The 365 Most Important Events of the 20th Century

by Paul Baldwin

The 365 Most Important Events of the Twentieth Century provides a comprehensive view of the last hundred years through the touchstones that have shaped our century. The year 1916, for example, brought both Einstein's theory of relativity and the first official birth control clinic. The year 1953 was marked by the discovery of the DNA double-helix structure, the first successful impregnation with frozen sperm, and two men's victory over the 29,000-foot Mount Everest. Chronicling the front-page stories that made social and political headlines, Paul Baldwin also touches on the moments that were not necessarily noted at the time but that went on to influence the future profoundly. From Agatha Christie's invention of Hercule Poirot to the official acknowledgment of AIDS in 1981, the events detailed in this book range from the inspiring to the terrifying to the wonderfully silly. Capturing our collective mistakes and triumphs, The 365 Most Important Events of the Twentieth Century offers a welcome perspective on where we have come from and where we might be headed.

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Clif · Rating 2 out of 5]

I commend the author's attempt to create a compendium of the 20th century, but such a feat makes misinformation and generalizations much more likely. Grammatical errors are one thing, but I found numerous factual errors. Some examples:
- A U.S. President & Vice President cannot be from the same state (yes, they can)
- The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was called "Fat Boy" (it was "Little Boy")
- The Panama Canal Treaty was signed on September 7, 1973 (September 7, 1977)
- Princess Diana died because her driver was being chased by paparazzi (the crash was caused by her driver who was intoxicated and on prescription drugs)

As someone who isn't particularly good with history, I read this book to get a better understanding and context of historic events. If I was able to find errors like the ones above, I worry that there were a lot more that I just didn't notice.

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would please the trivia geeks among us, and prepare anyone for a trivia contest. Maybe the reader could pick up tidbits from this book about the Twentieth Century to impress others at cocktail parties and soirees during the coming winter holidays.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this one up at the used bookstore for practically nothing and ended up enjoying reading it bit by bit.