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Period: to
20th Century Timeline
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The first vehicle mass produced
In 1908, Henry Ford changed the world by creating the first mass produced automobile. It was named the model T and was sold for a price of $825.00. 10,000 were purchased in the first year. This was a huge improvement to the development of the assembly line and the manufacturing of automobiles. -
The end of world war 1
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, World War I came to a conclusion. An armistice agreement was signed by Germany and the Allied forces. The Great War resulted in 9 million being killed and a further 21 million injured. Other nations such as Turkey and Austria-Hungary also signed agreements to end the fighting. This was an extremely important event because peace was made between many nations and the long awaited end to the Great War was finally met. -
The treaty of Versailles
The treaty of Versailles was the agreement to make peace between Germany and the Allies. It was signed at the prestigious Versailles palace near Paris, France on June 28th 1919. The settlement included important politicians such as Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George. The event was significant because it stamped the very end of any dispute between nations. -
The Jazz age
The jazz age was an alternate name for the 1920’s in America, young people saw themselves as being free and this led to new styles of clothing, hair and music. Young women wore clothes that were more revealing then anybody had ever seen because they felt they had nothing to hide. In this time frame, Hollywood became well known, actors were being recognized and the entertainment business was vibrant. Stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy and Fatty Arbuckle were the leading comedy stars. -
The invention of the Television
The invention of the television was not a short process; people such as John Logie Baird and Philo Farnsworth have been credited for the invention. In 1926 John Baird was the first to demonstrate television publicly and similar demonstrations followed in the next couple of years. He also introduced the first colour television. This event was important because it created a path for new ideas and opened a new door to entertainment for the public. -
The Market Crash
The 1920’s was a strong time for the economy, people were confident with themselves after the conclusion of World War 1 and the economy was at a high point. During the 1920’s people rushed to buy stocks because another rise in the stock market was deemed inevitable. However, the 24th of October 1929 known as ‘Black Thursday’ was a horrible day for all stock holders, the economy had dropped to an all-time low and vast numbers of people were selling their stocks. -
Start of the great depression
The great depression was brought on by the huge drop in stock prices on the 24th of October 1929. People panicked as they lost their money and this led to banks closing and people lost jobs and resulted in them using their life savings for everyday life. As people curbed their spending, businesses started to lay off workers and the unemployment rate was huge. People were forced to abandon their hometowns to look for work and thousands of people would be applying for the same job. -
The day of Mourning
The day of Mourning on January 26th 1938 marked the 150th anniversary of European settlers on Australian land. Many people protested and wore black clothes as a sign of respect. Aboriginal people were invited to the Australian hall in Sydney and parades were held. The day was important because it was a remembrance of when the Indigenous people were deprived of their land and culture. -
The start of World War 2
The beginning of World War 2 was marked by the German invasion of Poland. The Polish army was considerably smaller than the German army and this resulted in a victory for the Wehrmacht. This invasion provoked a global crisis and Britain and France declared war on Germany, the Soviet Union also became involved. For the next 6 years people would be fighting for their countries to try and solve peace. This was a significant event because it changed the world for decades to come. -
Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbour
During World War 2 the Japanese army enforced an attack on the US naval base of Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. 2,400 Americans were killed during the first two hours of bombing. America immediately took action and declared war on Japan which brought them into the war. This event was important because many lives were lost and two major nations were introduced into the war. -
The bombing of Darwin
For the first time, Australia was under attack from Japanese forces; two air raids took place over Darwin and aimed to destroy a military base that used to deploy forces for the defence of the Dutch East Indies. 243 people were killed as a result of the bombings. This event was important because Australia became more involved in World War 2 and had to recover from the catastrophic event. -
Atomic bomb on Hiroshima
On this day, America used one of its largest atomic weapons on the city of Hiroshima in Japan. Approximately 80,000 people were killed and just as the Japanese people began to try and rebuild, the United States struck again with another atomic bomb on Nagasaki killing a further 40,000 approximately. This was a significant event because it damaged the Japanese forces so much that they were forced to surrender and the war came to a conclusion. -
Declaration of Human rights
The declaration of human rights is the legal documents that state the rights of all human beings. ‘All Human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights’ is a statement recorded in the documents. None of the 56 countries in the United Nations objected to the text but South Africa, the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia did. This event was important because it outlined the rights that we all have as human beings. -
Melbourne Olympics
The 1956 summer Olympics in Melbourne were known as ‘the friendly games’. It was the first time that the event had been held in a country outside of Europe or North America. The cold war had an influence on the games with rivalry games between Hungary and the Soviet Union taking place. The games included 145 events with 72 participating countries. The games were significant because it was the first time Australia had hosted such a large event. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile crisis was the closest that the world has come to a nuclear war. The US had discovered that Cuba was preparing nuclear missiles to defend their land. The leaders of the US and the Soviet Union began a 13 day political and military standoff to end the installation of the missiles. The Cuban government agreed with the US agreeing not to invade. This was an important event because another major war could have been introduced if the crisis was not resolved. -
Martin Luther King Jr. freedom speech
Martin Luther King’s freedom speech is the worlds most well-known plead for human rights in history. The march was aimed to stop the racial problems that America was facing. Over 250,000 people gathered to listen to Martin Luther King’s words. “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin,but by the content of their character”.This was an important event because it changed the world, the divide between races was cut. -
Australian Freedom Rides
A group of students from the University of Sydney organised a bus tour of western and coastal New South Wales towns to draw public attention to the poor health, education and housing of Indigenous people. It was an important event because it helped raise public awareness of racial discrimination and strengthened campaigns to help. -
The invention of the internet
The internet did not originate from a single inventor, it was conjured up from many people and over many years. It was first used for scientist to communicate and share information and now it is used by nearly the whole population for various different things including communication, sharing ideas and research. This was a significant event because it opened up a new option for people to communicate. -
Invention of the mobile phone
The first mobile phone was invented by a man named Martin Cooper, it was the size of a brick and weighed about a kilo, it was not used commercially for another decade but Martin Cooper had demonstrated that it worked. This was an important event because the mobile phone is a device used every day by billions of people around the world. -
The release of 'Crocodile Dundee'
Crocodile Dundee is an Australian comedy film directed by Peter Fairman. It was made in an attempt to make an appeal to an American audience and then went on to become a global phenomenon. It set a stereotype for Australia with a strong vibe of comedy. The release of ‘Crocodile Dundee’ was an important event because it put Australia on the movie making map and gave an insight to the world in what Australia is like. -
The fall of the Berlin wall
The Berlin wall was built in 1961 and was used to stop people from Western Germany who were also known as ‘fascists’ from entering East Germany during the Cold War. It also served the purpose of diving East and West Germany completely. In 1989, the head of the East German communist party declared that citizens could pass through to East and West Germany whenever they pleased. On that night, thousands surrounded the wall and some even brought pickaxes and chisels to chip away at the wall. -
The convention on the rights of the child
The United Nations Conventions on the rights of the child (UNCRC) is the international human rights treaty which grants all people less than 18 years of age, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. It aimed to give children a voice and allow them to have a say in their decisions.
