History

I've been thinking a lot about history, mainly because we're clearly living through one of the most important and memorable moments in our lifetime - at least up until now.  Historians will analyze this period of time for decades in the future - how did it happen, what kind of impact did it have, how has it changed the world.  And it got me thinking about what are the most significant historical events to happen in the 21st century so far.   And I think these are my top 5.

5. Brexit

4. Smartphones

3. Pandemic

2. Trump

1. 9/11

I'm solid with 1 to 3, I'm okay with 4 (mainly because I think the development of the smartphone has been the catalyst for a number of other important things e.g. reliance on the internet and WiFi, social media, how we consume music/TV/etc, the new sharing economy - the only question I have is whether the smartphone is the cause or the effect?  If it's the effect, then maybe I should replace "Smartphones" with "Rise of the Internet") and I went back and forth a lot with 5 (mainly because I don't think we really know yet what the true impact of Brexit will be - but I think it's by far the most important British political moment in the 21st century).  What else did I consider?  Barack Obama, Arab Spring, Climate Change, absolutely no sporting events.  It feels like I've forgotten a number of other significant moments...