I was inspired by Morgan Hausel’s book where he talked about some of the events and persons that shaped the 20th century and how they altered the course of history. 15 billion people were born in the 19th and 20th century and yet just seven of them altered the course of that century and history forever. He mentions Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Princip, Edison, Gates and MLK as key figures. He then proceeds to mention eight events that have also shaped the course of history. I liked reading that and decided to think through the major events I have witnessed in my lifetime that altered the course of my history, some of these events are localized within my context.
Sani Abacha’s Death in 1998
Make no mistake about it, if Sani Abacha did not die, I’d have grown up in a Nigeria ruled by a strong long-serving dictator like Museveni, Mubarak, Nguema, etc. Given how African countries with dictators turned out, chances are that it would have been a very terrible Nigeria to grow up in. He had plans of being “life President” and he was so powerful that no one could have stopped him…except death.
MKO Abiola’s Death in 1998
One month later, there was another death. If Chief MKO Abiola did not die in prison, he definitely would have been Nigeria’s President come May 1999. The eventual president, Olusegun Obasanjo was offered the ticket after he came out of prison as compensation for Abiola’s ordeals. The jury is still out on Obasanjo’s presidency but his president set the tone for the kind of country I’d grow up in and into. If Obasanjo had prioritized putting structures in place, perhaps, I’d have grown up in a first-world country instead of the third world country Nigeria was during my time. The jury is still out on if MKO Abiola would have made a better president, I personally think he would have. His death essentially robbed me of growing up in a better Nigeria. So many things would have happened if I had a Nigeria that worked.
Page and Brin Launching Google
Google was my first introduction to the internet. Actually, it was Yahoo! but I eventually used google for everything. I keep wondering what would have happened if these two Stanford grads did not build this thing. The other alternatives; Yahoo!, AOL, Bing, etc. were never as good.
September 11 Attacks
The terrorist attacks orchestrated by Osama Bin Laden changed the global landscape forever. Before then, security was lax, terrorist groups were mostly contained but that act set off a chain of events that emboldened several terrorist groups and make simple things like travel difficult. I wonder what the world would have been today if Osama did not happen. No Iraq War, no TSA, no Homeland Security.
Zuckerberg Launching Facebook
Facebook changed social interaction for good. I don’t think people give Facebook enough credit today for how they changed interactions. I remember my first facebook account, my first facebook friends and how it was such a good breather. Today, it has become a behemoth that even the founders did not envisage. Human interaction today would have been remarkably different if not for Facebook.
Sullivan Chime’s 2007 Election
I lived in Enugu at the time and his election was my first experience of how a good leader can drive societal change using the power of the State. Sullivan Chime was elected Governor of Enugu State and would go on to change the landscape of the State for good. It was the first time I saw a working government and spurred my interest to get into government and drive change. His strides in public infrastructure remain an often cited example in my speeches of how government actions influence individuals.
Barrack Obama’s Win
When Obama won, it created a new kind of belief that anything was possible. We did not really follow the intricacies of U.S. politics that much but Obama inspired belief and around the world. His Government also brought about some of the most progressive policies and began the war between the left an the right. Before him, politics was slowly becoming centrist until Obama.
The Arab Spring
The Arab Spring has another kind of effect on me. Nigeria did not have any problems with terrorism until Boko Haram surfaced and when it looked like Boko Haram was being defeated, the Arab Spring happened and left Libya in a terrible state (they still haven’t recovered more than 1o years later) after its strong man Col Muammar Gaddafi was killed. The weapons from Libya slowly made its way down south into Northern Nigeria and led to another round of terror from splinter terrorist groups. Too many lives were lost, and too much experience was deterred. So sad.
Satoshi and Bitcoin
In my life time, cryptocurrency has minted more millionaires within my age group than any other investment vehicle. It has become mainstream now and looks not to be going anywhere. If Satoshi did not write that whitepaper, we probably would not have been here today. He (or she?) still is anonymous till today.
Buhari Winning 2015 Election
Buhari presided over the peak periods of my years as a man, he was Nigeria’s President for eight years and oversaw the biggest erosion of value we had as a country. He weakened public systems, did not make the country better and plunged so many of my generation into the lower class, essentially eliminating the middle class and made it difficult for them to compete in the global economy. Nigeria would have been much better today if Buhari had not won that election. Little wonder.
Donald Trump’s 2016 Election
Trump changed governance forever. Before Trump, leaders had to be politically correct and couth, but Trump changed the landscape. He became the leader of the free world and wielded enormous influence and never suffered the consequence of his action. This emboldened leaders around the world to be brash. “If Trump did it, I can do it” became a thing. Trump may have been the single biggest political force of the 21st century.
COVID-19 Pandemic
The Pandemic is definitely the clear winner when it comes to major altering events of a lifetime. No one was exempt from the perils of the lockdown. It was indeed a global event. Not too many words needed here.
OpenAI Launching ChatGPT
ChatGPT changed the internet and the search for knowledge as we know it. AI will change the world, but first it will influence minds and change the way people think. As people pass on the task of thinking to GPTs, humans will become less intelligent and the world will become markedly different as a result ten years from now. Tick tock.
Miracle Roch.