The 100 Most Overrate Events of the 20th Century

As Voted by You, the People of the Web

(Survey begun on 25 November 1998 and completed on 27 March 1999)

It's been a busy Century. You can hardly turn on the television without seeing something that someone considers newsworthy.

But how important is it? How often do you find yourself asking "Did they really need to interrupt Melrose Place to tell us that?" Who decides these things anyway?

Well, now you, the reader, have decided once and for all just how important these events really are. Let's begin with ...

Your choice for the 25 most overrated events of the 20th Century:

... out of 323 votes cast:

1. 1995: Monica Lewinsky nails President Clinton (117 pts.)
2. 1995: OJ Simpson is tried for the murder of his ex-wife and an innocent bystander (80 pts.)
3. 1997: Film: "Titanic" (78 pts.)
4. 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to some teenagers at Fatima (73 pts.)
5. 1994: Paula Jones accuses Clinton of sexual harassment (71 pts.)
6. 1950: Book: "Dianetics" by L. Ron Hubbard (67 pts.)
7. 1947: Something mysterious crashes near Roswell, New Mexico (66 pts.)
8. 1974: Patty Hearst is kidnapped (66 pts.)
9. 1980: TV: JR is shot (62 pts.)
10. 1991: Anita Hill accuses Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment (61 pts.)
11. 1992: Ross Perot runs for president (60 pts.)
12. 1997: Princess Diana dies in automobile accident (60 pts.)
13. 1975: Jimmy Hoffa disappears (52 pts.)
14. 1996: Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce (51 pts.)
15. 1929: 7 Chicago gangsters are gunned down in the St. Valentine Day's Massacre (49 pts.)
16. 1912: The Titanic rams an iceberg and sinks in the North Atlantic (48 pts.)
17. 1967: Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis (48 pts.)
18. 1900: Sigmund Freud publishes "The Interpretation of Dreams" (45 pts.)
19. 1983: TV: Sam and Diane kiss on "Cheers" (45 pts.)
20. 1984: Sex Symbol: Madonna (45 pts.)
21. 1986: The Oprah Winfrey Show goes into national syndication (44 pts.)
22. 1901: Queen Victoria of England dies (39 pts.)
23. 1945: The marriage that turned Eva Duarte into Evita Peron (39 pts.)
24. 1995: Windows 95 ® is released (39 pts.)
25. 1962: Painting: "Campbell's Soup Can, 19¢" by Andy Warhol (39 pts.)

• Your votes for the most overrated aspects of the 20th Century:
  • Ranked 1-25
  • Ranked 26-50
  • Ranked 51-100
  • Broken down by decade
  • Not overrated at all (or much)
• My opinion on which are the most overrated aspects of the 20th Century
  • ... and a few underrated aspects, as well.

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Last updated February 1999

Copyright © 1999 Matthew White