The world’s largest database of social change milestones from throughout human history
We are building the world’s largest database of social change milestones, from the first fire to today’s good news. Change is not only possible, it has happened consistently throughout human history.
Filter by era, country, topic, actor, source, and more. Submit your own milestones!
3899
social change milestones archived
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Era
- Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
- Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
- Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
- Post-classical (500 - 1500 C.E.)
- Post-modernity (1945 - 2016 C.E.)
- Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
- Today (2017 C.E. - ???)
Year
Topics
Region
Countries
State/Province
Institution
Sources
Filters
Search
Era
- Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
- Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
- Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
- Post-classical (500 - 1500 C.E.)
- Post-modernity (1945 - 2016 C.E.)
- Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
- Today (2017 C.E. - ???)
Year
Topics
Region
Countries
State/Province
Institution
Sources
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2021 C.E. February 2Dutch court orders Shell Oil to pay for harm done to Nigerian farmers
Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian subsidiary must pay punitive restitution to Nigerian villages for oil spill contamination that brought death, illness, and destruction to Nigerian farmers and communities.
-
2021 C.E. February 1President Biden orders end to fossil fuel subsidies
The executive order “directs federal agencies to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies as consistent with applicable law and identify new opportunities to spur innovation, commercialization, and deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure.”
-
2021 C.E.Finnish hockey club aims to become world’s first carbon-neutral team
Lahti Pelicans, a Finnish ice hockey club, is championing for a carbon-free world. In celebration of Lahti’s crowning as the 2021 European Green Capital, the Pelicans set a goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral hockey club in the world.
-
2021 C.E. February 1Three major banks will no longer finance oil trade in the Amazon Sacred Headwaters region in Ecuador
The decision from Credit Suisse, ING, and BNP Paribas is seen as a major victory for environmental and Indigenous rights activists, Reuters reported.
-
2021 C.E. January 29GM commits to ending sales of gas-powered cars by 2035
GM’s CEO Mary Barra specifically announced that the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2040.
-
2021 C.E. January 29Sweden to build reindeer bridges so the animals can safely cross highways
Work will begin this year on the first of the Swedish renoducts over the E4 motorway north of the city of Umeå, Vetenskapsradion reported.
-
2021 C.E. January 29U.S. federal government to discontinue use of private prisons
A new executive order calls on the Department of Justice to not renew contracts with privately operated criminal detention centers. There are currently more than 14,000 incarcerated individuals housed in privately-operated facilities in the US.
-
2021 C.E. January 28Africa to get its first, exclusively LGBTQ cruise in 2022
Organized by AfriGay Travel, the three-night cruise will launch on March 11, 2022. It will set sail from Durban in South Africa and travel to Portuguese Island in neighboring Mozambique.
-
2021 C.E. January 28U.K. supports climate action in the Global South with $4 billion plan
The UK government has announced it will commit at least US $4 billion to climate change solutions in developing countries, helping to protect and restore nature and biodiversity over five years.
-
2021 C.E. January 28Illinois becomes first U.S. state to end cash bail system
In a huge win for racial justice, the state of Illinois is on the verge of becoming the first state to end wealth-based pre-trial detention.
-
2021 C.E. February 2Dutch court orders Shell Oil to pay for harm done to Nigerian farmers
Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian subsidiary must pay punitive restitution to Nigerian villages for oil spill contamination that brought death, illness, and destruction to Nigerian farmers and communities.
-
2021 C.E. February 1President Biden orders end to fossil fuel subsidies
The executive order “directs federal agencies to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies as consistent with applicable law and identify new opportunities to spur innovation, commercialization, and deployment of clean energy technologies and infrastructure.”
-
2021 C.E.Finnish hockey club aims to become world’s first carbon-neutral team
Lahti Pelicans, a Finnish ice hockey club, is championing for a carbon-free world. In celebration of Lahti’s crowning as the 2021 European Green Capital, the Pelicans set a goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral hockey club in the world.
-
2021 C.E. February 1Three major banks will no longer finance oil trade in the Amazon Sacred Headwaters region in Ecuador
The decision from Credit Suisse, ING, and BNP Paribas is seen as a major victory for environmental and Indigenous rights activists, Reuters reported.
-
2021 C.E. January 29GM commits to ending sales of gas-powered cars by 2035
GM’s CEO Mary Barra specifically announced that the company aims to be carbon neutral by 2040.
-
2021 C.E. January 29Sweden to build reindeer bridges so the animals can safely cross highways
Work will begin this year on the first of the Swedish renoducts over the E4 motorway north of the city of Umeå, Vetenskapsradion reported.
-
2021 C.E. January 29U.S. federal government to discontinue use of private prisons
A new executive order calls on the Department of Justice to not renew contracts with privately operated criminal detention centers. There are currently more than 14,000 incarcerated individuals housed in privately-operated facilities in the US.
-
2021 C.E. January 28Africa to get its first, exclusively LGBTQ cruise in 2022
Organized by AfriGay Travel, the three-night cruise will launch on March 11, 2022. It will set sail from Durban in South Africa and travel to Portuguese Island in neighboring Mozambique.
-
2021 C.E. January 28U.K. supports climate action in the Global South with $4 billion plan
The UK government has announced it will commit at least US $4 billion to climate change solutions in developing countries, helping to protect and restore nature and biodiversity over five years.
-
2021 C.E. January 28Illinois becomes first U.S. state to end cash bail system
In a huge win for racial justice, the state of Illinois is on the verge of becoming the first state to end wealth-based pre-trial detention.
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Submit a Milestone
Did we miss a social change milestone? What social progress have you seen around the world that I should include? Let us know!
NOTE: We cannot guarantee we will post all stories submitted here. We only post stories that represent milestones in human development (as opposed to “feel good” stories). We want something that would make sense to put on a timeline of human progress. For example, a story like “Random customer leaves a huge tip” isn’t a great fit. “Country X passes economic inequality reform bill” is a great fit.