IMHO, the article stops circa the 1980s, and leaves at least a third of ‘tank history’ un-mentioned.
I think the ‘M1 family’ of tanks should definitely be mentioned. And by M1 family, I am generally referring to the armor. The sandwiching of varied materials between steel plates gives these tanks a distinctive angular appearance. Leopard, Challenger, etc. These tanks are also characterized by fully supported tracks, roadwheel skirting, separate ammunition compartments, and computerized fire control systems.
Currently, no nation would challenge a NATO country in an outright tank battle...possibly Russia, but I doubt that. This is because of the superiority of this family of tanks.
because of the M1 you see a lot of other countries producing tanks with a similar design
Because it “changed history”
Not just the armor.
The turbine engine.
The mobility of 70mph (unrestricted) 70 ton monster.
The sighting/tracking/targeting system.
The stabilized smoothbore gun and incredible ammunition
Enhanced crew protection and survivability.
Etc., etc., etc..