 Egypt's history dates back to over 10,000 years, but over the last century this nation has become a leader in the Arab and Muslim world. Here are 20 historical events since the beginning of the 20th century that have shaped modern Egypt into the nation it is today. A struggle for autonomy from the Ottoman Empire was first attempted in 1914, and then again in 1919 a revolution against the colonial British was attempted, a 20th century push for independence from any foreign suppression. Found completely undisturbed in 1922, the Boy King transformed Egyptology from a study lens of large monoliths such as pyramids and temples towards that of the human scale. The life of the pharaohs was now at our fingertips. The world need not imagine anymore how ancient Egyptians lived. They could experience the most intricate and minute details of their existence firsthand. As a powerful political and religious movement with ultra-conservative and often violent inclinations, the establishment of the brotherhood in 1928 threw the country into a century of bitter conflict between political, military and secular leadership on one side and the extremist bureaucrats on the other, thus polarizing the nation. While entertainment has existed almost as long as the earliest pharaohs, it was in the early 1930s that Egypt took a new leap onto the higher thresholds of the music, theater and film industry, becoming the main hub for the expressive arts production throughout the Middle East. Artists wanting to make it big had to come to Egypt to try out their luck. A final attempt was successful in overthrowing King Farouk in 1952 by the Free Officers Movement. Their ambitions were to install democratic reforms as a fully independent republic while removing all remnants of foreign influence. But unfortunately, this attempt resulted in an utter failure, leading to decades of military rule and limited freedoms. A bold move by the Arab nationalist Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956 to vitalize broad popular support while ridding the nation of colonial rule concessions. This was Nasser's second major infrastructure move in 1970 that saw Egypt leap into the 20th century in terms of energy, self-sufficiency and industrialization simultaneously showing the world how Egypt was now a regional powerhouse. These four wars signaled a tangible shift in Egypt's objectives from a broader Pan-Arabian leader to a narrow, more subservient perspective focused on securing its own lands and borders. This shift in mindset was regarded by many Arab nations as an act of betrayal. In 1978, Anwaris Sadat's signature to the peace treaty with Israel and the subsequent return of Egyptian lands leads to a final nail in the coffin of Arab nationalism and a confirmation of Egypt's focus on its own interests in the region. For such an astute military mind, Sadat reinvited the brotherhood into Egypt's political scene. Under estimating both the brotherhood's political ambitions and societal appeal, his naivete led him to his own demise when the same brotherhood prisoners he had freed earlier carried out his televised assassination. Please subscribe to our channel as it would support us greatly in generating more content that documents our Arabian and Muslim heritage, history and culture. Now back to our story. After many decades of Olympic strife, Egypt's judo-olympian Rashwan would lose out to gold due to his unparalleled sportsmanship as he purposely avoided targeting the injured Japanese finalist Yasuhiro Yamashita's injured leg. Rashwan's act reflected a strong sense of pride and honor for his nation and is celebrated globally for this reason. The fragility of the Egyptian military institution and the nation's overall sense of security was given a serious wake-up call, a rumor that the central security force would have their compulsory service prolonged without any additional benefits or promotion, thus inciting violent demonstrations that included street skirmishes targeting tourist areas and destroying two hotels, resulting in 8,000 casualties. A perpetual practice in place by the governing powers since 1958 and after the most recent riots, further enactments pushed the laws more extremely, resulting in a culture of fear amongst the populous, fear of the security and intelligence agencies, restricted freedom of expression and an overall suppression on people's rights. Egypt has always been promoted as both a safe haven and conservative society. A country reliant on tourism must afford a secure place for tourists and locals alike. The first rape incident made public in 1988 was so foreign and shocking it contradicted the self-image Egypt projected. There was an established and underlying virtuous decay that appeared to have revealed itself, ripping apart the society's moral fabric and overall safety expectations. After many decades of failing to qualify for the event, in 1990, Egypt's first game saw them face off against the reigning European champions, the Netherlands. With freedoms and expressions restricted under Hussain Bardock's rule, there were few and foreign between opportunities to vent or speak one's mind. The one-one-tie result led to an explosion of bent-up pressure, celebrations exuding happiness, stress release and euphoria followed, raising the nation's energy towards one of hope and positivity. Egypt's participation with the multinational forces against Iraq was committed and resolute, and due to its leadership role during the liberation of Kuwait, Egypt was handsomely rewarded by its Gulf allies through multiple and significant debt write-offs, repositioning Egypt towards a much more positive and firmer economic situation, allowing the nation to avoid further financial distress and move towards prosperity. Following the post-USSR model, Egypt engaged in a process of offloading significant infrastructure, industry and public sector institutions in an attempt to privatize and raise funding for the nation. This led to the emergence of the generals, business powerhouses, who monopolize all kinds of state-owned companies such as telecommunications, infrastructure, tourism and resorts, steel and other manufacturing elements. Suppression reaches its limit in 2011, and Egyptians rise in the face of tyranny to fight for their rights as human beings who deserve a better way of life. Robotic resigns and a new hope for democracy is realized. A year after the revolution, Egyptians go out en masse to practice their right to vote in an open election for the first time ever. A peaceful and fair election followed but would be short-lived. A mere one year later, the military realizing that their control on the nation was slipping away, conduct their own coup and replace the freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi. Like no other one before him, Mohamed Salah becomes a national hero. Egyptian boys and girls alike start to believe that they can not only succeed in their most beloved sport, but they could dominate. A path to success and prosperity in sport became a new found and tangible career for Egyptian youths. Today, Egypt is struggling economically like never before. Inflation, debt and the near collapse of the Egyptian currency while regularly teetering on the brink of collapse. Due to mismanagement, instability and terrorist attacks, the situation has become dire. With over 93% of GDP going to the payment of loan interests from the World Bank and inflation in double digits, the backbone of any economy, the middle class, has practically eroded. Egypt economically is on the verge of becoming a failed state. It is a nation and a state of danger.