

Crack first began to be used in Los Angeles in 1984. The distribution and use of the drug exploded that same year and by the end of 1986, and was available in 28 states from the United States. According to the 1985–1986 National Narcotics Intelligence Consumers Committee Report, crack could be found in New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York City, Houston, San Diego, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City, Miami, Newark, San Francisco, Buffalo, and Dallas.
During the time that that Crack was being used a lot, there were many reports on people having to be in the hospital due to crack related cases. the number of patients having to be tranported to emergency room increased by 12 percent, from 23,500 to 26,300. In 1986, they increased 110 percent, from 26,300 to 55,200. Between 1984 and 1987, cocaine incidents increased to 220,800. Many people were using crack alot, even pregnant women. In Many Cases, starting in 1984 there was an increase in fetal death rates and low birth-weight babies to mothers who were using crack cocaine, especially in the Los Angeles Area. What's known as The first "crack babies" were born between September and December 1984. It was after many years that this popular drug was being used so much.
Although today many people still use this drug, and it's still dangerous, The Crack Epidemic is still remembered as something big that happened during th 1980's. this time was an impact to our society back then and even today because, many people saw how life was being wastedaway because of this drug, and many people were even born during this time,and actually survived.
WORKS
PASSAGE FROM "STILL LIFE WITH WOODPECKER"
"Consider a certain night in August. Princess Leigh-Cheri was gazing out of her attic window. The moon was full. The moon was so bloated it was about to tip over. Imagine awakening to find the moon flat on its face on the bathroom floor, like the late Elvis Presley, poisoned by banana splits. It was a moon that could stir wild passions in a moo cow. A moon that could bring out the devil in a bunny rabbit. A moon that could turn lug nuts into moonstones, turn Little Red Riding Hood into the big bad wolf. For more than an hour, Leigh-Cheri stared into the mandala of the sky. "Does the moon have a purpose?" she inquired of Prince Charming."
WHY SIGNIFICANT?
He was one of the authors in the 1980's that used humor in his books. A lot of his novels are "abstract, often wild stories with strong social undercurrents, a satirical bent and obscure details." He is a good detailed writer, I wanted to read his novel and I only read the first page.
MAY 26 1951- PRESENT
"FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN IN SPACE"
Ride was born in Encino California on May 26th 1951. At the age of ten she was an excellent tennis and earned a scholarship to Westlake school for girls in Los Angeles, California. When she graduated in 1968 from high school she enrolled in Swarthmore college, but ended up dropping out that college to pursue her career as a tennis player. After a couple of months she thought she was not as good as she thought of a tennis player so instead she enrolled at Stanford University.
Being enrolled There she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree, Bachelor of Science, and Masters Degree. while seeking for a postdoctoral job in astrophysics, shse read about NASA's call for astronauts. Sally's interest for this was a lot that she applied for this. A lot od men and women had applied for this job/opportunity, in fact more than 8,000, but only 35 people were accepted and among these people Sally Ride was one of them. Sally Ride Joined the NASA in 1977.
Sally Ride served as communications officer for the second and third flights of the Space Shuttle Columbia which was on November 1981 and March 1982, she was also assigned to the team that designed the remote mechanical arm, used by shuttle crews to deploy and retrieve satellites. In 1983, Ride became the first American woman in space, She flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-7). She flew again in 1984, aboard Challenger (STS-41G). During those two flights, in total, Sally spent more than 343 hours in space. After the Shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986, and killed every one aboard, Sally was assigned to the Presidential Commission charged with investigating the accident. She afterwards moved to NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she became assistant to the NASA administrator for long-range planning. During this time, she created NASA's Office of Exploration and produced a report on the future of the space program which wascalled, Leadership and America's Future in Space.
In 1987, Sally Retired From working with NASA. She then worked at Center for International Security and Arms Control at Stanford University. Later in 1989, she became Director of the California Space Institute and Professor of Physics at the University of California at San Diego.
SAlly Ride was an important figure in the 80's because, she was the first wonam, american that is , in space. She made our country proud. With her going into space, proved that anyone can go far in their life, if they are determined to do so.
AWARDS:
- The Jefferson Award for Public Service,
-The Women's Research and Education Institute's American Woman Award
- National Spaceflight Medal (twice).
FACTS:
- Wrote and collaborated in the following books:
-To Space and BackVoyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System, The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space,The Mystery of Mars,Exploring Our Solar System
FUN FACTS
Dear Mr.Andropov,
My name is Samantha Smith. I am ten years old. Congratulations on your new job. I have been worrying about Russia and the United states getting into a nuclear war. Are you going to vote to have a war or not? If you aren't please tell me how you are going to help not to have war. This question you don't have to answer but I would like to know why you want to conquer the world or at least our country. God made the world for us to live together in peace and not to fight.
Sincerely,
Samantha Smith
Later on her letter was published in the newspaper "Pravda". After awhile Andropov replied back to her on April 26,1983. She went to Russia to be Andropov guest for two weeks. But didn't get to meet him because he was very ill. Samantha began to be very well known to many people in the United States and Russia. She also wrote a book about herself.
WHY SIGNIFICANT?
Samantha Smith is significant because she took the courage to write about something most 11 year old aren't concerned about. She also did things that most children didn't do like visit important figures. She was a smart, cute , good writer.