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Period: to
21st Century
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Twin towers fell (terrorist attack)
Event of 9/11 - a terrorist attack carried out by the group al-Qaeda - causing the World Trade Centre, New York, to fall... many authors based novels around events like 9/11. -
Ian McEwan publishes the novel: 'Saturday'
Ian McEwan publishes his book 'Saturday'. The novel is about a very successful neurosergeon: Henry Perowne. Set in 2003; Perowne is discontented with the recent and current events of the world, for example, the 9/11 catastrophe and an impending war against Iraq. Evidently McEwan, like the majority of the world, was hugely affected by recent diasters and decided to base 'Saturday' around a number of significant events during the 21st century...especially the 9/11 and its aftermath. -
Hurricane Katrina hits USA
Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans and leaves catastrophic devastation, affecting the population and the ecomomy of LA and surrounding states. -
Irish Laureate: Seamus Heaney publishes collection of poems 'District and Circle'
'District and Circle', deals with a number of everyday happenings (like using the underground 'tube' and the sound of cattle in the rain) but mingles them with the knowledge that 'anything can happen'...this gives the poem a slightly anxious and dangerous edge. 'District' and 'Circle' are both underground London train lines. Images of a safe childhood during WW2 are also featured. The poems were written after the death of Heaney's brother, so can appear to have a dark quality at times. -
Start of the financial crisis (2008 - current day)
The start of a huge financial crisis affecting the world, caused by a number of things (banking panics, recessions, stock market crashes, currency crisis), provoking worldwide controversies and outrage. -
Obama elected as president of the United States of America
Obama was the first African American to be elected president of the USA. He is also the 5th youngest president in American history. -
A staged production of Duffy's 'The World's Wife' is performed
Carol Ann Duffy's collection of poems 'The World's Wife' was first published in 1999. The poems deal with the sexism towards women at the time and, although many changes have been made to make men and women equal, there is still a sexist attitude towards women today. The poems talk about well known men and the women that shadowed them....they have a very feminist quality to them. -
BP Oil Spill on the gulf of Mexico
Oil rig on the gulf of Mexico explodes and provokes controversy between environmentalists and the government -
David Cameron is elected Prime minister of the UK
David Cameron is elected, after Gordon Brown, to be the Prime Minister of the UK. New government policies are introduced soon after, many sparking outrage amongst the general public (eg. university fees). -
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy writes 'Rings' for the royal wedding
'Rings' is a 46 line poem, written by Duffy (as requested), and celebrates the 'rings found in nature'. -
Royal Wedding between Prince William and Catherine middleton
Prince William marries Kate Middleton... a huge event for not just the UK, but the whole world. The wedding made history and also gave a number of poets' work the chance to feature in the ceremony. -
The death of Osama Bin Laden 1957-2011
Osama Bin Laden, former head of the Islamist militant group 'al-Qaeda' and largely responsible for numerous terrorist attacks (including 9/11), is killed in Pakistan. His killing (carried out during a raid) provoked controversy between groups like Amnesty International and the general public. -
British Riots
Brisitsh riots break out , as well as offences like looting and arsen, in towns and cities throughout Britain, causing significant property damage and even a number of deaths. The riots begin following the death of a local man in the area, 2 days before, who was shot dead by police. Thousands of the public take part in the rioting, with 3,100 people arrested and 1,000 of them charged. -
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games commence
The city of London holds the Olympic games for the first time since 1948. The preparations for the games were underway 8 years before the actual event and the event itself was deemed by many as 'the best games yet'. The paralympics has become increasingly popular since the first games and the now vast range of sports available for all disabilities is quickly increasing. Many olympic sports have recently been made available to women. The olympics also inspired the work of writers. -
Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy creates poem inspired by Olympics
'Translating the British, 2012' captures the moods of the 2012 Olympic games. In the poem, Duffy creates a strong sense of patriotism and excitement; the poem aims to re-live the overwhelming sensation created when the whole world is united for a short amount of time. -
Death of Neil Armstrong 1930-2012
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, dies aged 82. As an astronaut, aerospace engineer, U.S. Navy pilot, test pilot, and university professor, Armstrong's life was hugely significant to our understanding of space and science in general today. Through his spectatcular achievements, he made history.
