Cold War & Foreign Policy
Presidents & Leadership
Economic Policy
Technology & Communication
War on Terror & Modern Challenges
Turning Points Years
100

Conflict that began when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.

Persian Gulf War (Crisis)

100

President who promoted trickle-down economics during the 1980s.

Ronald Reagan

100

Economic policy emphasizing tax cuts and reduced government regulation in the 1980s.

Reaganomics

100

Handheld devices that allow wireless communication over long distances.

Cell phones

100

Terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

9/11 attacks

100

The year terrorist attacks occurred on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

2001

200

Crisis in which Americans were held hostage in Iran from 1979–1981.

Iran Hostage Crisis

200

President during the Persian Gulf War and the end of the Cold War.

George H.W. Bush

200

Oil embargo by this organization contributed to economic problems and inflation in the 1970s.

OPEC

200

Technologies that orbit Earth and allow global communication and navigation.

Satellites

200

Hurricane that caused major destruction in New Orleans in 2005.

Hurricane Katrina

200

The year civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

1968

300

Policy of easing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the 1970s.

Détente

300

President during economic growth and expansion of the internet in the 1990s.

Bill Clinton

300

Economic condition of high inflation and high unemployment during the 1970s.

Stagflation

300

Technologies that became common in homes and workplaces during the 1990s.

Internet and computers

300

U.S. policy describing military efforts to fight terrorism worldwide after 2001.

Global War on Terror

300

The year the Cold War officially ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

1991

400

Cold War strategy used by the United States to stop the spread of communism.

Containment

400

President in office during the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina. 

George W. Bush

400

Trade agreement created in the 1990s to increase trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

400

Systems used by organizations to store and manage digital information.

Computer management systems

400

Law passed after 9/11 that expanded federal surveillance powers.

USA Patriot Act

400

The year the United States successfully landed the first humans on the Moon.

1969

500

Diplomatic policy that improved relations between the United States and China.

China Normalization

500

President who signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act after the 2008 recession.

Barack Obama

500

Increasing economic and cultural connections between countries through trade and technology.

Globalization

500

Global network connecting computers and allowing information sharing.

Internet

500

Law passed in 1973 to limit the president’s ability to send troops into combat without approval from Congress.

War Powers Act

500

The year the U.S. stock market collapsed, helping trigger the Great Depression.

1929