The 21st century

 At the end of the 20th century, the world got ready to party. Huge celebrations took place across the globe to greet the year 2000, the start of the new millennium. The new century brought grave new challenges, but also amazing opportunities. 

With the world's population expanding, humanity's demands on the planet are growing rapidly. As the 21st century goes on, scientists have become increasingly concerned that we may run out of some natural resources, and that human activity is causing dangerous changes to our environment. Many countries have also had to contend with devastating natural disasters. Terrorist attacks brought fear and conflict to many cities, and a global financial collapse increased the hardship for millions. At the same time, the 21st century has seen astonishing new advances in technology. Smartphones and tablets have transformed the way we communicate, and the internet has expanded hugely to give voices to users across the globe. 

Digital revolution

The digital revolution began in the 1980s, when computers became cheap enough for people to buy and use at home. At first computers were big metal boxes, but today, MP3 player, and cameras. The internet is rapidly evolving to play a central role in society, transforming cultural, economic, and political landscapes. There are thought to be more than 2 billion internet users worldwide, all of whom can exchange information in an instant. 

Web use

During the 1990s, most people only used the internet to look up information. In the 21st century, the amount of user-generated content has hugely increased, with blogs and social networking sites allowing people to share their ideas and experiences. 

IN 2001, GOOGLE INDEXED

 250 MILLION IMAGES.

 IN 2010, IT INDEXED 

MORE THAN 10 BILLION. 

The War on Terror

In 2001, a group of islamist terrorists named al-Qaeda launched a series of attacks on targets in the USA. A decade of conflict followed. The USA and it's allies launched a "War on Terror", invading Afghanistan to capture the terrorists and prevent further attacks. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda and their allies plotted to cause more deaths and destruction in other countries across the world. 

Sept 2001

9/11 

On 11 September 2001, the USA suffered devastating terrorist attacks. Members of al-Qaeda, a global terrorist network of radical Muslims, hijacked four aircraft. They flew two into the World Trade Center in New York (pictured) and one into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which shocked the world. 

Oct 2001

Invasion of Afghanistan

The USA and its NATO allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom after the 9/11 attacks, in an effort to track down Osama bin Laden. The terrorist leader was thought to be in Afghanistan, where the Taliban government was allied with al-Qaeda. The invasion succeeded in overthrowing the Taliban, but violence continued in Afghanistan for years. 

March 2004

Madrid bombings

On the eve of Spanish political elections, members of al-Qaeda exploded bombs on four trains in Madrid, killing 191 people and wounding 1,841. The Spanish government had supported the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. The Spanish public promptly voted that political party out of office and installed a party that withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq. 

July 2005

London bombings

Britain experienced attacks on 7 July 2005, when terrorists carried out a series of suicide bombings on London's transport system. Three bombs exploded on underground trains, and one on a double-decker bus. An al-Qaeda website claimed that they had launched these attacks in retaliation for Britain's involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. 

May 2011

Death of Bin Laden

US President Barack Obama received intelligence that Osama bin Laden, the head of al-Qaeda, was hiding out in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In a daring night raid named Operation Neptune Spear, a US Navy Seal team shot dead bin Laden and four others. It was an important milestone in the War on Terror, but not an end to Islamist extremist terror attacks. 

The War in Iraq

In 1991, Saddam Hussein, leader of Iraq, ordered an invasion of neighbouring Kuwait. His armies were driven out by an international force led by USA, but tensions remained high. In 2001, the international community suspected that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction capable of causing huge civilian casualties. As the War on Terror heightened tensions across the Middle East, the USA and UK led an invasion of Iraq in 2003, toppling Saddam Hussein from power. Although the invasion lasted only a few weeks, violence would continue in Iraq for many years. 

Saddam Hussein's statue is toppled

US tanks rolled into the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in April 2003, signalling the end of the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Jubilant Iraqis toppled a massive statue of the former leader in a symbolic gesture of contempt. 

The Arab Spring

In 2010, a Tunisian man set fire to himself in protest at ill-treatment by the Tunisian police. His rebellion sparked a wave of unrest that spread across the Arab world, in countries ruled by dictators or corrupt and oppressive governments. First, the Tunisian leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, was forced from power. Then dissent spread to Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak resigned after massive popular protests. In 2011, there were uprisings in Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, and Syria. Libya's leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown by rebel fighters. Free elections took place in some Arab countries, but others such as Syria were thrown into civil war. 

Wave of protest

Demonstrations in Tunisia spread to countries across the Middle East and North Africa. 

Natural disasters

The first years of the 21st century were beset by natural disasters and extreme weather. In 2003, more than 40,000 people died in heat waves across Europe. In 2004, a huge tsunami caused devastation around the Indian Ocean, killing almost 230,000 people in 14 countries. The following year, a powerful storm, Hurricane Katrina, laid waste to the US city of New Orleans, with wind speeds of 200 kph (125 mph). A massive earthquake devastated the island of Haiti in the Caribbean in 2010, killing more than 300,000 people and leaving millions homeless. In 2011, another earthquake triggered a tsunami in Japan, wrecking homes and causing radioactive material to leak from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. 

Global dangers

Countries all across the world experienced devastating natural disasters in the early years of the 21st century. Some were freak chance events, while others have been linked to changes in the world's climate. 

Global financial crisis

In 2007, US banks realized that they had lent money for house mortgages to hundreds of thousands of customers who could not afford to pay them back. To make matters worse, the banks had bundled up the mortgages with other investments, worth billions of dollars. These suddenly lost value, threatening financial systems across the world. The value of investments plummeted, and huge banks collapsed in the USA and Europe. The crisis brought poverty and unemployment to many countries across the globe. 

Losses and bailouts

The crisis wiped 33 per cent off the value of the world's companies. Governments were forced to pay out huge sums of money to keep their economies afloat.