U.S. History: Major Themes in the Twentieth Century

US has had an amazing 20th century with the following events which are now part of the amazing history.

1900s: This decade opened the century with some amazing feats like the first flight by the Wright brothers, Henry Ford's first Model-T and Einstein's Theory of Relativity. It also had hardships like the Boxer Rebellion and the San Francisco Earthquake.

1910s: This decade was unfortunately dominated by the first "total war" -- World War I. It also saw other huge changes during the Russian Revolution and the beginning of Prohibition. Tragedy struck when a fire rampaged through Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the "unsinkable" Titanic hit an iceberg and the Spanish flu killed millions around the world.

1920s: The Roaring '20s were a time of speakeasies, short skirts, the Charleston dance and jazz music. The 1920s also showed great strides in Women's Suffrage and archaeology hit the mainstream with the discovery of King Tut's Tomb.

1930s: The Great Depression hit the world hard in the 1930s. The Nazis took advantage of this situation and were able to come to power in Germany, establish their first concentration camp and begin a systematic persecution of Jews in Europe.

1940s: World War II was already underway by the time the 1940s began and it was definitely the big event of the first half of the decade. Plus, the Nazis established death camps in their effort to murder millions of Jews during the Holocaust. When World War II ended, the Cold War began.

1950s: The 1950s are sometimes referred to as the Golden Age. Color TV was invented; the polio vaccine was discovered; Disneyland opened; and Elvis gyrated his hips on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Cold War continued as the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union began.

1960s: To many, the 1960s can be summed up as the Vietnam War, hippies, drugs, protests and rock and roll. The Berlin Wall was built, the Soviets launched the first man into space, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, The Beatles become popular.

1970s: The Vietnam War was still a major event in the beginning of the 1970s. There were other tragic events this decade as well, including the deadliest earthquake of the century, the Jonestown massacre, the Munich Olympics massacre and the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island.

1980s: Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika began the end of the Cold War. This was soon followed by the surprising fall of the Berlin Wall.

1990s: The Cold War ends, Nelson Mandela is released from prison, the Internet becomes popular - in many ways the 1990s seemed a decade of both hope and relief. Unfortunately, the decade also saw its fair share of tragedy, including the Oklahoma City bombing, Columbine High School massacre and the Rwandan genocide.

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