The 20th century saw more changes
in the way people lived their lives than
any other century. Among the century’s
many new inventions were television,
computers, the Internet, and nuclear
power. The century began with the
first aeroplane flight, lasting just 12
seconds, in 1903. By 1969, US
astronauts had flown to the Moon
and walked on its surface.20th century
250
ENTERTAINMENT
Radios were invented at the beginning of the century, and the
1920s saw the arrival of radio broadcasts. In the 1930s and
1940s, going to the cinema was the most popular leisure activity.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the popularity of cinemas waned, as
people stayed at home to watch the new invention, television.CONFLICTS
World War I (1914–18) left 20 million dead,
mostly young soldiers. Military air power
during World War II (1939–45) made cities
vulnerable to attack. Around 60 million
people died, many of them civilians. This was
followed by the Cold War, a long stand-off
between the USA and communist Russia.UN The United Nations (UN) is
an international organization,
which was set up in 1945 to
help prevent wars.Cold War emblem The
hammer and sickle was the
emblem of communist Russia,
the USA’s Cold
War rival.Refrigerator Mass
production of home
refrigerators began
after World War II.Walkman In the
1980s, the personal
cassette player let
people listen to
music on the move.Radio In the early part of
the century, the whole
family would sit around
listening to the radio.Television Early televisions were small, and
showed only grainy black and white pictures.Gramophone The
first record players
were powered by
turning a handle
at the side.Cinema People flocked to
the cinema to watch their
Hollywood idols.Famine Many
countries faced
humanitarian crises.Protests The 1960s saw
many people march in
anti-war protests.Gas masks These were issued to
soldiers in World War I, and to both
soldiers and civilians in World War II.AIDS From the
1980s onwards, a
terrible new disease
called AIDS claimed
the lives of millions
of people around
the world.The hammer and
sickle signifies the
unity of peasants
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