The 1980's in America

Databases and Websites

Biography in Context
Name,occupation,nationality,ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender.

Britannica High School Edition
Excellent and good for subject overview. Has photos, graphs, and stats.

FactSite Lincoln Library Online
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Pop Culture: 1980
The fairy tale wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana happened in 1981. John Lennon was killed in 1980. Find out why the U.S. boycotted the Summer Olympics in 1980. Cats debuted on Broadway, the Mac computer was introduced, and the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in the 1980s. Investigate bestselling authors, top actors, and award-winning children's books. Discover what happened on Wall Street in 1987. This resource includes the U.S. population and the ten largest cities from the 1980 Census. http://www.census.gov

Description: Mount St. Helens Volcano, Washington

Location: Washington, Skamania County
Latitude: 46.2° N
Longitude: 122.18° W
Elevation: 2,549 (m) 8,363 (f)
Volcano type: Stratovolcano
Composition: Basalt to Rhyodacite
Most recent eruption: 1980, 2004-2008
Nearby towns: Castle Rock, WA; Olympia, WA; Vancouver, WA; Yakima, WA; Portland, OR
Alert Level: Normal (2014-04-30 09:05:42)
Threat Potential: High *

The U. S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO) investigates and reports on volcanoes and other hazardous events in the western United States. They are responsible for this geographic profile containing information on recent activity as well as historical background on the active volcano, Mount St. Helens in Washington State. Page sections illustrated with color photographs describe the location and physical characteristics of the mountain and surrounding region, along with scientific data on major eruptions such as the May 18, 1980 event.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov

Volcanoes and Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanoes are alive and active on planet Earth and beyond, and this geoscience news and information site is a wealth of information about them. Read about past volcanic eruptions such as Vesuvius and Mount St. Helens; currently active volcanoes such as the ones on Hawaii, the Chalten in Chile, and beneath the Pacific Ocean. Learn about volcanic terms such as a maar, volcanic lightning, rating volcanic eruptions, calderas, submarine volcanoes, plate tectonics, asphalt volcanoes, volcanic ash and more. Did you know other planets have volcanoes, too? Find out where the volcanoes are in the United States.
http://geology.com

On This Day: Mount St. Helens Erupts
Fifty seven people were killed and 230 square miles were destroyed when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. You will discover in this article that this eruption triggered the largest landslide recorded in history. You will also find some history on Mount St. Helens' activity, the activity that led up to the eruption, and details of the actual eruption that took place on this day. Information on the recovery of the surrounding area is provided in the article as well as information on larger volcanoes. http://www.findingdulcinea.com

https://youtu.be/5nfgTJaT_Vs from the
U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame The 1980 U.S. OlympicTeam

On This Day: US Hockey Beats USSR in 'Miracle on Ice'
One of the most historic hockey games took place during the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid when the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviet team in a huge upset. You will learn about the hockey teams and the reasons the Soviets were expected to win and win easily. Details of the historic game are provided and include names of players and mistakes that were made. Various reactions to the outcome of the game are described and you will find a more in depth discussion on the U.S. and Soviet hockey teams.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com

Criminal Justice Fact Sheet
The number of people incarcerated in the United States more than quadrupled between 1980 (500,000) and 2008 (2.3 million). African Americans make up almost half of the number of people incarcerated, and are imprisoned at nearly six times the rate of Whites. About 14 million Whites and 2.6 million African Americans report using an illegal drug, but African Americans are incarcerated at 10 times the rate of Whites. Read some of the contributing factors of racial disparities in the incarcerated populations and the long-term effects of incarceration. http://www.naacp.org

Space Shuttle Overview: Challenger (OV-099)

Built as a test vehicle, STA-099 became known as Challenger after being converted into a space-rated orbiter. Without the computer capabilities we have today, STA-099 was submitted to vibration and thermal testing to try to determine if the lightweight orbiter could handle the heat and stress of launch. Challenger joined Enterprise in NASA's fleet of space shuttle orbiters in 1982. Learn about the ships it was named after. Discover the many space firsts it hosted in the nearly three years it traveled between the Earth and orbit before it exploded.
http://www.nasa.gov

Teacher Recalls Class Watching Challenger Explode
If you had been a schoolchild in 1986, you might have been in one of the thousands of classrooms or schools that watched the launch of the space shuttle Challenger live on television. Even first graders watched the launch, because no one expected the launch to turn into a disaster. Teachers prepared students for the exciting event with fun activities and NASA videos. A teacher was going to space! Christa McAuliffe was trained as an educator and was being sent on NASA's mission to communicate with students from space. http://www.npr.org

51-L Challenger

NASA has all the details of the Challenger mission for you to see. You can read about the crew and their titles, the milestones of the mission, and their objectives. The launch is described in a technical way to help understand exactly what went wrong. The planned orbit, landing and activity highlights are explained. There are many embedded links to other important information such as the Challenger craft itself, Kennedy Space Center, and terms such as entry, and internal and external tanks. http://science.ksc.nasa.gov

Watch President Reagan's address to the nation after the Shuttle Challenger Tragedy

"...The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

Ronald Wilson Reagan

Tampico, Illinois-born Ronald Reagan was known as The Great Communicator during the time he served as the 40th President of the United States. He enjoyed a career as an actor before venturing into the world of politics. The University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs features a number of resources to help you understand the events of President Reagan's eight years in office. You can watch videos and read transcripts of famous speeches delivered by President Reagan, including his address at the Berlin Wall in which he implores Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
http://millercenter.org

Ronald Reagan

This site covers the life and presidency of Ronald Reagan. Our Fortieth President's life reads much like a movie, partly because his career began in films. Learn about Reagan's film career and how he ended up in the White House. You will also learn about his accomplishments during his presidency and the change he created in the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov