1980s: Conservatism, Cold War and Computers

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During the 1980s, conservative politics and Reaganomics held sway as the Berlin Wall crumbled, new computer technologies emerged, AIDS ravaged the United States, especially the gay male community, and blockbuster movies and MTV reshaped pop culture.

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The 1980s

Reagan Revolution The populist conservative movement known as the New Right enjoyed unprecedented growth in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It appealed to a diverse assortment of Americans including evangelical Christians, anti-tax crusaders, advocates of a more powerful American presence abroad, disaffected white liberals and defenders of a free market with few if any regulations. Did You […]

AIDS Crisis Timeline

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a virus that had previously appeared sporadically around the world began to spread throughout the United States. Originally identified as a “gay disease” because gay men were one of the primary groups afflicted, HIV and the syndrome it causes, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, were unknown in 1981 but […]

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The Central Park Five

When Trisha Meili’s body was discovered in New York City’s Central Park early in the morning on April 20, 1989, she had been so badly beaten and repeatedly raped that she remained in a coma for nearly two weeks and retained no memory of the attack. The brutal assault of the 28-year-old white investment banker, […]

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Chernobyl

Where Is Chernobyl? Chernobyl is located in northern Ukraine, about 80 miles north of Kiev. A small town, Pripyat, was constructed a few miles from the site of the nuclear plant to accommodate workers and their families. Construction of the Chernobyl power plant began in 1977, when the country was still part of the Soviet […]

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Basquiat and Warhol: Inside Their Unlikely Artistic Collaborations

The young New York graffiti artist and Pop Art icon produced more than 150 works together. Critics in the ’80s panned them. Now, some sell for millions.

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How AIDS Activists Fought for Patients’ Rights

ACT UP pressured the government, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies for more patient-centered care during the worst years of the AIDS epidemic.

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8 Essential Gadgets From the 1980s That Are Now Obsolete

Once cutting-edge and status-conferring, these technologies have since been overshadowed.

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The Mariel Boatlift: How Cold War Politics Drove Thousands of Cubans to Florida in 1980

After Fidel Castro loosened emigration policies, some 125,000 Cubans landed on U.S. shores over a span of five months.

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4:44 minTV-PG

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What Was the Iran-Contra Affair?

Learn about the Iran-Contra Affair under President Reagan who secretly supported an anti-Communist group in Nicaragua and funneled weapons to Iranian terrorists in exchange for American hostages. Discover how Lt. Col. Oliver North was found guilty.

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1980s: Conservatism, Cold War and Computers | HISTORY (12)

2:00 minTV-PG

Challenger Explosion

On January 28, 1986, the tenth mission of the space shuttle Challenger ended in tragic disaster. We remember the seven astronauts who lost their lives that day, including Christa McAuliffe, who was chosen by NASA to pioneer its Teacher in Space program.

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