In your opinion, what is the single most important event in the history of humanity?

Question

I will choose as best answer one that presents a convincing argument.

Answer 1

Well, I've looked over other answers, and none seem very convincing to me. The creation of the universe and the triumph of the Cro-Magnons over the Neandertals predates humanity; the birth of Jesus is significant to just one religion (and there are and have been many); and anything in recent years simply builds on things that came earlier.

I look at this question like I look at a growth curve. For a long, long time, the growth curve is very low and very flat. But then something triggers it, and it begins to climb ... slowly at first, but in time it gathers momentum, and it climbs higher and higher, faster and faster.

That's what the growth curve of humankind looks like to me.

From that perspective, the atomic bomb, the birth of Bill Gates, the birth of Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Christopher Columbus or Zeus all occur somewhere along the ever-increasing slope of that curve.

But what made the curve start to go slowly upward in the first place? After all, for 50,000, or 200,000 years, or thereabouts, the curve was flat. And during that time, mankind was comprised entirely of nomadic hunter-gatherers.

The single event that made the curve start climbing was when some nameless human had enough insight (or maybe it was just luck) to plant a few seeds somewhere in Mesopotamia -- the Fertile Crescent -- and sometime later harvested the foodstuffs he'd grown.

That was the beginning of the agricultural revolution. On its heels, man domesticated certain animals for food, or as beasts of burden.

That, in turn, enabled people to live together in one place. It encouraged the division of labor; and it enabled a few to be thinkers rather than laborers.

Everything started from those seeds that were planted.

Answer 2

The top five are:

5. 476 AD - Fall of the Roman Empire, the last emperor is deposed by barbarians, although the fall was a steady decline, this was the year that it finally happened, europe descending into the dark ages after this point

2. Aug 6, 1588 - Spanish Armada defeated, beginning Britain's hegemy (sp) that lasted several hundred years.

3. July 3, 1863 - Longstreet's frontal assault with Trimble, Picket and Garnett's 15,000 men marked high tide of the Confederacy, a victory would've meant the end of the Civil War and Southern independence.

2. December 2, 1942 - first controlled nuclear fission, international policy has never been the same since. Marked the beginning of nuclear holocaust potential, relying on E-MC2 and other scientists work/knowledge before him.


and the # single most important event in history of Mankind:

1. 24,000 BC - cro-magnons drive the Neanderthals off, and the world has never been the same since.

Answer 3

If we're tracing a root cause with immense effects

Technologically: The concept of intellectual property (patent) in 15th century France. Prior to that, persons with an invention got short shrift as any noble could expropriate the idea, and they got nothing. Once they had the rights to those inventions, it's amazing how quick the tide of technological change started piling up.

Politically: The death of Ogetai Khan. The battle had already been fought, and Eastern Europe was beaten and open for invasion, but the leaders of the army had to turn around to take part in the selection of the successor. A close contender would be the death of Alexander III of Macedon without an adult heir. His successors dominated the world for centuries, and formed a culture whose influence did not pass until 1469. If he had had a few more years, and an heir to keep his empire together, how much more would have accomplished?

Religiously: I'm inclined to give the nod to christianity over islam. Without Jesus, I do not think there would have been a Mohammed. Despite christianity's thin presence in the arabian peninsula, it nonetheless fertilized the middle east for islam.

Answer 4

I like bpiguy's point about the ever-accelerating curve. However, even as fast as the curve seems to be rising, every development is still gradually built from knowledge gained from a previous generation. And most of that knowledge was gained through simple observation, experience and common sense. So it would be hard to say that there ever was an important single event because they simply don't exist when you look at everything that they depend on beforehand.

However, some scientific breakthroughs might be considered as events. For example Einstein's theories, while also influenced by existing problems, were pretty well formulated simply in his mind (and so not through empirical experimentation). And so while most human developments would have happened by themselves (think of language, religion, war machines, technologies, medicine, agriculture, political systems, etc. that so many societies developed independently) it seems that ONLY EINSTEIN could have come up with his theories. In the future as we see more applications of these theories (a gps for example could not function without them) we might look back and say that from a scientific point of view, Einstein's life was the most important event.

Answer 5

The invention of writing and painting. For how else could we communicate over such vast distances and create accurate polyglot dictionaries and calculate the mathematics arts. And have the visual pictures to go with it. We could not have an accurate record of what some one said, or did, directly. All information would become second-, third-, or even fourth-hand. Ideas are spread even more quickly than just the word of mouth. It becomes the word of mouth. It can prove innoncence or guilt when misinformation occurs.

Yet too misinformation can become a burden as a person tries to glen what is going on. Many sources are cited masking confusion. A person can lie in their confession.

But without writing, ideas and civilization cannot advance.

Answer 6

The Two World wars, There are so closeley related that I would consider them a single event. They lit the fire under the Bolshevik revolution, brought down no less than 5 empires, ended (well seriously hampered) colonialism, and it was the Emergence of the United States as a major world power. No other events have more bearing on the current power structure and heirarchy of nations than the two world wars.

Answer 7

The birth of Christ.

Christianity is the world's biggest religion. In 2002 there were more than two billion Christians, in nearly all parts of the world.

Major historical events that involve Christianity:
Holy Wars
The Inquisition
The printing of the Bible
etc., etc.

Answer 8

The day that man gained knowledge of himself. That was the single most important event in the history of humanity. You know when he took a bite of that juicy Red Delicious Apple. LOL
Seriously, when man became self aware.

Answer 9

Birth of Jesus
Writing of the Declaration of Independence
Nazi Defeat in World War II
Invention of the Internet

Answer 10

I would have to say the death and Resurrection of Christ. He influenced one of the major religions of the world for several centuries after His Resurrection. His teachings inspired Christians and non-Christians alike. Unfortunately, some people killed in His name. Fortunately, others helped other people in His name. It's what helped Western Civilization become to be what it is.