You didn't think I forgot about my blog, did you? No, I've just been pretty darn preoccupied this past week, what with my A.P. tests coming up. Wish me luck. I'm going to catch up on everything before the weekend is out, I promise. But first and foremost...I have a bit of unfinished business. Same rules apply as in the last post: big events that most definitely impacted the way we lived today, and not always the really obvious ones. Here, we have events six through ten.
6) Battle of Tours-Poitiers
If you don't know the story, I'll fill you in: in the eighth century A.D., the Islamic empire was on the rise. The Muslim Moors conquered Spain and advanced into the lands of the Franks, modern France. They only encountered futile attempts at resisting their approach into Europe's Christian heartland, before they were halted at a spot between the modern cities of Tours and Poitiers by the full force of the Frankish military, under the leadership of the legendary Charles Martel, whose surname/title means "The Hammer." In the short term, the Battle of Tours-Poitiers, which ended in a crushing victory for the Franks, halted the advancement of Islam into France. Its long-term impact, however, can still be felt today. Though it's unlikely that the Moors would have Islamized the whole of Europe, people feared that they would have. The battle lead to widespread mistrust between the Christians and Muslims, and that mistrust contributed in large part to the Crusades. The lingering mistrust continues to shape our lives to this day.
On a side note...the western world today would look very different if it wasn't for the Battle of Tours. A study concluded that almost all people of western European descent can trace their ancestry to Charlemagne, first Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire...and grandson of Charles Martel (http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/05/07/charlemagnes-dna-and-our-universal-royalty/). And if the battle had turned ill...well, some of our forty-greats-grandfathers would have died that day. And then we wouldn't be here to analyze this all, would we? Somebody else would.
7) Gunpowder Weapons
The Chinese invented them. The Turks improved upon them. The Europeans improved upon them even further.
This one doesn't need much of an introduction. Cortes used rifles to conquer the Aztecs. Russian explorers pushed back the native Siberians, carving out vast swathes of territory for their burgeoning empire. In every major conflict since the fall of Byzantium in 1453, firearms have had a role. That legacy continues to impact us up to the present day, in very obvious ways. If it wasn't for the humble gun, we'd still be hacking away at each other with swords, and a lot of nations would look very different.
8) American Revolution
This isn't actually an egocentric, nationalistic sort of thing. The American revolution had a major impact around the world. The Haitian revolution, the Latin American revolutions, the French revolution...virtually every political change since 1776 has ripped something off from the Declaration of Independence. And it's not just that - social movements often turn to Jefferson's document for inspiration and vindication.
And, of course, there's the egocentric, nationalistic bit - this whole thing gave us the United States.
9) Pearl Harbor
I suppose "American Involvement in WWII" would be a better title for this one, but that all goes back to the date which will live in infamy. After Pearl Harbor, America's industry boomed, lifting the nation out of the Great Depression. American actions in Europe ensured the fall of Nazi Germany (although, in all honesty, the Soviets would eventually have beaten the Germans back), and the U.S. almost single-handedly crushed the Empire of Japan in the slugfest of the Pacific Theater. The Second World War turned America into the world's biggest superpower, with a few insignificant things called NUCLEAR WEAPONS, which, quite obviously, have had no impact whatsoever on human history since then. It's not like the war lead to a half-century-long standoff between America and the Soviet Union that caused distrust that endures to this day, either.
10) The Internet
As much as I hate it...the web is here to stay. People who got along just fine without the technology suddenly rely upon it. And my generation cannot function without the web. The possibilities are endless, for both good and bad. We're only feeling the short-term impacts of the Internet...mark my words, this bit of technology will revolutionize almost everything we know, from travel to household chores to shopping. It will even impact warfare in ways we're only beginning to imagine. The Internet is going places...and I'm not sure whether or not that's a good thing.
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