Americans came out of the 1970s, the same way the came into it- disillusioned and sadden by the past decades tragedies. Technology and a new president would change
that though. In the late 1970s personal computers were developed but they did not gain wide spread use until 1981 when IBM developed their user friendly computers. It was a far cry from the laptops and Palm Pilots of today but businesses and students found them useful for many applications. Under president Ronald Reagen the country slowly began to regain its pride. The economy and stock market boomed and the Cold War came to an end as the Soviet Union broke up. The Berlin Wall even came down in 1989 and the 1980s became a peaceful time in the United States and in many nations throughout the world.
However, three major problems came to epidemic proportions during this decade. The HIV virus and AIDS ran rampant. The country largely turned their back on the problem because it was associated with gay men and drug users, two groups that were very unpopular with the conservative beat running through the country. Problems sometimes associated with AIDS- drug use and
homelessness also became major problems in an otherwise peaceful decade. | 
