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Multiple Historic Events on Earth

As a child I watched Neil Armstrong step upon the Moon. No historical event I have witnessed since has topped that moment so I am not really awed by anything..
Same here.

Of course we are seeing history being written around us all the time, locally and internationally, but the import of what we're seeing often isn't obvious until some time later. Sometimes seemingly big things don't have the impact we thought they might have and equally true almost insignificant seeming events can have big ramifications like a ripple effect.

I think the moon landing looms particularly large because within a few short years it wasn't followed up as many of us had expected and hoped.

It's also true that history is full of moments and events thought significant and amazing by those who witnessed them, but now are only text in a history book to successive generations. I know how many of my generation feel about the moon landing (for example) or the death of JFK or whatever, but to a lot of the younger ones today I don't think it even registers.

This weekend Osama bin Laden was killed. If it doesn't have a significant effect on terrorism (even if not immediately) then it won't really mean anything in the long run. In the short term it's a big feather in Obama's cap and a raspberry to Republicans and neocons.

A royal wedding? Please, who really cares? And it won't mean anything unless they go on to be King and Queen and they do something notable in years to come.
 
A royal wedding? Please, who really cares? And it won't mean anything unless they go on to be King and Queen and they do something notable in years to come.
Well, William will become king after Charles (depending on how long Elizabeth lives) but doing something notable? I doubt it.
 
A royal wedding? Please, who really cares? And it won't mean anything unless they go on to be King and Queen and they do something notable in years to come.

Agreed. The wedding of two spoiled rich kids who are only spoiled rich kids by an accident of birth is meaningless.

As for me, I can think of five historical events which happened in my lifetime.

I was born the day Apollo 13 landed safely. I had to tell my mom this when I was 25 when the Tom Hanks movie came out. She said she didn't remember it. She claimed she had "more important things on her mind that day."

Richard Nixon's resignation. I was four when this happened, and can still remember watching this live on the news with my mom, grandparents, and aunt, right here in this very house.

The Challenger explosion. I was sixteen, and in my first period high school class. One of my other teachers stuck her head in the door and shouted "the shuttle exploded!". We found a TV and spent the rest of the period watching the news.

The fall of the Berlin Wall. I was nineteen and in my second year in college. like Nixon, I remember watching this on the news.

September 11, 2001. I was 31. My new bed was being delivered that morning, and I was watching the news coverage when it arrived. The movers didn't even know what was going on, and ended up watching with me for a while.
 
. . . I've actually noticed that for a while now, that events that others see as historical and shocking moments just don't affect me all that much. But other things, like the death of John Ritter (to use a celebrity example like yourself), had me actually in tears, and I never watched any of his shows!
I was personally affected by the untimely and senseless death of John Lennon. But John fucking Ritter? :wtf:

I'm not saying it was an important worldwide event that will be remembered in our history books, but it did affect me more on an emotional and personal level. It was just so sudden and I couldn't help feel for his family and the shock they must have gone through. I also felt that way about Heath Ledger, Steven Irwin, and other people who die before it feels like their time to go. I throw these names out because they are celebrities that others would recognize, but if I read a news story about a stranger who died suddenly and left children behind I would be very sad for them too. I don't know why, these kind of events just seem more meaningful to me. I have a hard time connecting to larger national news stories on an emotional level.
 
Lately there appear to be a slew of historic events happening around the world: the royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton
so some rich people got married . . . what's the big deal?

the beatification of Pope John Paul II,
some old guy got beat up
yay


:evil:

the death of Osama bin Laden
ok I'll give ya that one . . .



Everything that happens today will paint a picture for future generations that will show what life was like today. Big or small, it makes no difference. Shit happens every day.
 
More locally (for Canadians) yesterday evening saw Prime Minister Harper become only the third Federal leader to be elected in three successive terms. His previous two terms were minority governments, but now he has a majority. The once great Liberal party that was once considered Canada's de facto national governing party has been reduced to third party status. The NDP made history by nearly tripling their number of seats and displaced the Liberals as Official Opposition, a first for the party in Federal politics and for a party that was born fifty years ago. And the Bloc Quebecois has been been all but wiped out and reduced to a measly couple of seats with no official party status.
 
What people remember as 'historic events' largely depends on them. What we're really talking about here is events which have had this effect on multitudes of people at the same time.

For instance, the first historic event that I really remember was the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan.
 
Pretty impressive 4-day bank holiday weekend, I agree: Kate & Wills, John Paul II, Osama Bin Laden...

... of course, the most historically noteworthy and unusual thing about it was that it was warm and sunny on all four days.
 
Pretty impressive 4-day bank holiday weekend, I agree: Kate & Wills, John Paul II, Osama Bin Laden...

... of course, the most historically noteworthy and unusual thing about it was that it was warm and sunny on all four days.
You know what is funny, or rather a bit sad?

The conspiracy "theorists" on Above Top Secret are claiming the the British used a weather control device (HAARP) to make it sunny during the wedding.
 
Pretty impressive 4-day bank holiday weekend, I agree: Kate & Wills, John Paul II, Osama Bin Laden...

... of course, the most historically noteworthy and unusual thing about it was that it was warm and sunny on all four days.
You know what is funny, or rather a bit sad?

The conspiracy "theorists" on Above Top Secret are claiming the the British used a weather control device (HAARP) to make it sunny during the wedding.

The idea that we have a HAARP facility giving us the ability to control the weather will doubtless be disproven by the time Wimbledon fortnight rolls round.

A dry and sunny RHS Chelsea, Lord's Test, Derby, Ascot, Wimbledon, F1 Grand Prix, Henley and Goodwood... if we get all those, THEN I'm ready to believe.
 
I don't want to hijack this thread, but it has given me an idea! Instead of looking at what Historic events have already happened, how about saying what do you think would be the most significant historic even that could happen?

Please do not answer this question here. I will do another post and call it, "What event would change history the most.

Here is an example, appropriate for the Trek BBS.

Humanoid life is discovered on another planet!

Again, don't answer here. Come over to the new thread.

raf
 
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