Top 10 Historical Events We Wish We Could Have Lived Through
10 Historical Events We Wish We Could Have Lived Through Or Live Again
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at historical moments so influential, we wish we could step back in time and see them ourselves.
Woodstock (1969)
In 1969, a dairy farm in New York, 60 miles away from Woodstock, went down in history. For four days, it was the site of a massive music festival, with almost half a million attendants. It’s easily the most historically significant festival ever, and is considered the peak of 60s counterculture. There were a ton of mindblowing performances, like Jimi Hendrix’s famous closing set. There was also Santana, who was made to play when they were miles away from being sober. It was followed up by anniversaries every decade, until the disastrous Woodstock ‘99, making it a truly unique festival.
Coronation of Elizabeth II (1953)
No British monarch had a longer reign than Queen Elizabeth II. This hindsight makes her 1953 coronation all the more historically significant. Famously, she was crowned Queen sooner than expected, as her father, George VI, endured an early death. This meant she was only 25 when she took the throne. It was also noteworthy for being televised, and cost an incredible sum of money to organise. In today’s money, it would cost at least $70 million. Surprisingly, that’s still roughly 25 million less than King Charles III’s coronation. This means it would’ve easily been one of the 21st century’s fanciest events.
Justinian’s Opening of the Hagia Sophia (537)
Few buildings in the world are as remarkable as the Hagia Sophia. It sits in present-day Istanbul, but was originally built in Constantinople when it was the capital of the Roman Empire. It was constructed by Emperor Justinian I between 532 and 537. It then stood as the world’s largest cathedral throughout the entire medieval era, until 1520. While you can still see it today, its original opening ceremony was an event for the ages. The name means Holy Wisdom, so it wasn’t dedicated to a singular person, but instead to their God’s intellect. It became the heart of the medieval Christian world. When it opened, Justinian supposedly declared that he had outdone Solomon.
Hernan Cortés Meeting Moctezuma II (1519)
The Aztec Empire was incredibly diverse, made up of a plethora of cultures and peoples in the Valley of Mexico. At its heart was Tenochtitlan, a stunning city that sat upon Lake Texcoco, which has since been drained to make way for Mexico City. The Empire fell when the Spanish Empire, led by Hernán Cortés, arrived and invaded. The expedition would be horrific to relive in its entirety, but seeing the moment where the two cultures met would be mindblowing. You would get to see the awe on the Conquistador’s faces when they see the stunning Aztec capital. Also, you’d get to see it yourself, something which has been impossible for just over 500 years.
MLK Jr’s I Have a Dream Speech (1963)
If you ask people what the most famous speech in history was, the chances are high they’ll say it was this one. On August 28th, 1963, thousands of Americans marched on Washington, advocating for the civil rights movement. Roughly 250,000 people attended, including the leader of the movement, Martin Luther King Jr. He famously proclaimed he had a dream in front of the Lincoln Memorial, a dream of an America where all are truly equal. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, and a year later, so was the Voting Rights Act, which gave people of all races a vote in America.
Hamlet’s Premiere (1603)
It’s unclear when exactly Hamlet first premiered, but we know it was written between 1599 and 1601. We know from the 1603 First Quarto that it had already been played in London, though. While it wasn’t his most famous play during his lifetime, in the centuries since, it's become one of humanity’s most culturally significant plays. This means it would be a phenomenal experience to watch it performed at the Globe Theatre, with the cast Shakespeare personally selected. “Romeo and Juliet” is another we’d adore seeing the premiere of, but Hamlet is longer, so it’s more bang for your buck.
The Beatles at Shea Stadium (1965)
Really, seeing the Beatles live at any point in their career would be a remarkable experience. Out of all their shows, we’d most like to see their Shea Stadium performance. In 1965, the world was at the peak of Beatlemania. This was their second of three American tours before they gave up on performing live in 1966. This show had over 55,000 people watching, making it the busiest concert of their career. Thankfully, it was recorded and released as a documentary in 1966, but that’s not the same as seeing it for real.
Apollo 11 Moon Landing (1969)
Humanity can only land on the moon for the first time once. That moment came in 1969, when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made the heroic journey to our most famous satellite. The dream of visiting the moon is one shared by millions, but only 12 people have been. It would be an unfathomably profound experience to join the astronauts at their famous moon landing. Failing that, just seeing it live on television would be a moment to remember forever. Maybe in the future, there’ll be more exciting moments for lunar exploration. None of them could match the significance of Apollo 11, though.
The Crystal Palace Exhibition (1851)
Also called the Great Exhibition, as the name suggests, it was one of the most exciting events of the 19th century. It was a massive international exhibition held in Hyde Park, London, during the summer of 1851. Tons of huge figures attended, like Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Charles Dickens, and many others. Over six million people visited, which earned it roughly £186,000, which is almost 30 million today. It was held in the Crystal Palace, a grand building designed specifically for the exhibition. It was three times the size of St Paul’s Cathedral, and remained standing until it unfortunately burned down in 1936.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Live Aid (1985)
Few Concerts Can Match the Significance of Live Aid
Building of Stonehenge (3000-1600 BC)
Seeing How They Built This Monument Would’ve Been Astounding
Oedipus Rex’s Premiere (Estimated 429 BC)
Who Wouldn’t Love To See a Play Performed in Ancient Greece?
Touring the Seven Ancient Wonders (280-225 BC)
Only one of these wonders still exists today, and that’s the Great Pyramids of Giza. The other 6 were scattered from Greece to Babylon. The window where they all existed simultaneously is surprisingly small. This would be sometime between the construction of the Colossus of Rhodes in 280 BC and its destruction in approximately 225 BC. If it were possible to return to this century, words wouldn’t be able to describe how incredible seeing all seven would be. Not only for the wonders, but also for the ancient cultures and civilisations you’d get to explore. It would be a world where the reign of Alexander the Great is fresh in people’s memories, and the Roman Empire is centuries away from dominating Europe.
What historical moment would you like to see the most? Let us know in the comments!
