1. Nixon to Obama

2. Election of 1968
LBJ, exhausted and growing unpopular from Vietnam decides not to run
RFK, assured the Democratic nomination over Senator McCarthy and VP Humphrey, is gunned down by Sirhan Sirhan (a Jordanian immigrant)
Nixon wins the election over Humphrey with support from those who want to see the war won

4. Vietnamization
Plan to train the South Vietnamese Army to take over the war as we slowly pull troops out
Nixon, angry that NVA troops are using Cambodia to run supplies, begins a full scale bombing campaign claiming to be protecting Cambodia

5. Kent State Shootings
Protests against Vietnam were common on college campuses, many students went to college to avoid the draft
May 4th 1970, the National Guard shoots and kills 4 while wounding 9 others during a protest at Kent State

6. Vietnam 1972
Nixon did not want to agree to a cease-fire unless he could claim victory
Bombing campaigns intensified to force the NVA to surrender
Nixon called this his “Madman Theory”
He miscalculated the Vietnamese who now fought harder

7. 26th Amendment Changes voting age from 18 to 21
Most argued that if you could serve your country you should be able to vote for the President that could draft you

8. An End in Vietnam
Nixon agrees to a cease-fire when bombings fail, neither side concedes defeat
South Vietnam’s government collapses in 1975 and they surrender to the North
Domino Theory never pans out, Vietnam remains communist

10. Vietnam Death Toll 58,000 American deaths
185,000 South Vietnamese soldiers
Approx 1 Million NVA and Vietcong
500,000 Vietnamese civilians

14. The Energy Crisis
Yom Kippur War between Arabs and Israelis erupts in 1973
US supports Israelis
June 1973, Arab nations cut off fuel supplies to US forcing prices to rise
Triggers a panic and all energy costs rise in US and inflation sets in for rest of decade

16. Watergate Scandal
5 men are caught breaking into the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate complex in DC to “bug” phones
Over time it comes out that they were paid off by men who worked for CREEP (Committee to Re-Elect the President)
The White House initially denies the allegations and most people forget the story

18. Watergate
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were young ambitious reporters who refused to let the story go
Woodward had an informant, “Deep Throat” (now known to be Mark Felt, #2 in FBI) giving him clues to uncover the conspiracy

19. Woodward and Bernstein

20. Mark Felt: aka Deep Throat

21. Watergate
John Dean, former Nixon attorney claims Nixon ordered the cover-up of the Watergate story
“What did the President know and when did he know it”
Nixon denies any knowledge but refuses to give up White House tapes

22. Watergate U.S. V Richard M. Nixon
Once the Supreme Court orders the tapes handed over Nixon is impeached
A strange 17 minute gap appears on one tape, Nixon’s secretary claims she taped over it by accident (nobody buys it)
Nixon resigns rather than be thrown out of office

23. Nixon Resigns

24. Ford’s Presidency
Ford pardons Nixon from prosecution and takes a hit in popularity
Ford vetoes 66 bills
Had serious problems with Congress that didn’t allow him to accomplish much
Most felt he was a puppet for Nixon

25. 38th President: Gerald Ford

26. Jimmy Carter
Gov. of Georgia, he was a good candidate because he was seen as a Washington outsider with no ties to Watergate
Carter cut taxes and reduced unemployment but he had no answer for inflation
Energy crisis continued under Carter

27. 39th President: Jimmy Carter

28. Three Mile Accident Nuclear reactor failed at a power plant in PA
100,000 people were forced to leave their homes and flee
Carter refused to shutdown nuclear power plants as a result of the accident

29. Three Mile Island

30. Three Mile Island

31. Carter and the Cold War The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979
In response the US gave military support to Afghan rebels (some of those weapons are being used against us today)
As a result the US also boycotted the Summer Olympics in Moscow

32. Camp David Accords Carter’s greatest accomplishment
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin met with Carter to discuss a peace
The men worked out an agreement that ended 30 years of warfare between the two sides

34. Iran Hostage Crisis
Carter’s approval rating dropped to 31% by June 1980
In Nov. 1979, 53 hostages were taken from the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran
A failed rescue mission cost the lives of 8 American soldiers
Carter’s inability to handle the crisis killed his Presidency, the hostages were released minutes after Reagan’s inauguration

35. Iran Hostage Crisis

36. Ronald Reagan: Election of 1980
Reagan, a former actor from California ran against Carter and won a landslide victory
Reagan’s VP was George HW Bush
March 30th, 1981: Assassin John Hinkley,Jr. shoots Reagan just 61 days into his Presidency
Reaganomics: Reagan’s economic philosophy, trickle-down economics (cut taxes and allow the wealthy to create jobs with the increased income)

37. Reagan and the Cold War
Referred to the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire”
Defense budget nearly doubled
Even talked about developed a space based missile defense system, SDI or “Star Wars”
During Reagan’s term the Soviets began to lose power
Evil Empire Speech

38. Iran-Contra Affair
Sandinistas were Nicaraguan rebels who overthrew government
Contras were US backed Nicaraguan fighters financed and trained by US
Congress cut off that funding in 1982
CIA then began selling arms to Iran and using the profits to fund the Contra’s
Nearly brings down Reagan’s administration

39. Election of 1984
Reagan easily defeats Mondale, Carter’s VP and is re-elected
Election was very lopsided, 525 to 13
Mondale picked the first female VP for a major party, Geraldine Ferraro
Reagan appointed 1st female justice to court, Sandra Day O’Connor

40. Sandra Day O’Connor

41. The Challenger Mission
Social Studies teacher Christa McAuliffe is chosen to travel on space shuttle
70 Seconds after takeoff the “Challenger” exploded killing all 7 on board

42. Challenger Explosion

43. AIDS First case reported in 1981
First believed to be a virus that only affected homosexuals
Becomes widely accepted as a mainstream problem after the deaths of celebrities Arthur Ashe and Rock Hudson and the announcement that Magic Johnson was infected

44. Arthur Ashe Magic Johnson

45. Election of 1988
George HW Bush used Reagan's popularity to win the election
Gov. Michael Dukakis was the Democratic nominee, beating Jesse Jackson, the first African American to run for a major political nomination
Bush won a landslide by painting the Democrats as soft on crime

46. 41st President: George HW Bush

47. Collapse of the USSR
The Soviets lost power when communist governments fell throughout Eastern Europe
In October 1990, Germany was unified and the Berlin Wall was torn down
Without its “satellites” the USSR was weakened and divided over whether Gorbachev was a strong leader

49. Tiananmen Square Pro-democracy rallies broke out in China during 1989
The army was sent to put down one such rally in Tiananmen Square
Hundreds if not thousands were slaughtered by the Chinese Army
Tank Man

50. Operation Desert Storm

52. Persian Gulf War
Iraq and Saddam Hussein invade Kuwait, ally of the US (we buy oil from them)
The US demands Saddam pull his troops out immediately
When he refuses the US begins Operation Desert Storm bombing and invading Iraq
Within a month Saddam withdraws from Kuwait and the US exits Iraq

53. Persian Gulf War Unlike any war to that point
Technology changed the way war was fought
Also, the media covered the war on a day to day basis in the battlefield

54. Bush's Problems A recession hit in 1990
Federal deficit ballooned to 291 Billion in part thanks to the Persian Gulf War
Unemployment was up as was the number of families below the poverty line, Bush had also faltered on his “promise” to not raise taxes
"Read My Lips..."

55. Election 1992
George HW Bush is hurt by the fact that he went back on his promise of no new taxes
Gov. of Arkansas, Bill Clinton capitalizes and wins Presidency
Clinton and his wife Hillary campaign promising healthcare reform
Third Party candidate Ross Perot steals votes from Bush sealing the election for Clinton

56. 42nd President: Bill Clinton

57. Hillary Care
Hillary campaigned for Bill Clinton and was at the forefront of the healthcare fight
When the healthcare bill fails short in Congress Clinton’s first two years appear to be a disappointment
Republicans seized the opportunity and took control of both houses with their “Contract with America” in 1994 mid term elections

59. Terrorism in the 90’s Feb 1993: World Trade Center is bombed killing 6
April 1995: Oklahoma City Federal Building is blown up by a truck bomb killing 168
1996: the Unabomber carries out mail bombings scaring the nation
Aug 1996: During the Summer Olympics in Atlanta a pipe bomb blows up killing 1 and disrupting the games

60. WTC: 1993

61. Oklahoma City

62. Unabomber

63. Atlanta: Summer Olympics

64. Economy of the 1990’s
Clinton’s popularity soared as the economy took off
Longest and largest boom in the economy in US history
Unemployment, interest rates, and inflation all remained low (unsustainable over time)

65. Presidential Scandal: Clinton and Lewinsky
Clinton is being investigated for sexual harassment in Ark from when he was Gov
During the investigation it is uncovered that he was involved with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky
During a civil trial he claimed he did not have a relationship with her under oath
When he finally admits to the affair he is charged with perjury

66. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky

67. Clinton’s Impeachment
The Senate decided to put Clinton through an impeachment trial for only the second time in US history
In the end they found that his crime of perjury did not justify him being removed from office
Clinton Impeachment

68. Kosovo Crisis
Albanians living in Kosovo were being targeted by Slavs trying to remove them from their land, mass murder and genocide were taking place
Clinton, with help from NATO, launches a three week bombing campaign on Yugoslavia to stop the atrocity
In the end a peace is settled, however many were frustrated that the Yugoslavian leader stayed in power

69. Election of 2000
VP Al Gore runs for Democrats, George W Bush for Republicans
Gore concedes Election to Bush on election night but withdraws concession when Florida votes are called into question
A recount was ordered in Florida and the Florida Supreme Court ordered the recount stopped and called the election for Bush

70. Sept 11th, 2001 4 hijacked airplanes target major US landmarks
2 planes hit the Twin Towers, 1 hits the Pentagon, and the 4th is taken down in a field in PA (intended target was either the Capital Building or the White House)
3,100 Americans lost their lives
Al Qeada, a middle eastern terrorist group claimed responsibility

72. Pentagon: Sept 11, 2001

73. World Trade Center Memorial

74. War on Terror
The US began bombing Afghanistan in in hunt for Bin Laden in Oct of 2001
Bin Laden would be killed in Pakistan in May of 2011 after one of the largest manhunts in history
American troops remain in Afghanistan hoping to leave the region stable and secure by 2014

75. War on Terror: Afghanistan

76. Bin Laden Raid

77. Operation Iraqi Freedom
The US entered Iraq in 2003 when it believed that Iraq had obtained “Weapons of Mass Destruction”
The US removed Saddam Hussein from power and he was executed by the World Court for “Crimes Against Humanity”
The US helped establish a new government and left the country in 2010

78. Operation Iraqi Freedom

79. Economic Downturn of 2008
A lack of regulation in the financial market led to an unprecedented collapse in the industry in the fall of 2008
Pres Bush ordered the financial institutions involved to take “TARP” money to stabilize banks and prevent a depression
Pres Obama followed suit and the US government spent and loaned money to prevent an economic collapse
Obama also used “stimulus” programs to attempt to get the economy back on track

80. Election of 2008
After a heated primary Senator Barack Obama of Illinois defeats Hillary Clinton to be the Dem nominee
The Republicans nominate Sen John McCain of Arizona who chooses Gov Sarah Palin of Alaska as running mate
Obama wins the election rather easily due to the “Bush Backlash” over the struggling economy and two unpopular wars