Timeline of US History 21th Century Flashcards
2001
First inauguration of George W. Bush: George W. Bush was inaugurated the forty-third President of the United States.
Democrats gained narrow control of Senate with the defection of James Jeffords from the Republican Party.
The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 was signed into law by President George W. Bush.
September 11 terrorist attacks: Nineteen terrorists hijacked four planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania killing nearly three thousand people and injuring over six thousand.
2001 Anthrax attacks: Anthrax attacks killed five and infected seventeen more through the mail system.
War in Afghanistan (2001–present): The United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan.
The USA PATRIOT Act, increasing law enforcement agencies’ ability to conduct searches in cases of suspected terrorism, was signed into law.
American Airlines Flight 587: A flight crashed in Queens, New York, killing 265.
2002
The United States officially withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
The No Child Left Behind Act education reform bill was signed into law.
Beltway sniper attacks: Ten people were killed and three were injured in attacks around the Washington, D.C. area.
The United States Department of Homeland Security was created.
2003
Republicans regained narrow control of the Senate.
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
2003 E2 nightclub stampede: A nightclub stampede in Chicago, Illinois killed twenty-one.
The Station nightclub fire: A fire caused by pyrotechnics at a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island killed 100 people and injured over 230.
Invasion of Iraq: The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq.
Capture of Saddam Hussein: In Iraq, deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured by United States special forces.
2004
The social networking website Facebook was launched.
Death of Ronald Reagan: Former President Ronald Reagan died from complications resulting from Alzheimer’s disease.
2004 Atlantic hurricane season: Four deadly and damaging hurricanes impacted Florida, killing a combined one hundred people in the United States and producing over $50 billion in damage.
U.S. presidential election, 2004; President George W. Bush was reelected.
2005
Second inauguration of George W. Bush: George W. Bush was inaugurated to his second term.
Hurricane Katrina: A hurricane devastated the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastlines killing at least 1,836 people and causing $81 billion in damage.
2006
The Democratic Party regained control of both houses of Congress and gained control of a majority of state governorships.
2007
Democrat Nancy Pelosi became the first woman to become Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Iraq War troop surge of 2007: George W. Bush ordered the substantial increase of the number of United States troops in Iraq.
Virginia Tech massacre: A South Korean student shot and killed thirty-two other students and professors before killing himself.
The I-35W Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed, killing thirteen people.
Late-2000s recession: A recession began.
2008
2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak: An outbreak of tornadoes killed over sixty people and produced $1 billion in damage across Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
Northern Illinois University shooting: A student killed five and injured twenty-one before killing himself.
Hurricane Ike: A hurricane killed 100 people along the Texas coast, producing $31 billion in damage and contributing to rising oil prices.
Oil prices in the United States hit a record $147 per barrel.
Global financial crisis in September 2008: The stock market crashed.
Bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers: Investment bank Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy, the largest in U.S. history.
U.S. presidential election, 2008: Barack Obama was elected the forty-fourth President of the United States.
2009
Inauguration of Barack Obama: Obama was inaugurated the forty-fourth President of the United States.
President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package.
Tea Party protests: The first of a series of protests, focusing on smaller government, fiscal responsibility, individual freedoms and conservative views of the Constitution, were conducted across the country.
Death of Michael Jackson: Pop icon Michael Jackson died.
Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; becoming the first Latino Justice.
Fort Hood shooting: Nidal Malik Hasan killed twelve servicemen and injured thirty-one.
2010
The United States Navy lifted its ban on women in submarines.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama.
Deepwater Horizon oil spill: The BP oil rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and spilling 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf over an 87-day period; being the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law; establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
United States Senate elections, 2010: The Republican Party gained five seats, to forty-seven, reducing the Democratic presence in the Senate to fifty-one. Two seats remained in the hands of independents.
United States House of Representatives elections, 2010: The Republican Party gained sixty-two seats, giving them an absolute majority of 242 in the House and reducing the Democratic presence to 193.
United States diplomatic cables leak: WikiLeaks began to release classified diplomatic documents to the international press.
The Senate ratified the New START treaty.
The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010 was signed into law, ending the Don’t ask, don’t tell policy regarding homosexuals in the United States Armed Forces.
2011
2011 Tucson shooting: A gunman targeting Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords critically injured Giffords and killed six others, including federal judge John Roll, in Tucson, Arizona.
Operation Odyssey Dawn: The United States began air and cruise missile attacks against Libya.
Death of Osama bin Laden: Al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed by United States forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
United States debt-ceiling crisis: The Budget Control Act of 2011 was signed into law, increasing the legal limit on federal government debt in order to prevent default and establishing the United States Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
United States federal government credit-rating downgrade, 2011: The credit-rating arm of Standard & Poor’s reduced the rating of United States federal government debt from AAA to AA+.
August 2011 stock markets fall: Major United States stock market indices dropped in value by some two and a half trillion dollars.
The populist Occupy Wall Street protest movement made camp in Zuccotti Park in New York City.
Withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq: The last United States troops withdrew from Iraq under the terms of the U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement.
2012
United States presidential election, 2012: Barack Obama is reelected as president.
2013
Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term as president.
