The three biggest world events of your lifetime

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1. Rise of the Internet
2. 9/11
3. Obama elected

Honourable mention

- NHL Lockout 04/05
- CoD MW2 ;)
 
1. 9/11 and the War on Terror
2. Oklahoma City bombings
3. Columbine High School shooting

Honorable Mention (of sorts): Senna's crash at Imola, 1994

Kind of odd how all mine have to do with people dying. :(
 
1. JFK assassination. At the time I was a schoolboy and thought this was the end of innocence for America and a terrible loss. I cried. Later I learned how he had it coming and virtually everyone had it in for him.

2. Death of Jim Clark. I thought he was invincible and a perfect driver. Later I learned how poorly made the Lotus cars of Colin Chapman were. AJ Foyt called the welding "bird****". This isn't quite a world event, but I included it because so many of us here are motorsports enthusiasts.

3. WTO, Seattle, 1999. Another end of innocence. I attended as a mere spectator but it became a transformative event for me politically.

I'd mention 9/11/01 but it's ubiquitous. On my way to work early that morning I glanced up into the night sky and saw the crescent moon "holding water" with a star just opposite. It was the perfect Islamic symbol and I shuddered involuntarily as I had the momentary intuition that something major was afoot. Sure enough, 40 minutes later the dirty deed was done.
 
-invention of the iPhone
-online dating
-the likely cure of HIV/AIDS within the next ~70 years

A close 4th place goes to sex.
 
the first 2 are completely insignificant compared to say wars or bombings, the 3rd hasn't happened yet and the 4th isn't a world event.


But hey, your call.
 
1. JFK Assassination
2. Vietnam War
3. September 11th

runners up:
Space Race / Man on the Moon
1st Gulf War

9/11 isn't over yet, Afganistan and Iraq wars are all a part of it to me.
 
1. Obama elected
2. 9/11
3. The widening of the availability of Man's greatest invention, the Internet
 
Alex.
the first 2 are completely insignificant compared to say wars or bombings, the 3rd hasn't happened yet and the 4th isn't a world event.


But hey, your call.
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The first one has affected millions more people than many wars have.

The second one has affected *possibly* thousands more than many wars have in their lifetimes—how much has the Rwandan Genocide, Sierra Leone civil war/ethnic cleansing, Serbo-Croat war, Gulf War or any of those impacted your life? I've met a lot of people, but neither one has affected me. Online dating, on the other hand, is much more relevant to people. Similarly, 9/11 "only" affected 3000 people in America- a country with 300 million people. Yet, the Air India bombing "only" affected 327 people in Canada- a country with ~30 million people. So the ratio of destruction>local environment is the same, yet 9/11's singular mamoth presence was enough to hijack news agencies and attention all over the world. What is more tragic, perhaps, is the fact that an inquiry was launched into 9/11 within the first 5 years, wheras the Air India bombing brewed for 10 and took 20 to be investigated.

So it's all relative.

The third hasn't happened yet, but I'm currently filled with the excitement of it much more than anything else. To know it's on the cusp of being solved is very inspiring news.

Oh, and it doesn't matter that Obama's black or Hilary's a woman—it would have happened sooner or later and they're still people, and you still had to elect someone.

As for the fourth one- says who?
 
1. PKACoOP (People Killing A Crapload of Other People. Basically, first WTC bombing, McVeigh, U.S.S Cole, 9/11, London Bombing)
2. Obama as President
3. Guns 'N Roses finally releases Chinese Democracy
 
Dotini
I'd mention 9/11/01 but it's ubiquitous. On my way to work early that morning I glanced up into the night sky and saw the crescent moon "holding water" with a star just opposite. It was the perfect Islamic symbol and I shuddered involuntarily as I had the momentary intuition that something major was afoot. Sure enough, 40 minutes later the dirty deed was done.
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That gave me goosebumps and cold chills reading about the Islamic Symbol you saw in the sky that morning. :scared: :nervous: Anyway, here's my 3:

1. 9/11 (lived just 25 miles from towers at the time)
2. the rise of the internet
3. the end of the Cold War
 
1. End of appartaid in South Africa
2. Destruction of the Berlin wall
3. Tsunami of 2004 (was it five years ago already?)
 
Dotini
I'd mention 9/11/01 but it's ubiquitous. On my way to work early that morning I glanced up into the night sky and saw the crescent moon "holding water" with a star just opposite. It was the perfect Islamic symbol and I shuddered involuntarily as I had the momentary intuition that something major was afoot. Sure enough, 40 minutes later the dirty deed was done.
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You mean you were an Islamophobe before it was trendy? Cool!
 
Public'sTwin
You mean you were an Islamophobe before it was trendy? Cool!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your question, Public'sTwin. I'm afraid that I cannot claim any special insight, although I will admit to a generalized mistrust of all organized religions and systems of "true belief", and that includes Liberalism.

I did have a powerful, involuntary, "intuition", for want of a better word. Did you ever have the feeling that someone was looking at you, then turned around and, sure enough, there was someone staring at you?

Respectfully yours,
Dotini
 
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In no particular order,

- Chernobyl Disaster - Was living in Holland at the moment and about 5 years old... I remember not being able to drink or eat dairy and windows had to stay closed because the radiation was blowing towards western Europe.

- 9/11 - remember this as if it were yesterday and thinking it was some sort of new movie when I first saw it.... Crazy stuff....

- Birth of the Internet - I was already fooling around with this type of stuff when I was young... whipping out the 1200 baud or 2400 baud modem and visiting Bulletin Boards.. LOL oh the memories... :P
 
Okay, I'm gonna call you're trolling and raise you...
Public'sTwin
The first one has affected millions more people than many wars have.
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As of Q2 2009 21.17 millions units sold. So there's our base reference.

How many modern wars can you name that involved countries with populations combined of fewer than that?

The second one has affected *possibly* thousands more than many wars have in their lifetimes—how much has the Rwandan Genocide, Sierra Leone civil war/ethnic cleansing, Serbo-Croat war, Gulf War or any of those impacted your life? I've met a lot of people, but neither one has affected me. Online dating, on the other hand, is much more relevant to people. Similarly, 9/11 "only" affected 3000 people in America- a country with 300 million people. Yet, the Air India bombing "only" affected 327 people in Canada- a country with ~30 million people. So the ratio of destruction>local environment is the same, yet 9/11's singular mamoth presence was enough to hijack news agencies and attention all over the world. What is more tragic, perhaps, is the fact that an inquiry was launched into 9/11 within the first 5 years, wheras the Air India bombing brewed for 10 and took 20 to be investigated.

So it's all relative.
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Except it's blatant that September 11th is seen by many as the beginning of the war on terror. The war in Iraq, the war in afghanistan, the problems in Pakistan, the atrocities in Bali and London.

To say that September 11th only affected 3000 people, is to say that the assination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand only affected one man.

The third hasn't happened yet, but I'm currently filled with the excitement of it much more than anything else. To know it's on the cusp of being solved is very inspiring news.
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Why? There's cures for thousands of known diseases that continue to kill thousands a day, millions a year.


[EDIT] And mine.
September the 11th, the beginning of the War on Terror.
The Concorde Paris air crash, changed the aerospace industry, where my career hopes to go.
The Banking collapse. Metal markets crashed, auto industry went down. My dad job still hangs in the balance at a Nickel refinery, 1 of the largest local empoyers (Ford Visteon) has gone, and Port Talbot steel works is as-always on the edge.
 
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ExigeEvan
Except it's blatant that September 11th is seen by many as the beginning of the war on terror. The war in Iraq, the war in afghanistan, the problems in Pakistan, the atrocities in Bali and London.

To say that September 11th only affected 3000 people, is to say that the assasination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand only affected one man.
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That and the Patriot Act and all that
 
ExigeEvan
How many modern wars can you name that involved countries with populations combined of fewer than that?
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As I said, many wars—not all wars. And as an iPhone directly affects its' user, I think it's fair to compare with the victims of war directly affected as well. ;)
 
ExigeEvan
Wow. Comparing the indirect affects of the iphone and war. Wow.
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I agree with Public's Twin on most things, but i don't agree this time. To say cellphones in general would have been valid, but not a specific model.
 
Public'sTwin
Yeah, well next time you make a glib comment, remind me to literalize the **** out of it so I can ruin your example, too.
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Literalize the **** out of it? So because you made a very bold statement and I chose to question it, in the opinions forum, there's a problem?
 
ExigeEvan
Literalize the **** out of it? So because you made a very bold statement and I chose to question it, in the opinions forum, there's a problem?
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No, and you're missing the point again. Just because it's the Opinions forum and open to debate—doesn't mean I have to endlessly explain and justify everything I espouse in here, whether it's my own opinion or not. And since it's just not that imperative to me for you to understand, I'm ending this conversation here.
 
Public'sTwin
No, and you're missing the point again. Just because it's the Opinions forum and open to debate—doesn't mean I have to endlessly explain and justify everything I espouse in here, whether it's my own opinion or not. And since it's just not that imperative to me for you to understand, I'm ending this conversation here.
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So everyone misses the point about what you're trying to say, but you're okay with that. Okay, I think I get that point.
 
ExigeEvan
So everyone misses the point about what you're trying to say, but you're okay with that. Okay, I think I get that point.
Click to expand...

You might understand what I was getting at sooner or later, I'm just tired of explaining what is essentially a meaningless discussion.

So yes. I am OK with that. Why would I care if you 'get' it or not?
 

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