what was the decisive moment in human history?

[muon2]

If we focus on a single historic events we could add the Cuban Missile Crisis where we had the opportunity to extinguish ourselves, but instead chose to survive.

[DemPGH]

If we focus on a single historic events we could add the Cuban Missile Crisis where we had the opportunity to extinguish ourselves, but instead chose to survive.

Yes! Good one.

How was plant and animal domestication inevitable? It didn't happen in a lot of places where it was ecologically possible and it took a long time to do so when it did (Do you know the process of how Maize was grown from wild plants... it's inconceivable given what they had to work with. Probably ranks of the one of the greatest inventions in human history.

Hunter-gather societies still manage to exist, so I'd hardly call agriculture inevitable, tho the more intense utilization of resources that agriculture made possible did give agricultural societies an edge when competing for land both types of societies placed a value on.  So while once invented its spread was fairly inevitable, I would not say that its invention necessarily was.  However, agriculture is really multiple inventions, not a singular one, so I really doubt its advent can be considered a moment.

First, I think we're being fairly liberal about what a "moment" is.

Next, if we're talking about farming, which is agriculture, it does several things from an evolutionary standpoint; I think of it as a rather common sense and simple adaptation that our species made as it grew in numbers. Our greatest redeeming value is that we can adapt. But if we're to pinpoint farming as our signature moment, we may as well also select the "moment" we decided that it was in our best interest to separate ourselves from the animals. But as to farming. . .

1) It became necessary to regulate and stabilize the availability of food, and to store it, because there was not enough just growing in the wild. If human beings were only a few hundred or maybe thousand and lived in a tropical paradise we probably wouldn't need farming.

2) The climate over much of the Earth outright demands farming.

[afleitch]

In terms of single events and if we are to remain western-centric then I'd have to say the death of Ogedei Khan in 1214

[DC Al Fine]

If we focus on a single historic events we could add the Cuban Missile Crisis where we had the opportunity to extinguish ourselves, but instead chose to survive.

Were American/Soviet nuclear arsenals at end of the world levels in the early 60's?

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

If we focus on a single historic events we could add the Cuban Missile Crisis where we had the opportunity to extinguish ourselves, but instead chose to survive.

Were American/Soviet nuclear arsenals at end of the world levels in the early 60's?

The American arsenal was.  Indeed, if anything, it probably was even world-endier since we had more powerful warheads in service then than we do now to compensate for a lack of accuracy and thousands of tactical nuclear warheads in artillery shells and air-to-air missiles.

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Jesus' death and bodily resurrection.

[bullmoose88]

If we focus on a single historic events we could add the Cuban Missile Crisis where we had the opportunity to extinguish ourselves, but instead chose to survive.

Were American/Soviet nuclear arsenals at end of the world levels in the early 60's?

The American arsenal was.  Indeed, if anything, it probably was even world-endier since we had more powerful warheads in service then than we do now to compensate for a lack of accuracy and thousands of tactical nuclear warheads in artillery shells and air-to-air missiles.

Not to mention the elimination of IRBMs in the 80s.  Pershing IIs must have been a scary weapon for Soviet planners.

[The Dowager Mod]

Other, my birth (you just have not realized it yet).

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Other, my birth (you just have not realized it yet).

While there are quite a few posters here I have considered as possible candidates to be the Antichrisr, you hadn't been among them until now.

[The Dowager Mod]

Other, my birth (you just have not realized it yet).

While there are quite a few posters here I have considered as possible candidates to be the Antichrisr, you hadn't been among them until now.

It's never the one you expect.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

The neolithic revolution followed by the industrial revolution, of course.