People take everyday conveniences--computers, cell phones, airplanes--and even basic human rights for granted. The development of these contributions has a history, however, an often difficult one that slips into obscurity. It isn't that we need to be historians to appreciate them, but if these watershed moments do impact civilization in such a revolutionary way, we might be wise to pay better attention to them. As a beginning, examine the word itself, watershed, and with enough familiarity through frequent use of the word and adequate consideration of the historical examples themselves, you will gain ownership of the word: watershed.
Definition 1: an event marking a turning point, a milestone in a course of action
Definition 2: an area of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas; a dividing point
Unless you are a scientist, the definition you will use most often is the first one, which is a figurative use of watershed.
Pronunciation: (wah ter shed)
Origin: From German, wassersheide: water divide
From English, water + shed ( a ridge of high ground, first used in 1803)
(Don't think of shed as a building. This use of shed is a variation of shade, which makes
more sense if you think of a shed as giving shade or protection.)
Figurative use: 1878
25 Watershed Moments in History:
1. The life of Jesus of Nazareth 4 BC - c. 30/33 AD
2. Pax Romana, miraculous 206 years of peace in the Roman Empire 27 BC - AD 180
3. Black Death devastates Europe 1347-1361
4. Gutenberg invents printing in Europe 1436; prints Bible 1453
5. Martin Luther, Publication of 95 Theses 1530's
6. Shakespeare and the Renaissance 1590-1611
7. Mohammed begins to dictate the Koran 1625
8. Robert Hooke discovers biological cells in his own compound microscope, 1665.
9. Invention of the Watt Steam Engine 1775
10. American Revolution 1775
11. The storming of the Bastille in 1789 (flashpoint of the French Revolution)
12. Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation 1862
13. Invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell 1876
14. Berlin Conference of 1884 (European powers carve themselves pieces of Africa---heightened colonial activity eliminating African autonomy)
15. Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully fly first powered airplane 1903
16. Henry Ford's first automobile 1903
17. Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand Francis 1914 leads to WW I
18. WW I (War to End All Wars) 1914 - 1918 (paves way for major political changes and also WWII)
19. The October Revolution (Red October, Bolshevik Revolution 1917 leads to the formation of the Soviet Union and large scale industrialization)
20. First television transmissions: Britain 1925, New York 1928
21. WW II and the atomic bomb 1941
22. Birth control pill 1960
23. Tearing down of the Berlin Wall 1989 - 1992 (powerful and enduring symbol of the Cold War)
24. First microprocessor developed in 1971 by Ted Hoff at Intel (leads way for the personal computer)
25. First mobile phone call by Martin Cooper and his team at Motorola 1973
Notice I didn't mention Edward Jenner's vaccine for small pox in 1796 or Jonas Salk's successful vaccine against the polio virus in 1953. Or even more recently the Me, Too movement in which women have been speaking out so forcefully about sexual harassment that concrete actions have been taken, a dramatic shift from the past. Clearly a list of twenty-five watershed moments barely begins to shed light on the momentous turning points that continue to change our lives.
The funny thing is, as we take advantage of the long term effects of these watershed moments, we rarely think of the events that paved the way for the safe and convenient way we live now. So why bother learning about them? What's the point? Well, here's another long list of reasons for you to ponder:
Watershed moments
1. influence civilization
2. cause revolution in every way
3. give a voice to people as they experience free thought
4. enable continued education and learning
5. create an equalizing environment
6. change the political and religious climate for millions of people
7. make people question long standing beliefs and traditions so they can grow
8. clear the way for reforms in safety and human rights
Although the impact of a watershed moment may be visible only in hindsight, our daily consciousness of not only the needs of people around the world but also their progress, can give us a better understanding of change itself, the necessity of it and the potential for it to improve lives everywhere. Watershed, a good word to know and use for a deeper understanding of life as we know it.
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