Eleven years into the new millennium and it’s still interesting (and fun)
to look back and remember the history of the previous hundred years. Our
current circumstances, both good and bad, find a foundation that was laid in
the 20th century. From tragedy to triumph, the 20th century offers up a
wealth of timeless memories that helped shape the future. Here are ten of
the most memorable days from the 20th century.
December 7, 1941 (Attack on Pearl Harbor)
In the words of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 7 is a
“date that will live in infamy.” 70 years later, these words are as
true as they were when they were first uttered. The world of 1941 was
engulfed, or on the verge of being engulfed, in war. The armies of
Adolf Hitler had conquered the vast majority of Europe, and the armed
forces of Imperial Japan had done much of the same in Asia and the
Pacific. America, attempting mightily to maintain its neutrality, felt
safe in the knowledge that two oceans separated it from the Axis powers.
Japan had other notions, however. At about 8:00 am on
Sunday
morning, planes from Japanese carriers struck the naval base at Pearl
Harbor – home of the American Pacific fleet. The attack lasted less
than two hours, during which the Japanese sank eight American battle
ships, damaged to various degrees at least 13 other sips, and destroyed a
number of planes. The impact of the attack was swift and immediate.
America was in shock and angry, and all thoughts of being neutral
vanished from the national consciousness. America declared war on Japan
the next day (December 8) and the rest, as they say, is history.
9. November 22, 1963 (Assassination of JFK)
The Kennedy family has been referred to as “America’s Royal Family”,
because of the special affinity that these iconic figures have in the
hearts of many Americans. No Kennedy has been more beloved than John F.
Kennedy. A former naval officer during World War II, US congressman,
and US Senator, JFK was elected to the office of President of the United
States in 1960. His leadership would be instrumental in America’s
initial involvement in Vietnam, the handling of the Cuban Missile
Crisis, and aiding the Civil Rights Movement.
His time in office would tragically end during a campaign trip to
Dallas, Texas. As he and his wife were being carried to a luncheon in
an open
convertible,
three shots were fired. Two of the shots hit the President (one in the
neck and another in the head). JFK was pronounced dead a few hours
later. The country was in shock at such a brazen attack on the leader
of the free world. Scenes of the assassination were captured in video.
The assassin was believed to be Lee Harvey Oswald, who was arrested and
subsequently murdered while in custody, before any trial was held.
Conspiracy theories still abound concerning this assassination.
8. April 4, 1968 (Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
The Civil Rights Movement in the United States defined an entire
generation of Americans. In the struggle for equality, the work of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. stands above the rest. Indeed, Dr. King’s
tireless efforts on behalf of the people of color are legendary and are a
tribute to the ability of selfless sacrifice for a noble cause. While
not everyone agreed with Dr. King and his non-violent approach, he
nevertheless succeeded in bringing the plight of injustice and
inequality to the forefront of the national consciousness.
At the height of his work, Dr. King’s life came to a tragic end at
the hands of an assassin. While standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis,
Tennessee, it is believed that James Earl Ray took aim at Dr. King with a
high powered, scoped rifle, and ended his life. Ray was eventually
convicted of the assassination and sentenced to 99 years in prison. The
immediate impact of the death of Dr. King, however, was tragically
played out, as angry Americans took to the streets, rioting in over 100
cities around the country. Today, America honors the great service and
life of Dr. King with a national
holiday.
7. July 20, 1969 (Moon Landing)
When the
Eagle
landed on the moon, an entire nation rejoiced. The idea of space
travel has captured the imagination of every child (and quite a few
adults) since the first person looked up and gazed at the stars. For
the generation of Americans that were coming to age in the 1950s, the
possibility of space exploration became very real with the arrival of
Sputnik (the first orbital satellite, launched by the Soviet Union in
1957).
Indeed, from this point, a national race to space was being carried
out between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1960, President
Kennedy boldly announced that America would land on the moon within a
decade. He wasn’t wrong. As millions of Americans (and really folks
from around the world, as well) watched their televisions, astronaut
Neil Armstrong exited the lunar module that had landed on the surface of
the moon a few hours prior. America had made it to the moon first and,
during a time of social upheaval and uncertainty, the injection of the
national pride was a welcome relief. Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s
one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” continue to ring
true, as the world looks towards the heavens for continued exploration.
6. January 28, 1986 (Challenger Disaster)
With success, there is also failure, and this is certainly the case
with the American space program. While the program has had a number of
fatal disasters, none was more graphically tragic than the fate that
befell the space shuttle Challenger. When the Challenger launched on
the fateful day of January 28, there was not much fanfare or coverage of
the event. Space shuttle launches had become commonplace in the minds
of both Americans and newscasters alike. Nevertheless, the cameras were
rolling and captured, 73 seconds into Challenger’s takeoff, the space
shuttle exploding. All seven crewpersons were killed, including a
“civilian” (school
teacher Christa McAuliffe) that had been trained to ride along.
With space travel becoming a commonplace occurrence, many couldn’t
understand how such tragedy could take place. Investigations and
finger-pointing ensued, and the space shuttle program was shut down for
two years.
5. October 29, 1929 (Stock Market Crash)
With today’s economy being what it is, many may feel that it’s as bad
as it ever has been. And while conditions today are certainly
worrisome to many, it pales in comparison to the years of the
Depression the nation faced in the late 1920s and 30s. Those years were set in motion as a result of the stock market crash in 1929.
During the period between 1927 and 1929, wealthy Americans began
investing heavily in the stock market, and realizing very lucrative
returns. This set off a flurry of activity, as many believed that
anyone could get rich by investing in the stock market. Soon, stocks
were becoming highly inflated beyond the actual worth of the companies
they represented. Further, many investors began to invest on “margin”,
which meant they were borrowing the money to pay for stocks, in the hope
that they would be able to sell those stocks at a high enough price to
repay the loan.
The speculation bubble burst in October of 1929, and the sell-off
began. On October 29, the value of stocks fell an estimated $10 to $15
billion. The value that the market had accumulated in the previous two
years was wiped out, and total losses were over $30 billion. It would
take over a decade, and a World War, for the nation to recover.
4. November 9, 1989 (Tearing Down Of The Berlin Wall)
The Berlin Wall had stood as a chilling reminder to the world of the
brewing “cold war” that was being carried out, primarily between the
United States and the Soviet Union. Nuclear devastation was a constant
reality as the world’s two
superpowers
faced off with one another. The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 as a
means to prevent citizens of East Germany escaping to the west. This
continuing exodus was draining East Germany (a puppet regime of the
Soviet Union) of human resources, as well as being an embarrassment to
Communist-oriented governments.
As the economic weight of maintain vast armed forces began to have a
dire effect on the Soviet Union, political instability among Communist
nations made the wall irrelevant. The Cold War was over, and so was the
“life” of its most visible symbol. It began with average citizens of
East Germany starting to pull down whole sections of the wall (without
interference from government forces – which was on the verge of
political collapse anyway). What started as a demonstration of sorts,
morphed into an all-out effort to take the wall down. The next year,
Germany was reunified as a single nation.
3. April 18, 1906 (San Francisco Earthquake)
The “Big One” has been the subject of more than a few big-budget
disaster movies. While Hollywood has taken full advantage of the
movie-going public’s taste for the dramatic, scientists and other
concerned officials have long been concerned when the next disaster will
strike. The question is not “if”, but rather “when” the next Big One
will occur.
In this light, the devastating earthquake that struck
San Francisco
over 100 years ago still keeps the residents along the major fault
lines on the American West Coast wary. For its part, the San Francisco
quake seems like a scene taken right out a modern disaster movie.
Registering an incredible 7.9 on the Richter scale, it is among the
most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. Well over 3000 people lost
their lives, and several thousands more were injured.
The property damage was vast (an estimated 28,000 buildings were
destroyed). Not only did the quake itself destroy buildings and other
structures, but the resulting fires caused widespread carnage. To make
matters worse, large tidal waves formed by the quake struck the city,
causing further devastation. The San Francisco quake remains one of the
deadliest disasters in American history.
2. August 6, 1945 (Hiroshima)
The dawn of the Atomic Age began with the deaths of 60,000+ residents
of the city of Hiroshima, Japan. America (and its allies), having
already defeated Nazi Germany and fascist
Italy,
now faced the very daunting task of bringing final defeat to Imperial
Japan. The task would not be an easy one, as the Japanese had proved
formidable in defending their home islands. It was estimated that well
over 1 million American service men would lose their lives in an
invasion of Japan.
As a result, it was decided to use a nuclear device in order to force
Japan into total surrender. The first device (a second bomb was
dropped in the city of Nagasaki) was dropped from an American Army Air
Force bomber (the Enola Gay). Most of the city was destroyed, and many
of those not killed outright would either succumb to injuries later or
become homeless. To this day, thousands gather at the site where the
bomb exploded for an annual interfaith memorial service. The
destruction of Hiroshima stands as a vivid reminder of the terrible cost
of the use of nuclear weapons.
1. January 1, 2000 (The New Millennium)
The first day of the 21st century wasn’t ushered in with quite the
panic that many had imagined. Conspiracy theorist, cult leaders, and
even to a certain degree, the general public; all were predicting…
something
to happen when the clock struck 12:01 am. There was widespread
concern, for example, of the so-called Y2K bug that was supposed to
incapacitate computers that were running Microsoft-operating systems.
Others were predicting an expecting apocalyptic disasters, the end of
the world, the return of
Jesus Christ, and other phenomenon.
None of these things panned out, and the New Year came and went
without any significant change to life on Earth. The cable music
channel MTV2, however, did play Prince’s music video “1999” non-stop for
24 hours. That was pretty amazing! Still, everyone remembers where
they were when they welcomed a new century, and that’s pretty cool, too!
