What is the most significant event of our time?

[nickel]

let's say in the past 50 years or so, what comes to your mind as the most significant occurrence?

-berlin wall going down
-WTC bombings
-human genome project
-Demise of the USSR
-the internet
-Polio and Smallpox defeated


what else?

[Cantacuzene]

Landing a man on the moon. 5,000 years from now all the other events will be forgotten, but landing a man on the moon will still stand out as one of the greatest achievments in human history.

Or nuclear proliferation. That will no doubt end up being incredibly significant in the long run.

[blueindian]

Landing a man on the moon. 5,000 years from now all the other events will be forgotten, but landing a man on the moon will still stand out as one of the greatest achievments in human history.


:stupid:

i wonder if anyone will remember what country did it. In fact, I wonder if there will be countries.

[gear02]

To me, the launch of SpaceShipOne is huge and should be a part of that list...

[Kenas]

Landing a man on the moon. 5,000 years from now all the other events will be forgotten, but landing a man on the moon will still stand out as one of the greatest achievments in human history.

Or nuclear proliferation. That will no doubt end up being incredibly significant in the long run.


How about the first man in Space, will that be forgotten?
And FYI outside of US only a small number of people know of Neil Armstrong.

[Grubbie]

-WTC bombings

what else?


You serious with that? I dunno I would think vietnam or JFK would go ahead of the WTC bombings, I just don't see WTC as one of the most significant events of our time...

[Merlin]

-berlin wall going down/Demise of the USSR

I think the rise and fall of empires tend to stand up as significant points of history. And yes, I look at those two things as parts of the same event.

As said the landing of a man on the moon will be remembered.

I think the rise of jet travel will also be noted. Over the last 50 years, thanks to advances in aviation, the world has become a much smaller place. People and products can really get pretty much anywhere. First time in history that this is really available to the common person.

And on a down note I think AIDS may be remembered as the Black Death of our time. Maybe it doesn't seem so bad here but when you look at how it is devastating an entire continent (Africa) you realize how bad it is.

[hoey222]

what about the development of the computer....

i know that may be a little more than 50 years old...but the advances made in the last 50 years will have significant lasting effects on our culture for generations - even as changes take place frequently.....

[welfareloser]

my birth was definitely the most significant event as far as i'm concerned...

[welfareloser]

seriously, tho. in a few more years when we've become a gileadean (http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/summary.html) society, the development of the birth control pill will be remembered as the great turning point of our history.

[bachviet]

Demolition of the Soviet Union and the rest of the communist countries (except 4).

[Booyamos]

hmm WW2, Nuclear Bomb, Vietnam, JFK, Berlin Wall

Man on the moon

Invention of the computer (greatest & most revolutionary invention imo)

[Merlin]

hmm WW2, Nuclear Bomb, Vietnam, JFK, Berlin Wall

Man on the moon

Invention of the computer (greatest & most revolutionary invention imo)
The WWII and bomb were more than 50 years ago, as was the computer -I think. JFK has been said by a couple of people, what was so monumental about that? Politicians have been assassinated since the dawn of time and he was not that significant. Now the Cuban Missle Crisis, where the world came close to ending itself might be remembered.

[Cantacuzene]

Demolition of the Soviet Union and the rest of the communist countries (except 4).

I don't think those will be anymore noteworthy 5,000 years from now than the fall of the Akkadian empire is today.

[attgig]

You serious with that? I dunno I would think vietnam or JFK would go ahead of the WTC bombings, I just don't see WTC as one of the most significant events of our time...

so you think the death of 1 important man who i guess the rest of the world liked is more significant and more lasting than a few thousand people dying who collectively had a huge part of our economy amongst other things?

I'm not sure... presidents come and go every 4-8 years.... I'm not sure how signifcant that was. it's like...what was more devastating to our country...the civil war or abraham lincoln getting shot?

[Cantacuzene]

JFK's assassination is only really significant if you are in the camp that thinks he wanted to pull out of Vietnam. There is a good arguement either way on JFK and Vietnam, but if you believe that his assassination led to an increased involvement in Vietnam under Johnson, then it was significant. They is still out on that, and probably will be forever.

[Booyamos]

The WWII and bomb were more than 50 years ago, as was the computer -I think. JFK has been said by a couple of people, what was so monumental about that? Politicians have been assassinated since the dawn of time and he was not that significant. Now the Cuban Missle Crisis, where the world came close to ending itself might be remembered.

meh ok so 60 years ago :P

ok so the computer has been in development for a while but the evolution of the computer and the way it has and will change out life i think is monumental. My brother said electricty was more important.. which is kinda true since no juice, no computer. But in the way the electricity changed our lives i think in the next 100 years you will see the changes that computer have brought us to be extremely significant. The changes they have brought about in almost every industry is amazing, modern medicine, automotives, aeronautics, scientific research. The era of the digital world is upon us :)

[faither]

1. Fall of Communism
2. WTC
3. Man on the Moon

[Booyamos]

i also think that the AIDS epicdemic is a major event as well, a rather sad and unfortunate one.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20041213/capt.nyet25512132138.bush_aids_drug_nyet255.jpg

[RoniMan]

no one said anything about the significance of the establishment of



GOT|APEX?!?!?!?!?!

:eek:

Expect a bonus in your Christmas stocking. :P

[bachviet]

no one said anything about the significance of the establishment of



GOT|APEX?!?!?!?!?!

:eek:
Here's a napkin for your nose! ;)

[BrewMaster]

i gotta say computers/the internet, AIDS, and the fall of communism. honestly, though 9/11 was a tragedy we will remember I don't think that centuries from now it will be regarded as one of the most significant occurences.

also, I think the foundation of Israel and whatever the result of that mess will be long remembered and noted.

[whitak24]

i think determining what the "significant" events are is difficult because there are no standards to determine what to look at.

for example, from an international perspective, events like the assination of JFK or the WTC attacks are not particularly significant. but from an american perspective, i think they are. also, you have scientific/technological advances, which are important in some spheres, but may not change history as much (for example, while there is as of yet no evidence that placing a man on the moon will change the world geopolitical climate, it is one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time).

with that in mind, i think that the following events are very important:
- the rise of technology and the "information age", bringing greater global interconnectedness
- the fall of the soviet empire and the resulting international hegemony of the u.s. empire. this is still very much playing out
- the formation of isreal and the rise of conservative islamic states in the middle east, coupled with the rising dependence on the petroleum reserves there.
- the global impact of aids -- another event that is still developing and the impacts of which we will not understand for years to come.

[Kenas]

let's say in the past 50 years or so, what comes to your mind as the most significant occurrence?

-berlin wall going down
-WTC bombings
-human genome project
-Demise of the USSR
-the internet
-Polio and Smallpox defeated


what else?

Edit: Nevermind.

[cheapchinese]

the invention of wave technology....
transmitting information long distant

[Memo]

The OJ Simpson Trial :heh:

[brainsmile]

I'll chime in... I think the internet will be viewed as a radical change in the way our society works. Thanks Al Gore :P

[oblongmelon]

I would say that any medical procedure that ensures the continuation of life and the quality there of would be most apt to be in the top ten..IE: Heart/lung transplants..
Don't forget about test tube babies (thanks Louise-test tube baby number 1)..presidential assassinations and attempts, Nuclear disasters (3 Mile Island/chernobyl), Death of Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Princess Diana, and naturally WOODSTOCK (and the fires at the 99 show)...

[BrewMaster]

WOODSTOCK

you just want to get naked and run around in a field. :D

[Memo]

I would say that any medical procedure that ensures the continuation of life and the quality there of would be most apt to be in the top ten..IE: Heart/lung transplants..
Don't forget about test tube babies (thanks Louise-test tube baby number 1)..presidential assassinations and attempts, Nuclear disasters (3 Mile Island/chernobyl), Death of Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Princess Diana, and naturally WOODSTOCK (and the fires at the 99 show)...

Maybe Gandhi's life, but certainly not his death.

[zenbooty]

My birth :thumbup: certainly ranks as the most significant event in our time to ME.

[Nija]

My birth :thumbup: certainly ranks as the most significant event in our time to ME.
welfareloser already beat you, bucko

:P

[BrewMaster]

welfareloser already beat you, bucko

:P

:hihi: he called him bucko. :hihi:

[blueindian]

i think determining what the "significant" events are is difficult because there are no standards to determine what to look at.

for example, from an international perspective, events like the assination of JFK or the WTC attacks are not particularly significant. but from an american perspective, i think they are. also, you have scientific/technological advances, which are important in some spheres, but may not change history as much (for example, while there is as of yet no evidence that placing a man on the moon will change the world geopolitical climate, it is one of the greatest scientific achievements of all time).


exactly. what do we mean by significant? a lot of stuff listed here probably won't be very significant to at least some people in the not-to-distant future.

[Emqtee]

One that I would rank pretty high would be the development of vaccines. Just look at Polio for example, a devastating disease that is pretty close to being eradicated. It is just amazing the steps that we have made in disease prevention.

[oblongmelon]

you just want to get naked and run around in a field. :D
yes. with mel gibson.

[oblongmelon]

Maybe Gandhi's life, but certainly not his death.
I meant his death. I have the original articles from his assassination and they are amazing to read. It was BIG NEWS back then.

[Memo]

I meant his death. I have the original articles from his assassination and they are amazing to read. It was BIG NEWS back then.

But like you say...BACK THEN. In another 50 years, no one is going to give a damn.

[kei2]

:stupid: His death was significant only because of his life. His life made a much bigger impact than his death.

[dsuds]

let's say in the past 50 years or so, what comes to your mind as the most significant occurrence?

-berlin wall going down
-WTC bombings
-human genome project
-Demise of the USSR
-the internet
-Polio and Smallpox defeated

what else?

I'd have to say landing on the moon. The push into space really kicked off the technological changes in this country. I know that many things were developed prior to the 1950s & 60s, but the space race was a major consolidating factor, a focal point.

But the picture changes significantly if you look for things that will be remembered in 5000 years. Think about what we remember about ancient societies, 2000-3000 years old.

Figures of modern religion - Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, etc.
Beginnings of great technological advances - moon landing, computers, internet, etc.
Beginnings of great environmental changes - global warming, toxic wastes
Military actions/people - WWII, atom bomb, Hitler

[yippiekiyeh]

Computers --- maybe
Man on the Moon --- Perhaps
Internet--- good chance

unfortunately it all depends on who is writing the history

[BrewMaster]

Computers --- maybe
Man on the Moon --- Perhaps
Internet--- good chance

unfortunately it all depends on who is writing the history

well, in America we reserve the right to re-write history as it suits our interests.

[nickel]

well, in America we reserve the right to re-write history as it suits our interests.
well that comment shot this thread all ta hell

[dsuds]

Remember yippiekiyeh, history books are written by the winners of wars, not the losers. :) What would the history books say about WWII if the axis had won? Just food for thought.