Top Five Events of Your Time

[ilya]

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How can the tsunami be in two top5s already? This was a localized and, on a historical scale, minor disaster.

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The global response it caused, and it's still sorta fresh.

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But consider AIDS. That's a global problem, it's caused a global response, and it's even fresher. In fact it's still a huge problem and will remain one for a long time yet. Surely that's more important than the tsunami?

[warsaw]

I guess I didnt think of AIDS as an event, more of an ongoing epidemic.

[Brom]

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How can the tsunami be in two top5s already? This was a localized and, on a historical scale, minor disaster.

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It did kill people on three continents, was one of the top three most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. and in the top five for deaths by a natural disaster. Not to mention the billions of dollars of damage it caused, and the millions more lives it affected.

[Sully]

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How can the tsunami be in two top5s already? This was a localized and, on a historical scale, minor disaster.

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You might be right about that, although the Tsunami was a major, major disaster. So were a lot of earthquakes that should probably be considered equal, so I see your point.

I am surprised about the Challenger votes. I thought about that one, but in the big scheme of things, was that really that big on a worldwide scale, or just the US with egg on it's face?

And as for the Internet phenomenon, I almost said something...definitely world changing, but should probably be in another thread about inventions. I'm thinking about events...not inventions.

[TheCroShow]

born 1978

1. World Trade Center
2. Oklahoma City Bombing (visited the site last year)
3. Earthquake during World Series (Oakland vs. San Fran) For the entire year I was scared shitless of Earthquakes
4. Watching the War in the Middle East everyday after school. (Dubya Sr. not Dubya Jr)
5. The first time I held my niece, our first-born out of the 3 brothers in my family.

Ok maybe I mis-read, but definately the most memorable for me

[keikiwai]

With the Challenger, I don't think it was the event itself, but its impact.

The world was getting ready to see teachers in space, people in space, us conquer space, and then BANG... at what price?

[ilya]

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I guess I didnt think of AIDS as an event, more of an ongoing epidemic.

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Hmm, alright, well to frame it in more event-like terms I could say the infection of Patient Zero, i.e. that promiscuous gay steward, what was his name, something like Doogan.

[SBR]

1985

No specific order here
1) Collapse of the Soviet Union (I include end of the cold war/fall of the Berlin wall in this)
2) September 11
3) The creation (if you want to be a nit, widespread adoption) of the internet/personal computers
4) Modernization of China/India
5) Creation of the EU

I'm young enough that I really remember nothing about the cold war age and if were doing events that I remember the fall of the Soviet Union wouldn't be on the list. Everything I know I remember from history books.

September 11th is obvious in that it has dramatically changed international politics/relations I'm not sure I want to get into too much as it would probably result in this thread being relegated to the politics forum. I'll say I believe that America's response to the attacks was badly mishandled and has done more damage economically and politically than the actual attacks themselves did.

I think it’s very easy to make an argument that the adoption of the internet and personal computers has had the most effect on the world we live in of any items of that list. It has changed almost every aspect of the way we live (then again I probably use/put more value on these items than the average person).

I don't really feel any urge to talk about the last two right now. I don't really have anything to say other than the only reason the creation of the EU is on the list (I am aware that the creation of the EU is just another step in a process that has been ongoing since the end of WW2) is because I am assuming that Europe will continue to solidify politically in the next century if it doesn't then I would remove it from the list.

[beenben]

Born 1968

1 Nixon resigns 1974 and I'm six years old. I'm told that I said "he was fired for stealing tapes."

2 Conservative shift toward Reaganism and away from paternalistic, liberal government

3 end of Vietnam War and learning the lesson of Vietnam ("Stay out of Vietnam" - dana carvey impersonating Bush I)

4 "united states of europe" develops through the EU

5 the world becomes flat via the internet

[FishNChips]

born in 1973

not in order but 5 that come to mind:

Roe v Wade

9/11

fall of USSR / split into states

I like how last poster phrased this one so I'll copy it "world becomes flat via internet"

Opening of China to foreign trade/investors

comments:

r v w may be more US than worldwide, but it is a key event in the history of one of the most powerful nations on earth.

9/11 : we won't understand the full impact of this event for another 25 years

USSR : fall of the other superpower / fall of communism / bummer for the olympics because now the U.S. doesnt really have a truly hated rival

internet means anyone can be an entrepeneur (sp?)

opening of china to commerce : we wont fully grasp the effect of this for another 25 years but it is HUGE!

~FishNChips