2. The collapse of the Soviet Union (1991)

The collapse of the Soviet Union led to an improved atmosphereof collaboration on space exploration between the United States and the Soviet Union's successor state, Russia. In principle, collaborations such as that on the International Space Station (ISS) are generally valuable. But the subsequent collapse of the Russian economy in the late 1990's led to increased difficulties for the ISS, and the net result on space exploration may be negative.

 

Jay M. Pasachoff is the Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College. His Top 10 list largely relates major world events to a number of important developments in astronomy. He points to the establishment of the Nobel Prizes as an event that helped spark public interest in science.

1.

The development of radio astronomy (late 1900's)
2. The collapse of the Soviet Union (1991)
3. Dropping the atomic bomb in World War II (1945)
4.

The launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union (1957)
5. Introduction of the Nobel Prizes (1901)
6. Albert Einstein's theories of relativity (early 1900's)
7. Hitler's persecution of the Jews (1930's and 1940"s)
8. Discovery of the transistor and the rise of electronics (middle to late 1900's)
9. The development of computers (middle to late 1900's))
10. The invention of the airplane (1903)