Starting off,a very happy new year 2007 to all of you! Let's hope this will be a great year for all of us! About the quiz,I've strayed away from the original format,and tried something new.This edition has no questions,only information,the Greatest Events of the 2oth Century.This is done primarily for my friends at school,preparing for the Inter School Topical Quiz,but it should be a good read for others too.Have fun!
-Prithwish
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Science+Technology-------------------------------
The assembly line and mass production of motor vehicles and other goods allowed
manufacturers to produce more and cheaper products. This allowed the automobile to become
the most important means of transportation.
The invention of fixed-wing aircraft and the jet engine allowed for the world to become
"smaller." Space flight increased knowledge of the rest of the universe and allowed for global
real-time communications via geosynchronous satellites.
Mass media technologies such as film, radio, and television allow the communication of
political messages and entertainment with unprecedented impact
Mass availability of the telephone and later, the computer, especially through the Internet,
provides people with new opportunities for near-instantaneous communication
Applied electronics, notably in its miniaturized form as integrated circuits, made possible the
above mentioned rise of mass media, telecommunications, advanced computing, and all kinds
of "intelligent" appliances; as well as many advances in natural sciences such as physics, by
the use of exponentially growing calculation power (and later,the supercomputer).
The development of Nitrogen fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides resulted in significantly
higher agricultural yield. Chemical warfare is massively used in World War I.
Advances in fundamental physics through the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics led
to the development of nuclear weapons (known informally as "the Bomb" and dropped on the
industrial town of Hiroshima and the historic town of Nagasaki), the nuclear reactor, the
semiconductor and the laser.
Quantum mechanics also led to the development of applied electronics, radiation therapy, and
synthesis of many new chemicals, including antibiotics and plastics.
Fusion power was studied extensively but remained an experimental technology at the end of
the century.
Inventions such as the washing machine and air conditioning led to an increase in both the
quantity and quality of leisure time for the middle class in developed countries.
Most influential inventions in the 20th century: antibiotics,new plastics, transistors,Internet
* 2001 Dennis Tito becomes the first space tourist by paying $20 million to board the
International Space Station.
* 2002 Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit around Mars.
* 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster February 1.
* 2003 The Chinese space programme launches its first manned space flight, Shenzhou 5
on October 15.
* 2004 Mars Exploration Rovers land on Mars; Opportunity discovers proof that that area of
Mars was once covered in water.
* 2004 Cassini-Huygens probe arrives at Saturn.
* 2004 SpaceShipOne makes first privately-funded human spaceflight, June 21
* 2005 Huygens probe lands on Titan, the largest of Saturn's moons, January 14.
* 2005 Deep Impact probe impacts Comet Tempel 1, July 4.
* 2006 New Horizons launches on a 10 year voyage to Pluto January 20.
* 2006 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives at Mars.
Wars+Politics---------------
After decades of fight of the Women's suffrage movement, the right to vote for women is
introduced in all western countries.
In the Spanish-American War Spain loses its last colonies. The USA occupy Cuba, Puerto Rico
and the Philippines and wins the Philippine-American War against the independence
movement.
Rising nationalism and increasing national awareness were among the causes of World War I,
the first of two wars to involve all the major world powers including Germany, France, Italy,
Japan, the United States and the Commonwealth of Nations. World War I led to the creation of
many new countries, especially in Eastern Europe. Ironically, it was said by many to be the
'War to end all Wars'.
The economic and political aftermath of World War I and the Great Depression led to the rise
of Fascism and Nazism in Europe, and shortly to World War II. This war also involved Asia and
the Pacific, in the form of Japanese aggression against China and the United States. Among
soldiers, civilians also suffered greatly in World War II -- from the bombing of cities on both
sides, and in the German genocide of the Jews and others, known as the Holocaust. In 1945
the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki take place.
During World War I, in Russia the Bolshevik putsch took over the Russian Revolution of 1917,
precipitating the rise of communism. After the Soviet Union's involvement in World War II,
Communism became a major force in global politics, spreading all over the world: notably, to
Eastern Europe, China, Indochina and Cuba. This led to the Cold War and proxy wars with the
West, including wars in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1957-1975).
The civil rights movement in the USA and the movement against Apartheid in South Africa
challenge successfully segregationist practices.
The "fall of Communism" in the late 1980s freed Eastern and Central Europe from Soviet
supremacy. It also led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia into successor
states, many rife with ethnic nationalism, and left the United States as the world's
superpower.
Through the League of Nations and, after World War II, the United Nations, international
cooperation increased. Other efforts included the formation of the European Union, leading to
a common currency in much of Western Europe, the euro around the turn of the millennium.
The end of colonialism led to the independence of many African and Asian countries. During
the Cold War, many of these aligned with the USA, the USSR, or China for defense.
The creation of Israel, a Jewish state in a mostly Arab region of the world, fueled many
conflicts in the region, which were also influenced by the vast oil fields in many of the Arab
countries.
2002 East Timor gains independence from Indonesia.
2003 International Criminal Court opens
2003 - 2005 A series of nonviolent revolutions known as the color revolutions overthrew
authoritarian regimes in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Lebanon.
2004 EU Enlargement: 10 countries join, 8 of which are former Communist nations.
2005 UN Security Council decides war criminals in Darfur will be tried by the International
Criminal Court (Resolution 1593)
2005 civil unrest in France
2006 Montenegro gains independence and becomes the 192nd member of the UN.
Sri Lanka civil war (1983-present)
Darfur conflict, approximately 400,000 deaths
U.S. Invasion in Iraq, most estimates claim 40,000 – 50,000 Iraqi and 3,100 coalition deaths. In 2004, The Lancet estimated that about "98,000 more deaths than expected (8000–194,000) happened after the invasion."
Civil War in Côte d'Ivoire, 3,000 deaths
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on USA,hijacked aeroplanes crash into the WTC buildings,Pentagon,and near the White House, 2,993 deaths
December 13, 2001 attacks, Terrorist attack on Indian Parliament (2001), terrorists storm the Indian Parliament Builiding in New Delhi and kill six police officers.
October 12, 2002 Bali terrorist bombings kill 202 people.
March 11, 2004 suicide terrorist attacks shake several train stations on Spain's capital Madrid, killing 190 people and injuring 1,247.
July 7, 2005 suicide terrorist attacks shake London transport system killing 52 people and injuring 700.
29 October 2005 Delhi Bombings, terrorists attack various markets in New Delhi, killing 61 people and injuring 188 more, right before the start of the festival season in India.
Culture+Entertainment---------------------------
As the century begins, Paris is the artistic capital of the world, where both French and foreign
writers, composers and visual artists gather. By the end of the century, the focal point of
global culture had moved to the United States, especially New York City and Los Angeles.
Movies, music and the media had a major influence on fashion and trends in all aspects of life.
As many movies and music originate from the United States, American culture spread rapidly
over the world.
Rock and Roll and Jazz styles of music are developed in the United States, and quickly
become the dominant forms of popular music in America, and later, the world.
Modern art developed new styles such as expressionism, cubism, and surrealism.
The automobile provided vastly increased transportation capabilities for the average member
of Western societies in the early to mid-century, spreading even further later on. City design
throughout most of the West became focused on transport via car. The car became a leading
symbol of modern society, with styles of car suited to and symbolic of particular lifestyles
.
Sports became an important part of society, becoming an activity not only for the privileged.
Watching sports, later also on television, became a popular activity.
Video gaming becomes an immensely popular leisure activity,online gaming,and even professional gaming skyrockets,and the gaming market and business skyrockets,with the development of gaming consoles such as the Playstation,X-Box,and others.Gaming also creates controversy,with games like Grand Theft Auto,Manhunt,Killer7,Condemned,etc. for their Violence and Mature content,and games like Doom for it's Satanical themes.Doom,along with Quake,are said to have influenced the two students responsible for the Columbine Massacre.
Medicine------------
Antibiotics drastically reduced mortality from bacterial diseases and their prevalence.
X-rays became powerful diagnostic tool for wide spectrum of diseases, from bone fractures to
cancer. In 1960-s, Computerized tomography had been invented.
Another important diagnostic tool is sonography.
Development of vitamins virtually eliminated scurvy and other vitamin-deficiency diseases.
New psychiatric drugs were developed. This includes antipsychotics which are efficient in
treating hallucinations and delusions, and antidepressants for treating depression. However,
some of these drugs have serious side effects, and they usually cannot heal a psychiatric
disease, only treat it.
Role of tobacco smoking in developing cancer and other diseases had been proved in 1950-s
(British Doctors Study).
New methods for cancer treatment, namely chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and
immunotherapy, were developed. As a result, in many cases cancer can be completely
healed.
New methods for heart surgery were developed.
Cocaine and heroin were found to be dangerous addictive drugs, and their wide usage had
been outlawed.
* 2003 Dolly the sheep dies prematurely February 14.
* 2003 Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) spreads around the globe.
* 2005 First successful partial face transplant (France)
* 2006 80% of world land surface has coverage by cellular networks for mobile phone use.
*Mobile phone usage approaches 100% in developed countries.
* 2003 New discovery of a old dwarf human species, Homo floresiensis by modern humans
Environment----------------
The widespread use of petroleum in industry -- both as a chemical precursor to plastics and
as a fuel for the automobile and airplane -- led to the vital geopolitical importance of
petroleum resources.
The Middle East, home to many of the world's oil deposits, became a
center of geopolitical and military tension throughout the latter half of the century. (For
example, oil was a factor in Japan's decision to go to war against the United States in 1941,
and the oil cartel, OPEC, used an oil embargo of sorts in the wake of the Yom Kippur War in
the 1970s).
A vast increase in fossil fuel consumption leads to depletion of natural resources, possibly
global warming and possibly both local and global climate change. The problem is increased
by, believed by many, world-wide deforestation, also causing a loss of biodiversity. The
problem of a depletion of natural resources is decreased by advances in drilling technology
which led to a net increase in the amount of fossil fuel that is readily obtainable at the end of
the century, as compared with the amount considered obtainable at the beginning of the
century.
CFC gases,from discarded refrigerators,aerosol cans,etc. is believed to lead to thinning of the
layer of ozone gas in the atmosphere(which protects us from the harmful ultraviolet and
x-rays from the sun)leading to increased global temperatures,and possibility of skin cancer.
In 2004-2005 it is found that the ozone layer has rapidly regenerated,sealing up most of the
"holes",this is believed to be caused due to increased awareness about CFC and it's
effects;scientists proclaim the ozone layer will completely heal up by 2010
* Up to 50,000 people were killed in France, Italy, and other European countries in the summer of 2003 due to a prolonged heat wave coinciding with a shortage of medical and nursing staff.
* Earthquake in Bam, Iran on December 27, 2003 killed more than 26,000 people.
* 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
On December 26 an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean created a large tsunami, which impacted land across the region and caused approximately 310,000 deaths in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries in the region.
* 2004 hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne batter Florida and the Caribbean in August and September, causing over 3,200 deaths, 3,000 of which resulted from Jeanne's torrential flooding rains in Haiti. The hurricanes caused a combined $50 billion in damage in the United States.
* In 2005, Hurricane Katrina impacts the U.S. Gulf Coast as a strong Category 3 hurricane with top sustained winds before landfall near 125 mph, flooding New Orleans, and causing significant damage in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama. The current number of fatalities stands at 1,836. Katrina surpassed Hurricane Andrew in cost of damage, approaching $75 billion and becoming the costliest natural disaster in U.S history.
* Earthquake in Kashmir on October 8, 2005, which has so far claimed at least 87,350 lives in India and Pakistan.
* Hurricane Stan hit Mexico along the Gulf of Campeche in October 2005 and moved into Guatemala. Hurricane Stan combined with powerful storms already occurring in the region and contributed to the deaths of 1,620 people. It is unclear how many deaths are due directly to Stan and how many from the already existing storms, or perhaps a combination of the two.
Sports---------
* 2001- Tiger Woods, American golfer, completes the Tiger Slam, winning four golf majors in a row
* 2002- In the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan, Brazil won the Football World Cup becoming the first team to win the trophy 5 times.
* 2002- 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
* 2003- Australia wins the 2003 Cricket World Cup
* 2003- England wins the 2003 Rugby World Cup, becoming the first team from the northern hemisphere to win the cup.
* 2004- Greece wins the European Football Championship for the first time.
* 2004- 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens, Greece.
* 2004- Michael Schumacher wins his 5th consecutive Formula One World Drivers Championship.
* 2005- American cyclist Lance Armstrong wins his 7th consecutive Tour de France and retires.
* 2005- In cricket England wins the ashes The Ashes defeating Australia 2-1. The first time in 18 years.
* 2006- 2006 Winter Olympics held in Torino, Italy. * 2006- 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, won by Italy.
* 2006- Floyd Landis wins the Tour De France, but later, it would be known that he was indeed doped. Óscar Pereiro Sio is not yet, but will be crowned as Tour De France champion, later this year.
* 2006- The rugby world cup is held in France from September to October.
There are TONS more about sports,about the 1900's,which I could not put here.You could go to
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/kenanderson/centsport to check them out.
