In case you ever wondered what has shaped the world we live in today, we piled up some far-reaching milestones from time immemorial and narrowed it down to these 11 most important historical events that changed the world forever.
Some of the acts below were small, and some were big – nevertheless they made a world-changing impact – the first step that sets into motion a series of events that eventually culminated in a significant result. It’s like a domino effect, where the first domino knocks the second and thus every next domino in succession, consequently tearing all of them down, because of energy transferred by each impact. The same is with the butterfly effect- seemingly small thing such as the flap of the butterfly’s wing, in let’s say Guatemala, can be the initial spark for the hurricane in Japan. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s a scientific concept used in the Chaos Theory and science of chaos, where surprises and the unpredictable thing are under the microscope. Thus, phenomena like brain states, the stock market or weather are an open book. So, whether a little change in the air pressure caused by butterfly can escalate into Hurricane Katrina or not, the point is clear – even small actions or decisions can have unexpected consequences.
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Speaking of predictions and plausible theories you might as well take a brief look at a bit different list consisted of 11 Popular History Myths Busted, thus refreshing and complementing your history knowledge.
But, when talking about real events that molded our world, and not some hearsay versions of assumed actions and history legends and myths, a certain level of accuracy and veracity is required – that’s why we consulted the Encyclopedia Britannica and collected much-needed facts. But, before that we compiled a list of those events that were most important. To do it right, since there are so many of them and not every event is equally important, we checked out already existing rankings on various websites, such as Listovative and Owlcation. We searched for answers on Quora, as well, to get the picture when it comes to the public opinion on this subject. So, we chose and subsequently lined up most important ones, according to the number of their mentions in reviewed lists. When the result was equal, events shared the same place on the list, additionally aligned from the oldest to the most recent one. Nevertheless, we are starting with the least, and ending with the most important one.
So, choose to click Next, and experience the consequences of your action – you will not regret it!
Let’s see our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever.
11. Gutenberg and the 1440’s Ingenious Invention
Mentions – 2
Gutenberg indeed was ahead of his time since he acted according to famous Franklin’s maxim -‘’The time is money’’, although he lived even three centuries before Benjamin. His invention of the printing press, which basically is a surface with ink pressed against paper or cloth to leave the certain trail or print was a revolution thus deserving a place on our list of the 11 most important historical events that changed the world forever. In comparison to handmade books that were rewritten by monks, Gutenberg’s method implied production of precise copies of original work in a short time. In that way, knowledge has been spreading rapidly, thus creating the foundation for the upcoming Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation and the period of modernity. It could be said that time is knowledge when it comes to Johannes.
6. Christopher Columbus and The (re)Discovery of America
Mentions – 3
It was little after 2 am on October 12, 1492 when a loud and noisy sound of Lombard fire broke the silence somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean and alerted the crew of famous three sail ships Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria that land is in sight. Columbus immediately went on the deck with shouts of exultation, since he reached the East Indies, today’s Southeast Asia, and established the new westward spice trade route, thus fulfilling the promise given to the Spanish Crown. However, there was a little problem. What he thought to be the Far East were, in fact, The Bahamas. Seeing himself as the Marco Polo of maritime routes, he was assured that he is about to establish a trading colony in Asia. Evidently, he was wrong. But, we’re going to put Colombus’ disambiguation aside, and see what are the consequences of this ‘accidental’ (re)discovery of the Americas, on that dark and silent night on the open sea? The list is long, and we are going to name just a few biggest. The immediate one was the rapid disappearance of Taíno, the indigenous people of San Salvador Island, due to overwork, slavery and the first pandemic diseases that Europeans brought with them. Some of the following consequences were good, some were not. Either way, what started as the colonization of the New World, shortly after Columbus first voyage, ended up in the creation of one of the most powerful countries nowadays.
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6. The Afternoon Tea in America
Mentions – 3
What had happened at one tea party in Boston on December 16, 1773, that resulted in the birth of American independence on July, 4th, three years later? Well, it was not an ordinary five o’clock cup of tea – it was somewhat different. Late on December, 16 political activists, better known as Sons of Liberty, disguised as Indians, threw 342 chests of tea into the water, from three British ships that had been boarded in Boston harbor. The reason was the colonist’s protest regarding refusal of paying taxes on the British tea. It seems that the aftermath of this particular tea party shaped the entire Western Hemisphere and subsequently the whole world. And now, let’s see what else we have on our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever.
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6. The Event That Triggered the World War I
Mentions – 3
More than 102 years have passed since two bullets fired by 19-year-old Serbian anarchist, Gavrilo Princip, the member of revolutionary movement Young Bosnia, killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire and his wife Sophie, on June 28, 1914, in Sarajevo. This event ranks 6th on our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever. For some, he is a hero to others a villain, but what is for sure is that his actions started the domino effect. And, the first domino tile in a line was a World War I. What should have been the act of setting people in Bosnia and Herzegovina free of Austro-Hungarian oppressions became the primary cause of the biggest sufferings world has ever seen until then.
6. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Mentions – 3
This story number 6 on our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever is about the ‘Little Boy’, the ‘Fat Man’, and events on two summer mornings in Japan. It was August 6, 1945, when Enola Gay, a modified B-29 bomber dropped the ‘Little Boy’ a 9,000-pound A- bomb that exploded 2,000 feet above Hiroshima, a manufacturing center with the population over 300,000. At first, there was a blinding light accompanied by waves of heat and then the blast wave with a deafening boom. More than 80,000 experienced the instant death, while additional 20,000 died from the effects of radioactive fallout. Cancer and other long-term effects took more than 100,000 lives in following years. The similar scenario happened in Port Nagasaki, just three day’s later when ‘Fat Man’ killed more than 140,000. A week later Emperor Hirohito declared unconditional surrender of Japan to the forces of the Allied Powers, thus ending the World War II. The eternal question remains – was it justified? Because of its destructive power, such weapon hasn’t been used ever again.
6. The Fall of The Wall
Mentions – 3
On November 9, 1989, a 4-foot-wide and 12-tall concrete creation of the German Democratic Republic, one of the most recognizable symbols of the Cold War that separated ‘Fascist’ West and Communist East was torn down. Well, at least a symbolic part of it, since the complete demolition ended almost three years later in 1992. The fall of the wall in Berlin was the end of the Cold War; the end of tensions after World War II, between Western and Eastern Block and the beginning of a free life for all Berliners. More than 170 people had been killed while trying to escape from East to West Berlin, during the years of restriction on freedom of movement. Now when we can see the bigger picture, the unification of the Berlin marked the beginning of the Soviet Union’s end and the collapse of existing world order. And now, let’s see the top two entries in our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever.
2. The Birth of Jesus Christ
Mentions – 4
Although there are some disambiguates considering the exact birthdate of the Old Testament’s awaited Messiah – it had happened after the 6 BC and before 1 BC – what can’t be denied is Jesus’ incredible impact on the history of the world. Being the Son of God, as Christians believe, Christ is the key figure of Christianity, and the ultimate role model for every each of his followers. He gave them hope, truth, and life through his crucifixion and resurrection. And when it comes to the consequences of his birth and the reasons for being among the 11 most important historical events that changed the world forever, they are numerous, and it will be impossible to list them all. In fact, it could be said that entire western civilization as it is today, is one big consequence of the Christianity.
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2. The Muhammad’s meditation
Mentions – 4
The year was 610 when 40-year-old Muhammad from Mecca, a wealthy and respected trader had a revelation, somewhere on the Mount Hira. While meditating in the cave, he received a religious vision – the God called him to be his final prophet, after Moses and Jesus among others, which was supposed to teach a new faith – Islam. Two years later, Muhammad went from Mecca to Medina, built the first mosque, thus initiating the separation of a new religion from Christianity and Judaism. Until his death, a decade later, he has converted a large part of the Arabian Peninsula to this new faith. The consequences of Muhamad’s revelation are enormous, as is the case with the next event on our list. However, among most positive things of his faith is the evident encouragement of his followers to pursue the knowledge, considering that is the best way of worshiping God – Allah. The significant accomplishments of humankind can be dated back to the Islamic Golden Age and five centuries of economic development and flourishing of the cultural works. In the time when the rest of the world was afraid of the ideas, Muslim cherished and developed them. Unfortunately, there are two sides to every coin – religious abuses and violence are well-known phenomena in history when it comes to both Muslims and Christians. No wonder this event is in our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever, right?
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2. The Reformation Day
Mentions – 4
We are continuing our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever with the event number 2 – have you heard about Halloween that changed the course of Christianity? It was on 31 October, on All Saints’ Eve back in 1517, when German monk and theologian Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The Theses were a reaction to the overinvolvement of the Roman Catholic Church in the political life of western Europe as well as its intrigues, manipulations and increased power and wealth. The straw that broke the camel’s back were practices of Catholic Church preachers that have been selling indulgences – spiritual privileges that were supposed to let the purchasers off the hook when it comes to the sins they have committed. The Theses spread fast, and the direct result was the doctrinal separation from the Roman Catholic Church. When it comes to more far-reaching consequences of this great religious movement, we might mention the Pilgrim Fathers and their role when it comes to American beginnings, as well as the modern view of law and politics.
2. The Day of the Attacks – 9/11
Mentions – 4
The event that most certainly shaped the first and subsequently the second decade of the new millennium are 9/11 Terrorist Attacks which rank second on our list of most important historical events that changed the world forever. The twin towers, a symbol of American economic power were razed to the ground just an hour and 42 minutes after American Airlines Flights 11 and 175 crashed into them on the morning of September 11, 2001. An hour after the World Trade Center catastrophe in the New York, another plane, crashed into the Pentagon. The passengers of the fourth flight succeeded in overcoming the hijackers. Unfortunately, the plane eventually crashed in a rural field in Pennsylvania. The responsible for the death of almost 3000 are 19 terrorists who were members of Islamic militant organization al-Qaeda. Shortly after, The United States with the President George W. Bush launched the War on Terror and invaded Afganistan to remove Taliban, who sheltered al-Qaeda. It could be said that Middle East conflict outgrew its geographical borders. When it comes to the consequences – we are experiencing them!
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1. Invasion of Poland
Mentions – 5
Tensions between European countries regarding Hitler’s possible expansions of his people’s ‘living space’ reached the boiling point on September the 1st, 1939. That’s when more than one million German troops, with the blessing of the Soviet Union, invaded their closest neighbor, thus causing the beginning of the deadliest and most widespread war ever recorded in the history of the human kind. Two days later, Britain and France got involved, by taking Poland’s side. In the following months and years, 30 more countries accompanied them. If we put aside the aftermath of the World War II and the creation of the bipolar world with the rise of the Soviet Union and the United States of America, what puts this event in the first place on our list of the 11 most important historical events that changed the world forever? The concentration camps, genocide, slave labor, war crimes, the death of more than 5 million people, the Holocaust? Each of these horrors is the reason good enough. In the end, we are left with the thought that we definitely should measure twice and cut once, because what’s done cannot be undone.
