World War I
The events of World War I transpired between 1914 and 1918, triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife during their visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip in 1914. In response to this incident, Austria declared war on Serbia and sought the support of Germany to deter Russian intervention. Following Austria’s attack on the Serbian capital, Belgrade, Germany declared war on Russia, with Austria joining the conflict. As tensions escalated, numerous countries entered the war, leading to the formation of the Central Powers alliance, which included Germany, Austria, and Turkey. They fought against the Allies, comprised of France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and the United States. Despite the strong military capabilities of the Allies, the Central Powers faced defeat, culminating in the signing of armistices and surrender agreements by the defeated nations. The war, lasting four years, resulted in significant economic and human losses, with approximately 8 million military fatalities, alongside millions of injured and missing individuals, as poverty and unemployment began to rise.
The First Human Landing on the Moon
After numerous attempts to realize humanity’s dream of landing on the moon, the Apollo 11 mission successfully accomplished this historic feat. In 1969, NASA launched the Saturn V rocket, better known as Apollo 11, into Earth’s orbit. Following several stages, including the separation of the command module and its connection to the lunar module, named “Eagle,” Apollo 11 made its way to the moon. Subsequently, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin prepared for their descent by detaching the command module from the Eagle. Apollo 11 successfully landed on the lunar surface on July 20, 1969. Upon stepping onto the moon, Armstrong famously declared, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
The Titanic Disaster
In 1912, the Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage with over 2,200 passengers and crew members on board. At the time, it was considered the largest moving man-made object ever constructed, measuring approximately 268.83 meters in length, 28.04 meters in width, and standing 53.34 meters tall. The ship was on a journey from Queenstown, Ireland, to New York and received warnings about icebergs in the Atlantic Ocean. However, these warnings went unacknowledged, and the crew failed to see the icebergs until they were directly in the Titanic’s path. The resulting collision caused the ship to flood and begin sinking. Captain Edward J. Smith ordered the launch of lifeboats, although there were not enough to accommodate all passengers, with the Titanic equipped with only 16 standard lifeboats and 4 collapsible boats. The world awoke to the shocking news of one of the worst maritime disasters in history, where of the 2,200 individuals onboard, only 705 were rescued, while 1,517 lost their lives in this tragedy.