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I have thought about all of those, but they don't rise to the same level as the moon landing. EDIT: The Berlin Wall would eventually come down at some point e

I have thought about all of those, but they don't rise to the same level as the moon landing. EDIT: The Berlin Wall would eventually come down at some point even if the Soviet Union was not on the verge of collapse. Tiananmen Square was a tragic event, but these types of events happen periodically. The European Union is the closest that comes to what I was looking for. Obama's election was just another day for me. What I am looking for are things that people thought were truely impossible, something so remarkable that it took your breath away, either for the good or the bad.

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago
A lot of the things that amaze me - 500$ 2.5Ghz PCs for one - took decades to happen.
david927 17y ago
The Berlin Wall falling was much more important than the moon landing. The latter inspired us, but the former changed everything for a huge portion of the world.
- whatusername 17y ago
  You could say the honour perhaps should perhaps lie with either: Sputnik I, Sputnik II, Vostok I (or Wright Brothers/Kitty Hawk I guess) - but I would contend that in a few thousand years time (and the fall of a few more empires) - the Berlin Wall will lose it's significance
ErrantX 17y ago
I'd say the EU was the least like it... The Moon Landing / Space Race was all about the pomp and drama - it was a race. I'd say the Berlin Wall had that level of impact. The EU? No one really noticed that - and their still arguing over it. I suppose it depends on how we define a "defining moment".
- BrentRitterbeck 17y ago
  I will give you that, but think about what it took to get man to the moon. You can say without a doubt that nothing like that had ever been done before. That's why I say the EU was almost there, but it doesn't meet the "never been done before" level. EDIT: Before man on the moon, I think the event that previously rose to that same level was the first atomic bomb. Before that, Kitty Hawk. That's the level of significance that I am talking about, the moments that make you go "holy crap!" Now that I think about it, the EU is not even close. Sputnik doesn't even rise to the level of significance I am looking for, though it certainly comes close.

mbenjaminsmith 17y ago

A lot of the things that amaze me - 500$ 2.5Ghz PCs for one - took decades to happen.

david927 17y ago

The Berlin Wall falling was much more important than the moon landing. The latter inspired us, but the former changed everything for a huge portion of the world.

whatusername 17y ago
You could say the honour perhaps should perhaps lie with either: Sputnik I, Sputnik II, Vostok I (or Wright Brothers/Kitty Hawk I guess) - but I would contend that in a few thousand years time (and the fall of a few more empires) - the Berlin Wall will lose it's significance

ErrantX 17y ago

I'd say the EU was the least like it... The Moon Landing / Space Race was all about the pomp and drama - it was a race. I'd say the Berlin Wall had that level of impact. The EU? No one really noticed that - and their still arguing over it. I suppose it depends on how we define a "defining moment".

BrentRitterbeck 17y ago
I will give you that, but think about what it took to get man to the moon. You can say without a doubt that nothing like that had ever been done before. That's why I say the EU was almost there, but it doesn't meet the "never been done before" level. EDIT: Before man on the moon, I think the event that previously rose to that same level was the first atomic bomb. Before that, Kitty Hawk. That's the level of significance that I am talking about, the moments that make you go "holy crap!" Now that I think about it, the EU is not even close. Sputnik doesn't even rise to the level of significance I am looking for, though it certainly comes close.