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what fact about our current world would freak people out if it were a newspaper headline a century ago? (lemmy.eco.br)

submitted 8 months ago by Phen@lemmy.eco.br to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

194 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Some news that would be completely mundane today but scary or shocking in the past.

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[–] Susaga@ttrpg.network 50 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

You might be able to streamline the process by saying "fears of World War III" and letting them fill in the gaps themselves.

[–] rbos@lemmy.ca 13 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I might find that reassuring in 1923, if the world makes it a full 100 years with only one global scale war. It's a great run by historic standards.

[–] luciferofastora@lemmy.zip 12 points 8 months ago

Not really. Global Scale Wars were a unique thing back then. The Great War, the war to end all wars, was thought (hoped!) to be the only one of its kind. They had a lot of conflicts between major powers, but at least for the west, 17 million deaths excluding the spanish flu epidemic was a massive outlier.

Even the Mexican Revolution, listed on Wikipedia with an upper estimate of 3.5 million, wasn't a quarter of that, and it wasn't global. The last thing in the west that came (somewhat) close was the Napoleonic Wars with an upper estimate of 7 million, a hundred years earlier. China has had several massive death counts in various wars and rebellions, but that won't have been very present to the average western civilian.

WW1 brought with it a slew of new developments in military technology and capability for destruction. For the world to have not just one, but potentially two conflicts considered at least on par with The Great War would be very concerning.

[–] Exec@pawb.social 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

We should start talking about World War IV then

[–] abclop99@beehaw.org 3 points 8 months ago

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. World War V will be fought with crossbows, World War VI will be lasers, and World War VII will be blowguns. I don't know about World Wars VIII through XI. World War XII will use the same weapons as III, but will be fought entirely within underground tunnels. World War XIV will—Hey, come back! I have a whole list!

—Albert Einstein

[–] raubarno@beehaw.org 3 points 8 months ago

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ~ Albert Einstein