what singular thing or event of all time changed/altered/affected US history the most? (influence, Great Britain)

[Chango]

Ok... FIGHT!

[Chango]

I picked Electricity, though the rifle may be #2, as we'd of never arrived where we are today without the firepower both muzzleloader and later cartridge rifles gave us to colonize/conquer the west, win wars,ect. I also forgot nuclear engergy/weapons; that is a BIG one, though I'm not sure if our world today we be too incredibly different without it.

[Grandstander]

Without the revolution America evolves into a Dominion status arm of Great Britain. Without the Union victory in the Civil War, the United States becomes two nations. Those two have to be at the top of any list.

The obvious # 3 didn't draw a nomination from you, that was the Louisiana Purchase. It instantly doubled the size of the young nation, provided it with western territories into which it could drive all the unwanted Indians who lived East of the Mississippi, set the US up so that it was in a position to make a claim on the Oregon territory, and created a border with New Spain/Mexico which was to serve as the jumping off point for the manifest destiny land grabs.

[Snort]

A Kardashian goes on "Dancing With the Stars". I think this marks a real turning point.

[Funny how?]

Originally Posted by Snort

A Kardashian goes on "Dancing With the Stars". I think this marks a real turning point.

Yeah right. Get serious, ok?

My vote goes to, well, maybe when somebody shot J R Ewing??

[Irishtom29]

As affected American history specifically? The revolt against Britain; all else <as Americans> follows from that.

[jtur88]

Among things that were not mentioned in the poll options:

The Spanish American War was very important, because it ended forever the presence of any rival and belligerent European powers within the American influence. In addition to that, it resulted in the US possession of the Philippines, which brought Japanese expansionism in Asia very much into America's concerns.

As for technological advances, Plastic would certainly have to be there. Other technologies were a natural progression in the visible future of development, but Plastic was a completely unimagined and unanticipated material, without which, the advance of other technologies would have been severely retarded. Imagine the impact on the planet's natural resources, if everything made of plastic or similar synthetics still had to be made of metal, wood, glass, or natural fibers.

Also, don't underestimate the Trans-Atlantic Cable, which reduced the time needed to transmit information across the ocean from two weeks to two seconds. And it is still in use today carrying all internet data between America and Europe.

Nobody mentioned the continuum of McCarthyism/Patriot Act. Is this discussion limited to positive changes?

[TheDanishGuy]

I don't see how anybody could NOT pick the revolution??

We are after all talking about american history.

[jtur88]

Originally Posted by TheDanishGuy

I don't see how anybody could NOT pick the revolution??

We are after all talking about american history.

The revolution would have eventually taken place anyway, unless you think the American States (along with Gibraltar, Aruba and Reunion) would be the only colonies still in existence today. We might be a part of Canada, but how different would that be?

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by jtur88

. We might be a part of Canada, but how different would that be?

Everyone would have health care????