1945 – today
The Contemporary World
The atomic age, space, and the connected present.
WarAtomic Bombing of HiroshimaAugust 6, 1945 CE · Hiroshima, JapanUS drops the first nuclear weapon on a city, ending WWII and starting the atomic age.
PoliticsFounding of the United NationsOctober 24, 1945 · San Francisco, USA (Charter signed)UN Charter ratified to prevent future global conflicts and promote cooperation.
TechnologyInvention of the TransistorDecember 23, 1947 · Bell Labs, New Jersey, USAScientists create the transistor, enabling modern electronics and computing.
ScienceDiscovery of DNA StructureFebruary 28, 1953 CE · Cambridge, EnglandWatson and Crick identify the double helix structure of DNA revealing genetic code.
TechnologyLaunch of Sputnik 1October 4, 1957 · Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (USSR)Soviet Union launches first artificial satellite, starting the Space Age.
ExplorationApollo 11 Moon LandingJuly 20, 1969 CE · Cape Canaveral, USAHumans first walk on the lunar surface during the Space Race.
DisasterChernobyl Nuclear DisasterApril 26, 1986 CE · Pripyat, UkraineReactor explosion releases radiation contaminating large parts of Europe.
PoliticsFall of the Berlin WallNovember 9, 1989 CE · Berlin, GermanyCitizens breach the barrier dividing East and West Berlin ending Cold War division.
ScienceLaunch of Hubble Space TelescopeApril 24, 1990 CE · Cape Canaveral, USASpace telescope deployed into orbit providing unprecedented deep space observations.
PoliticsParis Climate Agreement AdoptedDecember 12, 2015 CE · Paris, FranceNearly all nations agree to limit global warming below two degrees Celsius.