Top 20 Exact Moments That Changed the World FOREVER

In the fall of 2019, rumors began to bubble up in the U.S. and in Europe about a new flu-like virus in China. No one could have predicted the global devastation that followed. By early 2020, COVID-19 had spread across the planet, leading to widespread lockdowns, crippled economies, and disrupted daily life. Businesses closed, millions lost jobs, and supply chains faltered. Worse was the human suffering. The pandemic claimed over 1 million lives in the U.S. and at least 7 million globally, with some citing 15 million deaths. The psychological impact was also profound - fear, isolation, and uncertainty took a heavy toll on mental health. The world was forever changed, as the virus reshaped how people work, connect, and view public health.

Isaac Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica represents one of the greatest leaps forward in the history of human knowledge. The Principia is the foundation of classical mechanics. Newton revolutionized science - all but inventing modern physics - by introducing the laws of motion and universal gravitation. For the first time, we had a comprehensive mathematical framework to describe the natural world. Newton’s work unified the heavens and Earth under the same laws. He could explain planetary motion, tides, and the behavior of physical objects on Earth. It fueled centuries of scientific inquiry in the pursuit of knowledge. From engineering to space exploration, its impact can be found everywhere, even beyond science. Newton championed evidence-based empiricism, further influencing everything from philosophy to finance.

The 20th century was the first that, from the very beginning, saw the rise of globalized international relations. The Treaty of Versailles ended WWI, utterly resculpting the world order. That single document would have profound impacts for the next hundred years. The treaty dismantled entire empires, redrawing borders in Europe and the Middle East. It imposed punitively harsh reparations on Germany, leading to decades of economic hardship and political instability. In their desperation, resentment turned to rage and bigotry as they sought comfort in the arms of autocracy under Adolf Hitler. While intended to secure lasting peace, the Treaty instead laid the groundwork for a second, more costly world war. The treaty’s lasting legacy profoundly reshaped the global political landscape well into the 21st century.

For thousands of years, the early progenitors of modern humanity were nomadic hunter gatherers. They lived in small tribes, moving with the resources needed to sustain them. All of that changed around 10,000 BCE in the Neolithic Revolution. Our ancestors discovered agriculture, settling for the first time into agrarian farming communities. This change allowed for the domestication of plants and animals. Instead of desperate hungry animals, humans had food surpluses. No longer struggling just to survive, the human population exploded, and people began to establish permanent settlements. Those were the first building blocks to creating systems of language, culture, commerce, and government. In other words, the Neolithic Revolution is what made civilization as we now know it possible.

Scientists in the late 20th century first began to discuss the possibility that human activity was changing the Earth’s geology and ecosystems in empirically measurable ways. They proposed that the scientific community universally adopt that the earth has entered a new geological era. In 2024, the International Commission on Stratigraphy shot down the idea. Still, its discussion has helped scientists around the world recognize human impact. From altering atmospheric composition through greenhouse gas emissions to widespread biodiversity loss, human actions have changed the planet in ways unprecedented in geological history. The Anthropocene’s acknowledgment has also galvanized global efforts in environmental conservation, sustainability, and climate policy.

The assembly line was arguably first invented in 1901, but most famously implemented by Henry Ford in 1913. It sparked a global revolution in manufacturing by streamlining production processes. This drastically reduced both the time and cost of making goods. By the middle of the 20th century, the assembly line was the cornerstone of the efficient mass production of standardized products. Prices plummeted, allowing a wider pool of consumers to access goods. It reshaped labor practices, creating specialized roles and repetitive tasks. The assembly line played a crucial role in creating a global marketplace, enabling economies of scale. This shift in production laid the foundation for modern consumer culture. Today, virtually every consumer product, from cars to electronics, was likely created on an assembly line.

The Black Death was a devastating pandemic, laying low large swaths of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It began in Central Asia, spreading westward via trade routes and thanks to Mongol conquests. Rats and fleas spread the disease, decimating entire nations. The massive death toll led to severe labor shortages, and ultimately the demise of the feudal system. Peasants now had leverage in negotiations with their lords. Revolts spread, wages increased, and more people had access to land. Internationally, weakened states shifted power dynamics and realigned trade routes and alliances. The collapse of established orders created the conditions for future Renaissance transformations. Globally, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 75 to 200 million people, leaving an indelible mark on history.

By 476, Rome had been severely weakened by internal decay, economic troubles, and relentless invasions by Germanic tribes like the Visigoths and Vandals. Sustaining the Empire's territory was impossible; it collapsed, marking the end of ancient Rome’s centuries-long dominance over Europe. Rome's fall led to the fragmentation of Western Europe into smaller, warring kingdoms, plunging the region into what is often called the Dark Ages. This power vacuum also gave rise to the feudal system and the increasing influence of the Christian Church. Both were the primary engines driving medieval European politics. The fall of Rome reverberated for centuries, profoundly impacting law, culture, governance, trade, and warfare.

In retrospect, the collapse of the Soviet Union was likely all-but-inevitable after the death of Leonid Brezhnev. Still, the fall of the Berlin Wall seven years later was the symbol of that collapse. It represented an end to Cold War divisions between East and West. For nearly three decades, the Wall had stood as a physical and ideological barrier between communist East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin. Its demolition accelerated the inexorable dissolution of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communist regimes across Eastern Europe. In the wake of this change, a new world order was established, dominated by liberal democracies and free-market economies. But later authoritarianism - from China and Russia - also gained footholds in developing nations and economies.

The multi-million-year reign of the dinosaurs came to a sudden and violent end around 66 million years ago. The consensus theory is that a catastrophic asteroid impacted near modern-day Yucatán, Mexico. It caused massive wildfires, tsunamis, and a “nuclear winter” effect, blocking sunlight and drastically altering the climate. The resulting mass extinction is estimated to have wiped out nearly 75% of Earth’s animal species. This completely changed the nature of life on Earth, triggering a new era of biodiversity. The end of the dinosaurs opened ecological niches that allowed mammals to flourish and eventually dominate. Primates would evolve from those early mammals. Human beings would then ultimately evolve from those early primates, becoming the dominant form of life on earth.

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, 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.

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.




Please feel free to drop an asteroid in the comments section if you know of any other historical events that changed the world!