Overview Politics, People, Sports, Foreign Affairs, Music, and Culture

Politics: George H.W. Bush  George H.W. Bush was elected President in  Cold War ended, Soviet Russia fell and Berlin Wall came down during his time as President in the 1980s  Second half of Presidency  Bush Sr. sent troops to Panama to overthrow the corrupt regime of General Manuel Noriega who was threating the security of the canal and Americans living there.  Noriega was brought to trial in the US for drug trafficking

George HW Bush- Gulf War  Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and threatened to move into Saudi Arabia.  Bush rallied the UN and sent 425,000 US troops over where they were joined by 118,000 troops from allied nations  Operation Desert Storm  After weeks of air and missile bombardment the 100-hour land battle there was a decisive victory and Hussein lost. Kuwait was liberated.

George HW Bush  Despite popularity due to the success with the Gulf War there were many problems that led to Bush Sr. not being re-elected  Faltering economy  Rising violence in the cities  High deficit spending  Election of 1992 he lost to Democrat Bill Clinton

President Bill Clinton  Won the 1992 election  Increase taxes to reduce the national debt. Balanced budget  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy with homosexuals in the military  1993 World Trade Center Bombing  Health Care Reform Plan-Hilary  First White House website was launched  Midterm Elections of 1994 Democrats lost control of both Houses

Clinton’s Second Term  1997 Election-Clinton received 49.2% of the popular vote. The Republican candidate Bob Dole received 40.7% and a third party Reform candidate Ross Perot received 8.4% of the vote.  1998 Monica Lewinsky scandal  Clinton denied involvement, lying under oath  They obtained a semen-stained dress and testimony from Lewinsky and Clinton confessed and apologized  Impeachment of Clinton in 1998 after the scandal they acquitted him and he was not forced to leave office. atch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs atch?v=UEmjwR0Rs20

Clinton cont.  Tried for peace in the Middle East  Bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania by Al-Qaeda led to US naval military forces launching cruise missiles against Al-Qaeda bases in Afghanistan  Clinton issued 141 pardons on his last day in office and it was controversial.  Overall Clinton had a high approval rating at 65% at the end of his time in office.  During his time in office the US had a federal surplus for the first time since The public debt was decreased.

Major USA events  1993 bombing of the World Trade Center  Oklahoma City bombing 1995  Ahmed Ressam- Islamist militant of Al- Qaeda was arrested while trying to sneak into America to bomb the LA International Airport  Hurricane Andrew striking South Florida  Battle in Seattle-protests against globalization. Protest at WTO conference

Major US Events cont.  Columbine Shooting 12 students and one teacher died. 24 injured  Olympic Park Bombing 1996 Atlanta-1 died  27 th Amendment stating that the salary of Congress can’t increase or decrease until the next term.  Rodney King verdict and riots-53 people killed and 2000 injured

Foreign Affairs  Rwanda Genocide 1994  Break up of Yugoslavia  Spread of capitalism  Release of Nelson Mandela from jail and is elected President in 1994  Fall of communist USSR  Dolly-cloned sheep  Princess Diana was killed 1997

Culture  Cinema- Titanic, Toy Story, Forest Gump, Independence Day, Silence of the Lambs etc.  TV- Full House, Family Matters, That 70s Show, Friends, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, South Park, SpongeBob etc.  Punk/Grunge culture and style  Rollerblades, bleached hair, colored tips, slap bracelets, light up shoes, flannel.

Music  Grunge, Gangsta rap, R&B, teen pop, electronic dance, and punk rock.  Big Bands: Green Day, U2, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Blink 182, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead.  Pop: Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Hanson  R&B: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child, TLC, Boys II Men  Musical Deaths: Kurt Cobain, Selena, Tupac, The Notorious BIG

Technology  Internet becomes available-World Wide Web  Cell phones  More personal computers  Video Games: Donkey Kong, Super Mario World, Pokemon, Mario Kart, Test Drive series, StarCraft, Sonic.  More multi-player games  PlayStation becomes top selling console, Sega also popular  3D graphics by end of decade

Sports  MLB went on strike and canceled the World Series for the first time in 90 years.  OJ Simpson trial  Duke won NCAA tourny two years in a row (first time in history)  Michael Jordan became an icon (Space Jam)  Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999, less than two years after battling testicular cancer.  Professional wrestling boom (Hulk Hogan)  The USA hosted the World Cup in After it ended it started the creation of the MLS (Major League Soccer)\  Cowboys won three Super Bowls  Ultimate fighting started gaining popularity and Mixed Martial Arts

Natural Disasters and Cults  Flood of 1993  Heat wave of Chicago killed a few hundred  Waco Texas Siege killed 76  Heaven’s Gate-39 suicide