Jonathan T. Reynolds - 30-second twentieth century: the 50 most significant ideas and events, each explained in half a minute

The 50 most significant ideas and events, each explained in half a minute

Editor

Jonathan T. Reynolds

Contributors

Grace Chee

Caryn Connelly

Candice Goucher

Cary D. Harlow

Kristin Hornsby

Laura J. Lee

Craig A. Lockard

Sara Patenaude

Jonathan T. Reynolds

Jeremy Rich

Timothy D. Sofranko

Kristopher Teters

Rita R. Thomas

Russell Zimmerman

You probably know, or think you know, quite a bit about what happened in the 20th century chances are, if youre reading this, you lived through at least some of it and you may have referenced the Cuban Missile Crisis, the double helix, or the Wall Street Crash in conversation. But even for people who were there, it was the fastest-moving hundred years in history, so refresh your memory with these pacey profiles on everything from Sputnik to Stonewall.

30 Second Twentieth Century presents a unique approach to modern history, condensing 100 years of innovation and art, politics and conflict, triumph and disaster, into 50 graphic snapshots that offer an instant appreciation of the way the world revolves and evolves. Consider which events define a period of history and why. From the Red Army to Black Monday, from Woodstock to the World Wide.

Perhaps no era in human history has seen such a transformation of the human condition as the 20th century. Those hundred years witnessed a host of breakthrough technologies in transportation (to the Moon and back!) and communication, from recording of sound on 78s to the speed of the Internet, and extraordinary advances in medicine and science, including the discovery of the structure of DNA the very stuff of life. Socially and politically, the 20th century is also remembered for shifts towards gender and racial equality with its movements for womens rights, civil rights, decolonization and the end of apartheid. As such, the century is often presented as predominantly positive breaking down the barriers of time and space separating human communities and curing previously deadly or debilitating diseases. Indeed, it has often been heralded as a period of progress.

Both sides of the coin

However, the last century also had a dark side. While some technologies and social innovations could improve or extend human life, others were likely to result in the opposite. New, more deadly weapons, from poison gas to nuclear bombs, were joined with long-range delivery systems to expand radically a countrys ability to kill its enemy. All too often, politics and ideology seemed to outweigh humanity. Such developments blurred the line between soldiers and civilians as those out of uniform were targeted to brutal effect. Similarly, even as a growing concept of human rights sought to protect individual liberties, new political systems such as fascism sought to subvert the rights of the individual to those of the state and to deny similar rights to others.

Metaphorically, one might think of the 20th century as a toolbox to which items were constantly being added, some of which could be used to help people, and others to cause harm. With ever-increasing globalization the 20th century finally triumphed over smallpox while experiencing rapidly spreading pandemics. It saw the development of powered flight, and the dropping of a nuclear weapon from an aircraft. From world wars to Woodstock, the last century expresses the human condition from every conceivable angle.

How the book works

In order to understand the complex legacy bequeathed to us by the 20th century, this book seeks to present those hundred tumultuous years through a few dozen carefully selected events, issues and personalities. Fifty 30-second histories, each written by a scholar from a relevant academic field, are divided into seven thematic categories in order to present the global breadth of the human experience. Each one is presented consistently, in just 300 words, delivered as: a single main paragraph that sets out the topic in detail; a 3-second Thrash, summing up the event in one sentence; and a second, shorter paragraph, the 3-minute Thought, offering further insight and broader context. Key terms are defined in a glossary within each section and each has a profile of an individual whose life and work embodied the issues and events included under the theme.

Man on the moon
20th century progress allowed for humanity to begin exploring the world outside our atmosphere.

The first, Science & Technology, brings together some of the most remarkable discoveries and inventions that changed the way we live, from advances in agriculture to exploration of space. Section two, Arts & Entertainment, celebrates the cultural events that brightened our world through music, dance, paintings and play. Against the centurys backdrop of progress and enhancement were world wars, fights for freedom and ideological struggles. Those conflicts and sacrifices global, national and personal are recorded in the following two sections: War & Conflicts and Politics & Society. Individuals stand out for their dreams and ideas in the next section, Industry & Economics, from Kwame Nkrumah to Joseph Stalin to Henry Ford. The two final sections, Medicine & Health and Events, Triumphs & Disasters, record the best and worst of human endeavour, from the eradication of smallpox to the darkest period in living memory: the Holocaust. No doubt some of the subjects chosen will be familiar to you, but we hope that 30-Second Twentieth Century will surprise you with a few unfamiliar topics, personalities and perspectives as well.

We are all born into history. It is not unlike turning on a movie rather late into the story. Unless you learn what it is that you missed, the part you are watching is unlikely to make much sense at all. It is our profound wish that this volume not only enriches your understanding of the 2oth century, but also of the world in which we live today.

Jonathan T. Reynolds

Northern Kentucky University, 2014

Devastating consequences
Human innovation was also responsible for some of the most traumatic events in the 20th century; the advancement in atomic energy resulted in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

1991 Gore Bill Officially titled the High Performance Computing Act of 1991, this legislation was proposed by then Senator Al Gore. The initiative provided incentives for an expansion of Internet capacity and penetration, and also helped fund Mosaic, the first browser that allowed individuals to search and connect to other computer data on the Internet.

Advanced Research Projects Agency Established in 1958, ARPA was established to facilitate research into defensive technologies as part of the Cold War competition between the United States and Soviet Union. In 1972 the term Defense was added to the name (DARPA). Among the most significant developments were Arpanet (see ) and the satellite positioning system known as GPS.