Top 10 Moments That Changed the Course of History

The September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon radically shifted geopolitics forever. In the wake of the end of the Cold War, the West had shifted into the complacency of a ‘90s boom. One renowned philosopher even called the era “the end of history.” Yeah, not so much. The U.S. and its allies soon invaded Afghanistan. A smaller coalition followed up with another invasion into Iraq, and decades of conflict and turmoil ensued — and are still ongoing. 9/11 had so many repercussions on both individual lives and collective world history.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In the modern era, where an estimated one in five young Americans don’t believe the Holocaust happened, this statement still rings true. The Holocaust during World War II was Germany’s monstrous systematic state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of millions of Jewish people, as well as other groups the Nazis targeted. It taught the world that turning a blind eye to human rights abuses has horrific consequences. The UN passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, after the war.

In 1929, a stock market crash on Wall Street spread economic contagion around the world. The Great Depression was a moment of great change for the world. Widespread economic suffering and hunger led people to rethink the role of government in their lives. Some, like the U.S. with the New Deal, turned to a variety of governmental social welfare systems. Governments were acknowledged to have responsibility to create a social safety net. Other countries turned to the lures of totalitarianism and fascism. They used force and terror to rebuild their empires. This tension between authoritarianism and egalitarianism still defines geopolitics in the 21st century.

When Britain’s Colonies in the new world rebelled and achieved independence, it was one of the first instances of a colonial nation defeating their mother country. More importantly, the newly formed United States brought an ancient form of governance back to life. As a democratic republic in a world of empires, the United States represented a major blow to the mystique of aristocrats, emperors, kings, and despots. Though America’s democracy was - and is - deeply flawed, it was one of the first modern instances of government by and for the people. It inspired a similar revolution in France, and represented a beacon of hope for oppressed peoples. Today, civilizations around the world have turned to republican and parliamentary democracies.

It’s hard to imagine that the death of a single man could reshape an entire century. That’s exactly what happened, however, when Serbian nationalists assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The killing triggered a series of alliances and dragged the world into war. The Great War changed the map of Europe and the world in innumerable ways. The aftermath of World War I, over the decades, also contributed enormously to World War II, which battered the planet and led to tens of millions of deaths. In the aftermath of the second great war, European empires fell apart. For the first time in centuries, the world entered a period of decolonization and self-rule.

The Age of Exploration began with the invention of ships that could traverse oceans and circumnavigate the globe. In 1492, Christopher Columbus, an Italian commissioned by the Spanish, “discovered” the new world. The European discovery of two new western continents dramatically changed the course of human history. Dozens of indigenous civilizations eventually fell from European diseases, wars of conquest and persecution. They were replaced by French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese colonies. Wealth was extracted, and over the centuries, countries like Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Brazil formed and grew.

Less than a half century after the Wright Brothers invented the airplane, (Xref) humanity began sending objects into space. When the Soviet Union launched their Sputnik satellite into orbit, the eyes of the world were lifted upwards to the stars. The space race began, as the U.S. and Russia competed to develop newer and better space-faring technology. More importantly, Sputnik was just the first of thousands of satellites sent into orbit. Global positioning, cell phones, television, and the internet are just a few of the ways satellites are integrated into the 21st century. Satellite surveillance and positioning are key parts of intelligence gathering and military campaigns. Accurate weather forecasting relies on satellite surveillance. Data from satellites are even used for crop management.

The printing press was a game changer in the evolution of human technology and thought. For most of human history, the written word was a luxury for the elite. The printing press and mass production leveled the playing field. It spread the availability of knowledge, allowing commoners access to education. The bourgeoisie, a new class of educated tradesmen, came into being. Commerce, knowledge, and talent could - for the first time in human history - be as important as one’s status at birth. It was a necessary precursor to the Age of Enlightenment, which sparked a transition to a modern and relatively more egalitarian world.

Human civilization is now in its second generation of the internet age. Young people today may have difficulty fully understanding just how much the internet has changed the planet. People in India can video chat in real time with someone in London. Students in South Africa can connect with counterparts in China on social media. The world is smaller and faster than it was 50 years ago. International business now happens at the speed of thought. Political movements have become global. Unfortunately dangers have spread like wildfire, too. Misinformation, propaganda, and conspiracies can now circle the world before the truth wakes up in the morning. Love it, hate it, or both, there can be no doubt: the 21st century is the century of the internet.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable and dishonorable mentions.

Covid-19 Outbreak (2020)
Mass Death and Global Shutdowns Have Had World-Historical Impacts

The Fall of Rome (476)
Rome’s Decline Began a Long Dark Period of History

The Fall of the Berlin Wall (1989)
The Tearing Down of the Wall Signaled the End of the Cold War

The Black Death (1346-53)
The Plague Killed Half of Europe

Invention of the Assembly Line (1901)
The Assembly Line Sparked a Manufacturing Revolution

As every American student learned as a kid, Ben Franklin was a scientist in addition to being a Founding Father. In 1752, he flew a kite during a storm and proved that lightning was made of electricity. Despite common misconceptions, Franklin didn’t actually technically discover electricity in 1752. It’d already been part of scientific experiments for a thousand years. His experiment, however, was central to understanding the nature of electricity and harnessing its power. By the end of the 19th century, the light bulb and electric power spread throughout everyday life. Today, electricity is the driver of modern society.

What other moments in human history should be included? Let us know in the comments.