The United States in the 1980s saw several firsts: for women, the media, medicine, and science. Sandra Day O\'Connor became the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Sally Ride became the first woman in space. CNN was established as the first 24-hour news station. AIDS was identified for the first time, and DNA was first used to convict criminals. The science community faced a stunning setback, however, with the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, which had among its crew the first teacher to go into space. President Ronald Reagan\'s administration became mired for a time in the Iran-Contra affair, which involved a plan to provide arms to rebels in Nicaragua and free Americans held hostage by terrorists. Terrorists bombed the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, and the U.S. Army introduced its slogan "Be All You Can Be."
The following documents are just a sampling of the offerings available in this volume:
Excerpt from The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
Memorandum on air traffic controllers strike
List of terms from Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
Illustrations from The Official Preppy Handbook
Transcript from Challenger\'s operational recorder
"Be All That You Can Be," recruiting advertisement for the U.S. Army
Oral history of AIDS doctors
An interview with Hill Street Blues creator Stephen Bochco
In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins
Photograph of the eruption of Mount St. Helens
"Mitochondrial DNA and Human Evolution," journal article and graphics
Statement of Major League Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti banning Pete Rose from baseball
