Subject: Turning Points of History
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Feb 24 09
What do you assess to be major turning points in history? There are the obvious events, of course, like the signing of Magna Carta, the American Revolution, the French revolution, the establishment of the State of Israel, and so on, but what about other, less well-known events? I submit the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec on September 13, 1759 which saw Canada become a British colony, or the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485 which brought Henry Tudor to the throne, ending 331 years of Plantagenet rule in England.
Posted by: Cymruambyth
Date: Feb 24 09
What do you assess to be major turning points in history? There are the obvious events, of course, like the signing of Magna Carta, the American Revolution, the French revolution, the establishment of the State of Israel, and so on, but what about other, less well-known events? I submit the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec on September 13, 1759 which saw Canada become a British colony, or the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485 which brought Henry Tudor to the throne, ending 331 years of Plantagenet rule in England.
116 replies. On page 1 of 6 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6
Cymruambyth 
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Oops, I was going to add the discovery of the smallpox vaccine by Edward Jenner in 1796 and the polio vaccine by Joas Salk in 1954, thus giving us tools to end two major epidemic diseases. Reply #1. Feb 24 09, 2:45 PM |
paco18
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Splitting the atom. Reply #2. Feb 24 09, 4:43 PM |
| paco18
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And probably the formation of the periodic table. Reply #3. Feb 24 09, 4:44 PM |
guitargoddess
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Well, if you take 'major turning point' to mean something that has drastically shaped the world we live in today, I'd say the Cold War. More specifically, Marxism, the Russian Revolution, the subsequent rise of communism, and tensions between the US and the USSR that came out the Second World War. And then on the other end of the spectrum, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, to bring an end to the division of the world and the majority of conflicts between capitalism and communism. Reply #4. Feb 24 09, 4:58 PM |
thewho13rd
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But if we're talking about American history (and British history to some degree), you must throw in the Battle of Saratoga during the Revolutionairy War. Without a patriot victory, the Americans would lose all momentum and would not gain the much needed aid from France. God only knows how things would have turned out if the Americans never won that important battle in New York. Reply #5. Feb 24 09, 5:33 PM |
daver852
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The Edict of Milan and the Battle of Midway (good). The fall of Constantinople and rise of Communism (bad). Reply #6. Feb 24 09, 8:27 PM |
collect
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The Mayflower Compact -- when colonists say they can rule themselves, empire is doomed. The death of Alexander the Great just when he was really about to rule the "civilized world." Two choices -- but there are many. Dave Reply #7. Feb 26 09, 7:13 AM |
dfc4385
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- the detonation of the atomic bomb over Nagasaki and Hiroshima Reply #8. Feb 26 09, 12:58 PM |
raidersruleall
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How about July 24, 1969 (the day of the first moon landing)? Reply #9. Feb 26 09, 8:24 PM |
| Pagiedamon
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I'd like to submit the Battle of Hastings in England 1066. Reply #10. Feb 26 09, 9:08 PM |
cag1970
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October 4, 1957 - Man enters the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik. Later that same day, "Leave It To Beaver" debuts on CBS. Reply #11. Feb 27 09, 8:33 PM |
mjws1968
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Two vitally important dates in the history of the powerful mediaeval christian church that had a huge impact all over europe 664 AD - Synod of Whitby - the decision to adopt the Roman model for Easter rather than the Celtic one in the UK although on the surface was a matter of bureaucracy, in fact marks the demise of the traditional church in Ireland and the NW of the UK that was actually closer to the original ideas in the NT and marks the final supremacy of the Roman tradition in the region, and so you can blame this for Easter being on a flexible rather than a fixed date, not necessarily one of their better decisions lol. 31st October 1517, Martin Luther, fed up with the sale of papal indulgences and other corruption in the catholic church nails his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This not uncommon academic invitation to dispuite begins a reformation that changes life completely in much of northern Europe and causes wars based on religious differences for centuries to come. Reply #12. Feb 27 09, 10:38 PM |
foosyerdoos
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What about the 1707 act of Union. Would the British empire have been quite as powerfull without the engineering advances of the Scots. Reply #13. Feb 28 09, 12:47 AM |
| foosyerdoos
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Or, what about the moment that the Wright brothers developed the aeroplane. Just as well Orville and Wilbur never listened to the lesser known third brother when he turned to them and said "Guys, listen, this idea you're working on, It will never take off". Reply #14. Feb 28 09, 12:55 AM |
| Cymruambyth
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The Wright brothers didn't invent the airplane - they developed ideas propounded by other pioneers going back as far as Leonardo da Vinci! The first fixed-wing aircraft was designed by Sir George Cayley, a Yorkshire baronet, back in 1848. However, while his aircraft was the first to actually fly, it was a glider. The Wright brothers developed an engine to power their aircraft. Reply #15. Feb 28 09, 1:20 PM |
| foosyerdoos
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I can't buy into the Leanardo inventing the Aeroplane helicopter or parachute thing. He drew them. That's all! I used to draw pictures of hover cars and time machines. If they are ever developed do i get bragging rights? Back to the wright brothers, I never said invented but developed. I tend to think that most new ideas aren't new but developed over a period of time by different people. The ones who usually get the credit are the people who had the drive to develope it far enough so that is instantly recognised for what it is. So for my money, Wright brothers every time. Reply #16. Feb 28 09, 1:52 PM |
lilith616
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How about the invention of the PC (if information is power, the access to information is its foundation), if all computers crashed now, the world would be plunged into the Dark Ages... one good thing though... they're great fun. ;-) Reply #17. Feb 28 09, 2:33 PM |
| mjws1968
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Lets say that the Wright brothers were the culmination of a five century move towards powered flight, Da Vinci's drawings are workable, but the people at the time didnt have the ability or desire to produce their end product, the church was probably deeply opposed to such an unnatural idea, and the drawings were "lost" for a long time. Many people came up with ideas for powered flight, the balloon and the glider were sidelines and too slow and unreliable to be commercially useful, it was the Wright brothers who took the various ideas and made it reality, so they deserve the credit for that, otherwise it would still take days to travel across the USA. Reply #18. Mar 01 09, 3:27 AM |
tnrees
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If the Wrights had not done it someone else would have suceeded quite soon. There are several claims to have beaten them to it. Many inventions happen because the conditions are now right. Reply #19. Mar 02 09, 6:51 AM |
| foosyerdoos
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Agreed mjws, but the ones I really admire on the list of flight inventors are the Montgofier brothers. I have often wondered how the first conversation went! Paper factory somewhere in France Joseph: I have been thinking Etienne that if we make a big balloon with lots of linen and lots and lots of paper, then fill it with hot air, It would perhaps fly. Etienne: Ok Joe, but how do we get the hot air in? Joseph: What about,oh,I don't know, maybe a big open fire. Etienne: A big open fire and paper! Err,Ok then, but how does it steer? Etienne: Umm. Well, it doesn't really. Joseph: What are we going to carry in it Etienne? Etienne: Well, I was thinking along the lines of chickens and the like to start with, but obviously building that up to people. Joseph:Obviously. Ok, but do we have to go in it! Etienne: What, are you nuts? It doesn't sound safe to me, but have you still got the address for Jean and Francois in Paris? I think I admire them because, lets face it, The hot air balloon is a really useless invention. It's about as aerodynamic as a, well, a balloon! And it never changed the world. Yet they still pressed on with the plans. And as we all know they are still in use today. Basically because they look nice. What an invention! Reply #20. Mar 02 09, 7:20 AM |
116 replies. On page 1 of 6 pages. 1 2 3 4 5 6
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