A Christmas Carol 2007 Study Guide - Goodman Theatre

Before being elected
president of South Africa,
Nelson Mandela received
the Nobel Peace Prize in
1993.
Indian women cheer as Prime
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visits the
test site at Pokaran.
Two women marry in Massachusetts
shortly after same-sex marriages are
legalized in the state.
A refugee camp in Sudan. War in the Darfur
region has led to some two million refugees to
flee their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.
1994
Rwandan genocide of Tutsis by
Hutus begins, killing an estimated
800,000 in some 100 days; Nelson
Mandela elected president in South
Africa’s first interracial national
election.
1998
India conducts three atomic
tests despite worldwide disapproval;
Pakistan stages five nuclear tests in
response.
2000
Presidents of North and
South Korea sign peace
accord, ending half-century
of antagonism; human
genome deciphered; Mad
Cow disease alarms Europe.
2002
The Euro currency debuts
in 12 European countries;
North Korea admits to
developing nuclear arms in
defiance of treaty.
2004
Same-sex marriages
begin in Massachusetts,
first U.S. state to legalize
the unions; Sudan
government and rebels
reach accord to end 21-
year civil war that claimed
some 2 million people,
while separate war in
western Darfur region
continues; enormous
tsunami devastates
Southeast Asia, killing at
least 225,000.
2006
U.S. Senate rejects
proposed
constitutional
amendment to ban
same-sex marriage;
International
Astronomical Union
reclassifies Pluto as a
dwarf planet;
South African
parliament
votes to legalize
same-sex
marriage.
1997
U.S. spacecraft begins
exploration of Mars, transmits
thousands of pictures back
to Earth; Kyoto Protocol
encourages nations to limit
greenhouse gas emissions.
Federal agents take Elián González
1999
into custody in April 2000.
World population reaches
six billion; five-year-old Cuban
refugee Elián González gets
caught in politically charged
custody battle; new Northern
Ireland government begins selfrule
for first time in 25 years.
2001
Terrorists attack U.S. World
Trade Center and Pentagon,
killing over 3,000; U.S. and
British forces launch bombing
campaign against Taliban
government and al-Queda camps
in Afghanistan.
2003
Massive peace demonstrations
around the world protest potential
invasion of Iraq; U.S. and
Britain launch war against
Iraq.
2005
Hurricane Katrina on Gulf
Coast kills over 1,000 and
leaves millions homeless;
Indonesian government and
the Free Aceh Movement sign
peace accord to end nearly
30-year-long civil war;
massive earthquake in
Kashmir region of South
Asia kills over 80,000 and
leaves millions homeless;
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf becomes
Africa's first woman head
of state.
Think About It:
What’s most important?
Terrorists crashed planes into the
World Trade Center towers in
New York City on Sept. 11, 2001.
Destruction caused by the 2005
earthquake in South Asia.
Which three events from this timeline do you think are
the most important of the past 30 years? What makes
them so significant? What factors did you use to select
them? Was this decision hard for you to make? Why or
why not? Are there any events in the timeline above
that you did not know about? Why do you think
some events are taught or discussed more 9
than others?
Pictures from www.sa-venues.com, www.legalreader.com, www.pulitzer.org, www.unep.org, www.washingtonmonthly.com and www.news.bbc.co.uk