If you could think of one defining moment in this century – for which future generations will look back upon and smile – what would it be??
“Venus”
July 20, 1969
Not to sound stupid, PB, but you mean Woodstock, right?
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
– Henry David Thoreau
No, that’s the date of the first manned lunar landing.
Lunnar landings and wookstock…I dont know what the rest of you think but to me itll be march 9, 1999 the day my daughter was born
Either let me fly or give me death
Let my soul rest-take my breath
if i dont fly ima die anyway
Ima live on but ill be gone anyday
DARK MAN X
The day when New Kids on the Block announced their breakup.
The day the Chicago Reader published the first Straight Dope column.
Ranger Jeff
The Idol of American Youth
Server’s poor response
Not quick enough for browser.
Timed out, plum blossom.
The day they invented SPAM.
Sunset placid pond
where campers often linger–
rusted can of SPAM
December 17, 1903 is a pretty good candidate as well.
Chaim Mattis Keller
ckeller@schicktech.com
“Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be
the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible.
The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks.”
– Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective
Venus aksed: If you could think of one defining moment in this century – for which future generations will look back upon and smile – what would it be??
*Defining moment? Jan 1, 1901: by definition, that’s when it started. 
Really, tho… I’d have to go with 8/6/45, when the first atomic bomb was used in warfare. Fortunately, 8/9/45 was the last time it was (unless India & Pakistan get itchy trigger fingers in the next 18 months).*
If future generations look back on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and smile, I’ll be glad if I was born in this century and not the next! Significant, justifiable, perhaps even necessary, but not something to look back on with any pride or joy.
I would go to 1942 and the squash courts under the unkiversity of chicago’s stadium
January 1, 1970. The beginning of an era.
November 7, 1917.
Cave Diem! Carpe Canem!
I get all the dates except January 1, 1970. Is that your birthday? Or are you taking note of the beginning of that particular decade?
Even though I wasn’t alive back then. I’d have to agree with Papabear. 4-20-69.
My goodness, that must have been something to behold.
Oh, and what happened on November 7, 1917? I'm gonna guess it had something to do with WW1.
Adam
We’ve got man’s ascension into flight and man on the moon defined by date. In this century we’ve also got WWII (IMHO one of the most significant periods of change in the history of humanity) that can be tagged by more than one significant date (including the A-bombs). Significant days tend to become significant years as the centuries roll by; the Norman Conquest (1066), but I really don’t remember when the Battle of Hastings occurred, nor do I remember the date associated w/the signing of the Magna Carta (1215) but it is surely significant as a precursor to the democratic ideal.
For some reason I remember Agincourt as occurring in 1415 (Hank the Cinq) and Alexander’s ascenscion to the throne of Macedonia in 333 B.C. Alexander, of course, brings to mind Ramses III, and all the other great conquerors of past. It’s hard for me really put them into a perspective. Xerxes, Ramses, Attila, Hannibal (famous for elephants, but not for victories), let’s not forget the Ceasers… maybe their collective assaults did help to forge some precursor of federalism.
Who dates the Rennaissance (as always, I’m here to learn) more tightly than early 15th Century? Who can date the telecommunication advances that are a signature of this century as tightly?
Reds didn’t pass the market test, so I’m guessing that October 1917 won’t survive as a day (month) that will live in infamy.
(Boy is it hard to do world history w/o any references - and I don’t claim to know the stuff)
So what has our century got us?
- flight (both 1st step and interspacebody)
- telecommunications
- WWII and the collapse of imperialism
- digital computing
- nuclear power
- nuclear weapons
- automobiles and the oil & gas industry
- Barney & Bert & Ernie & FDR & Ronald
Reagan & William
Jefferson Clinton
Paul Johnson, in Modern Times attempts to link the beginning of our century, or the beginning of modern times, w/the 5/29/1919 photography of a solar eclipse that attempted to confirm the theories of Albert Einstein. This of course relegates the War to End All Wars to last century status.
APB9999:
The time 0 on your most PCs is January 1, 1970. Depending on your bios, your computer calander may be reading January 1, 1970 in 6 months. Enjoy.
A couple years ago, I would have said the fall of the berlin wall, but it may be back up soon, so I’ll have to go with the lunar landing as well.