10 years ago: A famous American historian offers his prediction for the 21st Century

...that's how it is with experts. They're seldom in doubt but often in error. Dave Skrien, Countdown to Grey Cup, 1965, p. 123.

From the October 2001 edition of Imprimis, the newsletter of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan:

On September 9-13, 2001, Hillsdale College held a seminar entitled "One of Freedom's Finest Hours: Statesmanship and Soldiership in WWII."

One of America's most famous World War II historians, Stephen Ambrose, addressed the conference on the evening of September 9. According to Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn:

A theme began to emerge on Sunday night when the great and famous historian Stephen Ambrose argued that the twenty-first century will be the greatest and most peaceful in history because of the victory won by the "greatest generation." Several of the veterans of the war picked up this theme. Though they were not so sanguine as Professor Ambrose, they expressed the hope that no one would have to undergo what they themselves endured in the sky above Guadalcanal, crouched behind a sand dune at Omaha Beach, crawling among the sharp rocks at Iwo Jima.

The terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred just a day and a half after Mr. Ambrose's presentation. As Maxwell Smart used to say, "Missed it by that much."