Although in real terms oil prices fell back to pre-1973 levels through the 1980s, resulting in a windfall for the oil-consuming nations (especially North America, Western Europe, and Japan), the vast reserves of the leading Middle East producers guaranteed the region its strategic importance. Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients (262) 20th-century American politicians (182) American male non-fiction writers (181) In just six days, the NASDAQ had lost nearly nine percent, falling to 4,580 on March 15. [22], President Clinton also ordered cruise missile strikes on Iraq in 1996 and bombing attacks on Iraq in 1998,[23] which were launched in response to Saddam Hussein's violation of several UN resolutions, including repression of ethnic minorities (Kurds) and removing UN weapons inspectors. The storm yielded the lowest pressure value ever recorded in history before making landfall in Florida, making it the most intense storm on record. Though his 2000 election had been the focus of intense controversy which led eventually to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bush v. Gore where the court ruled 5–4 in the former's favor by siding with the State of Florida's official vote count, Governor George W. Bush was sworn in as President on January 20, 2001. "[117] Clinton was forced to retract his assertions in August 1998 after the Lewinsky matter came under investigation by independent counsel Kenneth Starr. [26][27], The 1990s also featured a series of increasingly violent attacks associated with Islamist terrorists, including al-Qaeda, a radical Islamist militant organization led by Osama bin Laden. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. On October 7, 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan as part of a global War on Terrorism, aimed at rooting out al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other terrorist organizations.[120]. federal anti-crime measures, steering more federal dollars toward the war on drugs, and calling for the hiring of 100,000 new police officers. The history of the United States from 1991 to 2008 began after the fall of the Soviet Union which signaled the end of the Cold War and left the U.S. unchallenged as the world's sole superpower. In 1992, riots occurred in Los Angeles after four police officers were acquitted in the beating of black motorist Rodney King. [24], Throughout the 1990s, the United States also played an active role in peace efforts in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. [111] Perot's result qualified his Reform Party to receive Federal Election Commission matching funds for campaign contributions in the 1996 election, thus laying the groundwork for another three-way race during the 1996 presidential election. On April 19, 1995, a truck bomb was detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 people and injuring over 600. In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq, which deposed the controversial regime of Saddam Hussein but also resulted in a prolonged conflict that would continue over the course of the decade. [31] The U.S. launched cruise missile strikes on a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan,[32] yet this failed to destroy al-Qaeda's vast network. By the time Iraqi troops withdrew from Kuwait in late February, Iraq had lost approximately 20,000 troops, with some sources citing as many as 100,000 casualties on the Iraqi side. The United States had tried to bring food aid to the country starting in April of 1992 in "Operation Provide Comfort" but … [74] The letters killed 5 people and infected a further 17. [3], Early 2000 to 2001 saw the dramatic bursting of the dot-com bubble. President Bush vetoed the bill because of the proposal of scaling down forces, making this the second veto of his term. [18], In the mid-1990s, the United States was involved in the Bosnian War through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), most notably the 1995 bombing campaign,[19] which finally led to the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the war by the end of 1995. The storm killed 150 people and caused $3 billion in damages. In the early morning hours of January 17, 1994, the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles was hit by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, known as the "Northridge earthquake". Along with strong backing from traditional Democrats and liberals, Clinton was able to garner the support of moderates[who?] The Internet and related technologies made their first broad penetrations into the economy, prompting a Wall Street technology-driven bubble, which Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan described in 1996 as "irrational exuberance". [90] Those shootings led to increased debate over gun politics and media violence, as well as an increased focus on mental health, school safety, and anti-bullying. Excitement over the prospects of Internet stocks had led to huge increases in the major indexes. In January 1996, the Blizzard of 1996 affected the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States, dumping up to 36 inches (91 cm) of snow on many areas, crippling major American cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. Many small towns were devastated and agricultural losses were significant. At least 1,800 lives were lost in the worst domestic calamity since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane. Despite tougher border scrutiny after the September 11 attacks, nearly 8 million immigrants came to the United States from 2000 to 2005—more than in any other five-year period in the nation's history. [citation needed] Localized conflicts such as those in Haiti and the Balkans prompted President Bill Clinton to send in U.S. troops as peacekeepers, reviving the Cold-War-era controversy about whether policing the rest of the world was a proper U.S. role. [91] The attackers killed 10 people and injured three. Later in the season, Hurricane Wilma struck the state of Florida in October 2005, killing 35 people and doing $20 billion worth of damage. [100] The incident resulted from a piece of foam insulation that fell off during launch, which struck the shuttle, creating a hole that allowed hot gases to penetrate the shuttle during re-entry. Clinton's surgeon general, Jocelyn Elders, attracted controversy over public remarks that "it would be good for parents to teach their children about masturbation". Learn more on HISTORY.com. [63] Two people were killed in the mid-1990s and an exhaustive and expensive investigation by the FBI coupled with intense national media interest in the story resulted in the identification and arrest of the perpetrator Theodore Kaczynski, who was sentenced to life in prison. 1991 establishments in the United States. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, a mysterious man known in the media as the "Unabomber" sent mail bombs to figures in the academic and airline industries for various reasons. Islamic radicals overseas loudly threatened assaults against the U.S. for its ongoing military presence in the Middle East, and even staged the first World Trade Center attack, a truck bombing in New York's twin towers, in 1993, as well as a number of deadly attacks on U.S. interests abroad. The overall rate of major crimes fell during the period. As much as two trillion dollars worth of natural gas is potentially available in the Marcellus Formation deposits located in the historic 19th-century oil fields in Appalachia, stretching from West Virginia through Pennsylvania into western New York. [105] The theme of "energy independence" led to legislation mandating more fuel efficient autos—even electric vehicles—and more efficient use of energy, ranging from insulation to new light bulbs. [94] The riots occurred primarily in South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly black and Hispanic area. An uninspired insider, Dole failed to attract the support of the GOP base and the incumbent president pulled to victory in the November election. July 29, 1991 - Bank of Credit and Commerce International is indicted in New York for the largest bank fraud in history. [40] It refocused American attention to a long war on terrorism, beginning with an attack on al-Qaeda and its Taliban supporters in Afghanistan. Another was unemployment, which experienced the longest period of monthly increase since the Great Depression. [102] Three days later, on February 20, 100 people perished and over 200 were injured in The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, when pyrotechnics ignited flammable sound-proofing during a performance by the band Great White. The storm was particularly crippling to the Southern United States, where places like Birmingham, Alabama received one-and-a-half feet of snow and record low temperatures, highly unusual for the region. During a five-day spell from July 12 to 16, the high temperature hovered from the mid 90s to the mid 100s. The Iraqi Army disintegrated without much resistance and within three weeks, US troops entered Baghdad to an overjoyed mob of Iraqi civilians who proceeded to tear down the giant statue of Saddam Hussein in the middle of the city. A majority of the dot-coms ceased trading after burning through their venture capital, many having never made a profit. [92] Two men were arrested and convicted.[93]. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1989–1992, Volume III, Soviet Union, 1989–1991 Charges from the Lewinsky scandal led to the 1998 impeachment of Clinton by the House of Representatives but he was later acquitted by the Senate. The storm set low pressure records; produced hurricane-force winds, storm surge, and killer tornadoes in Florida; and produced snowfall up to 2 feet (61 cm) across many portions of the Eastern United States. The Capital Region was struck by the Beltway sniper attacks, a series of sniper attacks on civilians and federal workers by two gunmen over a month-long period in October 2002. In the 1994 midterm election, the Over 100 people were killed. ; 9th January » Representatives from the United States and Iraq meet at the Geneva Peace Conference to try to find a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Losses exceeded $1 billion. Republicans also made gains in both houses of Congress. [109] However, economic recession and a reneged campaign pledge dogged Bush, sinking his formerly high approval ratings from the high 80s to the lower 40s and upper 30s. It took Thomas Jefferson 17 days to write the Declaration of Independence. A major short-term problem in the first half of 2002 was a sharp decline in the stock market, fueled in part by the exposure of dubious accounting practices in some major corporations. *FREE* shipping on eligible orders. Rita resulted in over 100 fatalities, the vast majority of which were indirect, occurring during the evacuation or in the aftermath of the storm. [101] In the aftermath of the disaster, the space shuttle program was suspended for 29 months as NASA investigated the incident and made plans to prevent future tragedies. Democrats swept to victory in the 2006 elections, making Representative Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the first woman in that position, and electing record numbers of women and minorities. President George W. Bush was re-elected in November 2004, defeating Democratic contender Senator John Kerry in the electoral vote, and receiving 50.7% of the popular vote against John Kerry's 48.3%. Immigration, mainly from Latin America and Asia, swelled during the 1990s, laying the groundwork for great changes in the demographic makeup of the U.S. population in coming decades, such as Hispanics replacing African-Americans as the largest minority. The new law required welfare recipients to work as a condition of benefits and imposed limits on how long individuals may receive payments, but did allow states to exempt 20% of their caseloads from the time limits. Pages in category "History of the United States (1991–present)" The following 59 pages are in this category, out of 59 total. 50 people perished in the floods and $15 billion in damage was done. Conflict in the Middle East triggered yet another international crisis on August 2, 1990, when Iraq invaded and attempted to annex neighboring Kuwait. Some important allies of the U.S., including India, Japan, Turkey, New Zealand, France, Germany, and Canada, did not believe that the evidence for the President's accusations was well-founded enough to justify a full-scale invasion, especially as military personnel were still needed in Afghanistan. The 1990s was a decade often remembered for its relative prosperity and peace, as well as the rise of the Internet and 1990s fashion, movies and music. In 2006, criticism over the handling of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina (which struck the Gulf Coast region in 2005), political scandals, and the growing unpopularity of the Iraq War helped the Democrats gain control of Congress. [51] With ISAF assuming complete command of security forces in Afghanistan in October 2006, the U.S. saw mounting skepticism from European allies over the war at the 2006 Riga summit. The hurricanes also caused gas prices to spike to around $4 per gallon. Clinton also pursued tough[according to whom?] Notable aviation disasters in the 1990s included TWA Flight 800 crashing off the coast of Long Island, en route to Paris, France, on July 17, 1996 due to an explosion of the fuel tank, killing 230 and EgyptAir Flight 990 crashing south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, en route to Cairo, Egypt, on October 31, 1999 due to deliberate crashing by the first officer, killing 217. Clinton initially and vigorously denied the relationship; "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. Abramson, Paul R., John H. Aldrich, and David W. Rohde. Tens of thousands had to be rescued by the U.S. military from their rooftops or from unsanitary and dangerous shelters in public buildings. October 3, 1991 - The governor of Arkansas, William Jefferson Clinton, announces his intention to seek the 1992 Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. [42] The invasion, fought in conjunction with the U.S.'s NATO allies, began on October 7, 2001, quickly leading to the overthrow of the Taliban government and implementation of Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's interim president. [59], The 1990s and 2000s (decade) became known for several incidents of domestic terrorism, usually perpetrated by those dissatisfied with actions of the federal government, big business, or other aspects of American society.[60][61]. After six weeks of combat between the coalition and the Iraqi army, the invading forces had secured control of many key regions; Hussein had fled his palace, his regime clearly over; on May 1, President Bush declared, under a sign reading "mission accomplished", that major ground operations were at an end. Cartoon History of the United States (Cartoon History of the Modern World) (Cartoon Guide Series) [Gonick, Larry] on Amazon.com. Upon winning the elections, the Democrats drew up a 100-Hour Plan of policy proposals upon assuming power in Congress. Antiwar protests occurred around the US and numerous other countries, mostly carried out by left-wing organizations, but some on the right and various military and diplomatic figures also doubted the wisdom of this venture. )", "THE 1992 ELECTIONS: DISAPPOINTMENT – NEWS ANALYSIS An Eccentric but No Joke; Perot's Strong Showing Raises Questions On What Might Have Been, and Might Be", National Archives and Records Administration, "What proposals have been made to change the Electoral College system? The unemployment rate peaked at 6% in 2003, before falling in 2004 and 2005, and dropping below 5% in 2006 and 2007.[6]. Oil prices tripled after 2002, peaking at $147 in July 2008, about $4 a gallon; the price has continued to fluctuate widely. Zarqawi was killed by US troops in 2005. The heat wave resulted in the deaths of over 700 people, many of whom were black, elderly, or poor. By 2001, the bubble was deflating at full speed. History of the United States 1991 Present. The strongly liberal policies of Clinton's first two years in office were also a cause of controversy, and the Democrats suddenly lost control of the House and the Senate for the first time in four decades in the 1994 midterm elections. From the first English colonies to the Gulf War and the S&L debacle, Larry Gonick spells it all out from his unique cartoon perspective. The first year of the budget surplus was also the first year since 1969 in which the federal government did not borrow from the Social Security Trust Fund. [96] 3,600 fires were set, destroying over 1,000 buildings and widespread looting occurred, especially of businesses owned by Korean Americans. On October 12, 2000, al-Qaeda militants bombed the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen, killing 17 U.S. sailors and severely damaging the ship.[33]. In August 2005, the powerful Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast region. Study.com can help you get the hang of History of the United States (1991–present) with quick and painless video and text lessons. However, dozens of start-up Internet companies failed as many of the lofty promises heralded by the new world of the Web failed to materialize. The first eight months of his term in office were relatively uneventful; however, it had become clear by that time that the economic boom of the late 1990s was at an end. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. embarked on the Global War on Terrorism, starting with the 2001 war in Afghanistan. On February 26, 1993, a truck bomb was detonated at the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six civilians and injuring 919 others, 88 firefighters, and 35 police officers. In addition, the House of Representatives passed a $124 billion emergency spending measure for war funding with the stipulation of a phased troop withdrawal. In 1999, Republican Dennis Hastert of Illinois became Speaker of the House, a position he would hold until 2007, making him the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House. The New Deal, the Great Society, and Watergate helped solidify Democratic control of Congress, but the 1980s and early 1990s were a period of fragmentation of their coalition, when the popularity of Democratic incumbents as constituent servants masked growing disenchantment with Congress' governing capacities. Same-sex marriage in the United States is mentioned next to nowhere (significantly) in this article. On the morning of September 11, 2001, four airliners were hijacked by 19 members of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda. These matters came to a head, however, in February 1998 when reports surfaced of ongoing sexual relations between Clinton and a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. By the early 1990s the politics of oil still proved as hazardous as it did in the early 1970s. April 26 – Seventy tornadoes break out in the central United States, killing 17 people. The 110th Congress did little to influence the war in Iraq besides passing a non-binding resolution against the Bush administration's troop surge. History of the United States (1991-present): United States presidential election, 2000, United States presidential election, 1992 [Source Wikipedia] on Amazon.com.au. [95] Fifty-five people were killed and more than 2000 were injured. ; On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain. [54][55] The attack sparked protest over "collateral damage"; with a 40% increase in civilian deaths in 2008. The storm was known for many controversies including the sluggish federal response, which may have impacted President George H.W. The most notable tornado of the day strikes, June 10 – As she was finishing school for the day, 11-year-old, October 11–13 – The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate, This page was last edited on 8 March 2021, at 04:23. An emergency bailout package for the airline industry was passed, and stocks fell dramatically when markets re-opened the following week. history.state.gov 3.0 shell. A total of 87 tornadoes were reported. The U.S. rejects the agreement, but says that retreating Iraqi forces will not be attacked if they leave Kuwait within 24 hours. The history of the United States is what happened in the past in the United States, a country in North America.. Regardless, the invasion of Iraq commenced on March 20, 2003. Compromise came with difficulty, though, as the parties failed to agree on a budget, causing the federal government to shut down in late 1995 into early 1996. In 1991 Barre was overthrown and fled the country. [62] After a lull, he began another mail bombing campaign in earnest, beginning in 1993. Meanwhile, the economy recovered from the early 2000s economic recession, with GDP growth rising to 7% in the middle of 2003, with continued growth through the mid-2000s. [36] After discovering that their plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was going to be used as a missile, passengers attempted to regain control of the plane which had been redirected towards Washington, D.C.[37] However, after regaining control from the hijackers, the plane crashed near a rural community near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. President Bush's reelection was assured by public support for the War On Terror, the dour Senator Kerry's lack of appeal to his voter base, and the excessive attacks made on the president by the left, which helped turn public opinion against them. Residents of New Orleans, many of whom were impoverished and unable (or unwilling) to evacuate before the storm, were trapped for days by the flood waters. Although the war was initially popular, a guerrilla insurgency quickly began mostly by Al Qaeda operatives who had entered the country. With $26 billion in damage, it became the costliest storm in history at that time. February 22 – Gulf War: Iraq accepts a Russian-proposed cease fire agreement. Even worse than the high price, was the fear of shortages. Aged 46 when he took office in January 1993, Clinton was one of the youngest presidents in US history and the first born after WWII. Edit. It is designed to serve as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to other statistical publications and sources both in print and on the Web. Only weeks after Katrina, Hurricane Rita struck the Texas/Louisiana border in September. The United States began to recover from the post-9/11 recession in 2003, but the robustness of the market (7% GDP growth), combined with the unemployment rate (above 6%), led some economists and politicians to refer to the situation as a "jobless recovery". Buy History of the United States (1991-present) by Jesse Russell, Ronald Cohn (ISBN: ) from Amazon's Book Store. This section of the Timeline of United States history concerns events from 1990 to present.. 1990s. Senate. The most destructive tornado was an F5 tornado that struck Oklahoma City and the suburb of Moore. Striking an urban area, it was very destructive, causing $20 billion in damage. One example of such compromises was welfare reform legislation signed into law in 1996. [52][53] U.S.-Afghan diplomatic relations began to flare after the August 2008 Azizabad airstrike in Herat Province, which killed 91 civilians, including 60 children and 15 women. [82] Measured per capita, this was a 43% percent drop in violent crime rates. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume XXI, Chile, 1969–1973 [125], Conflicts in Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Middle East, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Timothy J. Considine, "The Economic Impacts of the Marcellus Shale: Implications for New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia," (2010), History of the United States (1991-present), dubious accounting practices in some major corporations, bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists, the most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history, research and development of new energy sources, Remarks including response to Monica Lewinsky scandal (January 26, 1998), Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, Timeline of United States history (1990–present), Study: Immigration grows, reaching record numbers, "NASDAQ hits the big time stock record lights up times square", ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aat1.txt, "Operation Desert Storm: Ten Years Later", "HOW BUSH DECIDED He sees Saddam Hussein as another Hitler. The U.S. economy boomed in the enthusiasm for high-technology industries in the 1990s until the NASDAQ crashed as the dot-com bubble burst and the early 2000s recession marked the end of the sustained economic growth. Native Americans lived in the Americas for thousands of years. June 17–30 – Nelson Mandela tours North America, visiting three Canadian cities and eight U.S. cities. Category page. [107] The question of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) was highly controversial, as Republican proposals were blocked by the Democrats in Congress. Early in his term, Bush signed a $1.3 trillion federal tax cut aimed at revitalizing the economy, but the wars in the Middle East as well as assorted domestic spending packages passed by the Republican Congress led to ballooning Federal deficits. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. [124] On June 28 the Senate voted 53–45 for cloture, with 60 votes needed, spelling the end to the 2007 Immigration Bill. On August 24, 1992, the category-five Hurricane Andrew made landfall in South Florida, devastating the southern suburbs of Miami, including Homestead, Kendall, and Cutler Ridge. The history of the United States started with the arrival of Native Americans in North America around 15,000 BC.Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many disappeared in the 1500s. Ross Perot ran for a second time, but was not allowed at the debate between Clinton and Dole and failed to attract as much support as he had in 1992. Throughout the 1990s the world price of crude oil ranged between $10 and $40, and the average price at the pump did not exceed $1.40. [17] After the attack, Clinton ordered U.S. forces withdrawn from the region, with the last being withdrawn by 1995, and fired his Secretary of Defense Les Aspin who had not sent adequate forces. His promising to focus on and resolve some of the United States' many domestic issues, he entered office with high expectations. The objective of the 2001 invasion, known as Operation Enduring Freedom, was to remove the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban lead government from power in Afghanistan, and to capture top level al-Qaeda leaders, including its founder Osama bin Laden. By the end of his administration, the federal government had experienced the country's longest economic expansion and produced a budget surplus. English people in 1607 went to the place now called Jamestown, Virginia.Other European settlers went to the colonies, mostly from England and later Great Britain. 10,000 homes were destroyed and 15 million acres (61,000 km2) of agricultural lands were inundated. In 2004, four hurricanes--Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne—struck the state of Florida in a one-month timespan, resulting in over 100 U.S. deaths and nearly $50 billion in damage combined. The year 2001 was plagued by a nine-month recession, witnessing the end of the boom psychology and performance, with output increasing only 0.3% and unemployment and business failures rising. A spate of school shootings rocked the country in the late 1990s and the 2000s, the most notable being the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, that left 15 people dead, including both perpetrators Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Events from the year 1991 in the United States. On May 3, 1999, a violent tornado outbreak struck the Southern Great Plains, predominantly Oklahoma. ... GDP was -3.6% in Q4 1990 and -1.9% in Q1 1991. It really is more than a history of the United States Navy -- it is a history of the United States in a very real sense. Plans for a full-scale military invasion of the country began amid widespread controversy. On March 10, 2000, the NASDAQ peaked at 5,048.62,[4] more than double its value just a year before. "Truck Bomb Kills 19 Americans at an Air Base in Saudi Arabia Mideast: Explosion tears through military housing facility, injuring more than 300 people. [72][73], In 2001, only days after the September 11 attacks, letters laced with anthrax were sent to several individuals, including prominent news personalities and government officials. Osama bin Laden claimed responsibility for the attacks. President Bush ordered all flights grounded and U.S. airspace remained closed for the rest of the week. [2] Almost half entered illegally. [103] Both incidents brought attention to the need to crack down on building, fire, and safety code violations to prevent future tragedies. [38] In total, the attacks killed 2,996 people—2,507 civilians, 343 firefighters, 72 law enforcement officers, 55 military personnel, and the 19 terrorists. • January 2 – Sharon Pratt Dixon is sworn in as mayor of the District of Columbia, thus becoming the first African-American woman to be mayor of a major U.S. city.