The 100 Most Overrate Events of the 20th Century

As Voted by You, the People of the Web

(Survey begun on 25 November 1998 and completed on 27 March 1999)

The most overrated events of the 20th Century

Numbers 26 through 52:



  1. 1963: The Profumo sex/spy scandal in the UK (38 pts.)
  2. 1936: King Edward VIII of the UK abdicates in order to marry Wallis Simpson (37 pts.)
  3. 1937: Amelia Earhart disappears (36 pts.)
  4. 1977: Elvis Presley dies (36 pts.)
  5. 1935: Bruno Hauptmann is tried for the kidnapping/murder of the Lindbergh baby (35 pts.)
  6. 1992: TV: Jay Leno replaces Johnny Carson (34 pts.)
  7. 1933: Eleanor Roosevelt becomes First Lady of the USA (33 pts.)
  8. 1989: Flag-burning is legalized in the USA (33 pts.)
  9. 1983: USA invades Grenada (32 pts.)
  10. 1968: George Wallace runs for president (30 pts.)
  11. 1914: The passenger pigeon goes extinct (29 pts.)
  12. 1993: Siege and mass dying of the Branch-Davidians at Waco, Texas (29 pts.)
  13. 1992: TV: "The Contest" on "Seinfeld" (29 pts.)
  14. 1919: The Chicago Black Sox scandal at the World Series (28 pts.)
  15. 1982: Michael Jackson releases "Thriller" (28 pts.)
  16. 1983: President Reagan unveils "Star Wars" Strategic Defense Initiative (27 pts.)
  17. 1956: Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco (26 pts.)
  18. 1994: Film: "Forrest Gump" (25 pts.)
  19. 1994: Film: "Pulp Fiction" (25 pts.)
  20. 1909: The probable expedition of Robert Peary to the North Pole (24 pts.)
  21. 1911: The doomed expedition of Robert Scott to the South Pole (23 pts.)
  22. 1981: Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles of the UK (23 pts.)
  23. 1998: McGuire and Sosa hit a lot of home runs (23 pts.)
  24. 1926: Sex Symbol: Rudolph Valentino (22 pts.)
  25. 1939: Film: "Gone With The Wind" (22 pts.)
  26. 1969: The NY Jets beat the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III (22 pts.)
  27. 1986: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls, scores 63 pts against the Boston Celtics (22 pts.)




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Last updated August 1999

Copyright © 1999 Matthew White