My Top Story of the Century

1. Jackie Robinson breaks baseball's color barrier. 1947

      Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American major league baseball player with the Brooklyn Dodger on April 15, 1947. He played first base and went zero for three at the plate. He encountered racism from opposing teams, fans and even some of his teammates, but that never stopped him from achieving his dream.

      I think that this is one of the most interesting of the top-three events that happened in the 1900's because it started an amazing opportunity for racism to be put to a stop. Also, it gave other African Americans hope and motivation to pursue their dreams. This is also the most interesting event because it included a popular sport that everybody in the US knows about, therefore making it a large story.

2. Worldwide flu epidemic kills 20 million. 1918.
                                           
      This deadly flu disease affected 25 percent of the U.S. population and took about 675,000 American lives. People were demanded to wear masks anywhere public to prevent spreading. This worldwide flu epidemic is the deadliest in modern history.

      This is one of the most interesting events from the 1900's because it had such a large effect on the world, not just America. It is amazing how a disease can eliminate a large amount of the world's population. The flu epidemic is something the whole world can learn from, which is another reason why it is one of the most interesting events from the 1900's.

3. The U.S. Surgeon General warns about smoking-related health hazards. 1964.

      This report has shown that smoking was responsible for a 70 percent increase of deaths of smokers than non-smokers. The report also gave that smoking caused chronic bronchitis and smoking during a pregnancy reduced the average weight of newborns. Many people's attitudes changed about smoking after the 1964 report came out.

This is one of the most interesting events that happened in the 1900's because it changed the way we look at smoking today. How one report about the effect of smoking has affected our lives today is remarkable. It is amazing how one report can change our lives.