Top 20 Moments That Made the World STAND STILL This Century (So Far)
Everyone remembers where they were when these watershed moments occurred. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most significant events of the 21st century that captured the world’s attention.
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00:00The people of the United States and our friends and allies will not live at the mercy of an outlaw regime.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most significant events of the 21st century that captured the world's attention.
00:14If you want to go forward, you press forward. If you want to go back, you press back.
00:18If you want to turn to the left, it's like that. If you want to turn to the right, you turn to the right.
00:22Number 20. The death of Queen Elizabeth.
00:25Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
00:31For many years, we watched history unfold before our very eyes.
00:35Elizabeth II, who ascended to the throne in 1952, held the title of longest reigning British monarch until her passing on September 8, 2022.
00:45Having ruled for 70 years and 214 days, Elizabeth surpassed Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years and 216 days.
00:54Elizabeth's passing in 2022 became one of the most significant events of the modern era.
01:00We just saw all the crowds, and I said to my husband, I think the Queen has died.
01:05The news of her death was understandably huge, given her historic pedigree.
01:10As such, an estimated 26.5 million people tuned in to watch her state funeral in the UK,
01:16making it the country's second most watched broadcast of the 21st century.
01:20In the distance, the final procession began.
01:25Number 19. The Titan Submersible.
01:28For a very similar tragedy where warnings went unheeded to take place at the same exact site,
01:35with all the diving that's going on all around the world, I think it's just astonishing. It's really quite surreal.
01:43For a couple of days in June 2023, the world could think of nothing else but the Titan Submersible.
01:48Having launched on June 18th, the tiny boat was descending to the wreck of the Titanic when it lost contact with its mothership.
01:55Over the next four days, the world watched with increasing curiosity, wondering what had happened to the vehicle.
02:01You know, first thing I said, you know, I won't repeat it, but you know, what the hell are they doing?
02:06You know, is that how they're going to get that out to the Titanic site?
02:11The event was widely discussed on social media, as millions were fascinated by the various elements of the wild story.
02:17Some expressed concern, while others joked about the shoddy construction of the submarine.
02:22Whatever the case, interest was widespread and enormous,
02:26until we finally learned that the craft had suffered a catastrophic hull breach and imploded.
02:31I like to tell people this is not your grandfather's submarine. It's got one button, and that's it.
02:37Number 18. The Black Saturday bushfires.
02:40It's very hard to stand on the oval and realize the entire town was going up.
02:46It was just impossible to think about.
02:48The former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, called Black Saturday,
02:52quote, one of the darkest days in the country's peacetime history.
02:55And she's not exaggerating.
02:57While these fires are named after one particular day,
03:00they actually spanned several weeks between February and March of 2009,
03:04stemming from a variety of factors, including lightning and arson.
03:08I thought it was out when I threw that pot and chair out the window.
03:12The fires ravaged the state of Victoria,
03:14destroying over 3,000 buildings and claiming 173 lives.
03:19Black Saturday itself refers to February 7th,
03:22when over 400 individual fires were observed throughout the state.
03:26The international reaction was swift,
03:28with many countries providing both physical and financial assistance.
03:32Can you communicate to the rest of Australia
03:35what your personal thoughts and feelings were when you visited those areas?
03:42Not really.
03:43Number 17.
03:44The Manchester Arena Attack.
03:46Initially, I went right home.
03:48I went to Florida and I was like, I can't.
03:51I was like, I'm not putting those costumes on again.
03:52I can't sing those songs again.
03:54On May 22nd, 2017,
03:56pop star Ariana Grande held a concert at Manchester Arena,
04:00drawing thousands to the building.
04:02Shortly after the concert ended at 10.31 p.m.,
04:05a terrorist attack occurred in the arena's foyer,
04:08killing 22 innocent people and injuring over 1,000 others.
04:12The investigation continues.
04:14Emergency services still working the scene as day breaks on this somber city.
04:19The bombing attracted widespread attention,
04:22with then Prime Minister Theresa May
04:24immediately forming the Commission for Countering Extremism.
04:27A good chunk of the international reaction came via Grande's involvement.
04:31Her sympathy response briefly became the most liked tweet in the site's history.
04:35Just two weeks after the tragedy,
04:37Grande organized the benefit concert One Love Manchester,
04:40which was attended by over 50,000 people
04:43and raised more than £17 million for the victims and their families.
05:01Both the Los Angeles Times and CBS News
05:04are both now reporting that Michael Jackson has died.
05:08The death of Michael Jackson was not just like any other celebrity passing.
05:12It was a truly momentous event.
05:15Despite the controversy that followed him late in life,
05:17the King of Pop was widely mourned when he died of a drug overdose on June 25th, 2009.
05:23Various factors went into the widespread grief,
05:25including Jackson's enormous popularity,
05:28the sudden nature of his death,
05:30and his relatively young age of 50.
05:32Then the children left their own floral tributes.
05:35They'd reportedly written notes to him which had been placed inside the coffin.
05:40His passing caused a huge upswing in album sales,
05:43making him the highest-selling artist of 2009,
05:46with over 35 million copies sold.
05:49Jackson was so popular that his memorial service,
05:51which was held at LA's Staples Center,
05:53was streamed by an estimated 3 billion people,
05:56just under half the entire world.
06:03And maybe some questionable decisions on his part,
06:06but Michael Jackson accomplished everything he dreamed of.
06:14Number 15.
06:15The Beirut Explosion.
06:16In video from the scene, you can see small explosions,
06:19small lights flickering in the main plume of smoke,
06:23and then a massive shockwave.
06:262020 was a big news year.
06:29On August 4th, the world briefly set aside the COVID pandemic
06:32to focus on Lebanon,
06:34which suffered a catastrophic explosion
06:36when stores of ammonium nitrate blew in the port of Beirut.
06:39The blast was enormous,
06:41physically shaking the entire country,
06:43and even being heard as far away as Cyprus.
06:46But how exactly did the ammonium nitrate explode?
06:50The cause of the fire that triggered the explosion is still unclear,
06:54but the images of its early stages show smoke coming from the warehouse.
06:58In fact, it was one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions in world history,
07:03and it caused Prime Minister Hassan Diab to resign his position.
07:07Landmarks across the world were lit in support of Lebanon,
07:10and some countries removed their own stores of ammonium nitrate
07:14to prevent a similar disaster.
07:15It was also a huge deal on social media,
07:18with many people spreading shocking footage of the explosion.
07:21At some level, I can almost see the appeal of keeping the place as a monument.
07:26There is something peaceful about it.
07:31All I can remember now, actually,
07:33are the popping sounds of the rifle rounds or whatnot.
07:37On October 1st, 2017,
07:39America suffered its deadliest mass shooting by a single gunman,
07:43exacerbating an already bad weapons crisis in the country.
07:46A shooter took aim at those attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las Vegas Strip,
07:51attacking from the nearby Mandalay Bay Hotel.
07:54His shots killed 60 and injured over 400,
07:57with additional casualties incurred amid the ensuing chaos.
08:01Police officers stepped in as paramedics.
08:03You see officers stopping to render aid.
08:06You see officers bleeding from bullet wounds.
08:08In response, U.S. lawmakers banned the sale of bump stocks,
08:11which allowed the shooter's weapons to fire at a faster rate.
08:15Misinformation and conspiracy theories spread widely on social media,
08:19and the Mandalay Bay closed access to the shooter's area.
08:22Additionally, the Vegas Golden Knights retired the number 58
08:26to honor the immediate victims of the attack.
08:28It's a constant reminder, you know?
08:30I'm never forgetting what happened that day.
08:36We are all puzzled by this mystery,
08:39and we want to bring it to a close.
08:42We would dearly love for another search to be undertaken.
08:46Just like the Titan Submersible,
08:48the world was left in the throes of speculation
08:50when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014.
08:55The plane was carrying 239 people
08:58when it veered off course and vanished from radar screens.
09:01The nature of the story, a gigantic airplane vanishing without a trace,
09:05caused a huge international reaction.
09:08Initially, when the airplane made a turn
09:11without talking to air traffic control,
09:14in my mind, all bets were off.
09:15With reported sightings, wild conspiracy theories,
09:18and expert analysis coming in at equal measures.
09:21Adding to the mystery was the Malaysian government,
09:24whose reaction was weirdly befuddling and inaccurate.
09:27The disappearance led to the most expensive search in aviation history,
09:31which sadly has been unable to locate the aircraft.
09:34The aircraft was still flying as we know now.
09:37That just is so painful to think about,
09:39that four hours later, no one's looking yet.
09:53Heralded as an icon of civil rights, social justice, and democracy,
09:58Nelson Mandela actively fought against apartheid,
10:00the system of racial segregation that plagued South Africa
10:03from the late 40s to the early 90s.
10:05Mandela helped end the controversial system,
10:08fostered and encouraged racial equality,
10:10and became the first president of South Africa in 1994.
10:14Today, the majority of South Africans, black and white,
10:21recognize that apartheid has no future.
10:24His initial hospitalization in 2011 attracted widespread media attention,
10:29and he died at the age of 95 on December 5, 2013.
10:34Most news outlets were devoted to covering his death and legacy,
10:37and many foreign representatives traveled to South Africa
10:40to attend his memorial service at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium.
10:54Also known as the BP oil spill,
10:56this unfortunately wasn't the first industrial disaster
10:59to devastate our marine habitats,
11:01but it remains the largest on record.
11:04It began on April 20th,
11:06due to an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform.
11:25The fallout from this disaster resulted in 205 million gallons of oil
11:29discharged into the Gulf of Mexico,
11:31and effects were still being felt years after the initial disaster.
11:43In fact, reports from 2012 stated that the oil refineries
11:47from Deepwater Horizon were still leaking,
11:49despite an official statement from 2010 that claimed the well was sealed.
11:56The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing for three quarters of a century,
12:01with the 2023 Israel-Hamas war adding another tragic and bloody chapter.
12:17This latest conflict began when the Palestinian political and militant group Hamas
12:22launched a surprise attack on the 7th of October, 2023,
12:25killing around 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians.
12:29They also took 250 Israelis hostage,
12:32demanding the release of Palestinian prisoners.
12:41In retaliation, Israel dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza over six days
12:46and launched a ground invasion.
12:48So far, over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed.
12:52There have been widespread global protests,
12:54and Gaza has collapsed into a humanitarian crisis.
13:00There were stories of heroism and an emergency response
13:03confused by poor communications and misinformation.
13:07On July 7, 2005, the UK experienced its worst terrorist attack in 17 years
13:13when four extremists carried out a horrible mission in downtown London.
13:17Three of the attackers detonated bombs in the city's underground,
13:20and a fourth attacked a double-decker bus in Bloomsbury's Tavistock Square.
13:24The attacks killed 52 residents and injured over 700.
13:28The media response was swift and lengthy,
13:31with many broadcasters devoting uninterrupted coverage of the attack.
13:35It is through terrorism that the people that have committed
13:40this terrible act express their values.
13:44And it's right at this moment that we demonstrate ours.
13:48The BBC website was also inundated with traffic,
13:51and it recorded its highest bandwidth ever that afternoon.
13:54The bombing was later recognized at the 2012 London Olympics,
13:58when a minute of silence was respectfully observed
14:00by international delegates during the opening ceremony.
14:07Ten years on, ceremonies will be held across the region
14:10to remember all those who died on that day.
14:13On December 26, 2004, the most powerful earthquake of the 21st century to date
14:18struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
14:21The earthquake and resulting tsunami left over 227,000 people dead.
14:26I go over the roofs and over the edge and with the fence, tall fence,
14:33and then to the trees. It just happened just like that.
14:36Particularly hard hit were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
14:40The disaster prompted an international humanitarian response,
14:44with the World Food Program donating provisions
14:46and various countries providing $14 billion in aid.
14:50Various fundraising events were also held across the globe,
14:53including the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal,
14:55the charity concert Tsunami Relief Cardiff, and FIFA's Football for Hope.
15:00These are some of the 140,000 homes built by the international community since the tsunami.
15:11On January 6, 2021, scenes of carnage in the U.S. Capitol,
15:17Washington, D.C., shocked Americans watching the riot unfold on TV.
15:22At a rally before the attack, outgoing President Donald Trump told supporters
15:26the election had been stolen and urged them to march to the Capitol building.
15:31Debunked by courts, state audits and federal agencies,
15:35this claim was part of a campaign to overturn the election results
15:39and reinstall Trump as president.
15:41This was a fraudulent election, but we can't play into the hands of these people.
15:48Within hours, 2,000 angry Trump supporters broke into the Capitol building,
15:52assaulting police and searching for lawmakers gathered to formalize Joe Biden's victory.
15:58Among them were members of far-right militias and neo-fascist groups, some of them armed.
16:04The insurrection failed, with lawmakers racing to safety before the mob reached them.
16:11In the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2011,
16:15U.S. President George W. Bush announced the beginning of a war on terror.
16:19The first stage of this war was the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
16:23to hunt down Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group, al-Qaeda.
16:27In this conflict, America faces an enemy who has no regard
16:32for conventions of war or rules of morality.
16:35This manhunt continued for almost a decade as bin Laden evaded capture.
16:40However, in 2011, the CIA tracked him down to a compound in Pakistan.
16:45In a helicopter raid codenamed Operation Neptune Spear on May 2nd, bin Laden was killed.
16:50After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
16:56For those who vividly recalled the events of 9-11,
16:59President Obama's announcement that the al-Qaeda leader was dead was a landmark event.
17:04In January 2015, France was left reeling from an Islamic terrorist attack
17:09on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 staff were killed.
17:17Several other smaller attacks occurred throughout the year.
17:20On November 2nd, the Al-Qaeda leader was shot in the head by an Al-Qaeda terrorist.
17:25In January 2015, France was left reeling from an Islamic terrorist attack
17:30on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, in which 12 staff were killed.
17:34These culminated in by far the deadliest.
17:37That night, in a series of coordinated attacks,
17:40terrorists detonated explosive vests and opened fire in streets and public venues in Paris.
17:50Three gunmen stormed a concert at the Bataclan Theatre, killing 90 people.
17:55In all, 130 lives were taken.
17:58The attacks sent shockwaves not only through France, but also reverberated around the world.
18:04Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
18:06For months, the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine's border had the world on edge.
18:12Would Russian President Vladimir Putin really give the order to invade?
18:16In 2014, Ukrainians had revolted against a pro-Moscow government,
18:21sick of corruption and abuse of power.
18:24Their success led Russia to annex Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
18:28In February 2022, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
18:33Furious at the country's aspiration to join NATO,
18:36I consider it necessary to immediately recognize the independence
18:41and sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.
18:44In response, the international community hit Russia with severe economic sanctions.
18:50Around the world, everyone's eyes have been glued to their screens,
18:54watching the outgunned Ukrainians hold off the invading forces.
18:58If we don't stand up, we don't have a country to defend.
19:01Hurricane Katrina
19:02This Category 5 hurricane was devastating not only due to its intensity,
19:06but also a failure of flood control systems and slow government response.
19:11On August 29, 2005, the hurricane made landfall in Louisiana.
19:15It was quickly predicted to become a catastrophic event.
19:18My fear is absolutely that the models are correct.
19:22It is gaining strength again. It is now stalking the Gulf Coast.
19:27It rapidly doubled in size and intensified into a Category 5 hurricane.
19:33The storm surge breached New Orleans' levees and flooded the city.
19:36Tens of thousands of residents had not evacuated.
19:39It didn't matter if you were from there.
19:41TV and radio audiences could feel the distress and panic in the air.
19:45Critics argued that race and class were factors in the slow local and federal response.
19:50This story ends up being the roadmap, the instruction booklet,
19:54the how-to story of dealing with disaster. It also tells you what not to do.
20:01The hurricane left an estimated 1,392 dead in its wake,
20:05making it one of the deadliest in U.S. history.
20:08Number 2. 9-11
20:10Just about everyone who's old enough to remember it can tell you where they were
20:14when they heard about the September 11th attacks in 2001.
20:18And we saw the plane on the other side of the building,
20:21and there was smoke everywhere, and people were jumping out the windows.
20:24For New York, it was morning when two hijacked passenger jets crashed into
20:28and ultimately demolished the Twin Towers as part of a coordinated attack.
20:33Well, I just was in the lobby trying to get a cup of coffee.
20:36Heard the bang, and I'm just going around the corner to see if my friends are alright.
20:41I can't talk.
20:42Another plane hit the Pentagon.
20:43After news of a fourth crash came to light that day,
20:46it became apparent that the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 took back their flight
20:51and downed the weaponized aircraft before it reached Washington, D.C.
20:56You could hear him yelling in the cockpit, the cockpit.
20:59The event claimed close to 3,000 lives, and the world was forever changed.
21:04The other trade center's down. It's down. It's down.
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21:231. The COVID-19 Pandemic
21:26On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization
21:30announced that the COVID-19 outbreak had become a pandemic.
21:34We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
21:42At the time, few of us fully understood what it would mean for our lives in the years to come.
21:47Nonetheless, the news had people worldwide glued to their screens
21:52or running to stock up on groceries, especially toilet paper.
21:56To ensure compliance with the government's instruction to stay at home,
22:00we will immediately close all shops selling non-essential goods.
22:06Through lockdowns, the world watched as the virus continued to dominate headlines,
22:11and the death toll skyrocketed from the hundreds into the thousands and then millions.
22:16The WHO's announcement was the beginning of a long, rocky road for all of us.
22:21Boosters are important, but the most important thing we need to do is get more people vaccinated.
22:28What did you think when you heard of these events? Let us know in the comments below.
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