My Top Story of the Century

World War I begins in Europe.  1914.

On the first of August, 1904, Russia and Germany (two more great European powers) declared war on each other.  The was the official start of the "Great War," World War I, which would bring a great loss of life (20 millions deaths).  This would also bring about the physical destruction of a large part of Europe.

This is one of the top-three most interesting (or most terrible) because this date marks the start of the first World War.  World War I was the cause of the 20 million deaths of soldiers, women, and children alike.  The start of the war is something to cringe at, for exactly that reason - it was the first moment when people knew that they were pretty much...klunked.

First jet airplane takes flight.  1941.

On the fifteenth of May, 1941, the first jet airplane took flight.  Before this plane, all airplanes were propeller-based.  The flight of this jet airplane is the beginning of modern-day airplanes.

This is one of the top-three most interesting because I see this as the beginning (as you can see, I see to really like beginnings) of something we still use in the modern day.  Humans use jet-based airplanes everyday for extensive transportation, and it's seen (for a reason that I can't fathom) as the safest form of transportation.  The flight of this jet airplane is the first flight of the safest form of transportation.  (!)

Germany invades Poland:  World War II begins in Europe.  1939.

One day in 1939, Germany bombarded Poland both on land and from the air.  Hitler had been seeking to regain lost territory and take control of Poland.  Thus, World War II had begun.

This is one of the top-three most interesting because it's the beginning (one again) of World War II, which brought about the death of over 60 million people total.  A genocide was committed by a dictator.  Everyone was pulled into the war.  And this was the start of it.