Top 5 of the 20thFollow

not sure i can name 5 in a short time, but ill name my #1.

Dr. Martin Luther King. enough said there.

That was one of Flea's. I didn't use it but she was quite adamant about it.

Treaty of Yalta
Agribusiness
Penicillin
Computer technology
Watergate

That's because she is very wise.

Edited, Aug 3rd 2006 at 12:46pm EDT by Frakkor

Civil Rights Movement
The interwebs
WWII
Stock Market Crash
Television

2. Great Depression
1. World War II
3. Invention of the solid state transistor
4. Thomas Edison
5. Massive deficits beginning in the early 1980's

One and two are likely fairly popular choices. Item three is really a fairly straightforward application of band theory. Four could easily be Tesla instead. Five has not yet had its full impact - but without the fiscal policy of the 1980's and early 1990's we would not have the fiscal policy of today - and interest payments from these will dominate what the US can and cannot do in the future.

It would probably make my list for 21st Century. Though there is plenty of the 21st Century left for major sh[]i[/]t to happen and dwarf the repercussions from 9/11/01.

The discovery of DNA's structure and it's storage of genetic information

The production and marketing of Personal Computers

The invention of the internet

The Civil Rights Movement

The Cold War

JFK's assassination
WWI
Howard Stern (even though I despise him, he did a lot for fighting censorship)
"The Pill"
assembly line (If it wasnt for that crazy Ford, we would never have had McDonalds!)

My list (I don't recall the order)

The Cold War - This bipolar ideological conflict was the driving force behind numerous advances in technology, the basis for any number of political dealings and became ingrained in the public conscious. I wonder if part of the public's minimal interest in Islamic terrorism doesn't stem from an ennui brought on by living in the shadow of "mutually assured destruction" for nearly fifty years.

Viet Nam - For better or for worse, Viet Nam and the resulting coverage changed how the nation would approach armed conflict in the future. Public support (or lack thereof) would have more influence, attacks would be curtailed to minimize civilian loss and we'd start using traditional infantry as a last resort after air and missile strikes.

The Baby Boom - The swarms of young adult protesters in the 60's and 70's wouldn't have had the same impact without the Baby Boom of the late 40's and 50's. Beyond that, the Boom reshaped consumer America: driving suburban sprawl, cheap consumer products and a generation of people who wanted it all. Today, we of course still feel its impact in the threat to the Social Security system.

Woman's Suffrage - The 19th Amendment effectively doubled the amount of potential voters and finalized the ideal of a representative democracy. Although people at the time assumed that women would simply vote the same as their husbands anyway, women voters have turned into an important bloc of their own and remain an important influence in how modern politics.

The Cathode Ray Tube - Although it had its start in the late 1800's, the 'hot' cathode ray tube which became omnipresent in televisions, computer terminals, radar, medical & scientific equipment, ATMs and other places wasn't developed until the early 20th century. Although slowly becoming obsolete today, the space program, air & naval traffic, internet and numerous scientific advances (as well, of course, as TV) owe themselves to the humble CRT screen.

Not exactly in order:

• Nuclear Weapons: -

• Modern Production: - including automated assembly line, and the advances afterwards that led to computers etc

• Flight: - enabled global travel for all among many other things

• Instant Communication in the home/business infrastructure:– Radio>Telephone>TV>Global communication>internet

• WWI/WWII - one was really the cause of the other so I lump then together.


There are many good choices I saw in others lists that I would add if this were a 10 spot list. Also a couple of out there choices.

Many of the events and choices would not have been possible without the others and in fact directly led to the others. I believe that the instant communication infrastructure especially the growth of it into TV led directly and unavoidably to the Civil Rights Movement.

Edited, Aug 3rd 2006 at 2:06pm EDT by fhrugby

I was also going to ask about penecillin. Joph nixed it off my original list because we couldn't think of whether or not it was an American event. Was it?

Edit: Nope!


Edited, Aug 3rd 2006 at 2:20pm EDT by Atomicflea