-
Mass production of vehicles
The inventor of Mass Production was Henry Ford. He realised there needed to be a more efficient way to mass produce cars in lower price. In 1913 after looking into different industries he found four different principles that needed to be used in the mass production of cars, he used this knowledge to make the very first moving assembly line used for large-scale manufacturing. This was an important part of shaping the 20th century as it was the first large-scale production of vehicles – which stil -
End of World War I
At 11 o’clock in the morning of November 1918, the First World War ended. The two opposing leaders held a meeting at Ferdinand Foch’s railway carriage headquarters at Compiegne and signed the Armistice to mark the ending of the war. The event was a significant part of shaping the twentieth century as it was the first major war to take place. The Great War took the life of over 9 million soldiers, wounding around 21 million. -
Treaty of Versailles
The treaty of Versailles was the declaration of peace signed at the end of the world war. The treaty was signed at the vast Versailles Palace near Paris. The three politicians involved were David Lloyd George, Georges Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson. This was a significant event in the twentieth century as it ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied powers. -
Jazz Age
1920’s America was known as the “Jazz Age”. It was the post-World War one movement in which jazz music emerged. The era ended in the 1930’s at the beginning of the Great Depression. It was significant in showing the beginning of equality and free sexuality. -
Invention and Demonstration of television
The television was not invented by a single person, many people over the years contributed to the invention of the television, some research dates all the way back to the 1870’s. However it wasn’t until 1927 when a man named Philo Farnsworth first successfully demonstrated electronic television in San Francisco. It was a significant time in history, marking the day that technology began to be incorporated into our everyday lives. -
The Great Depression
The period of The Great Depression was a difficult time for everyone effected by Black Tuesday (the stock market crash). The fall in export prices and sales as well as in residential construction lead to the unemployment of many Americans and Australians which had an extremely negative social impact on all families and communities involved. -
Black Tuesday
The 29th of October, 1929 marks the 4th day of the most catastrophic crash in stock market history in New York. Given the name “Black Tuesday”, it also marks the beginning of the Great Depression. Black Tuesday was partly a result of how investors played the stock markets in the 1920’s – many investors placed huge stock orders using money they had borrowed from their brokers. When the stock prices dropped the br -
Day of Mourning
This date holds a different meaning to all Australians. For some it is the day that they celebrate the arrival of the first fleet on our shores, but for many indigenous Australians it is known as “survival day”, “invasion day” or simply “the day of mourning”. For the indigenous people of Australia the 26th of January marks the day that white settlers landed on their shores, devastating lives and families. This is a significant day in Australia’s hi -
Start of WWII
1st of September 1939 – Start of WWII
This date marks the day that the wrongful ambitions of one man caused the beginning of the Second World War. Adolf Hitler led a German army in an unfair attack on Poland. Five German armies with 1.5 million men, 2,000 tanks, and 1,900 modern aircraft faced fewer than a million Polish troops with less than 500 aircraft and a small number of armoured vehicles. The result of this attack was a 6 year long war. This is an event that will always be significant in -
Japanese Attack of Pearl Harbour
On the morning of December the 7th, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprised air attack on Pearl Harbour. This attack was a result of the Japanese growing tired of negotiations with the United States, they wanted to keep expanding but the US put a restrictive ban on trade with Japan. So they decided to surprise them with an attempt to destroy the United States naval power. This attack took the lives of more than 2,400 people. This i -
The Bombing of Darwin
On this day at 10:00am Darwin came under attack for the first time when Japanese forces mounted two air raids. The two attacks that were made on mainland Australia were led by the same man responsible for the Pearl Harbour attack only weeks earlier. The attack ceased after around forty minutes however the two raids killed at least 243 people and between 300 and 400 were wounded. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
The United States of America dropped a massive atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945. The atomic bomb killed tens of thousands of people living in Hiroshima and flattened the city. While the people who survived were still trying to recover, 3 days later the United States dropped another bomb on Nagasaki killing approximately seventy thousand people. -
Declaration of Human Rights
On this date the UN adopted the Universal Declaration because of the result and experiences of WWII. The Universal Declaration was the first time that countries actually agreed on a statement of human rights. This document states the basic rights and freedom which all human beings are given. -
The Olympics commenced in Melbourne, Australia
This date marks the commencement of Australia’s first time hosting the Olympic Games. It was a significant time as it was the first Olympic game to ever be held outside Europe or the US and in the Southern Hemisphere. These Olympics also signalled Australia showing they could be a real sporting force. -
Invention of the Internet
The initial idea of the internet came from Leonard Kleinrock in 1961 than it was late 60’s it started to form where Elmer Shapiro released a report “A Study of Computer Network Design Parameters”. Originally the internet was invented for military purposes however through the use of science it then expanded for communication purposes. Based on this it helped create the final version of the Interface Message Processor. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
On the 22nd of October America President John Kennedy notified the nation about the presence of the Soviet missiles being placed in Cuba. The Soviet Union and leaders of the U.S engaged in a 13 day political standoff. This was a significant time in history as is was the closest the world came to nuclear war. -
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a Dream….” Speech.
Martin Luther King Jr stood on the steps of Lincoln Memorial to deliver his “I have a dream” speech during the freedom march in Washington DC. This speech was a big part in history as it was a fight for equality and civil rights, it changed the views and perspective of many people and the speech is still as important and well-known today. -
Australian Freedom Rides
Inspired by the freedom rides in the US, a group of students from the University of Sydney in New South Wales undertook a bus trip to help out with poor aboriginal health, education and housing in the outer regions. They hoped to point out and help rid Australia of discrimination between the aboriginals and white settlers. -
Invention of mobile phone
The first person to invent a portable handset was Martin Cooper. People were surprised when they saw Cooper walking around talking to someone through a phone without a cord restricting it. This led to a 10 year process of trial and error before Cooper put the cell phone on the market. By the time that came around it would cost the consumer $3,500 just for the phone. -
Release of Crocodile Dundee
Paul Hogan is the main character in this movie that plays a rugged cowboy from Down Under. This is an Australian comedy film based in the Australian Outback where Dundee is a crocodile hunter and gets invited to New York by an American reporter. It was a significant movie in terms of pop culture by allowing American audiences to get a view of Australia, it helped to boost tourism in Australia. -
United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child
In 1989 world leaders recognised that children under the age of 18 needed special care and protection just for them where adults do not. These leaders also wanted the world to recognize that children had human rights too. The human rights for children include their ability to survive, develop to the fullest, protection from harmful influence, abuse and exploitation, to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. Children’s r -
The fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall that divided West Berlin and East Germany stood standing for 28 years. Many attempts to escape or climb over the wall resulted in death. On the day of November 9ths, 1989 government official of Germany Günter Schabowski announced that citizens were free to cross the country’s border. People were cheering and started chipping at the wall, by the end the wall was in pieces. The social impact from the Berlin Wall s
