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30 of top 100 20th century news stories
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Wilbur and Orville Wright fly the first airplane
This led the way to main form of long distance travel today, and the use of airplanes during wars. -
Earthquake in San Francisco
The "Paris of the West" is destroyed and thousands were killed. -
First regular radio broadcast
This led to thousands of different radio stations across the globe -
Plastic is invented
Plastic inventions included containers, bottles, packaging, and many other storage and useful materials. -
Henry Ford organizes the first US assembly line for Model T cars
This created several jobs and a rise in the car industry. Cars also became less expensive enabling more people to own them. -
Panama Canal Opens
The Panama Canal, the narrow stip of water between North and South America opens, making transportation and trade much easier and quicker. -
United States enters World War I
The United States enters WWI after the Germans sink the Lusitania. -
Mohandas Gandhi leads nonviolent reform in India
Gandhi, using nonviolence (satagrayah), gains thousands of followers and ultimately gain independance from Great Britain in 1947. -
Women can vote!
Women who had been fighting to vote in countries such as the United States could now vote, partly due to their effort during World War I. -
Joseph Stalin forces modernization
Joseph Stalin, communist leader of Russia, forces modernization causing famines and the lives of 25 million civilians. -
US stock market crash
This led to the ten year Great Depression which not only affected the USA, but several European and Latin American countries. From the Great Depression came the rise of dictatorship governments such as Benito Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany. -
Germany invades Poland
The start of World War II. Hitler with Germany invades western poland while Russia invades the eastern half. -
D-Day invasion
This caused the move towards the end of World War II, weakening the Germans and pushing them out of France. -
Atomic Bomb tested in New Mexico
The bomb was tested so America would know if it would work on Japan. This also showed we were the first country with a nuclear atomic bomb. -
US drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Event causes Japan to surrender and ends World War II -
Jackie Robinson breaks "color barrier"
Jackie Robinson, a baseball player, breaks part of the barrier between whites and African Americans casing a greater movement for equality. -
Israel achieves statehood
Israel achieving statehood completes the Zionist movement, however creates antagonism and warfare between a Muslim dominant area and the Israels still continuing today. -
NATO Established
Nato formed by the democratic Western European countries against the communist countries and the USSR in Eastern Europe. -
Structure of DNA discoverd
This led to more advancements in science and medicine, allowing the creation of more medicines and even the cloning of the sheep Dolly in the 1997. -
China begins Great Leap Forward
Mao Zedong begins the Great Leap Forward, a plan to promote modernization rapidly which failed and caused famines and millions of deaths. -
Yuri Gagarin is first man in space
Yuri Gagarin from Russia places his country "ahead" of the United States during the Cold War, causing the US to be the first to land on the moon in 1969. -
President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas
Since this is number 6 on the top 100 20th century news stories, the world was devastated. -
British Beatles take over US
The Beatles, after preforming on the Ed Sullivan show take over America and become one of the best known and famous rock bands of all time, creating numerous hits. -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated
Martin Luther King Jr., a leader for the end of segregation against the African Americans is assassinated, showing the increased tensions between African Americans and whites, as the African Americans began to fight for their rights. -
American Neil Armstrong becomes the first to walk on the moon
This event surpasses Russia who had the first man in space. -
Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion
Today, abortion causes several disputes among people whether it is right or wrong, and also causes another difference between Republicans (not for abortion) and Democrats (for abortion). -
AIDS identified
AIDS, one of the main diseases causes of death among people -
World Wide Web revolutionizes the Internet
One of the greatest technological advancements of all time, leading to increased communication and world wide knowledge. -
The Berlin Wall falls
The Berlin Wall separating West and East Germany falls and ends the Cold War between the USSR and Russia. -
Apartheid ends in South Africa
Apartheid ended by the ANC and leader Nelson Mandela in South Africa. -
Scientists clone a sheep "Dolly"
Another technological advancement was reached. Now scientists knew how to directly copy DNA and clone things.
