Most Important Historical Events??

Question

Which historical events do you think most shaped the way we live today? Why?

Only in the United States Please.

Answer 1

For the US, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; the Civil War, western expansion, World War II; we came out the number one country in the world from that, and Vietnam caused us to lose our innocence about such things. For many Vietnam was the glass through which all subsequent issues are viewed. Also, the Civil Rights movement of the 60's. AND the great industrial progress: telephone, autos, planes, etc.

Answer 2

History, in the broadest sense means everything that has happened before. This would demand that the oldest occurences had the most dramatic effect on today's life since all future history would have to be based on those prior events. If I had to answer in that broad category I would probably say that a near extinction level global event such as an asteroid strike would have most dramatically shaped the way we live today for, had it never occured, humankind would likely have never evolved at all. The President of the United States may very well have turned out to be an evolved T-Rex, or maybe even some dominant species prior to the dinosaurs (who apparantly got their big break from an asteroid, just like us.)

Answer 3

John Brown (May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859) was an American abolitionist and one of the first white abolitionists to advocate and to practice guerrilla warfare as a means to the abolition of slavery. He first gained national attention when he led a company of volunteers during the Bleeding Kansas crisis, in which he fought two major battles against pro-slavery southerners, directed the Pottawatomie massacre on the night of May 24, 1856, and freed 11 slaves from slaveholders in neighboring Missouri. Brown's most famous deed was the raid he led on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (in modern-day West Virginia).

Answer 4

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973).

Not only did it overturn all anti-abortion laws throughout the US as unconstitutional as a violation of privacy, coupled with the pill and new found sexual freedom heralded the new age of freedom of choice and the end of moral restraint within the US.

Regardless of whether a person supports or condemns the principles supporting Roe vs Wade this decision in 1973 more than any other act has shaped America into what it is today- a society incapable of self restraint, unable to accept personal responsibility and obsessed in protecting the rights of self-choice.

The Declaration of Independence may have defined our ideals, but Roe vs Wade opened the "I am a victim" flood gates of litigation and "I am not responsible for my actions" culture America is today.

Answer 5

Battle of Thermapolae when 300 Spartan soldiers held off the Persian army long enough for Greece to muster defences. Had they not, Greece would've been overwhelmed, no classical age leading to Western Civilization and no Alexander to defeat the Persian Empire who may have spread west as far as they wanted and east to take the resy of Asia. Its definitely one of the greatest turning points. There mightn't have been a Europe or America if those 300 Spartans not sacrificed there lives.

Answer 6

Invention of writing/alphabet to transmit culture and information. Invention of printing press to bring books to the masses. The Enlightenment Period where humans discovered Reason as a means of overcoming religious superstition. Splitting of the atom and creation of atomic weapons. This energy can either light our future or destroy our planet. The Exploration of Outer Space by humankind culminating with the Apollo moon landings in the later part of the 20th Century, hopefully with follow-up human exploration of the solar system in the 21st Century. Humans will need to leave earth in order for the species to survive.

Answer 7

I'd actually have to disagree with Destined1one. If evolution is true then eventually we're just going to evolve into something completely different rendering us as insignificant as the single celled organism that all life and species of plant and animal supposedly spawned from. That's actually kind of sad if you really think about it.

The life and ministry of Jesus Christ aside of the whole salvation thing, shaped our culture greatly. It's where we get our basis of time and dates. I think that is a pretty big thing to have occured.

Also George Washington Carver gave us Peanut Butter and for that I am eternally grateful =)

Answer 8

Gee, that's hard! Maybe the signing of the Magna Carta since that's the document from which we developed the constitution. Or maybe the last war between France and England. Wasn't that the war that was so expensive that George III raised taxes outrageously on the colonists that started them on their way to the revolution?

Answer 9

Today, star date June 13th, 2006
location NYC, USA.....on the bulletin board of TimeSquare.....
remote location: Yelm, Wa
another remote location: NY Hard Rock Cafe
right here right now
All of us are VERY happy and answering like madness has gone wild
June 13th, 06.13.06 Tuesday 4.20

Answer 10

The end of World War 2. It was to be the war to end all wars, but instead created the world's biggest pissing contest between USA and Soviet Union. It started the race...the race of global influence.