A Cursory Glance at Historic Occurences

The American Revolution was the product of fomenting anger in British colonists. Heavy taxes and a lack of representation in Parliamentary government led to the revolution against the British imperial power. The colonists sought independence, the freedom to create their own government, rather than being ruled by those that were on the opposing shores of the Atlantic. After succeeding in their revolution, they began a mass westward expansion, which was previously impossible due to the British Proclamation of 1763 over the Appalachian Mountains. As other groups around the world heard of their victory over their motherland, many groups also revolted against their own governments. This was the first example of what would be a century of revolutions.

It is a trite but meaningful reputation. Benjamin Franklin walks outside and into a storm, proceeding to attach a key to a kite, allowing lightning to bounce to his hand, proving that lightning is indeed electric. It wouldn't be until much later that electricity was widely used, but inventions such as the light bulb and the fan were on the docket before the turn of the twentieth century. Where would we be without electricity? It has revolutionized the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. Communication, transportation, and quite simply new ways of doing things are possible because of electricity.

Since the Neolithic age, most societies have had some form of forced labor system. While it typically was seen as immoral, it was also seen as necessary for economic progress. A trend reveals itself: As it becomes less necessary to maintain an economy, it is also frowned upon in greater magnitude. After the first wave of European colonialism, and the large exportation of African slaves to the Americas, slavery was for the first time related to race. They became necessary on colonial plantations, as it seemed to be the only way to make a profit harvesting the necessary amount of resources. As technology advanced, the trend mentioned earlier revealed itself.

The Opium Wars were considered the climax in a series of economic disputes between the British Empire under Victoria and the Qing Dynasty. Britain wished to sell opium, an illegal analgesic in China. Qing could not afford having the drug possessing their citizens, and seized opium trading posts. The two powers collided, and the economic and technological advancement of the British allowed them to easily overcome this massive eastern power. China paid greatly in result, and was forced to cede Hong Kong, as well as submit to a score of trading contracts favoring Britain. This sort of economic advantage lifted the United Kingdom to one of its strongest points in time.

Following the revolutions of many American colonies, European powers attempted to colonize Africa. European empires competed over African land, with the intention of amassing power for themselves through the subjugation of the indigenous and the acquisition of valuable territory. The beginning of the partition took place after the Franco-Prussian war had ended, and as a result of the Berlin Conference there would be little fighting between Europeans while there was African territory to colonize. It would not be unfair to say that by partitioning apart Africa, Europe was simply avoiding war with itself.

The advent of air conditioning technology led to the potent increasing in industrialization nearer to the equator. The development of the American South greatly depended upon A/C. Skyscrapers would also be difficult if not impossible to manage without A/C, it is too windy sixty stories high to open a window, and otherwise too stuffy.

Mounting nationalism and rigid diplomatic structures led to the first World War. A Serbian nationalist assasinated the archduke of Austria, causing a chain of alliances to erupt in defense of the two belligerents, and the issue thus couldn't be handled diplomatically. The outcomes of the war were the Bolshevik Revolution, the Great Depression, and Germany's fall and later rise as a great power in World War II

Everything from the Polio vaccine to the transplantation of human organs became a reality within the twentieth century. New advancements in medical technology and treatment led to supermassive increases in population and human longevity.

This led to an unprecedented rise in human population.

World War II was ignited by Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939. The allies were pitted against the Axis as each struggled to push their ideological thoughts with the overarching goal being the acquisition of dominance in two theatres across the planet. German nationalism had peaked after the distressing punishment it received in its Armistice Day surrender, and was only equated by that of the Japanese in the Pacific. The German Chancellor Adolf Hitler promised to give Germany the breathing room and power it deserved.

Later atrocities would be committed during the war, such as internment camps on both sides of the conflict, the Nazi led Holocaust: a genocide of European Jewish and Gypsy populations, as well as those that were in some form disabled, the Rape of Nanjing, the dropping of two atom bombs, and the deaths of upwards of seventy million people.

Centred around the Cold War, the Space Race was, in other terms, a technological arms race between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America. At the time, the two were considered competitive superpowers, each with the capability of destroying each other thousands of times over.
Competition consistently leads to innovation, and innovation was certainly prevalent during this time period.