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This is a question I have wondered about in the past. Certain times of history might seem to be indistinguishable from fifty years prior to that. For example, if I were to look at Mesopotamia in 1000 B.C. and compare it against Mesopotamia from 1050 B.C., would I notice any real difference in the kinds of lives people were living? Probably not – people would likely be following the exact same careers, ways of living, etc. With that said, when can I say that history has changed the most within any given 50 years?I will say the biggest difference was 1905 to 1955. Within this time the airplane was really developed as a feasible transport for war and commercial purposes (I believe the first airplane was developed around 1904), and the aftermath of WWII really brought about radical changes in home appliances. When I look back at some black and white snippets of the "kitchen of the future" from the 1950s, there are all sorts of gadgets and contraptions that would be completely foreign to someone living in 1905. Refrigerators, vacume cleaners, electrical components....all these must have had a significant impact on the average person's life. As we get to the mid-1950s, we also see the birth of space satellites. So, what is your opinion on this?
I beleive you nailed it. The last fifty, form 1955 to 2005 would be a close second. But one could argue that all we have today are just better or more advanced versions of what was invented in the first half of the century.
True, I think an argument could be made between 1955 and 2005, or perhaps 1925 and 1975…but what about 1850 to 1900? The adoption of the car really changed things around….the adoption of machine guns, etc.
Phid – Fortunately, my parents are still alive. Dad was born in 1927 and my mother in 1931. Both agree with you. Tremendous changes occurred in the time period you named.
But I'll go with 1850 to 1900. Why? Firearms developement. During this period, the ability to slaughter humans with audacious efficiency was realized. The repeating rifle, revolvers, and semi-automatic pistols, and so much more … oh, yes we are the winners. One wonders why. Could it be our need to kill each other off more efficiently, because we were starting to over populate the planet? One has to wonder – could a greater intelligence be in control?
Along the same line; I'd move the time frame to 1900-1950… WWI (the first modern war*) submarine, tank, rifled artillery, growing use of air power. Then on to WWII; genocide w/in common memory, and the A-bomb.*Use of this term is tongue-in-cheek; every war is the first modern war; we role out and test the latest technological advances to extract an ever more impersonal toll on humankind. Much easier to kill if we don't have to stand toe-to-toe and hack the opponent to death with a saber, eh?[Hedges the question... 1950-present: social, geopolitical, and economic changes... civil rights, emergence of the third world, efforts break the lock oil on the world.]
I agree with the 1900 to 1950 era. I read somewhere that over 90% of the world's inventions came about during that period.As an aside, my grandmother lived from the 1880's in horse and buggy days and lived to see a man walk on the moon.
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