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Second Industrial Revolution
The second Industrial Revolution was a period of technological innovation building on previous innovation in the first Industrial Revolution. Steel, chemical, and electric became thriving industries and coal was the main energy source (soon to be eclipsed by oil by the end of World War 1). Advances in scientific knowledge and medicine were made, and new machinery led to the mass production of cheap goods and the creation of new consumer markets. -
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Russo-Turkish War
A conflict between the Ottoman and Russian empires. The Ottoman's lost significant territory in southeastern Europe in this conflict: Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Montenegro, and others gain independence, while Bosnia-Herzegovina is occupied by Austria-Hungary. -
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Berlin Conference
Facilitated the Scramble for Africa, the colonization of most of Africa by the great powers of Europe. The conference was organized by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck at the request of Belgian King Leopold II and was attended by 13 nations. The conference was a response to Germany's imperial ambitions, which concerned Britain and France, and also to Leopold II's desire for a personal colony in the Congo. -
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Spanish-American War
An armed conflict between the United States and Spain. After the sinking of the USS Maine, the United States blamed Spain and intervened in the Cuban War for Independence. The conflict ended in victory for the United States, which assumed control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Cuba became a protectorate. This event is often thought to be the origin of American imperialism. -
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Boxer Rebellion
An uprising in China led by the Boxers, a Chinese secret society which advocated for the removal of foreign influence in China. The conflict required intervention from Britain, the United States, Russia, Japan, and others, and further destabilized the already unstable Qing dynasty. -
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Exposition Universelle de 1900
A world's fair held in Paris showcasing technology and cultural innovation from 40 countries and over 20 colonies. 50 million attended the exposition to see exhibits which featured steel architecture, diesel engines, electric lights, and more. A panorama of the Trans-Siberian Railway was a highlight. -
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1905 Russian Revolution
A wave of political and social unrest in the Russian Empire. Tsar Nicholas II kept his throne and the revolutionaries were defeated, and the Tsar was forced to establish the State Duma. This conflict foreshadowed the collapse of Tsarist Russia a decade later. -
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Xinhai Revolution
This conflict signified the collapse of the Qing dynasty, ending 2,000 years of imperial rule in China. The Republic of China was established under Sun Yat-sen of the Nationalist Party. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
In June 1914, Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated along with his wife in Sarajevo. The assassin was Bosnian Serb student Gavrilo Princip. This event was the immediate catalyst for the outbreak of World War I. -
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World War I
A global conflict involving many of the great powers of Europe, Asia, and North America. The Central Powers (mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey) fought the Allies (mainly Britain, France, Russia). World War I led to the fall of four great imperial empires (Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman), with Russia in particular falling to the Bolsheviks. World War I is remembered for the use of trench warfare as well as the record number of casualties, with about 17 million dead by 1918. -
Completion of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is an artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans via the Isthmus of Panama. President Theodore Roosevelt advocated for the construction of the canal in 1901, supporting Panamanian separatists breaking away from Colombia. The canal led to new global trade networks. -
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Armenian Genocide
The systemic destruction of ethnic Armenians by the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The genocide was implemented through the mass murder of one million Armenians through death marches to the Syrian Desert, as well as the forced Islamization of Armenian women and children. -
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February Revolution
The first of two revolutions which took place in Russia in 1917. The conflict ended in the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, ending Romanov rule in Imperial Russia. Control of the country was transferred to the State Duma, or the provisional government. -
October Revolution
The second revolution in Russia in 1917. The Bolshevik party, led by Vladimir Lenin, took control of the Russian government through an armed insurrection in Saint Petersburg. This event led to the Russian Civil War, and eventually the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922. -
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1918 Influenza Pandemic
An influenza pandemic which originated in Kansas but spread globally. Casualties are estimated to be between 20 and 50 million, but could possibly be as high as 100 million. The spread of the flu was hastened by the return home of soldiers from World War 1. -
Execution of the Romanov family
In July 1918, Bolshevik revolutionaries executed the former Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra along with their five children, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei at Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. -
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
The most important of the peace treaties signed at the end of World War I. The treaty is famous for its punishment of Germany, including the War Guilt clause. The terms of this treaty led to great resentment in Germany, which contributed to the rise of the Nazi Party. -
Creation of the League of Nations
Predecessor to the United Nations, the League of Nations was founded to prevent future wars on the scale of World War 1. The League of Nations was relatively weak and ineffective; it's obligations were interpreted differently from member to member, and the absence of the United States made credible military action impossible. -
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Chinese Civil War
A civil war fought between the government of the Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong. Both sides received support from the United States and the USSR respectively. The war ended in 1949 when the Republic collapsed and Chiang Kai-Shek fled to Taiwan, paving the way for the People's Republic of China. -
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The Great Depression
A severe worldwide economic depression that began with the stock market crash of October 29, 1929 and lasted until the onset of World War II. The depression is thought to have been caused by economic devastation in Europe following World War I, the rise of consumerism in the United States in the 1920s, and the unregulated, wildly fluctuating stock market. -
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Holodomor
A devastating famine in Ukraine which killed upwards of 5 million people. This famine was a direct result of collectivization policies implemented by Stalin, where the Soviet government took over farms in an effort to divert agricultural workers towards the industrial sector. Collectivization was a big part of the various Five-Year Plans developed by the Soviet Union during Stalin's time in power, and events like this were some of the major reasons those plans were wildly unsuccessful. -
Adolf Hitler assumes total control of Germany
German president Paul von Hindenburg dies, allowing Hitler to combine the offices of president and chancellor to seize absolute control of the German government on behalf of the Nazi party. -
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Spanish Civil War
An armed conflict between left-wing and right-wing factions in Spain. The left-wing Republican Front was supported by the USSR, and the right-wing National Front was supported by Germany and Italy. The war ended in a fascist victory, with General Francisco Franco assuming control of the country. -
Nanjing Massacre
The mass murder of Chinese citizens in Nanjing by the Imperial Japanese Army. Around 150,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians are killed. -
Invasion of Poland
Nazi Germany invades Poland, marking the beginning of the second World War. -
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World War II
A global conflict involving most of the world's countries, including all of the great powers. Main combatants were the Allied powers (Britain, France, Russia, and the U.S.) and the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Italy). World War II far exceeded the brutality of the first World War, with 40 million dead by 1944. World War II is noted in particular for the Holocaust, during which 1/3 of Europe's Jewish population was systemically murdered by Nazi Germany. -
Fall of Paris
Paris falls to Nazi Germany. This development was a significant blow to the Allies, and was one of the early turning points of the war. -
D-Day
Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy, beginning the liberation of France. -
German invasion of the USSR
Also known as Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany breaks the non-aggression pact and sends 3 million troops into the Soviet Union. The German army successfully occupies Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states, but suffers supply issues and is unable to advance further toward Moscow. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Japan attacks the American Pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing 2,335 Americans. This event triggers the United States' entry into the war the following day. -
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Greek Civil War
A civil war in Greece. The Kingdom of Greece was supported by the United States, while the Greek Communist Party was supported by the USSR. The Kingdom of Greece is victorious. This was one of the early points of conflict during the Cold War, and led to an escalation of the arms race. -
Germany surrenders (V-E Day)
Germany unconditionally surrenders following the liberation of Paris by the Allies, the Soviet invasion of Germany, and Hitler's suicide at the end of April. This signified the end of war in Europe, and the beginning of the end of World War II. -
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Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The United States drops two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in an effort to force the Japanese to surrender. -
August Revolution
Revolution launched by Ho Chi Minh's League for the Independence of Vietnam. Overthrew French and Japanese colonial rule in Vietnam. -
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Nuremberg Trials
Trial of high-ranking officials of the Nazi party for war crimes committed during WWII, including genocide and crimes against humanity. -
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Berlin Blockade
One of the first major crises of the Cold War, during which the Soviet Union cut power and transportation to West Berlin. This led to the formation of the German Federal Republic in 1949. -
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Korean War
A war fought between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (supported by China) and the Republic of Korea (supported by the United States). An armistice was signed in July 1953. -
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Vietnam War
The second of the Indochina Wars, fought between North Vietnam (supported by the Soviet Union and China) and South Vietnam (supported by the United States. The war lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. involvement in the late sixties/early seventies. The war ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975; the following year, North and South Vietnam merged into one communist regime. -
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Hungarian Revolution
A revolt against the Soviet-led government of Hungary, who resented the oppressive authoritarian rule of Matyas Rakosi and Erno Gero. Use of force by the Soviet Union in Budapest worsened the rebellion, but the revolution was nonetheless suppressed. -
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Suez Crisis
An invasion of Egypt by Israel, the United Kingdom, and France in order to regain control of the Suez Canal on behalf of Western powers and remove Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser from office. The crisis followed Nasser's nationalization of the Suez Canal Company. Political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union, and others led all three aggressors to withdraw. The incident is thought to have marked the end of Great Britain's role as one of the world's great powers. -
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Great Chinese Famine
Widely regarded as the deadliest famine in human history, with anywhere between 15 to 55 million deaths from starvation. This famine, similar to Holodomor, happened as a result of communist collectivization polices which led to a decline in food output. -
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Bay of Pigs Invasion
Failed attempt by the CIA to invade Cuba. The United States was opposed to the rule of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and the invasion was an attempt to overthrow him. The invasion was a major foreign policy blunder by the United States and pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union. -
Construction of the Berlin Wall
Construction of a barrier between East and West Germany. The Soviets were motivated to do this by a fear of NATO intervention in East Germany, as well as the increasing amounts of skilled workers leaving East Germany to go west. The Berlin Wall is a symbol of the ideological divide between the Communist East and the Democratic West. -
Publication of Silent Spring
Silent Spring was a book on environmental conservation written by scientist and environmentalist Rachel Carson. The book specifically attacked the chemical industry, discussing the harmful effects of pesticides. The book swayed public opinion, leading to a ban on the pesticide DDT for agricultural uses and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. -
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Cuban Missile Crisis
A confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during which ballistic missiles were deployed by the Soviets in Cuba and by the Americans in Italy and Turkey. As a result of this event, the United States agreed to stop further invasions of Cuba, nuclear missiles were removed from Cuba, Turkey, and Italy, and the nuclear hotline between Moscow and Washington was created. This confrontation is the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale war. -
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1973 Oil Crisis
A worldwide oil crisis caused when the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries proclaimed an oil embargo against several nations, including Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The embargo was retaliation against nations which supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War. By the end of the embargo, the price of oil had risen 300% globally. -
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Yom Kippur War
A conflict between Israel and an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria. Egypt wanted to seize part of the Suez Canal in order to force Israel to cease occupation of the Sinai Peninsula. The war is named as such because the Arab coalition launched a surprise attack on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. Multiple ceasefires were broken by all parties involved. Western nations support of Israel during the war led to the 1973 Oil Crisis. -
Three Mile Island Accident
Partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania. The incident occurred after a combination of instrument failure and human error led large amounts of reactor coolant to leak without speedy detection or proper response (once detected). The accident is the worst nuclear incident to occur in the United States.