A very enjoyable read; however I would submit to you that the events you propose all began with the multi-million dollar law suit by the elderly woman who spilled (spilt for those of us in the South) coffee on her legs and sued McDonald's for the cofee being too hot and, of course, won.
Then came the asbestos and tobacco suits which got everything up to speed....The lawyers will bleed us until there is nothing left except their wealth and greed!!!
The entire piece was well written and funny. But I particularly liked:
"In the nation of Germany, the 1st Panzer Division staged a dress parade, whereupon France quickly surrendered, further upsetting an already nervous world."
Dittos bump.