It Was the Year of the Centenary
Photo copyright Getty Images
It’s a common trope that the 20th-century — and with it, the modern era — didn’t really start until the outbreak of the First World War (represented in the images above and below).
This year we marked the centenary of that event, ushering in not only the second century of the modern era, but a whole century of centenaries. In the coming years we’ll look back at major events like the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression and the beginning of the Second World War, along with countless less major milestones.
In other words, we’re about to live the 20th century over again in retrospective, and perhaps change our understanding of the modern world in the process.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO