Chronology of the 20th Century is a unique and comprehensive guide to events and themes of the twentieth century.
Starting with the relevant section in Neville Williams's highly successful Chronology of the Modem World, 1763 to the Present, first published in 1966, the original material has been reviewed and considerably expanded by a team of academic contributors. The theme headings have been revised in view of contemporary interest, and coverage brought up to date.
The Chronology is based on Williams's original scheme which presents two parallel sets of information in a year-by-year sequence. On the left-hand page is a detailed chronology listing important events around the globe (covering political history, international relations, wars, conquests, annexations, and natural disasters). On the right-hand page are thematic entries under the headings of government, society, births and deaths, education, science, art, music, literature, and everyday life.
Information can be explored through a variety of routes. The comprehensive and well-structured index can be used to find out when particular historical events occurred (for example: When did Finland declare its independence? When was the epoch-making judgement in the US Supreme Court case Brown v Board of Education?). From the 'events' text, the course of momentous episodes in twentieth-century history, such as World War I, can be followed. Or the reader can turn to any particular year and see the juxtaposition of events and themes. For example, in 1968 the US Apollo 8 spacecraft made the first manned mission to the Moon; Martin Luther King was assassinated; the film The Graduate was released; and in the first 'open' Wimbledon tennis tournament in London, the Singles titles were won by Billie Jean King of the USA and Rod Laver of Australia.
With its reliable and easily accessible information, this book will be invaluable to teachers, researchers, journalists, students, and anyone interested in history and the modern world.