What Everyone Should Know about the 20th Century: 200 Events That Shaped the World

The title of my review suggests what this little book is good for--i.e., filling in the gaps in one's knowledge of 20th century history. If you're already a dedicated history buff, this book is probably superfluous, but if you're like me--a reasonably well-read person who nonetheless occasionally feels embarrassed by a lack of knowledge about some event in recent history--then this book is perfect. This book is a bit like Hirsch's Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, except that the focus is exclusively on 20th century history, and the entries are longer and more detailed. Indeed, considering the modest size of the book, it packs in a lot of information, and manages to do so without resorting to tiny print. It covers all the expected bases (e.g. "Franklin D. Roosevelt Launches the New Deal") but also has delightful surprises like: "The Rite of Spring Premieres in Paris," "H.L. Mencken Publishes The American Language," and "Margaret Sanger Publishes Family Limitations." As you can see, it doesn't limit itself to political and military history. And Alan Axelrod's writing style is lucid and graceful. All in all, a wonderful little book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because it reflected political, economic and technological changes / revolutions that have occurred in the past century. At the end of the day I found myself consumed by the book and wanting to read beyond what my eyes would allow me to do (late night reading!)The book, at 352 pages, is deceptively small since each page is not a 6.72 x 5.58 in dimension. However, I spent a good 12-14 hours reading the book to completion as the book doesn't present pictures and tables as "filler."If you want to learn about the most recent century this is a good book for you to read. If you want to read some good history books predating the 20th century I highly recommend 2 of Isaac Asimov's books, Chronology of the World and Chronology of Science and Discovery. Some of the events mentioned in this book, just for reference are:* Hitler and Germany* Mao and his revolutions in China* Technological innovations such as air conditioning which have caused huge changes to population movements and building construction.* The discovery of penicillin.* The invention of plastic.* McNamara & The Diner's club - the first credit card.* Cuban Missile Crisis* Martin Luther King* WoodstockAnyways, I enjoyed the book but nothing presented changed my paradigm or the way I look at the world so I give it 4 stars out of 5. The book was truly interesting for those who simply want to get a better grasp of what an amazing century it truly was. Think about this...The automobile, plane and highway system weren't around before this century. Just think about the implications that those 3 items have had on your life and business as we know it, on a country and global basis.

What do Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Frank X McNamara and George Kennan have in common? Along with Hitler, Stalin and Mao they have been some of the most influential people of the twentieth century. Leo, Frank and George win mentions in this book, subtitled `200 Events That Shaped the World'. Another thing they have in common is their nationality. The twentieth century has been the American age, and it's hardly surprising that of the two hundred events chosen for this book two-thirds either happened in the United States or were influenced by Americans. Baekeland gets in because he invented modern plastic. An organic chemist who was trying to clean the gunk off his chemical equipment in 1909, he called his new material Bakelite, but the name didn't stick. McNamara introduced the credit card in 1950 when he established the Diner's Club - so called because he persuaded New York restaurants to participate in the scheme. Kennan was a diplomat who published an influential essay in 1947, proposing to `contain' Communism - the term was to become a description of US foreign policy for the next forty years. Few would argue these three events should rank high in a list of important events of the past hundred years. But there are other incidents that make it into this book, and this is what makes it an engaging and fun publication - arguing why the Battle of Stalingrad should have been included, for example, at the expense of `400,000 Gather for the Woodstock Festival in Upstate New York' in 1969. Even though only 1500 people died, the authors include the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. They recognise the profound effect it had - and continues to hold - on the world: "...many saw an immense cautionary tale in the loss of this proud ship...as if the impersonal forces of nature had conspired to deflate the technological arrogance of modern civilisation, declaring that the struggle between humankind and the elements had hardly been resolved..." More contentious is including the US Congress enacting the G.I. Bill in 1944. The authors argue it was vital in kicking off a postwar boom in housing, birthrate and prosperity in America, thus helping the country to become the biggest economy in the world. And what about Louis Armstrong recording `West End Blues' in 1928? It's asserted that jazz is this century's most significant form of popular musical expression, and America's foremost cultural gift to the world. As this book confirms, it has been America's century. But is the USA in decline? One can't help wondering after inspecting the contents of this book by decade. Since 1980 eight American events are listed, and none of them are heartening: the appearance of crack cocaine, an American pesticide plant in India causes widespread death, a huge bomb explodes in Oklahoma City. Even Desert Storm has turned out to be a dubious victory. Generally the content of the chapters is well-written and informative, and in places perceptive