Top 25 events in modern US history

[Marvin the Martian]

A blog I read has a history prof as one of the bloggers, and he teaches a modern US History course. Modern is post-1877. He lists his top 25 events, I am curious what people here think would be on that list.

It can be culture, economic, military, science, or political.

One caveat, the event has to be less than one week long. So WWII or Great Depression cannot qualify.

One of the 25 is international, I am frankly not sure why it is in the US top 25.

 

[Baller23Boogie]

A couple off the top of my head would be 9/11, moon landing, JFK and MLK assassinations and Obama being elected president if that qualifies.

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

COH admits he was wrong about something.

Oh wait...never mind.

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

August 23, 1991...the WWW is opened to the general public.
August 24, 1991...www.bigboobs.com.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

A couple off the top of my head would be 9/11, moon landing, JFK and MLK assassinations and Obama being elected president if that qualifies.

9/11 - #22
Moon Landing - #20

The other 3 are not there.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

August 23, 1991...the WWW is opened to the general public.
August 24, 1991...www.bigboobs.com.

Amazingly, neither made the list.

 

[IUCrazy2]

A blog I read has a history prof as one of the bloggers, and he teaches a modern US History course. Modern is post-1877. He lists his top 25 events, I am curious what people here think would be on that list.

It can be culture, economic, military, science, or political.

One caveat, the event has to be less than one week long. So WWII or Great Depression cannot qualify.

One of the 25 is international, I am frankly not sure why it is in the US top 25.

Pearl Harbor attack, assassination of JFK, Zimmerman letter, Explosion of USS Maine, Passing of 16th amendment, Passing of the 17th amendment, Potsdam Conference, September 11 attacks, discovery of penicillin, the moon landing, invention of the TV, invention of the PC, invention of the internet, Rosa Parks incident, Little Rock 9...

A few off the top of my head.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

A blog I read has a history prof as one of the bloggers, and he teaches a modern US History course. Modern is post-1877. He lists his top 25 events, I am curious what people here think would be on that list.

It can be culture, economic, military, science, or political.

One caveat, the event has to be less than one week long. So WWII or Great Depression cannot qualify.

One of the 25 is international, I am frankly not sure why it is in the US top 25.

Sputnik would my pick for the international one.
14th Amendment
invention of transistor
Kitty Hawk
Briwn v Board of education
Passing FLSA
AC current
Yellowstone and park system
moon landing
MLB moving to West Coast
First Shopping Center
Social Security
Medicare
Jackie Robinson
Atom bomb



More later.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Pearl Harbor attack, assassination of JFK, Zimmerman letter, Explosion of USS Maine, Passing of 16th amendment, Passing of the 17th amendment, Potsdam Conference, September 11 attacks, discovery of penicillin, the moon landing, invention of the TV, invention of the PC, invention of the internet, Rosa Parks incident, Little Rock 9...

A few off the top of my head.

Pearl Harbor attack - Not there (that one surprised me most)
assassination of JFK - not there
Zimmerman letter - #13
Passing of 16th amendment - Not there
Passing of the 17th amendment - Not there
Potsdam Conference - Not there
September 11 attacks - #23
discovery of penicillin - Not there
TV and internet - not there
Rosa Parks incident - #5 (tied with Brown v Board)
Little Rock 9 - not there

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Sputnik would my pick for the international one. - Not there
14th Amendment - Not there
invention of transistor - Not There
Kitty Hawk - Not There
Briwn v Board of education - Tied #5
Passing FLSA - Not there
AC current - Not There
Yellowstone and park system - Not there
moon landing - # 20
MLB moving to West Coast - Not there
First Shopping Center - Not there
Social Security - #4
Medicare - Not there
Jackie Robinson - #23 (oops, 9/11 was 22 not 23 above)
Atom bomb - #1

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Sputnik would my pick for the international one.
14th Amendment
invention of transistor
Kitty Hawk
Briwn v Board of education
Passing FLSA
AC current
Yellowstone and park system
moon landing
MLB moving to West Coast
First Shopping Center
Social Security
Medicare
Jackie Robinson
Atom bomb



More later.

Oh, and I like your Sputnik more than their international choice.

 

[SqueakyClean]

Challenger explosion.
Model T debut
Cuban missle crisis
Vanna White in Playboy.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Challenger explosion.
Model T debut
Cuban missle crisis
Vanna White in Playboy.

None of those made the list. Strangely Playboy isn't listed at all (to save all the other answers).

 

[IUCrazy2]

Trying to think a little off the wall on the international event and going with Dien Bien Phu. You could put Gulf of Tonkin incident but arguably the French loss there led to our eventual involvement in Vietnam.

 

[dbmhoosier]

1976 Indiana University undefeated basketball season.

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

Kitty Hawk: December 17, 1903.

 

[Noodle]

Pearl Harbor attack - Not there (that one surprised me most)
assassination of JFK - not there
Zimmerman letter - #13
Passing of 16th amendment - Not there
Passing of the 17th amendment - Not there
Potsdam Conference - Not there
September 11 attacks - #23
discovery of penicillin - Not there
TV and internet - not there
Rosa Parks incident - #5 (tied with Brown v Board)
Little Rock 9 - not there

How can the Zimmerman Telegram be #13 yet Pearl Harbor did not make the list?!?

I guess the Compromise of 1877 (ended Reconstruction) is not included, since it was not post-1877.

I would include at least some of these:

Plessy v. Ferguson
Lusitania (sinking)
Bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki - should be in the top 5
Haymarket Riot
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Election of Donald Trump

 

[IUCrazy2]

Shirt waist factory fire, the Great Migration, NATO treaty signed, election of FDR, birth control pill released, Passing of Civil Rights Act, passing of the Economic Opportunity Act, Tet Offensive, D Day...

Edit to add:
The Beatles coming to America, Elvis first TV appearance (trying to think of something related to Rock and Roll)

 

[Bulk VanderHuge]

October 24, 1929

 

[mcmurtry66]

Model T
First Tv
First Computer. Univac or whatever
MySpace/Facebook
Birth of Ryan Seacrest

 

[IUCrazy2]

Oh, the release of the Model T should be on there.

Edit: McM beat me to it.

 

[IUCrazy2]

Wounded Knee (1890)

 

[Ladoga]

A couple off the top of my head would be 9/11, moon landing, JFK and MLK assassinations and Obama being elected president if that qualifies.

Moon landing coupled with Kitty Hawk. My grandfather lived during both, from man's first flight of 128 feet I recall to man walking on the moon . Follow those with the telephone, Brown v. Board and 9/11 . The first A Bomb would be next. Next or maybe should be first - computers.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

How can the Zimmerman Telegram be #13 yet Pearl Harbor did not make the list?!?

I guess the Compromise of 1877 (ended Reconstruction) is not included, since it was not post-1877.

I would include at least some of these:

Plessy v. Ferguson #2
Lusitania (sinking) - Nope (but there is a sinking)
Bombing of Hiroshima/Nagasaki - should be in the top 5 - #1
Haymarket Riot - Nope
Civil Rights Act of 1964 - #10
Election of Donald Trump - #17

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Wounded Knee (1890)

#19

 

[Marvin the Martian]

October 24, 1929

They went with Black Tuesday, so the 29th at #12

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Shirt waist factory fire, the Great Migration, NATO treaty signed, election of FDR, birth control pill released, Passing of Civil Rights Act, passing of the Economic Opportunity Act, Tet Offensive, D Day...

Edit to add:
The Beatles coming to America, Elvis first TV appearance (trying to think of something related to Rock and Roll)

Beatles on Sullivan #24
Shirtwaist Fire #15
Civil Rights Act #10
Tet #16
D-Day #11 A battle was higher

I don't see Economic Opportunity Act, NATO, FDR, Birth Control, or Great Migration.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Model T
First Tv
First Computer. Univac or whatever
MySpace/Facebook
Birth of Ryan Seacrest

The more I think about it, the more I am surprised about the Model T (or the moveable assembly line) not being on the list. None of these.

 

[Noodle]

Sinking of the Maine?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Sinking of the Maine?

Ah, that explains why the Titanic was missing. Yep, #18.

I think it needs to be higher. We had people who wanted to go after the Philippines, but they were held at bay until the Maine. If we don't take the Philippines, do we get attacked at Pearl? A book I am reading on Vietnam suggests if we weren't in The Philippines we would never have entered Vietnam. It seems we paid for taking the Philippines an awfully high price.

 

[Noodle]

Beatles on Sullivan #24
Shirtwaist Fire #15
Civil Rights Act #10
Tet #16
D-Day #11 A battle was higher

I don't see Economic Opportunity Act, NATO, FDR, Birth Control, or Great Migration.

Battle of Midway? I still would not put that higher than D-Day.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Anyone say Nixon resigning yet?

 

[IUCrazy2]

Beatles on Sullivan #24
Shirtwaist Fire #15
Civil Rights Act #10
Tet #16
D-Day #11 A battle was higher

I don't see Economic Opportunity Act, NATO, FDR, Birth Control, or Great Migration.

Battle of the Bulge?

 

[Noodle]

Battle of the Bulge?

That was much longer than one week.

 

[mcmurtry66]

The more I think about it, the more I am surprised about the Model T (or the moveable assembly line) not being on the list. None of these.

Particularly when culture was considered

 

[IUCrazy2]

Anyone say Nixon resigning yet?

Probably a good one. If not that, maybe the Watergate break in itself.

 

[Noodle]

Particularly when culture was considered

Yes, but that's not really an "event" having a duration of less than one week.

 

[IUCrazy2]

That was much longer than one week.

Oh, good call. Forgot the parameters.

 

[mcmurtry66]

Oh, good call. Forgot the parameters.

@Noodle I didn’t read it either. Noodle is right

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Battle of Midway? I still would not put that higher than D-Day.

Midway #8