Let's talk energetic

[tomh]

Ok, here's a hint:

It happened fairly recently (within the last 20 years) and it was not human caused. The energy was equivalent to around 50 million small hydrogen bombs. Anyone?

[tomh]

Answer

Curiously, no one but a few astronomers -- well, a lot of astronomers -- noticed it. And maybe a few backyard astronomers.

It was when "the cosmos" rung in the new millennium and 21st century. When 21 comets (aka Shoemaker-Levy 9) smashed into Jupiter over six days in July 1994. Comets do that, they augur things. Funny about that.

[tomh]

Showtime

Usually comets portend some sort of impending disaster. Well, the 21st century is shaping up to be a disaster, for the human race, that is. Come to think of it, 2001 kicked off pretty nastily. Now we have out of control governments, corporations and the various "complexes" (e.g. military-industrial) gearing up for world war III. The 20th century saw about 200 million killed; in the 21st, the human race will graduate to the giga-murderer class, what with high technology in the hands of real-politiking sociopaths. Should be quite a show for the "cosmos." But then, there I go talking to myself again.