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The 21st century is the current century of the Common Era in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001 and will end December 31, 2100.

Turn of the 21st century (2001–present)

The present day governments to be called, or to remain, a potential superpower for the 21st century.
  United States (current superpower)[1][2]
  China
  European Union
  European Union Candidates
  European Union Potential Candidates
  India
  Russia

The 21st century began with the United States as the sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union, with several other entities, such as China and the European Union, becoming potential superpowers.

The debate over what should be done about global warming, fossil fuel pollution and alternative energy raged in the new century after most of the 20th century was marked by industrial expansion. As the Cold War was over and Islamic fundamentalist-related terrorism on the rise, the United States and its allies turned their attention to the Middle East.

Digital technology, in its early stages of mainstream use in the 1980s and 1990s, became widely accepted by most of the world, though concerns about stress and antisociality from the overuse of mobile phones, the Internet and related technologies remains controversial.[3]

In 2008, 3.3 billion people globally, or nearly half the world's population used cell phones,[4] and in 2005, over a billion people worldwide used the Internet.[5]

Pronunciation

Regarding pronunciation of 21st century years, academics suggest that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five".[6] A less common variation would have been "twenty nought-five". Many experts agree that majority usage of "two thousand (and) X" is a result of influences from the Y2K hype.

Many people, ranging from linguistic and academic experts to Internet bloggers, predict that the "twenty X" pronunciation method will eventually prevail, but a time frame as to when this change will occur often differs. The year 2010 "twenty ten" is suggested by many, with the "two thousand x" pronunciation reserved only for the "two thousands" decade of 2000-2009[7][8] and the Vancouver Olympics, taking place in 2010, is being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten olympics", while 2011[6] and 2013 are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020.[6]

Significant events

Politics, war, and genocide

Politics in this century have so far been divisive, in the United States and to a lesser degree the whole Western World between the ideologies of liberalism and conservatism; more precisely, the Democratic Party vs the Republican Party.

The Republican Party, which under former president George W. Bush, carried out an extremely controversial and unpopular war in Iraq, which has so far caused possibly more than a million civilian deaths [9]. The opposing Democratic Party, now in power under President Barack Obama, condemned this war, but it is unclear how willing they are to end it.

Genocide still remains a problem in the century with the concern of the situation in Darfur and the growing concern in Sri Lanka. Low estimates on the deaths in Darfur stand around 200,000 deaths with 2.5 million in displacement, there has been much outrcy against the perpetrators, the Sudanese government, and the very weak international response. Also controversies from past genocides remain commonplace in the minds of victims and average people alike. An example of this is the Armenian Genocide which was carried out by The Ottoman Empire (now present day Turkey). National organisations and nations abroad have been slow and weak in the Recognition of the event as a genocide as Turkey continues its denial of the event.

  • 1998 - 2002 – The Second Congo War continued into the early 21st century. A 1999 ceasefire quickly broke down and a UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC, was unable to control the fighting. Troops from Rwanda and Uganda continued to support rebel groups against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rifts also grew between Rwanda and Uganda as they accused each other of supporting rival rebel groups as well. Laurent Kabila, president of the DRC, was assassinated in January 2002 and his son, Joseph Kabila, took power. Throughout 2002 steps were made towards peace and Rwanda and Uganda both removed their troops from the country. On December 17, 2002, a massive treaty officially ended the war. However, the DRC only holds power in less than half of the country, with most of the eastern and northern portions still controlled by rebel groups, where there is still significant infighting. In addition, Rwanda still supports anti-DRC rebels and anti-Rwandan rebels continue to operate from the DRC. The war killed an estimated 3.9 million people, displaced nearly 5.5 million, and led to a widespread and ongoing famine that continues to result in deaths. Severe human rights violations continue to be reported.
  • 2001 – Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked 4 commercial airliners and crashed 3 of them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in the United States on September 11, killing nearly 3,000 people. The United States subsequently declared a War on Terrorism.
  • 2001 - present – The U.S. and NATO invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 and overthrew the Al-Qaeda-supportive Taliban government. Troops remained to install a democratic government, fight a slowly escalating insurgency, and to hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
  • 2002 – The International Criminal Court (ICC) was established on July 1.
  • 2002 – A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 202 people at the resort of Kuta, Bali, Indonesia on October 12.
  • 2003 - present – In February 2003, a conflict in Darfur, Sudan began and soon escalated into full-scale war. It is soon considered the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. By 2008 it is believed that up to 400,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million displaced. In 2005, the ICC decided that Darfur war criminals would be tried, and on July 14, 2008, Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir was charged with 5 accounts of crimes against humaninty and 2 acconts of war crimes, although the ICC currently has no power to enforce these charges.
  • 2003 - present – The U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003 and overthrew the government of Saddam Hussein (who was executed by the Iraqi government on December 30, 2006). Coalition troops remain in the country to install a democratic government and fight an escalating insurgency. In addition to an insurgency against the American presence, Iraq also suffered from a civil war for several years. The war was soon seen as the central front of the War on Terror by many governments, despite growing international dissatisfaction with the war. The total death toll has been estimated at near 150,000 but these estimations are highly disputed. After the U.S.-led coalition initiated a troop surge in 2007, casualty numbers have decreased significantly.
  • 2003 - 2005 – A series of nonviolent revolutions known as the colour revolutions overthrew governments in Georgia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon.
  • 2004 – The European Union expanded by 10 countries, including 8 former communist countries, plus Malta and Cyprus.
  • 2004 – On March 11, bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 191 people on the commuter rail system of Madrid, Spain.
  • 2005 – A series of bombings carried out by Islamic militants killed 56 people in London on July 7.
  • 2005 – Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip on September 11.
  • 2006 - 2008 – The dismantling of former Yugoslavia continues after Montenegro gained independence on June 3, 2006 and Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008. However, Kosovo's independence is disputed by Russia and many of its allies and is currently only partially recognized.
  • 2006 – On July 12, Hezbollah militants crossed the border of Lebanon and captured two Israeli troops. Israel responded by sending troops across the border and bombing Hezbollah strongholds, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians. A ceasefire was signed on August 14, after which Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanon. Many believed that it was a victory for Hezbollah, since Israel failed to destroy them and emerged with stronger political clout within Lebanon.
  • 2006 – On July 11, bombs planted on the train system in Mumbai exploded, killing 209 people.
  • 2006 – North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on October 9.[10] This was preceded by years of political wrangling with the U.S. over the status of their nuclear program. On February 13, 2007 North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and has so far adhered to its promises.
  • 2007 – A civil war escalated in the Gaza Strip throughout June, which resulted in Hamas eventually driving most Fatah-loyal forces from the Strip. In reaction, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh and dissolved the Hamas-ruled parliament. Scattered conflict continues.
  • 2008 – Russia invaded Georgia on August 7 as a response to a Georgian military attack on the capital of the breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia extensively bombed the infrastructure of the country and occupied some small cities, but a ceasefire was signed about a week later. Russia occupied the Georgian breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and officially recognized their independence.
  • 2008 - 2009 – Israel launches a military campaign on the Gaza Strip, killing some 1,500 civilians over a three week period.

Science and technology

Space exploration

Medicine

Personal technology

Laptops are a common example of widely used wireless technologies.

Other

  • 2003 - Discovery of an old dwarf human species, Homo floresiensis by modern humans (published in October, 2004).
  • 2004 - The first ever recorded hurricane in the South Atlantic forms.

Conflicts and civil unrest

Events during the Iraq War. Clockwise, from top left: a joint patrol in Samarra; the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Firdos Square; an Iraqi Army soldier readies his rifle during an assault; an IED detonates in South Baghdad.

Worldwide deaths from war and terrorist attacks

Natural disasters

The tsunami striking Ao Nang in Thailand on December 26, 2004.
  • Approximately 30,000 people are believed to have died across Western Europe, particularly in France, due to a prolonged heat wave during the summer of 2003. Shortages of medical and nursing staff are believed to have contributed to the disaster.
  • An earthquake in Bam, Iran on December 27, 2003 killed more than 26,000.
  • On December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Sumatra created a large tsunami, which impacted the entire Indian Ocean rim with heights of over 30 feet (10 meters) and killed at least 230,000 people, and likely more, in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other countries.
  • Over 3,000 people are killed by Hurricane Jeanne in Haiti in September 2004.
  • Hurricane Katrina killed at least 1,836 people after making landfall near New Orleans, United States on August 29, 2005. The city, insufficiently protected by its levee system, was left underwater for weeks. It was the costliest disaster in U.S. history, causing over $75 billion in direct damage.
  • An earthquake in Kashmir on October 8, 2005, killed at least 74,500 in India and Pakistan
  • Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Myanmar on April 27, 2008 and moved across the country's heavily-populated lowlands, leaving approximately 134,000 people dead or missing and 2.5 million people homeless.
  • An earthquake in Sichuan, China killed 69,227 people, left 374,643 injured and 17,923 missing on May 12, 2008. This was the 19th deadliest earthquake of all time.
  • A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing at least 207 and injuring more than 1,500
  • A worldwide outbreak of swine flu, affecting Mexico, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Spain, and Israel in April 2009.

New countries

Some territories have gained independence during the 21st century. This is a list of sovereign states that have gained independence in the twenty first century and have been recognized by foreign governments.

(Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia are disputed regions in Georgia and have been for the most part recognized by the eastern powers as independant countries)

1: Yet to be confirmed as a new nation.

Sports

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Business and industry

  • Music Industry: The early 21st century has had a profound impact on the condition of music distribution. Recent advents in digital technology have fundamentally altered industry practices and players in unusual rapidity.

Issues and concerns

There are several points-of-view pertaining to the following items, all of which should be considered accordingly.

Issues that have been frequently discussed and debated so far in this century include:

  • Globalization. Advances in telecommunications and transportation, the expansion of capitalism and democracy, and free trade agreements have resulted in unprecedented global economic and cultural integration. This has caused (and is continuing to cause) economic and cultural shifts which have been the subject of considerable controversy.
  • Overpopulation. The United Nations estimates that world population will reach 9.2 billion by mid-century. Such growth raises questions of ecological sustainability and creates many economic and political disruptions. In response, many countries have adopted policies which either force or encourage their citizens to have fewer children, and others have limited immigration. Considerable debate exists over what the ultimate carrying capacity of the planet may be; whether or not population growth containment policies are necessary; to what degree growth can safely occur thanks to increased economic and ecological efficiency; and how markets should accommodate demographic shifts. Evidence suggests that developed countries (such as Japan) suffer population implosion, and the population debate is strongly tied with poverty.
  • Authoritarianism. Some currently democratic states, such as the United Kingdom, are felt by some to be moving quickly in the direction of a police state,[14] with biometric identity cards,[15] continuous surveillance and long term detainment without trial all having been introduced by the government. A good indicator of authoritarianism being a serious concern for the 21st century are the recent anti-authoritarian protests staged around the world. Examples include the 1999 Carnival Against Capitalism, the protest activities surrounding the 2001 Genova G8 Summit and the 2007 Heiligendamm G8 Summit, as well as the 2008 civil unrest in Greece, all with strong anarchistic and thus anti-authoritarian character.
  • Abortion. Debates between "Pro-choice" and "Pro-life" factions on the controversial procedure continue. The approximate number of induced abortions performed worldwide in 2003 was 42 million.[16]
  • Dysgenics. Due to the negative correlation between fertility and intelligence, human genetic integrity may be deteriorating, lowering the intellectual capacity of the average human. [17][18]
  • Poverty. Poverty remains the root cause of many of the world's other ills, including famine, disease, and insufficient education. Poverty contains many self-reinforcing elements (for instance, poverty can make education an unaffordable luxury, which tends to result in continuing poverty) that various aid groups hope to rectify in this century. Microcredit lending has also started to gain a profile as a useful anti-poverty tool.
  • Disease. AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria each kill over a million people annually. HIV remains without a cure or vaccine, and is growing rapidly in India and much of the African continent. Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern for organisms such as tuberculosis. Other diseases, such as SARS, ebola, and flu variations, are also causes for concern. The World Health Organization has warned of a possible coming flu pandemic resulting from bird flu mutations.
  • War and terrorism. Active conflicts continue around the world, including civil wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the largest war since World War II), Chechnya, Côte d'Ivoire, Somalia, Senegal, Colombia, and Sudan (mainly in Darfur). The 9/11 terrorist attacks triggered invasions of Afghanistan and partially and controversially Iraq. The War on Terrorism has seen controversies over civil liberties, accusations of torture, continued terrorist attacks and ongoing instability, violence, and military occupation. Violence continues in the Arab–Israeli conflict. Considerable concern remains about nuclear proliferation, especially in Iran and North Korea, and the availability of weapons of mass destruction to rogue groups.
  • Global warming. Climate scientists have postulated that the earth is currently undergoing significant anthropogenic (human-induced) global warming. [3] The resulting economic and ecological costs are hard to predict. Some scientists argue that human-induced global warming risks considerable losses in biodiversity and ecosystem services unless considerable sociopolitical changes are introduced, particularly in patterns of mass consumption. Others, however, deny human influence as significant, or question whether global warming will actually be a significant detriment to the planet.
  • Power in international relations. Issues surrounding the cultural, economic, and military dominance of the United States and its role in the world community have become even more pointed given its recent military activities, problematic relations with the United Nations, disagreement over several international treaties, and its economic policies with regard to globalization. Integration of the European Union and the African Union have proceeded.
  • Intellectual property. The increasing popularity of digital formats for entertainment media such as movies and music, and the ease of copying and distributing it via the Internet and peer-to-peer networks, has raised concerns in the media industry about copyright infringement. Much debate is proceeding about the proper bounds between protection of copyright, trademark and patent rights versus fair use and the public domain, where some argue that such laws have shifted greatly towards intellectual property owners and away from the interests of the general public in recent years, while others say that such legal change is needed to deal with the threat of new technologies against the rights of authors and artists (or, as others put it, against the outmoded business models of the current entertainment industry). Domain name "cybersquatting" and access to patented drugs to combat epidemics in third-world countries are other IP concerns.
  • Technology developments show no sign of ending. Communications and control technology continues to augment the intelligence of individual humans, collections of humans, and machines. Cultures are forced into the position of sharply defining humanity and determining boundaries on desire, thought, communication, behavior, and manufacturing. Some, notably Ray Kurzweil have predicted that by the middle of the century there will be a Technological Singularity if artificial intelligence that outsmart humans is created. If these AIs then create even smarter AI's technological change will accelerate in ways that are impossible for us to foresee. (However, gradual and simultaneous use of AI technology to increase our own intelligence might prevent this from ever occurring.)
  • Fossil fuels are becoming scarce and more expensive, due to the escalating demand for petroleum ("oil") and oil-based products such as gasoline and kerosene, unmatched by production. Discovery of new oil fields has not been sufficient to sustain current levels of production, and some fear that the earth may be running out of economically viable oil.
  • NATO–Russia relations have become strained as the "Western Alliance" and NATO square off with Russia and other nations over international policy and the future of the ex-Soviet sphere. An Eastern Europe Missile Defense Shield, military and social conflicts in the Caucasus (particularly Georgia and Chechnya), and the future of nuclear arsenals are among the topics that have strained the relations between the two sides with eerie reminders reminiscent of the Cold War.

The United Nations lists global issues on its agenda and lists a set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to attempt to address some of these issues.

Astronomical events

List of the long total solar eclipses

Other phenomena

  • Tuesday, June 8, 2004: First transit of Venus for 122 years.
  • November 8, 2006: Transit of Mercury.
  • December 23, 2007: grand conjunction a galactic conjunction which happens every 26,000 years.
  • 2009: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune.
  • 2010/2011: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • July 12, 2011: Neptune completes its first orbit since its discovery in 1846.
  • Wednesday, June 6, 2012: Transit of Venus to occur a second time (and last time) this century.
  • May 9, 2016: Transit of Mercury.
  • Monday, August 21, 2017 [4] : First total solar eclipse of the 21st century for the United States, and the first visible in the continental US since February 26, 1979 [5].
  • November 11, 2019: Transit of Mercury.
  • 2024 (plus or minus 5 years): Next predicted return of Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks.
  • 2025/2026: Triple conjunction Saturn-Neptune.
  • Friday, April 13, 2029: The asteroid 99942 Apophis (previously better known by its provisional designation 2004 MN4) will pass within 30,000 km (18,600 mi) of the Earth.
  • November 13, 2032: Transit of Mercury.
  • 2037/2038: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • November 7, 2039: Transit of Mercury.
  • 2041/2042: Triple conjunction Mars-Uranus.
  • October 1, 2044: Occultation of Regulus by Venus. The last was on July 7, 1959. After 2044 the next occultation of Regulus by Venus will occur on October 21, 3187, although some sources claim it will occur again on October 6, 2271.
  • 2047/2048: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune.
  • May 7, 2049: Transit of Mercury.
  • November 9, 2052: Transit of Mercury.
  • July 2061: Next return of Halley's Comet.
  • 2063: Triple conjunction Mars-Uranus.
  • November 11, 2065: Transit of Mercury.
  • November 22, 2065: At 12:45 UTC, Venus will occult Jupiter. This event will be the first occultation of a planet by another since January 3, 1818. This event will be very difficult to observe, because the elongation of Venus and Jupiter from the Sun on that date will be only 7 degrees.
  • 2066: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • July 15, 2067: At 11:56 UTC, Mercury will occult Neptune. This rare event will be very difficult to observe, because of the constant low elongation of Mercury from the Sun, and the magnitude of Neptune always under the limit of visibility with the naked eye.
  • 2071/2072: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune.
  • November 14, 2078: Transit of Mercury.
  • 2079: Triple conjunction Saturn-Uranus.
  • August 11, 2079: At 01:30 UTC, Mercury will occult Mars.
  • Friday, November 10, 2084: Transit of Earth as seen from Mars, the first and the only one in this century.
  • November 7, 2085: Transit of Mercury.
  • 2085/2086: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Neptune.
  • October 27, 2088: At 13:43 UTC, Mercury will occult Jupiter.
  • 2088/2089: Triple conjunction Mars-Neptune.
  • 2093: Triple conjunction Jupiter-Uranus.
  • April 7, 2094: At 10:48 UTC, Mercury will occult Jupiter.
  • May 8, 2095: Transit of Mercury.
  • November 10, 2098: Transit of Mercury.

Pop cultural references to the remaining years of the 21st century

Television and film

Computer and video games

Internet

  • Stinkoman 20X6, of Homestar Runner fame, takes place in the sixth year of an unspecified decade in the 21st century.

Novels

Decades and years

References

  1. ^ Country profile: United States of America, BBC News, Accessed July 22, 2008
  2. ^ "Analyzing American Power in the Post-Cold War Era". Retrieved 2007-02-28.
  3. ^ "Workplace trends: Technology increases workplace stress". 1999.
  4. ^ "3.3 Billion Cell Phone Users". Mobilewhack.com.
  5. ^ "Stats - Web Worldwide". ClickZ.
  6. ^ a b c Experts clash over millennium bugbear — The Times
  7. ^ http://maxspeak.org/mt/archives/002457.html
  8. ^ The Naughty Noughties, or something
  9. ^ http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641256336
  10. ^ "US confirms nuclear claim". New York Times. 2006-10-15. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  11. ^ "Total mobile subscribers top 1.8 billion". MobileTracker Cell Phone News and Reviews. May 18, 2005. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-31. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ Update on Iraqi Casualty Data by Opinion Research Business, January 2008
  13. ^ Grolier- the new book of knowledge, section "E"
  14. ^ "Britain 'sliding into police state'". The Guardian. 2005-01-28. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  15. ^ "The introduction of ID Cards". UK Government. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  16. ^ Sedgh, Gilda (2007). "Induced abortion: estimated rates and trends worldwide" (PDF). The Lancet. 370 (9595): 1338–1345. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61575-X. PMID 17933648. Retrieved 2008-12-02. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "William Shockley 1910–1989". A Science Odyssey People and Discoveries. PBS online. 1998. Retrieved 2006-11-13.
  18. ^ William Shockley, Roger Pearson: Shockley on Eugenics and Race: The Application of Science to the Solution of Human Problems Scott-Townsend Publishers, ISBN 978-1878465030
  19. ^ Eclipse of July 22, 2009
  20. ^ Eclipse of August 2, 2027
  21. ^ Eclipse of August 12, 2045
  22. ^ Eclipse of August 24, 2063
  23. ^ Eclipse of May 11, 2078
  24. ^ Eclipse of May 22, 2096
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