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First Mass Production of Cars
Henry Ford brought the motor industry to a new age, when he introduced the production line to car manufacturing. Before the production lines, only the rich could afford cars, but this changed when the time it took to make a car decreased, from over 12 hours to less than 2. Once the technique had been running for several years, it became so cheap to own a car that the average American person could buy a car within 4 months salary. Mass production made products cheaper and more readily available. -
End of WWI
The Great War ended on the 11th of November 1918, at eleven o’clock in the morning, when a general armistice was reach between the two sides, the Allied Powers and the Central powers. The war officially ended by both parties signing the treaty of Versailles in June 1919. This event was significant in shaping the 20th century because it was the first major conflict of the century, and helped in the procession of major events that followed. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was a document that was signed at the end of the First World War by the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. This treaty was created in Paris over a period of 6 months during 1919. It was signed in the Palace of Versailles, in a room called the Hall of Mirrors, a very popular tourist destination today. The signing of the treaty lead to the foundation of the League of Nations, which aided in future events and played a major role in the Second World War. -
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The Jazz Age
New social conventions came about in American after World War 1, and with new thoughts and ideas came new music, jazz. This time was especially important to women, as they had more freedom and were able to dress more as they pleased. This jazz age was brought to a halt however, with the market crash of 1929, eventually leading to the Great Depression. -
Invention of Television
John Loggie Baird enabled the first successful attempt to transmit live images and sounds in England, 1926. This invention used a mechanical camera with a large spinning disk and several holes to allow light through. Although this technique worked, it was quickly replaced with electronic television, which was easier to transmit images to other boxes. Black and white television was available until 1953, when colour television became available for the public to buy. -
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Great Depression
The Great Depression- an OverviewThe Great Depression was an event caused by the stock market crash of 1929 called Black Thursday (see timeline). This stock crash affected people all over the world, but began in the United States. This loss of stock lead to one of the highest ever levels of unemployment in modern history, and many people lost businesses. The cease of trade between nations meant that most other countries were affected, eventually leading to the start of WWII. -
Black Thursday
Investors in the United States suddenly began selling their shares, and no one else was buying them. The United States lost all up over $30 billion, which was more than the cost of supplying weapons to their soldiers during the Great War. People had begun to buy things that they could not afford, and buying shares was part of this. The massive amount of debt that crashed the market announced the end of the Jazz age and the beginning of the great depression. -
Day of Mourning
William Cooper, William Ferguson and Jack Patten were the founding fathers of this event, which occurred on Australia Day 1938. The Day of Mourning was an apology made to the Australian native people by the rest of the population for mistreating them before and during the Great Depression. When money decreased, employers tended to let employees go, and the native people were usually the first to go, bringing to light the grim circumstances of the country, which were changed later in time. -
WWII Begins
World War Two began when Germany invaded Poland, at the command of Adolph Hitler, the new commander after WWI. Soon after the invasion, Britain and France fought back against Germany, eventually winning the grisly war. Although this war began in the heart of Europe, it spread quickly to the rest of the world, including Australia and Japan. This war was the most deadly in recent human history, and has shaped the world’s view on war to what it is in current times. -
Suprise Attack on Pearl Harbour
In Hawaii, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the war ships docked in pearl harbour. At the time, the United States had not yet entered in World War Two, but this attack forced them to engage and end the war. This surprise attack killed thousands of US soldiers and destroyed many battleships and weapons. Though there was extensive damage to Pearl Harbour, many of the other facilities in Hawaii were undamaged, and so America was able to join the war the next day. -
Bombing of Darwin
Before Darwin was bombed in 1942, it was a military base mainly used for sending aircraft to and from East Timor. When the Japanese forces became stronger during the later part of the war, more ships and resources were sent to Darwin, as the northern coastline of Australia was vulnerable to attack. The Japanese strategically chose to bomb the city to damage the ships and gain control of parts of Indonesia. Darwin was bombed 64 times total, changing the course of Australia's war. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
The war in Europe had already ended when the atomic bombs were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Although the making of these atomic bombs was successful, the creators were fearful of the destruction it may cause, and destroy it certainly did. When the Japanese refused to surrender, the US dropped a bomb called the “Little Boy” on Hiroshima, one of the final blows in World war Two. This showed what the US was truly capable of, and changed how the world saw them in future years. -
Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an article that was signed during the General Assembly of the United Nations in December 1948. The United Nations decided to create this declaration after World War 1 and World War 2 ravaged the world. Essentially, the Declaration of Human Rights states that humans, no matter where they live or where they were born, have a right to privacy and other basic needs. This has affected society because now people have basic rights and so are happier. -
Melbourne Olympics
The Melbourne Olympics were the first time the Olympic Games were held in countries other than those in Europe or the United States. These Olympics were also the first to be broadcast on live television, beginning a new era of Modern Olympics. Before 1956, Australia had not been viewed as a major sporting competitor on a global scale, but the Melbourne Olympics changed that, with Australia winning 13 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze medals, placing third overall. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis almost brought the world to a third war, this time using nuclear weapons. Luckily, this didn’t happen. The Cold War brought about this political struggle between the East and the West. Western Europe, Australia and the Americas formed an alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Leader of Cuba at the time, Fidel Castro, threatened the United States after joining with the U. S. S. R. The threat was lessened when the Russian forces retreated on October 24. -
"I Have a Dream"- Martin Luther King Jr
On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr detailed his dream of a world in which one day children of all races can hold hands in the street. He also spoke about how slaves and slave owners could be equals under the same laws. This historic speech brought to light the appalling conditions of African American children and how they were being treated among the community. This dream gave hope to millions around the world, changing it for good. -
Australian Freedom Rides
The Australian Freedom Rides were created to stop discrimination against Aboriginal people, particularly in country New South Wales. The ‘I Have a Dream…’ speech brought across these rides, as parliament were assessing the condition of the Indigenous peoples. Prior to 1965, Aboriginal people were not even citizens of Australia, and made to live in small reserves on the edges of towns. Charles Perkins organised the rides to show people who the aboriginals are, changing their circumstances. -
First Call on Mobile Phone (Prank Call)
There has been disrepute as to when the mobile phone was invented. In 1900, the first wireless phone call was made in the United States by Reginald Fessendon. The mobile phone first became available to the public in 1973 when the first network to support these phones was created. Rival companies AT & T and Martin Cooper work for years competing to make a network for phones, eventually releasing phones that could be connected to this network, eventually leading to the first prank call by Cooper. -
Invention of the Internet
The concept of a global network connection was first thought of around the time of the first moon landing in 1969. This idea was refined in 1973 by the U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the group began to make connections between computers in different locations. The original name for this scheme was Internetting, and was originally designed for military and government use to connect the leaders of distant countries. Eventually, the Internet evolved into what it is now. -
Crocodile Dundee
Crocodile Dundee is one of the most successful Australian films in history. When it was released in 1986, it topped the box offices in Australia and, amazingly, internationally as well. This film release starring Paul Hogan put Australian films on the map. When the second film was released, it made an opening day record in the United Kingdom and almost made the same record in the United States. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin wall, separating East and West Berlin and Germany, marked the end of the cold war. Mikhail Gorbachev brought about this historic event when he spoke to people about how openness and how the wall should be destroyed. -
United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child is signed
With a child being defined as a person being younger than 18 years old, this treaty outlines the rights that all people who are in this age bracket are entitled to. There is no discrimination of race or gender in this treaty, which was signed in 1989 by various world leaders and humanities groups. This declaration of rights was the first time that governments formally committed to protect children and their families, and is still in practise currently.
