.
  • Sandra Day O’Connor Appointed to U.S. Supreme Court

    Sandra Day O’Connor Appointed to U.S. Supreme Court
    Born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930, Sandra Day O'Connor was elected to two terms in the Arizona state senate. In 1981 Ronald Reagan nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court. She received unanimous Senate approval, and made history as the first woman justice to serve on the nation's highest court.
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    Ronald Reagan

    The presidency of Ronald Reagan began at noon EST on January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States, and ended on January 20, 1989. ... Domestically, the Reagan administration enacted a major tax cut , sought to cut non-military spending, and eliminated federal regulations.
  • Marines in Lebanon

    Marines in Lebanon
    The attack on the barracks in Beirut, capital of Lebanon was a terrorist attack that took place in October 1983, in which 241 US Marines, 58 French paratroopers, and 6 Lebanese civilians were killed.
  • Iran-Contra Affair

    Iran-Contra Affair
    The Iran - Contra affair, popularized in Iran as the McFarlane affair , the Iran - Contra scandal , or simply Iran - Contra , was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration.
  • The Oprah Winfrey Show First Airs

    The Oprah Winfrey Show First Airs
    The topic for the premiere show was "How to Marry the Man or Woman of Your Choice". Oprah was one of the longest-running daytime television talk shows in history.
  • “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”

    “Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!”
    Tear down this wall was a famous quote and challenge from former United States President Ronald Reagan to former Secretary-General of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall
  • End of Cold War

    End of Cold War
    During 1989 and 1990, the Berlin Wall came down, borders opened, and free elections ousted Communist regimes everywhere in eastern Europe. In late 1991 the Soviet Union itself dissolved into its component republics. With stunning speed, the Iron Curtain was lifted and the Cold War came to an end.