November 22, 2009
UTNE READER

A Brief History of Thinking Outside the Box

(Page 2 of 2)

March/April 2002
By Joe Hart, Utne Reader 
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1948
Peace Studies
Manchester College in Indiana founds the first peace studies program in the United States—the model for more than 200 similar programs.

1961
Amnesty International
Peter Benenson, a British attorney, writes an impassioned editorial after two Portuguese students are sentenced to prison for toasting freedom in a Lisbon café—and launches an international organization in support of human rights.

1964
Cohousing
In 1964, a group of Danish families begin planning an experimental community of connected homes on a shared plot of land. Their idea—a cooperative community of independent households—becomes a popular housing option in northern Europe and is now catching on in North America.

1975
Commissions on Truth
and Reconciliation
A commission set up to investigate the crimes of deposed Ugandan dictator Idi Amin represents a new kind of tribunal: one that strives for a full accounting of crimes in lieu of punishment. The process sets a model for later truth commissions in Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, and—most notably—South Africa.

1976
Microlending
Economist Muhammad Yunus discovers that a small loan—as little as $25—can help impoverished artisans launch thriving businesses in Bangladesh. His lending institution, Grameen Bank, pioneers the practice of lending small but critical investments for independent business owners in poor nations and neighborhoods.

Late 1980s
Raves
All-night dance parties held in warehouses burst on to the scene in England during 1980s, particularly in Manchester.


1999
Online University
Jones International University, based in Englewood, Colorado, becomes the first all-online university to gain accreditation.
—Joe Hart

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Joe Hart is a freelance writer specializing in forgotten, overlooked, and suppressed history. His book, Down and Out: The Life and Death of Minneapolis' Skid Row, will be published by the University of Minnesota Press in the fall of 2002.

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