Do you know that a period of years has been given terms by the English dictionary? Therefore, do you know how long is a decade?
If you do not know the answer to this question, then fret not. In this article, you are going to learn a decade is how long. In addition, you will also learn about some key events that took place in the decades of the 20th century that shaped the world we know today.
How Long Is A Decade?
If you have the question “how long is a decade?” in your mind, then the answer is pretty simple. A decade is a period of ten years.
However, it is important to note one crucial factor about what makes a period of ten years a decade. Not every period of yen years can be marked as a decade. For example, you cannot say that 2005 – 2014 is a decade. While technically, it qualifies as a decade since it has ten years, it will still not be termed as a decade.
This is because a decade refers to a span of ten years, starting with years ending with a 0 and ending with years ending with a 9. Therefore, you can say that 2000 – 2009 is a decade.
However, a variation of this fundamental rule has existed in popular culture. Another rule that has gained momentum is the acceptance of years ending with 1 as the starting point of a decade. Here, years ending with 0 marks the end of a decade. For example, 2001 – 2010 is marked as a decade in this regard.
Public Description Of How Long Is A Decade
In the United States, a poll was conducted by YouGov in 2019 regarding the public view of how long is a decade. Here, approximately 14,000 adults in the country were asked this question – When do you think the next decade will begin and end?
In response to this, 64% of the respondents have stated that the next decade will start in 2020 and will end in 2029. However, 17% of the respondents stated that the next decade will begin in 2020 and end in 2030. Surprisingly, 19% of the respondents stated that they did not have an answer to this question since they did not know how long is a decade in years.
History Of Humankind Over The Decades
With humankind being around for more than 50,000 years, it’s safe to say that lots of decades have passed. However, the decades of the last century have been the most impactful so far.
Here are some key events that took place over the decades of the 20th century:
1900 – 1909
Two major events took place in this decade. They are:
- 1903: The Wright brothers created the first airplane and took it to flight.
- 1905: Renowned scientist Albert Einstein created the Theory Of Relativity.
1910 – 1919
One of the biggest wars took place in this decade. Some important events of this decade are:
- 1913: Niels Bohr discovered the model of an atom, kickstarting study, and research in quantum physics.
- 1914 – 1918: World war 1 took place.
1920 – 1929
Some important events of this decade are:
- 1921: Adolf Hitler becomes the leader of the German Nazi party.
- 1923: Diabetics are given a breath of fresh air with the start of mass production of insulin.
- 1928: Alexander Fleming discovers Penicilion, leading to the creation of antibiotics.
- 1929: The Great Depression starts in the US.
1930 – 1939
This decade is pretty interesting. Some important events of this decade are:
- 1930: The very first FIFA football world cup takes place.
- 1934: Hitler becomes the Fuhrer of Germany.
- 1938: The first Superman comic book was published by Action Comics.
- 1939: The invasion of Poland by Germany begins World War II.
1940 – 1949
Even though this decade is tragic, some important events are:
- 1943: Colossus and EINAC, two of the world’s first digital computers, were created.
- 1945: World War II comes to an end.
- 1948: Ferrari cars and Polaroid cameras started circulating in the market.
1950 – 1959
Some important events of this decade are:
- 1951: The first color TV came into existence.
- 1952: Jonas Silk created the first Polio vaccine.
- 1953: Elvis Presley starts becoming popular.
- 1955: The First Disneyland was created.
- 1957: Sputnik 1, the first human satellite in space, was launched by the USSR.
- 1958: NASA was established.
1960 – 1969
Music and entertainment played a big role in this decade, along with giant leaps for mankind. Some important events of this decade are:
- 1960: The Beatles were formed.
- 1961: USSR sends Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space.
- 1962: Spiderman was created by Stan Lee.
- 1963: The assassination of American president John F Kennedy took place.
- 1964: Sidney Poitier becomes the first black man to win an Oscar for his movie Lilies of the Field (1963).
- 1966: The first episode of Star Trek aired on TV.
- 1969: NASA puts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first men to land on the moon.
1970 – 1979
British entertainment played a big role this decade. Some important events of this decade are:
- 1970: The Beatles released their last album, Let It Be, and split.
- 1975: Jaws was released, directed by Steven Spielberg.
- 1979: The first Walkman was released on commercial markets.
1980 – 1989
Some important events of this decade are:
- 1980: John Lenon was murdered.
- 1982: The first CD players hit the markets.
- 1983: India won their first Cricket World cup.
- 1983: Metallica releases Kill ’em All, and Iron Maiden releases The Number of the Beast, making heavy metal music rise into mainstream.
- 1985: Microsoft Windows computers were released.
- 1986: The Chernobyl Disaster took place.
1990 – 1999
Some important events of this decade of information sharing are:
- 1990: Tim Berners Lee launches the World Wide Web (Internet).
- 1992: The European Union was established.
- 1993: Intel creates its first processors.
- 1994: Nelson Mandela becomes the first president of South Africa.
- 1997: Princess Diana’s car crash and death took place.
- 1997: JK Rowling publishes Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
Some answers to questions related to how long is a decade are:
Ans – A decade is a period of ten years, starting with years ending with a 0 and ending with years ending with a 9 (for example, 2000 – 2009). Therefore, half a decade will be a period of five years. For example, 2000 – 2004 is half a decade.
Ans – By far, the decade of 1940 – 1949 has been one of the most important decades in the history of mankind in the modern era. This is because, in this decade, World war II took place, which completely changed the political landscape of various powerful nations in this world. Also, more than 80 million deaths were reported, the highest in any war so far in the history of humankind.
Ans – The current decade (2020 – present) is an important decade in human history. This is because 2020 marked the year when the Covid pandemic outbroke worldwide. This resulted in 600 million affected individuals, with more than six million deaths worldwide.
A Decade In The Making
So, did you learn how long is a decade in years? A decade refers to a period of ten years.
However, it can only be termed as a decade if its starts from a year ending with a 0 and end with year ending on a 9. For example, 2000 – 2009 can be termed a s a decade, but not 2001 – 2010. However, a period of ten years is simply referred to as a decade.
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