21st century facts for kids
| Millennium: | 3rd millennium |
|---|---|
| Centuries: | 20th century · 21st century · 22nd century |
| Decades: | 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s 2050s 2060s 2070s 2080s 2090s |
| Categories: | Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments |
The 21st century started on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 2100. It is the century we are currently living in! Many important events have already happened, and many more are still to come.
Contents
What Has Happened So Far?
The 21st century has been a time of big changes around the world. We've seen new technologies, major global events, and shifts in how people live and connect.
Global Challenges and Changes
The early 21st century saw some big challenges. On September 11, 2001, the September 11 attacks happened in the United States. This led to major changes in global security.
There have also been many natural disasters. In 2004, a huge tsunami hit many countries around the Indian Ocean, causing a lot of damage. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused massive flooding in New Orleans. Other major natural disasters include the 2010 Haiti earthquake and Hurricane Maria in 2017.
People around the world have also protested for change. The Arab Spring in the early 2010s saw many protests in the Middle East and North Africa. Later, protests like Euromaidan in Ukraine and the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests showed people standing up for their rights. In 2020, the George Floyd protests happened in the United States and other countries, bringing attention to social justice issues.
Leaders and Politics
Many important leaders have shaped the 21st century. George W. Bush was the president of the United States when the century began. Later, Barack Obama became the first African-American president of the United States. More recently, Joe Biden became the 46th president.
Other countries also saw new leaders. Angela Merkel was a very important leader in Germany for many years. Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister of Australia in 2010. In China, Xi Jinping has become a powerful leader. The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has also played a big role on the world stage.
Amazing Discoveries and Technology
The 21st century has brought incredible advances in science and technology. In space, NASA successfully landed the Curiosity rover on Mars in 2012. This robot explores the planet and sends back amazing pictures and data. The New Horizons spacecraft also flew past Pluto in 2015, giving us our first close-up look at this distant dwarf planet.
On Earth, technology has changed our daily lives. The iPhone, first released in 2007 by Steve Jobs, helped kick off the era of smartphones. These devices have changed how we communicate, learn, and entertain ourselves.
Sports and Culture
Sports have continued to be a huge part of the 21st century. The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were a spectacular event. Athletes like quarterback Tom Brady and golfer Tiger Woods have become legends in their sports.
In music and arts, people like Indian composer A. R. Rahman have won major international awards, showing how global culture has become.
Images for kids
-
India's Prayag Kumbh Mela is regarded as the world's largest religious festival.
-
A map of uncontacted tribes, around the start of the 21st century
-
Belligerents of the Second Congo War
-
George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, from 2001 to 2009
-
Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after signing the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
-
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of Australia in 2010.
-
Americans celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden in front of the White House
-
Pope Francis in Poland
-
Ukraine, Euromaidan, people protesting in favor of Ukraine's European way.
-
Pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk, Ukraine
-
2015 European migrant crisis
-
Turkish anti-coup rally in support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 22 July 2016
-
China's Xi Jinping has been the leader for life since 2018.
-
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, parents, and others march in the March for Our Lives protest in Parkland, FL in 2018.
-
George Floyd protests in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020.
-
Joe Biden, the 46th and current president of the United States.
-
NASA successfully lands the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars.
-
Artist's impression of New Horizons' close encounter with the Pluto–Charon system.
-
Steve Jobs discussing the iPhone, an early smartphone, in 2008
-
December 2001 riots in Argentina, also known as "Argentinazo".
-
2007 Georgian demonstrations against the government of president Mikheil Saakashvili.
-
Tahrir Square Protest during the Arab Spring in Egypt.
-
Peaceful protests in Madrid. In August 2011, Spain's unemployment reached 21.2% (46.2% for youths).
-
"Marcha Mas Grande De Chile" during the 2019–2020 Chilean protests.
-
New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
-
Damaged buildings in Port-au-Prince as a result of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
-
Hurricane Maria destruction in Dominica in 2017.
-
Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling unit in the Gulf of Mexico on fire in 2010
-
The Beijing Bird's Nest Stadium during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
-
Quarterback Tom Brady led the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his career, appearing in 10 Super Bowls himself, the most ever.
-
Tiger Woods was the most successful male golfer of the first two decades of the 21st century.
-
The start of a race during the 2016 Supercars Championship in Australia
-
A. R. Rahman, an Indian composer, became the first-ever from the sub-continent to have won double Oscars for his original score and soundtrack in 2009.
-
Global Peak Oil forecast. Virtually all economic sectors rely heavily on petroleum.
-
Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2006. Almost 97% of future population growth is expected to occur in developing countries.
-
In early 2019, more than 90% of world's 13,865 nuclear weapons were owned by Russia and the United States.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Siglo XXI para niños
