In the early 21st century, the United States was the sole superpower after the fall of the Soviet Union, while China began rapidly rising. On July 7, 2005, four suicide bombers struck London's public transport system during morning rush hour, killing 52 people in the deadliest terrorist attack in the UK since 1988. The 2012 Summer Olympics took place in London and were praised for their organization, with the volunteers and military earning high praise.

1. In contemporary history, the 21st century began with the United States as the
sole superpower in the absence of the Soviet Union, while China began its rapid
rise to become the next superpower and the BRIC countries aim to create more
balance in the global political and economic spectrum. As the Cold War was over
and terrorism on the rise, exemplified by the September 11, 2001 attacks at the
World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon. Unfortunately, Britain did
not avoid international terrorism.
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings
that struck London's public transport system during the morning rush hour.
At 8:50 a.m. three bombs exploded within 50 seconds of each other on three
London Underground trains. A fourth bomb exploded on a bus at 9:47 a.m. in
Tavistock Square. The bombings led to a severe, day-long disruption of the city's
transport and mobile telecommunications infrastructure.
Fifty-six people were killed in the attacks, including the four suspected bombers,
and about 700 injured. The incident was the deadliest single act of terrorism in
the United Kingdom since Lockerbie (the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103
which killed 270), and the deadliest bombing in London since the Second World
War.
Police investigators identified four men whom they believe to be suicide
bombers. These are the first suicide bombings in Western Europe, and are
thought to have been planned by Islamist paramilitary organisations based in the
United Kingdom; the terrorist organization al-Qaeda claimed responsibility.

2. The financial crisis of 2007–2008,
also known as the global financial crisis and 2008 financial crisis, is considered by
many economists to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the
1930s. It resulted in the threat of total collapse of large financial institutions, the
bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets
around the world. In many areas, the housing market also suffered, resulting in
evictions, foreclosures and prolonged unemployment. The crisis played a
significant role in the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth
estimated in trillions of US dollars, and a downturn in economic activity leading to
the 2008–2012 global recession and contributing to the European sovereign-debt
crisis. The active phase of the crisis, which manifested as a liquidity crisis, can be
dated from August 7, 2007, when BNP Paribas terminated withdrawals from three
hedge funds citing "a complete evaporation of liquidity".

3. The United Kingdom general election of 2010 was held on Thursday 6 May 2010
to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650
constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system.
None of the parties achieved the 326 seats needed for an overall majority. The
Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, won the largest number of votes and
seats but still fell twenty seats short. This resulted in a hung parliament where no
party was able to command a majority in the House of Commons. This was only
the second general election since World War II to return a hung parliament, the
first being the February 1974 election.
And some words about David Cameron
In 2003, he was appointed shadow minister in the Privy Council and vice chairman
of the Conservative party. In 2005, Michael Howard resigned as leader of the
Conservative party, leaving the leadership wide open. Despite his young age and
relative lack of experience, he gained support from some key party members. The
party was keen to look towards a new generation, who could perhaps compete
with a revitalised ‘New Labour’ party. Despite finishing second in the first ballot,
he went on to win, beating more established names.
In spite of criticism from both the left and right wings of his party, he led to the
Conservatives to a partial victory in the 2010 elections. The Conservatives gained
the most seats, but had to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Cameron
was elected Prime Minister, with faithful George Osborne as chancellor.
Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics was a major international multi-sport event. It took
place in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012.
London was selected as the host city on 6 July 2005 during the 117th IOC Session
in Singapore, defeating bids from Moscow, New York City, Madrid and Paris.
London was the first city to host the modern Olympic Games three times, having
previously done so in 1908 and in 1948.
Construction for the Games involved considerable redevelopment, with an
emphasis on sustainability. The main focus was a new 200-hectare (490-acre)
Olympic Park, constructed on a former industrial site at Stratford, East
London.The Games also made use of venues that already existed before the bid.

4. The Games received widespread acclaim for their organisation, with the
volunteers, the British military and public enthusiasm praised particularly highly.
The opening ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle, received widespread acclaim
throughout the world with particular praise from the British public despite some
criticism levelled internationally on social media sites.During the Games, Michael
Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, winning his 22nd
medal. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Brunei entered female athletes for the first time,
so that every currently eligible country has sent a female competitor to at least
one Olympic Games. Women's boxing was included for the first time, thus the
Games became the first at which every sport had female competitors.
The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place at 9pm on 27
July 2012. Titled 'Isles of Wonder', the Ceremony welcomed the finest athletes
from more than 200 nations for the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games,
marking an historic third time the capital has hosted the world’s biggest and most
important sporting event.
The Opening Ceremony reflected the key themes and priorities of the London
2012 Games, based on sport, inspiration, youth and urban transformation. It was
a Ceremony 'for everyone' and celebrated contributions the UK has made to the
world through innovation and revolution, as well as the creativity and exuberance
of British people.
Performers included Rowan Atkinson in a comedy sequence with the London
Symphony Orchestra, Sir Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the World Wide Web), Sir
Paul McCartney, Kenneth Branagh as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and Her Majesty
the Queen, as herself, in a scene with James Bond (Daniel Craig) shot at
Buckingham Palace.
A total of 85 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) won medals, 54 of those
countries winning at least one gold medal. The United States once again finished
at the top of the table winning 46 gold medals and winning 104 medals overall.
China finished second with 38 gold medals and 88 medals overall after failing to
top the medal table as they did as hosts in Beijing four years previously. Hosts
Great Britain came in a remarkable third place winning 29 gold medals and 65
medals overall in their best performance since London hosted its first Summer
Olympic Games back in 1908 pushing Russia into fourth place who won 24 gold
medals although they won 82 medals (17 more than Great Britain) overall.