1980s: In a blow to the previously fervent Women's Movement, the Equal Rights Amendment fails to be ratified. Afterwards, the movement falls into a period of upheaval with many former supporters and members of the National Organization of Women (NOW) abandoning the cause, at least on the political level.

Today: Concerned Women for America (CWA), with members in 50 states, is the largest public policy women's organization in the nation, surpassing NOW. Many American women are more attracted to CWA's discussion of such issues as religious persecution around the world, protecting children from pornography, breast cancer prevention, and morality in America than to NOW's more political agenda, which deals primarily with the empowerment of women.

1980s: Researchers develop the first commercial application of recombinant DNA (or genetic engineering) when they produce human insulin for the treatment of diabetes. To provide insulin in the quantities needed...