20th century research and practice of science led to advancement in the fields of communication, engineering, travel, medicine, and war. 20th century The 20th (twentieth) century was a century that began on January 1, 1901 and ended on December 31, 2000. It was the tenth and final century of the 2nd millennium. It is distinct from the century known as the 1900s which began on January 1, 1900 and ended on December 31, 1999. The 20th century was dominated by a chain of events that heralded significant changes in world history as to redefine the era: flu pandemic, World War I and
American social dancing in the 20th century as swing dancing are still done, but are not necessarily well known or popular. Ragtime and jazz dance were both iconic dances of the 20th century. Both of them contained syncopated rhythms and dance steps that were very different from the polite and proper dance steps from centuries before. The new technology that came with the century made way for new ways of thinking, which in turn brought new music and exciting new dances. Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity from 1895 to 1918. Soon there were also dance moves created to go along with the music.