Do you ever wonder why the world is the way it is today? The first man on Earth had nothing but land to stand on, water to drink, and air to breathe. Who knew that rubbing two stones together will light a fire. Sowing seeds into the ground will reproduce life. Fascinating, right?
Similarly, major events took place throughout history that shaped the world into what it has become. History, seemingly dull, is beyond cramming textbooks to pass a test.
It is a reflection of the evolution of man. This evolution begins from lighting a simple fire to mobile phones, globalization, and the intricate concepts of physics, chemistry and biology, and many more.
The question is, how did we make it this far?
The major historical events that took place created a domino effect. Each event had an impact of its own, either good or bad, causing a series of new, unprecedented happenings. They molded the world into a massive network of lives, resources, and technology.
Below is a narrowed list from earliest to latest, of the ten most important events that changed the world forever:
1. The Birth of Christianity
Christianity’s birth changed the world by introducing the concepts of the devil, hell, and heaven. It drove people to differentiate between right and wrong. Jesus spread the religion with which came the practice of missionaries and churches.
Christianity gave birth to schools, teaching, preservation of knowledge and literature, healthcare, and welfare centers that missionaries managed. Believed to be a predecessor of Islam itself, this religion introduced peace in the world.
2. The First Revelation to Muhammad (PBUH)
The first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) brought one of the most practiced and influential religions in the world, Islam. Islam is a faith that taught Muslims to give up evil practices, abandon idol-worshipping, and believe in one Allah.
Islam is much more than the terrorism it is believed to have perpetrated. It is a religion of love patience, adherence to what is right, and abstinence from wrong. It teaches tolerance and frowns upon violence.
The importance of this event shines in the following Golden Age of Islam, during which large parts of the Arabian Peninsula fell under Muslim rule, and many discoveries were made. While the rest of the world was in fear, Muslims explored new ideas and artistic works.
From Islamic architecture, the pinhole camera, the Mariner’s compass till Urdu literature, Islam drove a series of world-changing events and inventions. A stimulus for the Italian Renaissance and eventually the Crusades, Islam is much beyond Al-Qaeda. It is a religion of peace, prosperity, unity, and knowledge.
3. The Renaissance
The Renaissance was no single event but an age of revitalization. A period in which man pushed aside ignorance, fears, and superstition. People began to question: standing beliefs, myths, nature, and how the world worked. Men and women began searching for answers.
What is space, is Earth center of the universe, what is the distant star, why does lightning occur? Explanations of why an apple fell from the tree and why men and women are equal were all surfacing.
Beautiful as it sounds, Renaissance gave birth to a world of mathematics, logic, great thinkers, and gave us the gifts of Leonardo Da Vinci and Vasco Da Gama. A world-changing period, bringing light into the Dark Ages and pulling humankind out of obscurity.
4. Industrial Revolution
Doesn’t it make you curious how today you travel from one city to another within hours? The engines your cars run on, where did they come from? The answer is the Industrial Revolution.
One of the most important events that revolutionized technology around the world.
In the 1760s, England brought about this revolution, changing the traditional manufacturing process to the mass factory production we have today. Moreover, diesel and petrol engines replaced steam engines and coal; the printing press was established and a lot more.
While many inventions we have today were born during this revolution, this event also threw light upon important issues. These include the rights of workers and standards of working conditions that have continued to improve to date.
5. Boston Tea Party Historical Event
What possibly happened at a tea party that could shape the world? Well, it was not the daily afternoon tea. In 1773, 16 activists known as Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of British tea into the water at Boston Harbor. This action was a protest to paying taxes on tea.
What does that change?
This event gave birth to a series of events where American colonies under British rule protested against her majesty—a protest against colonialism that led to the American Independence three years later.
It liberated the USA, which no wonder is now known as Saviors of Earth, and it also motivated other colonies to break free from British rule.
Britain financially suffered on top of losing colonies, and the USA came at par with other world powers. Not your usual tea party, eh?
6. Invasion of Poland
In 1939, Hitler’s attempts at expansion and gaining more territory reached its peak. With this, tension increased among the European Nations.
Therefore, to put a stop to this, a million German troops marched. Along with the blessings of the Soviet Union, they attacked and invaded their closest neighbor, Poland.
This invasion had far-reaching effects. Where to begin with?
Two days later, France and Britain stood up for Poland with which the great World War II erupted, the horrors of which still echo in the ears of humanity. Even if the massive killings and after-effects of the war are put aside, this event will always make this list.
Slave labor, war crimes, genocide, the concentration camps, and the Holocaust still are enough reasons to make this event one of the deadliest and most world-changing events ever to occur.
7. World War 2 A Major Historical Event
World War 2 brought many significant changes to the world. While the six-year fight scarred the Earth’s surface, killing millions and impacting billions around the globe, it also taught the importance of world peace. Maintaining dignity and harmony among countries is crucial for social, economic, technological, and cultural development.
This war gave birth to one of the most influential organizations to exist today, the United Nations. With 193 member states, this organization continues to settle national and international disputes within and between countries. Its global goals and committees strive to solve global issues, including poverty, inequality, and disease.
8. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
There will be very few people today who are unaware of the horrible events that took place on August 6th and 9th, 1945, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. It was the peak of World War II when the USA released two atomic bombs onto the cities, killing a total of 440,000 people.
The world still chokes on the fumes of these bombs, and people suffer from the horrific effects of atomic radiation. Children born deformed, many develop cancer or some associated disease even today.
This war, however, also united the world against atomic bombs. Never was this bomb ever used in history again.
9. Berlin Wall Had A Fall
After World War 2, the victorious allies had trouble dividing the ruins of war. While they got rid of Hitler, the troubled man who wanted to take over Earth, new tensions rose.
Germany that embodied the war, had to be split among the victorious eventually. A wall called the Berlin Wall was built. While one side led a democratic-style rule, the other was under communist control.
Therefore, the fall of this wall in 1989 not only destroyed the physical barrier separating the two sides, but it also brought down the boundaries of communism. People were liberated, given a new voice, and a right to freedom of thought, choice, and action.
10. The 9/11 attacks
On September, 11th 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center. This attack killed around 3000 people on that very day, but it also had far-reaching effects. How did it change the world?
Well, the 9/11 attacks stimulated the world’s most organized war against terrorism. Countries all over the globe joined hands to avoid such occurrences in the future, promoting world peace.
Unfortunately, this event also triggered major hatred towards Islam and the stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists, to this day.
Lastly, the event caused the stock market to shut down for six days. A major to the world economy, it shaped how the economy runs today.
Conclusion
These ten significant events undoubtedly changed the world. While we still choke on smoke from the industrial revolution and fumes from the atomic bombings of 1945, many events revolutionized the face of the Earth. Giving birth to science, technology, freedom, and many more to cherish, history has its way of continuously surprising humans. Every event is something to learn from.
