[ WP ] The year is 2101 , summarize the most plausible history of the 21st century as you would expect to find in that year 's history textbook .

To an observer from the year 2000, the world 100 years later would appear unremarkable. Though humans have landed on Mars and revisited the Moon, no permanent space colonies have been established; the technological singularity many had predicted had never come to pass, as development in electronic technology had drastically slowed by mid-century; and immortality is still a far-off dream, the oldest woman having died decades ago at age 127. Regardless, the 21st century could be seen as an era of great happiness, peace, and knowledge unlike any century before it. 
 
 Culturally, the 21st century in America is considered to have effectively begun with the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001. An Islamic terrorist group called Al-Qaeda instigated the attack, causing almost 3,000 deaths. This event led to the American invasion of Afghanistan, and later other Middle Eastern states, which continued into the 2010s. This'War on Terror' blanketed the nation with feelings of paranoia, bleakness, and, for some, dissatisfaction over the increasing militarism of the US government. 
 
 The early- and mid-21st century witnessed rapid growth and the maturation of computing technology. By the 2010s, almost everyone carried smartphones in their pockets with greater computing power than the supercomputers of only decades prior. The natural progression of technology brought about the rise of the'Internet of Things'; nearly all kitchen appliances, grocery items, streets, and even articles of clothing were computerized and connected to the Internet, showering individuals with unprecedented amounts of data and allowing for vast improvements in personal health and greater interpersonal connectedness. Even money had become completely digitized by the end of the century. 
 
 One of the most notable technological developments was the self-driving car. Automobiles had become almost universally self-driven by the end of the century; the United States government had mandated that all cars include the feature by 2045. Since then, traffic congestion had practically become a thing of the past, greatly boosting national productivity. 
 
 With this rise of computing, however, came political distrust over governmental breaches of privacy. Governmental invasions of email, telephone messages, etc., became well known, and an uncomfortable public demanded change. Nonviolent gatherings evolved into bloody riots; one such riot in Washington, DC, in 2020 resulted in the burning of a data center supposed to contain 100 petabytes of private information. A change in government policy was cemented in the 28th amendment, heavily restricting federal intrusion upon private data. 
 
 National tolerance of minority and LGBT groups had made great gains since the 20th century. Individuals in America who openly identify as gay or lesbian, or any other minority sexual group, have risen to over 10 % by 2100. Gay and lesbian presence in the US government have also boomed; as of 2101, 42 national senators and representatives identify as such, and the first gay president was elected in 2036. The same trend towards acceptance is seen in non-white peoples as well; race riots, which scarred earlier American history, have been nearly unheard of this century. 
 
 The long-fought'War on Drugs,' started in the 1930s with the federal ban on cannabis, had been deemed a failure by the twenties. Medicinal marijuana use had been legalized in some states early in the century, and by 2020 was legal in almost every state. Marijuana use was federally decriminalized in 2022, creating a new drug industry of hundreds of millions of dollars ( billions in modern money ). Possession of'harder' drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, were decriminalized or lessened in severity over the ensuing decades. 
 
 The early-21st-century fear of a'Global Warming'-induced apocalypse had also shown itself to be unwarranted. Though the Earth had heated somewhat in the early decades, such warming ceased by mid-century thanks to a worldwide effort to forego dependence on fossil fuels. That is not to say that environmental disasters were nonexistent;'Hypercane' Ryan, with a diameter over 4,000 kilometers and wind speeds over 450 kph, cost America thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars in damage in 2031. However, such disasters were short-lived; by the second half of the century, the climate had returned to more manageable levels, and many believe Earth may soon be healthier than before the industrial revolution. 
 
 This century is considered by modern historians to be the most peaceful in history. The long-anticipated, nuclear World War III had never come to pass. However, local, conventional wars were still fought. The Islamic uprisings of the early 21st century led to the Islamic State, a Caliphate which controlled much of the Middle East for only a few years before collapsing in 2021. After the dust had settled, the region experienced a cultural revolution, the people disowning the conservative law code of their old regimes and forming more socially tolerant ones. The Second Korean War of 2035-2038 resulted in the collapse of the totalitarian North Korean state and the reunification of Korea after 80 years of separation. The end of this war is said to be symbolic of the final stake in the heart of Soviet-style communism. 
 
 The one tragedy that puts the claim of general peace into debate, however, is the Second Great African War of the 2050s to the 2060s. Due to uncontrollable population growth and decades of famine, the continent fought for dominance over scarce resources. Tens of millions died in the ensuing warfare. After the war, a treaty of peace was signed; this treaty remains unviolated to this day. Post-war Africa stands strong, its population stabilized and its food shortages effectively addressed, and is now a fully developed continent. 
 
 America no longer remains the sole'world power.' China, a country of 1.2 billion people, far surpasses it in Gross Domestic Product, and nearly rivals it in income per capita. Nigeria, with a population of over 1 billion, is experiencing economic growth never before seen in world history, having nearly octupled in population and GDP, adjusting for inflation. The European Union, a supra-national country spanning 34 European states, beats every other country in GDP and helps keep the United States in check with its large military. Despite, or because of, these threats to world dominance, the United States has scaled back its military presence in other continents in the past decades. 
 
 On a local level, the United States is faltering in dominance over North America to its neighbor, Mexico. Once a nation of corruption, Mexico had reformed after the civil war of 2058-2062 to embrace government transparency and minimal crime. Political turmoil in the majority Mexican-American border regions of southern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and southern California may soon come to a head, as leaders have openly expressed their wishes to secede the United States and join Mexico. In response to this rising threat, the United States is in the process of forming the long-predicted North American Union with Canada, the two countries having already been de facto treated as one nation for years. 
 
 Edit: Added some things
