

Ask HN:  Defining Moments in History? - BrentRitterbeck

I just finished watching a clip on CBS's Sunday Morning about Walter Cronkite.  One of the pieces was his coverage on the moon landings.  Immediately after that, I tried to think of truly remarkable moments of history that have occurred during my life (25 years) that are anywhere near man landing on the moon.  Besides the Internet, which can't be traced to a single day, the only thing that comes to mind is 9/11, and that's certainly not a good defining moment.  Does anyone have an candidates for defining moments within the last 25 years?
======
justlearning
_Dissolving of USSR_ \- I think everything in our current world politics
changed after the end of the cold war and more sharply after end of USSR.
Until then any nation had to choose between 'his bitch or my bitch'. Two
nations trying to win over each other stomping over other nations... (USSR-
goes-to-Afghanistan,US-defends-Afghanistan, US-befriends-Irag-to depose-
islamic revolution in Iran, USSR extends help to Iran, US defends, S.Korea,
USSR considers its duty to defend N.Korea, US befriends Pakistan, USSR
naturally is India's best friend...and so on) I think these two gigantic
monolithic worshiping of idealisms messed up with our world in all ways and
the effects which we overlook.

The downfall of USSR also in a trickle effect that gave birth to the well
networked terrorist organization, we all know of (i don't want to go into the
history and move away from the question...look it up)

Only because the USSR dissolved and the cold war ended, we had "world is flat"
and "globalization", else we all would be mid stream of both governments
hacking the other's network and the internet being US internet and the russian
internet. _Now_ we have both nations working together in the space station.

That and surely the Berlin wall, End of Apartheid in South Africa(Nelson
Mandella), Romanian Revolution of 1989(Ceausescu), end of Iranian
monarchy(iranian revolution,Khomeni)

...and windows 95! :)

------
david927
Nov. 9, 1989: Berlin Wall fell

April, 1989: Tiananmen Square

Dec. 31, 2007: European Union drops all borders (EU countries have essentially
become like U.S. states)

Jan. 20, 2009: Barack Obama sworn in as US President

~~~
BrentRitterbeck
I have thought about all of those, but they don't rise to the same level as
the moon landing.

EDIT: The Berlin Wall would eventually come down at some point even if the
Soviet Union was not on the verge of collapse. Tiananmen Square was a tragic
event, but these types of events happen periodically. The European Union is
the closest that comes to what I was looking for. Obama's election was just
another day for me.

What I am looking for are things that people thought were truely impossible,
something so remarkable that it took your breath away, either for the good or
the bad.

~~~
david927
The Berlin Wall falling was much more important than the moon landing. The
latter inspired us, but the former changed everything for a huge portion of
the world.

~~~
whatusername
You could say the honour perhaps should perhaps lie with either: Sputnik I,
Sputnik II, Vostok I (or Wright Brothers/Kitty Hawk I guess) \- but I would
contend that in a few thousand years time (and the fall of a few more empires)
- the Berlin Wall will lose it's significance

------
ErrantX
6 June 1944 (D-Day)

(potentially Dunkirk would count more)

------
whatusername
2003: Human Genome Sequence

