Reflecting on the last 100 years has been put to the test since early December. From news analysts to TV commentators, we have heard a lot about the top this and the top that. What events shaped our country? Who were the major contributors? At the risk of boring you with this column, I thought it would be fun to add my own views.

If there is any title for the last century, it should be, "The Century of Inventions." More patents were issued in the 1900s than in the history of recorded inventions. To single out any one as the most important ignores the collective value we should place on all of them.

Let me name a few, and I am sure you can add to the list. While the light bulb was invented before 1900, it was not until the 20th century that our streets, offices and homes would be illuminated. The same can be said for the telephone. And while not necessarily in chronological order, the early 1900s saw the invention and development of the airplane, radio, television, automobiles, computers, the internet, satellites, rockets capable of going to the moon and back, atomic power and the atomic bomb, CDs and so many scientific medical applications that I would run out of space if I even started to list them!

Just think how most of these inventions have improved the world in which we live. And I have not even mentioned indoor plumbing.

At the same time, the world has faced devastating incidents. We have witnessed two world-wide wars and numerous military actions in which hundreds of thousands have been killed. The atomic bombs changed our outlook on the future, and terrorist activities ­ always for a cause ¬ can complicate our comings and goings. As a result, rain, hurricanes, tornadoes and the action of the oceans can be destructive forces.

With all of our advancements, we have witnessed a weakening of the family structure and a decline in moral values never before seen. As a result, more children than ever are at risk with a questionable future. Assessing all of our progress in terms of comfort, convenience and opportunity, we are still leaving millions of people in our own country behind. Could it be that all of these advances have come at the expense of some parts of our society? I can only hope that the next 100 years will have us find ways for all Americans to participate fully in the economic benefits of 20th century inventions ¬ not through handouts, but through better education and a return to a higher plane of moral principles.

Finally, how could I end this column without a mention of the Panama Canal? Theodore Roosevelt brought this nation out of isolation and on to the world stage. The Canal, at the turn of the last century, was symbolic of America's future. I cannot help but wonder about what the symbol will be for the start of the 21st century?