The 20th century ended in 2020

Decades of declining poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, and more were all reversed last year.

The natural state of humanity is illiterate poverty and for most of human history, for well over 90% of people, everywhere on the planet, this was the case. Until very, very recently most people around the world went to sleep hungry, most of their children died early, and they had little chance to escape the cycle. That stopped in the 20th century.