World History in the making!

[Warlord Sam]

Just think, years from now we will be able to come into a bbs about world history, and comment on such things as we lived through, like Desert Storm, 9/11, and the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That is, if they still use them old fashioned web pages to host bbs, and not some interactive virtual cyber cafe...

 

[History_Buff]

Yes, it does seem strange. But nam was only 40 years ago, and korea only 50. And world world 2 was only about 55 years ago.

 

[Nahuixtelotzin]

And we'll tell our children that we still exactly know what we did when we heard what happened at the WTC, just like our parents all know what they did, when they heard that Kennedy was shot.

 

[TubaGuy]

and our grandparnets and Pearl Harbor.

 

[Nahuixtelotzin]

The Kennedy shooting is more universal IMHO. My grandfather probalbly was in the depths of Russia when Pearl Harbor happened and didn't care too much...

 

[History_Buff]

Pearl Harbor was actually a huge event for the Russians. While not large at the time, it eventually brought in loads of supplies for Russia.

And I think Pearl Harbor would be more universal than the Kennedy debacle.

 

[Pellaken]

I always used to complain that I wasent old enough to remember the collapse of the USSR, and that I wanted to live through history... now I am, and its cool. I'll be able to terll my grnadkinds about it later on.

 

[History_Buff]

Its wierd to think about the fact that there might be some old guy out there (in Russia especially) who witnessed Czarist Russia, the introduction of Communism to russia, World War 1, The Russian civil war, Stalinism, World War 2, the rise of the USSR to superpower status, the dropping of the Atomic bomb, the failure of Stalinism, the reform of Russian communist Russia, the first war in Afganistan, the collapse of the USSR and the Cominterm, the rise of Democratic russia, and now the second war in Afganistan(if you can even call this a war).

Not to mention all the smaller events I forgot temorarily and am to lazy to add to that really long sentence (yes it is all one sentence) like Korea, nam, and all those other regional conflicts.

 

[dannyevilcat]

Yes, I have to admit I've always been kinda bitter that I couldn't be around for more of the twentieth century. This thread makes me remember what I have been fortunate or unfortunate (as the case may be) to have memories of Tiennamen Square, the death of Ceaucescu, fall of the Berlin Wall, fall of USSR, the Gulf War, Balkan civil war, and the later NATO air campaign. Nothing, but nothing, compares to the 9/11 attacks, though.

We live in fascinating times, indeed.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

Indeed, we live in fascinating times.
Let us hope that they do not turn "interesting", as in the ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times"
I have detailed conscious memories of all of the great events that have beset our times, back as far as Australia winning the America's Cup in 1983, when I would have been two at the most.

 

[Mîtiu Ioan]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
Let us hope that they do not turn "interesting", as in the ancient Chinese curse "May you live in interesting times"

Unfortunatelly hope doesn't help ...
It's a joke related with this - "What is small, black and knock the door ? The future !".

Regards

 

[Sodak]

Originally posted by dannyevilcat
...I have been fortunate or unfortunate (as the case may be) to have memories of ... Nothing, but nothing, compares to the 9/11 attacks, though.

At least on the negative side, for people in the western world. Sadly, many other peoples around the world have recently gone thru worse - several times over. Americans in general harbored the illusion that the US was somehow completely safe. It's true no nation would be stupid enough to attack, but terrorism is crazy individuals and groups. Now that illusion is broken - instead of just a body count, there is also a change in how americans think. Definitely a big milestone in history.

On the bright side, the fall of the Berlin Wall was big. This downing of this symbol of separation and danger was a joyous moment, the end of an era (albeit a short one in historical perspective).

 

[Pellaken]

history is always unfolding. you know you'r old when you stop and think of all the history that has passed, and how long ago it really was... its the point of life!

 

[bigfatron]

About 9/11 being the biggest - surely you mean the most telegenic? Yes, the WTC attack was a massive shock, but the sick horror in retrospect is comparable to my feelings when it emerged that UN peacekeepers had stood aside to allow 5,000 people to be massacred at Srebrenica. Being brutal, what made it special in terms of impact was the television coverage.

Coverage influences effects - hearing and seeing live as 100 football fans were crushed to death due to a crowd control failure at a major soccer game in England was as devastating to many (including me) in England as the events of 9/11 are to US citizens, though it was an accident not a deliberate attack, because it happened live and was witnessed on mainstream television.

This is not to belittle 9/11, but the impact is principally because US citizens had thought they were safe and it was very graphically illustrated that they are not as safe as they thought.

This event may mark the start of a cultural conflict the like of which we have not seen for centuries. There are enormous cultural faultlines emerging between western, islamic, hindu, chinese and african cultures - they have been disguised previously by the assumption in the west that the 'western model' had been accepted throughout the worlds as the ideal, which is by no means correct. They have been hidden by western supremacy. Now it is becoming clear that many cultures are only prepared to pick the parts of western culture that they wish and will not accept that one size fits all. This is a recipe for cultural conflict.

This cultural clash, taking over from the clash of western political philosophies that characterised the 20th century that was essentially an internal 'western' struggle, will be the main focus of historical attention for the next half century, IMHO.

 

[Richard III]

I guess I am dating myself, but my first clear memory of a world event was my father pointing at the TV to show me a streaker running through the bleachers at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. I was six. I also clearly remember watching Sovfuzz TV pics of the Red Army disembarking in Kabul airport in 1979-80,

But I have to agree with some out there: sure, 9/11 was a sick and telegenic spectacle, and it certainly got my attention. I remember every detail, in part because we interrupted a meeting in time to see the second plane hit, and tall buildings like the one I work in in downtown Toronto were evacuated in a wave of bemused hysteria.

But the Gulf War (as in the Second Gulf War - I still think of the Iran-Iraq war as being more deserving of the title) was a far bigger deal for me personally. I was at university in a navy town (Victoria), the anti-war movement at my school was rightly rife with paranoia about security, police spys and the like, and every young male you could find was talking about being drafted for trench warfare in the desert if it all screwed up and turned into something larger.

The Coup attempt in the USSR still ranks over 9/11 as being a far more emotionally jarring experience to me; it looked as though five years of the world stepping away from the nuclear brink could be erased in an afternoon. Up there on the list would be watching the reds and Yeltsin's troops duking it out at the Russian Parliament live on CNN, and the whole Yugoslav war in general, day after day. For Canadians, watching the second Quebec referendum come down to a margin of less than 55,000 votes had to be up there - a nail biter that had the potential for enormous economic and social consequences.

By comparison, the whole "War on Terrorism" still seems like a bizarre and surreal aberration to me rather than an event which made permanent historical scars. Even though I my work changed a bit (I'm in government, and every government found some reason to change ID policy, border controls, security policy, etc. in the wake of the attacks), life hasn't changed that much. I had a reporter friend go to cover the war from Afghanistan. She was at Tora Bora. You know what? She's back. Done and done. And I travelled a fair bit after the attacks - and, hey, it was actually LESS painful than travelling before, provided you don't mind national guardsmen pretending to look busy at O'Hare, and frankly, I don't.

It all seems so distant, like the nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway, a strange blip on the historical map. I don't mean to demean the tragedy at all, obviously, but I just have trouble understanding how the generation behind me sees it as being as dramatic a change in the world's order as it is said to be. Maybe it will be, but frankly, I think the Arab-Israeli situation will have more influence on that than anything strictly 9/11 related.

R.III

 

[dannyevilcat]

I think 9/11 strikes me as the single biggest event I've ever been cognisant of is that it wasn't in some far off country or war zone. Yeah, there was the realisation that American safety was an illusion, but that's not exactly it, not for me, because I'm not American.
What makes it so chilling is that I was semi-hearing of it happening on the radio in between snooze button pressings, only to finally turn on CNN with my morning coffee. It was a sunny day, and there's one of those buildings-- collapsing. Was it a terrible accident? My God, no, it was an attack. The sense I got was that what I was watching could have been anywhere, and it could have been a friend or a relative of MINE in the buildings. I'll simply never forget that day, long after I'd finally had enough of Dubya's rhetoric (which was about the time of his Axis of Evil speech.)

 

[TubaGuy]

I was ironicly enough in history class when our principal came over the PA system and told us about the planes hitting the towers and the Pentagon, thats all we knew had happened at the time. That was at the end of 3rd period, by the time I got to 5th my english teacher had a TV and we saw the first building collapse, after third period though, any hope that teachers had of acctually teaching that day was gone.

 

[Pellaken]

I was in history class when it happened. when I arrived in the class, it happened, but they dident tell us. no... instead, at the end of the class, a teacher appeared at the door, and my teacher, Mr.Robichaud, who is helping me get into politics, came back, and said "I've just been informed that there's been a terriost attack in New York City, and at the Pentagon" to which I said "are you serious?" and he just nodded... I ran to a phone, but all were busy, so I ran into a friend, and we drove to the mall, where I tried to get to a phone. ya see. my grandparents watch CNN 24/7. anyways, I was so shocked I dialed the wrong number, but I did clue in to turn on the radio, and heard some about it. I then returned to the school, and saw the replay on the TV in the Lecture Theatere of the buildings collapsing... I then called to go home.

I made up a list, on that day, of all TV stations covering it. a few were ones you wouldent expect to cover a new event. for instance, TLC, which is a purley educaational station, usually with kid shows during the day, was rebroadcasting the BBC. by the time I had got to a radio or TV, the towers had come down, so I dident see that live, but I will always remember it. it is true that there have been more events with more deaths, but this one was at "home" in a way. no one expected an attack on the US, especially not me... it helped me think a little more though... I think it changed all of us really.
I still remember... I knew everything was 'alright' when I saw that first commercial on CNN a few days later...


edit-
I do remember some events from my eariler life... I remember seeing the settlement of the Bosnian war... that the serbs were getting 49% of the country... I dident understand the war at the time, but I turned to my grandmother and said "well, shouldent they have gave the capital to the guys who got less land?"

I remember in grade 1, the teacher talking about the gulf war... I looked at the clock, saying "wow... right NOW there's a war"

and I barley remember, but do remember, a news broadcast saying something about Russia. I asked my grandmother, and she said that Russia dosent exist anymore (she ment the USSR though)

those are my memories...

 

[TubaGuy]

The war with the serbs and what not is pretty important to my family, my moms side of the family has only been in this country since the early 1900's (I'm 3rd generation born here more or less), My great Grandparents came her from Croatia, I don't know as much as I should about that area but from my understanding the serbs are long time enemies of the Croations, so my mom watched that pretty closely, I don't rememer alot of it though. My dads side has been here for a long time and fought in the Revolutionary war, that all I know about that right now.

 

[amadeus]

I was also in history class on that fateful day.

Someone called my teacher up on the telephone, and he turned on the television and we watched as Dan Rather was reporting about the planes hitting both of the WTC towers...this was shortly 5 minutes or so before the other plane crashed into the Pentagon.

For the rest of the day, we did just about nothing...and I left school with my mother (who works at my school, leaves an hour before school gets out...)

I moved a seperate television into my office (yes, my ) and had both running at the same time to see if anything happened, that I'd be the first to know about it.

And since then...well, I've tried to get over it. I can't believe it though.