The Most Important Part Of The 20Th Century!

The Most Important Part Of The 20Th Century was that.......

I WAS BORN!!

Seriously, If I weren't born, you wouldn't be reading my blog.... :)) Think about it .

B-25 Mitchell

The B-25 Mitchell is an American bomber plane. It was used against Germany and Japan with devastating results throughout World War II. This plane was named after General Billy Mitchell who was an early air pioneer, making this plane the only one in the United States Air Force named after a specific person. The B-25 was an improved version of the XB-21 created in the 1930's. This plane was originally created to be exported to the United Kingdom and France since both places has a requirement for this kind of an Aircraft ever since the early stages of Word War II. Both countries however decided that they didn't want the B-25 and instead went with the A-20 Havoc.

The B-25 first gained its fame in April of 1942 in the Doolittle Raid. 16 B-25's successfully bombed Tokyo and four other Japanese cities without any loss the themselves. 15 of the planes however did crash land in China on the way home because of fuel exhaustion and stormy conditions. The one plane that did not crash land, landed in the Soviet Union where the lane was confiscated and the 5-man crew was interned. 71 out of the 80 crewman survived and made it back to American lines.

Another famous incident involving a B-25 Mitchell was on the date of July 28, 1945. At 9:45 in the morning a B-25 was flying through thick fog, and crashed in the North side of the Empire State Building. 14 people were killed in the crash including 11 people in the building and the pilot and two other occupants in the plane.

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide occurred from 1915 - 1917 and has been acknowledged to be the first true Genocide. This Genocide happened when over a million Armenians were deported and massacred by the government of young Turks. Over twenty one countries have accepted this as a genocide but the Turkish government refuses to accept that the characterization of the events as genocide. Western sources sometimes point that the sheer scale of the death toll is evidence enough that the Armenian Genocide was a systematic, organized plan to eliminate the Armenians. This genocide is the second most studied.

In May of 1915 it was requested that the Government's cabinet pass a law which would legalize the deportation of Armenians living both near the Russian front or interior. The committee passed a temporary law of deportation giving the Ottoman government and military permission to deport anyone it sensed was a threat to national security. Several months later it became the law that all property including land, livestock and homes belonging to any Armenian was to be confiscated.

It is very hard to understand how some people can feel such hatred against other people that they feel that murder is the only answer. Hopefully I will never fully understand these feelings.

Yasser Arafat ياسر عرفات

Yasser Arafat (Real name Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ) recieved the Nobel Peace Prize for the negotiation of the Oslo Peace Treaty in 1993. The peace treaty pulled Israeli forces out of the Gaza Strip and West Bank and gave Palestine the right of self-government in certain areas. Yasser Arafat is seen as a freedom fighter by his followers, but his opponents describe him as corrupt and weak. Arafat is also widely recognized for his leading in the Fatah movement which had to do with terrorism in Israel.

I'm sorry but I don't really understand the peace negotiations that he helped make. They are kind of confusing and it is a lot of information with big fancy words. I'm sure that there were great things done by this man, I'm just not entirely sure what those things are at the moment...

Susan B. Anthony

Susan Brownell Anthony was an American civil rights leader who played a huge role in the Women's rights movement. Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton founded the National Women's Suffrage Associating, and organizing with the goal of gaining women's equal right.

In Earlier years Susan had tried to unite women in the Labor Movement but she did not have great success. After that Susan Anthony payed no more attention to the Labour movement because suffrage was not seen as a concern for middle-class instead of working class, as well as because she was encouraging women to achieve economic Independence by learning printing trades while the male workers were on strike. Her strategy was to untie all suffrage groups whenever possible to try and concentrate on gaining the vote.

On November 5, 1872 Susan Anthony was arrested for casting a vote in the presidential election. Anthony pleaded not guilty saying that the 14th amendment entitled her to vote because she was a "person" born in the united states and citizens shall not be denied the "privileges" to people born in the United states, which includes voting. Susan was sentenced to pay a $100 fine to which Mrs. Anthony replied "May it please your honor, I will never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty." To this day she never has paid a dollar of that fine and the government never made her.

It is great that Susan Anthony was able to persuade many people to change their minds on women's rights. I think that Susan is a hero in a way for trying to set a good example for fairness of all people.

Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer. He helped to lead the very first successful Antarctic expedition to the South Pole between 1910 and 1912. Amundsen was a key leader during the age of Arctic exploration.

Amundsen's initial plan was to head north and claim the north pole, explore the North Polar Basin. Roald heard that Frederick Cook and Robert Peary had already claimed the North Pole, so Amundsen changed his plans. Head for Antarctica. He needed to found something to guarantee funding for his North Polar journey, so he headed south. The only people informed of the change of plans was Amunsen's brother Leon and the commander of the ship. Roald waited until the ship had been on waters for a while before informing the crew of the change of direction. Luckily for Amundsen no one in the crew objected.

Amundsen arrived at the South Pole on the 14, December, 1911. A team of 5 people and 16 dogs and explored. Upon leaving the South Pole Amundsen left a small tent with a letter inside stating the accomplishment in case of the ship not returning home safely, but the voyage home was a smooth one. The ship made it to the South Pole and back in 99 days, originally planned to take 100.

In June of 1928, While Amundsen was on a rescue mission his plane crashed. Rescue parties were sent out but Roald was never found. It was presumed that he was killed upon impact or soon after. Roald Amundsen's body was never found.

Roald Amundsen seems very sneaky to me. What would he have done if the crew did not want to go the South Pole, he is incredibly lucky that they did not try and throw him off the ship. If I was told I was going one place and then half way there told that I was lied to I would be pretty angry.

Idi Amin

Idi Amin Dada was a former president of Uganda. He took power in a military coup in January of 1971. His reign was defined by human rights abuses. He soon gained groups of people who apposed him, mainly Acholi and Lango ethnic groups. In July of 1972 over 5,000 Acholi and Lango soldiers were killed, and 10,000 civilians had gone missing. Soon the same fate came to other ethnic groups, religious leaders, judges, lawyers, students, criminal suspects and foreign nationals. Soon people were being killed for criminal motives or simply at will. Bodies were dumped in the Nile River, and on one occasion the Owen Falls Hydro-Electric Dam was clogged.

Idi Amin then declared that Asians and Europeans who owned businesses be handed over. 60,000 Asians were kicked out of the country and Emigrated to Britain, Canada, Australia, India, U.S., and Sweden. Many of the former Asian companies which were the foundation of the country were mismanaged and lead the the decline of Uganda's economy.

On April 11, 1970 Amin was forced to flee the country. He escaped the Libya. On July 20th, 2003, Idi Amin was on his death bed. Idi's wife pleaded that he be allowed to return to Uganda to die, but the President told her that Idi would pay for his sins if he returned. Idi died in Saudi Arabia on August 16, 2003.

Again, I really don't understand these leaders who feel the need to go and kick everybody out of their country or try and kill all these people.

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong is a former American Astronaut, Test Pilot, University Professor, and Naval Aviator. He is most well known for being the first man to step on the moon, and in turn become the first person to ever step foot on an extraterrestrial world.

Neil Armstrong took his first spaceflight in 1966 on the spaceship Gemini 8. The only goal of this mission was to perform the first docking of two spacecrafts together, this goal was achieved. His second and last space mission was on July 20, 1969. This is his most famous mission as it is the one where Neil lands on the moon. In this famous mission came the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Armstrong spent 2.5 hours with Buzz Aldrin while Michael Collins orbited above. Neil Armstrong received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. This medal is awarded to an astronaut who performs extraordinary accomplishments while in space flight and makes scientific discoveries that benefit mankind.

Neil Armstrong is an amazing person. Not just because of the fact that he was the first person on the moon, but because he kept using his fame after his return to earth. I think that it is great that every time someone used his name or his famous quote and he got payed, that money mostly went to foundations. Even when Neil took legal action for things such as his barber selling his hair for $3000, the money was donated.

Anastasia

Anastasia was the youngest daughter of Nicholas II of Russia and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna. Anastasia was believed to have been murdered with her family by the Bolshevik's. However, Anastasia's escape has been rumored since 1918. Many women have claimed to be the missing Anastasia, however no DNA evidence has ever been related to the Grand Duchess.

In 1917, Anastasia and her family were awoken in the night and told to dress. They were told that they were "Being moved to a safer place because of the anticipation of the violence that might occur when the white army arrived". Once dressed the family was herded into a small room in a basement of a house. After a few minutes executioners came in and said that the entire family would be killed. Supposedly the only word that Tsar Nicholas II got out of his mouth was "What?". The executioners shot bullets and killed everyone. The women however were able to survive a little longer because of their corsets. These corsets had diamonds sewn into them so that they would not be found. These diamonds in turn became almost like an armour. It was also said that Anastasia and her sister Maria were crouched up against a wall trying to hide but were soon taken down with bullets. There is also another story that says that Anastasia survived the bullets and was either finished with a bayonet or that as the bodies were being dragged, Anastasia screamed, and was clubbed in the head.

There are many stories about the survival of Anastasia. The most famous of the stories was that "Anastasia" had pretended to be dead among the pile of bodies, and when a guard found her still alive he felt sorry for her and let her escape. This woman who told this story would later call herself Anna Anderson. She made headlines for decades. She made some family members believe she was actually Anastasia, and other not. The battle of Anna Anderson to prove that she was Anastasia was the longest running case running from 1938 until 1970. The court finally decided that Anna had not provided enough proof that she was indeed Anastasia and would not claim the title of Grand Duchess. When Anna died in 1984, DNA tests were conducted and it was concluded that it was very unlikely that she was Anastasia. It was said she was most likely the missing Polish factory worker Franziska Schanzkowska. It was Anna Anderson that truly made Anastasia and her tale famous.

I find it highly unlikely that Anastasia was able to escape. If she was locked in the basement with her family, I'm sure they would have noticed someone alive. Although the remains of Anastasia and her sister Maria were never found, I think that their bodies may lie in another place instead of with the rest of the family. It is said that a possible explanation for the missing Anastasia and Maria is that the two girls were cremated somewhere out in the forest.

Muhammad Ali - Cassius Clay

"Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see."

Muhammad Ali is a retired American boxer, as well as a three-time world heavy weight champion and a winner of an Olympic gold medal. Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky, with the name of Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., named after his father. Muhammad Ali changed his name after he joined the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam is a social/political organization in the United States. The goal of The Nation of Islam is to resurrect the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of Black men and women all over the world.

Muhammad Ali was 'discovered' when he was only 12. The 12 year old Cassius was angry because his bike had been stolen. The Louisville police officer Joe E. Martin directed Cassius toward a gym to let some of his anger out.

Muhammad Ali had a very different style of fighting for a heavyweight boxer. When most boxers would cover hold their hands high to defend themselves, Ali would rely on his speed to avoid being punched. This style of fighting won Muhammad Ali 6 Kentucky Golden Gloves, 2 National Golden Gloves, and Amateur Athletic Union National Title, and the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.

I think that it was Muhammad Ali's unique fighting style that was able to help him become the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. It is amazing to think that if the 12-year old Cassius Clay's bike hadn't been stolen, Muhammad Ali may never have even been a boxer.

Aleutian Campaign

In June of 1942, The Japanese bombed the Dutch Harbour in the Aleutian Island chain. Because of bad weather, few planes met their targets and little damage was done. This is where the Japanese decided to remain for defensive purposes, to prevent the American troops from entering Japan through the Aleutians. Much of the time operations were restricted because of the weather. Most of the struggle here would be against mother nature instead of the rival enemy forces.

The Americans did little damage against the Japanese, the Japanese did little damage against the Americans. At times the weather was said to be an unpredictable ally, and other times to be an uncertain foe. The weather actually claimed it's fair share or lives. Soldier shot their own side in the fog, mistaking them for an enemy. Ships sunk as they steered into jagged rocks. Planes flew into the sides of mountains in the overcast Sky , some went of course, never to be seen again.

I personally don't understand this campaign at all. Maybe I missed something in my research, but to me it just seems like a lot of people needlessly died. I'm sure that if one side (Either the Americans or the Japanese) had left, no one would have noticed because of the weather. The campaign went on for 6 months, and maybe I am wrong, but I think that is 6 months too long.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Map Of Botswana

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Current Government and Leader

Today Botswana has a democratic government. Elections for presidency are run every five years. The current leader of Botswana is Festus Mogae who was elected
in 1999, and re-elected in 2004.
First elections took place on September 30, 1966 and Seretse Khama was the first elected president after his return from exile.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Experience of Independence

Since South Africa would no longer be getting Bechuanaland, it was time the country become self-sufficient. Political movements were being organized starting in 1952, and negotiations to start copper mining led to an agreement in 1959. A council was eventually set up after national elections. The Bechuanaland People’s Party was founded in 1960. The British really started to push political change in 1964 and a new capital was built at Baborone. Then finally in 1965 Bechuanaland became self-governing. Seretse Khama became the Republic of Botswana’s first president. For the first five years of Botswana’s independence, it was completely financially reliant on Britain. Economic development did not really take off until about 1967-71 when diamonds were found in Orapa.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Colonial Experience

The British declared Botswana Bechuanaland Protectorate in 1885. During this time people of Botswana were very poor. Attempts to open mines failed, the Chiefs believed that the mines would only increase British control. Botswana was divided into eight tribal reserves, five white settler farm blocks, and the rest was ‘Crown’ lands. Later on as independence movements started all over Africa, the people of Botswana looked forward to independence and began to develop political parties.
During this time Britain exiled one of Botswana’s chiefs. The reason for this was because the South African government was not approving of the fact the chief had married a white woman. This was during the time that racial segregation was being enforced in South Africa under Apartheid.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Economic Resources and Challenges

At independence most people in Botswana relied on agriculture, hunting, and gathering wild foods. Diamonds were soon found after independence in 1970 at Orapa. The diamonds have been a main export ever since. Since then, diamonds have also been discovered in Jwaneng. Nickel and Copper have also been mined since 1974. Other exports include coal, salt, and soda ash. Agriculture only accounts for less than one tenth of the countries exports. Mainly, there is mostly beef exported if enough water, pasture room, and control of hoof-and-mouth disease are available. Because of drought, the number of head of cattle has fluctuated anywhere from one million to two million. Fishing and logging are only in the highest north of Botswana.
Surface water is very limited. It is mostly only found in the wetlands and in perennial rivers. Droughts are common. There are plans to build canals, as well as tapping underground water in huge quantities.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Demographic Statistics

Population:
1.7 million (2006)
600Thousand (1971)

Life Expectancy:
(2001)
Male: 52 Years Old
Female: 57 Years Old
(2006)
Male: 34 Years Old
Female: 34 Years Old

HIV/AIDS (2003)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 350,000
Deaths Due To: 33,000

Ethnic Groups
Tswana 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, Kglagadia 3%, White 3%, Other 1%

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Timeline

1885 – British Protectorate is declared

1950 - Chief of the Ngwato, Seretse Khama, is exiled by the British.

1952 - Rioters protest at Seretse Khama's exile.

1959 - Copper mines are first established

1960 - Bechuanaland People's Party is established.

1962 - Seretse Khama founds Bechuanaland Democratic Party

1966 - Bechuanaland is granted independence and changes its’ name to the Republic of Botswana

1967 - Diamonds discovered at Orapa.

1977 - Defense Force is established.

1991 - 12,000 sector workers are fired after strike action calling for increased wages.

1995 - Government begins relocating thousands of Bushmen.

1997 - Presidency is limited to two five-year terms. Voting age lowered from 21 to 18.

1999 - Six-day state of emergency declared to resolve voter registration problem.

2000 – Floods leave more than 60,000 people homeless.

The Countries of Africa in the 20th Century *~ .::Botswana::. ~*

Summary of Botswana during the 20th Century

Between 1880 and 1960, Botswana (Called Bechuanaland) Was under British Protectorate. (A relationship between a strong nation and a weak nation or area not recognized as a nation. Once the strong nation has established a protectorate over a weak nation, it can control its affairs.) This protectorate was created because the British believed that the Boers would collaborate with the Germans and not allow the British access to the road leading north.
Botswana was supposed to be handed over to British South Africa Company so it was a very poor country until its independence. The reason for handing the country over was because the British had no interest in governing the country. Three Botswana chiefs went to Britain to see Chamberlain and begged him not to transfer the protectorate because they did not trust the British South Africa Company. Fearing that handing over the country would cost him the election, Chamberlain agreed to not give Botswana to BSAC. The British South Africa Company attacked in what is called the Jameson Raid. Britain was so angered that they promised to never hand Botswana over to the BSAC. Britain now realized that Botswana could not be handed over to British South Africa Company. Botswana’s economy would have to be built so it could survive on its own. After its independence Britain covered the full cost of development until 1971 when the country discovered diamonds.

ALI ROCKS YOUR SOCKS!!!!!

ali is amazing-ly-amazing..... everyone loves her.


:D:D

edited because I don't thinkn people realize how truely amazing I REALY REALLY AM!

you know you love me :) :) :) :)

Unit II - The Treaty Of Versailles

The treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty the officially ended the first world war. It took six months for the treaty to be negotiated. It was finally signed on November 11, 1918 by Britain's Prime minister David Lloyd George, United States' President Woodrow Wilson, France's Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and Italy's Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando. Having been defeated, Germany, Austria, and Hungary were excluded from the negotiations. This treaty gave Germany full responsibility for causing the war. Germany was forced to give up land and to pay reparations. There was also a limit on the size of military that Germany was allowed to have. Germany however undermined the treaty starting in 1922 and by the mid thirties was ignored completely.

The treaty evoked an angry reception in Germany from the moment it was made known. The They did not feel that they were responsible for starting the war nor did they feel as though they had lost. The Germans thought that the treaty would be one of peace, not one of surrender. German navy sank its own ships in protest of the treaty.

I don't know if the cause of the war should have been placed only on Germany's shoulders. I think that the conditions of the treaty were a little harsh. If the treaty was going to make Germany repay for what they had done, someone should have made sure that Germany was following the rules. Germany started to rebuild its army straight away. I think the treaty of Versailles was a major cause of World War II.

Unit II : Individuals - Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was named one the the greatest female stars of all time. She was an Oscar-winning star and She was Canadian. Mary Pickford was said to be a pioneer of film in Hollywood, and has a tremendous amount of influence in the development of film acting. Mary Pickford's fame was triggered through her acting in moving images. She became famous in a matter of months. In 1909 alone Mary appeared in more than 51 films, which works out to almost one a week. "Her charisma, range, and comic blend of sweetness and temper made her not only the most important player, but the most popular star of the era."

Because of Mary Pickford, Hollywood rethought it visions of features. They changed their focus on making material that was suited for film, and finding good actors to fill the roles.

Mary was known as America's Sweetheart, Little Mary, and The Girl with The Golden Curls.

Unit II - Innovations : The Frisbee

The origin of the Frisbee goes back to the Frisbie Baking Company around 1820. Frisbie baking company sold many pies to New England Colleges. Students soon began to realize that the pie tins could be tossed and caught. The original name for the was 'Frisbie'. It wasn't until 1948 that the Frisbee became plastic. This was created by Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni who happened to be building inspectors. Morrison changed the name of the Frisbie to the Pluto Platter to go with the new popularity of UFOs. Then a company called Wham-O (creators of Hula-Hoop, The Super Ball, and The Water Wiggle) bought out the Pluto Platter. The company then changed the name to Frisbee. Today the Frisbee is owned by Mattel Toy.

Since the invention of the Frisbee many games have been invented that involve this "device".

In 1967, students in New Jersey invented Ultimate Frisbee. A cross between football, soccer, and Basketball. Ten years later a form of Frisbee golf was invented. There are even professional courses and associations for Frisbee golf.

I was actually expecting to come across something along the lines of the Frisbee first being invented a long time ago. I was thinking along the lines of the discus or whatever it's called.

"In 1968, the U.S. Navy spends almost $400,000 to study Frisbees in wind tunnels, following their flights with computers and cameras, and building a special Frisbee-launching machine on top of a Utah cliff to test a prototype launcher."

Unit II - Ideas 1914 - 1929 : Mein Kampf

Mein Kampf is a part autobiography, part ideas of Nazism. It was first published in 1926 by Adolf Hitler. A second volume was published in 1926. The book outlines how Hitler thought that one day the Master race of the world would be Aryan, and that lowest form of human life would be the Jews. Germany and the United Kingdom would join together with Italy and would defeat France and Western Europe, as well as overthrowing the Soviet Union giving Germany "Living Space to the East". In his book, Hitler expresses how he feels that the twins of evil are Communism and Judaism. Throughout the book the idea that all people should be separated based upon ancestry is present. He describes the struggle for world domination as an ongoing racial, cultural and political battle between Aryans and non-Aryans.

Mein Kampf was the back bone for the Nazi party. Though Mein Kampf had very little influence outside of Germany, In Germany the contents of the book were well known. This book sold between six and eight million copies during Hitler's Lifetime, and it translated into many languages.

It is hard to believe that after writting this book that Adolf Hitler was still able to work his way up to the top. Someone must have read this book and said "Wait a minute." Hitler must have been quite the public speaker to be able to convince an entire nation.

Unit I - Imprortant Events From 1900 - 1914 : Building Of The Panama Canal

The riches of Peru, Ecuador, and Asia were realised. The time it took for the gold to reach to ports of Spain was counted. It was suggested that cutting a chunk of land out of somewhere in Panama would make the trips shorter. The risks of taking the gold other ways to Spain justified such a big project. The wars occurring in Europe, and the battle for the control of kingdoms in the Mediterranean put the project on a permanent hold. This began back around the 16Th century.

Construction of the canal did not start until 1880. The total cost of the project would eventually total $639,000,000,
$352,000,000 of that coming from the United States, making it their most expensive project ever. The project would take 34 years to complete. 80,000 people took place in the building of the canal, and about 30,000 of those people lost their lives.

The Panama Canal officially opened in 1914 with the passing of the SS. Ancon. The Canal would save vessels about 7,000 miles by passing through the canal. At the time, no single effort in American history had cost such a price in dollars or in life.

Overall the building of the Panama Canal was a great achievement, although many lives were lost in the building. 30,000 of the 80,000 is a lot of lives just to build a canal.

Unit I - Modern Times

Modern Times is a satire by Charlie Chaplin in 1936. The movie begins with a ticking clock. The clock most likely represents how everything had to do with time. "Time is Money" A short clip of a herd of sheep is shown, followed by a bunch of men in a group off to work at the factory. This is probably to show the men in a way "being herded into the factory." We see Charlie Chaplin at his station tightening bolts. He is forced to do repetitive tasks very quickly. This would be like a real factory in a way. Workers did the same mindless activity over and over all day, to efficiently achieve an end product. The scenes with Charlie's short break in the bathroom, as well as what we heard about the automatic feeding machine both go back to the "Time is money" Statement. The more time employees took off, the more money the company was loosing. We also see Charlie try and stop tightening the bolts, but he keeps repeating the actions. This is in a way showing how the tasks were almost dehumanizing, making the workers almost robot like, repeating the same task. The last thing I remember seeing is the scene with Charlie holding the flag, getting caught up in the striking workers. This is to show that the workers were not allowed to strike, since there was no union.

Unit I - Important People : Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Henry Ford

Henry Ford is know as the father of Modern Assembly Lines. He was the creator of The Ford Motor Company, and the Model T car. The introduction of this car changed the transportation, as well as the American industry. Henry Ford was one of the Richest, and best-known people in the world at the time. Ford created the idea of mass production of inexpensive automobiles using an assembly line, as well as high wages. This idea was named after him, "fordism". This idea lead to cars at very low and affordable prices.

I think Henry Ford changed everything with his ideas about the assembly line. Things could now be made more efficiently and for a cheaper price. Plus, with Henry Fords high wages, even people who were working in the factories could afford a car in little time.

Unit I - Prohibition And Temperance

Prohibition was a method used to eliminate the businesses that manufactured, distributed, and sold alcoholic beverages of any kind, it began around 1893. This was the Eighteenth amendment of the United States Constitution. It revoked the license of all companies having anything to do with alcoholic beverages. Leaders of the Prohibition movement were concerned with the behavior of Americans when they drank, and this was partly due to the ever growing number of immigrants.

At this time the Brewing industry was one of the most prosperous or the alcoholic industries. The brewers were in competition so many sold in saloons. It was common for there to be 1 saloon for every 150 - 200 Americans, including those who never drank. To have an even great profit, some saloons would even introduce Gambling and Prostitution. Many Americans did not support saloons. Alcohol was to be banned since it was believed to be the cause of most of, if not all, crime. Some communities believed so strongly in this, that they even sold their jails once alcohol had been banned.

Prohibition lead to many things. One of them being Organized smuggling of alcohol from Canada. This was known as "bootlegging" or "rum-running". The term "bootlegging" actually originated from the time during which prohibition was in effect. Originally, much of the imported alcohol was cheap Caribbean rum. Since the rum was cheap, it sold for low prices, giving the "bootleggers" a low profit. That is when the "bootleggers" moved on to Canada. Now Canadian whiskey, French Champagne, and English gin were being sold for higher profits.


December 5, 1933 marked the twenty-first amendment, the end of Prohibition. The coast guard, which was used to stop "bootlegging" rum ships gained them the skills to later defend the U.S. coastline during the war.

I think that Prohibition was not the greatest idea that was ever decided upon. Blaming all the crime in society on alcohol was not entirely fair. I think that enforcing the eighteenth amendment, Prohibition, just caused further problems than everyone had to deal with before. Now they had both the crime from before, plus they had to deal with the smuggling. I really don't think that prohibition solved much. The money used to enforce the prohibition laws could have just as easily been used to stop the crime and leave the alcohol out of it.

Unit I - Inventions: 1900-1914 : Life Savers Candy

1912 marked the birth of the ever popular candy, Life Savers. Life Savers were made by the chocolate manufacturer Clarence Crane. They were invented to be a "Summer Candy" since they had to ability to to withstand heat better than chocolate could. The first flavour ever created was called Pep-O-Mint. The first five flavour roll wasn't made until 1935. They candy was named "Life Savers" since they looked like life preservers.

Life savers were sold at the the cash register of saloons, cigar stores, drug stores, barbers shops and restaurants. The cost of Life Savers at the time was five cents. The owner of Life Savers requested that every time a customer received change, they would receive a nickel. More times than not, the nickel would be used to buy lifesavers. The owner made a large fortune because of the affordable price of Life Savers.

Life savers have come a long way from the original "Pep-O-Mint" flavour. They have grown into a variety of flavours. Today they still taste great! Who doesn't love Life Savers ?? :))

Why is studying the 20th Century important ?

I think that 20th century history is very important to study so we can learn our backgrounds and heritage, and how things came to be today. It is important to know not only for 20th century history, but all history. History can teach us mistakes that we have made in the past, and we can try and avoid making the same mistakes again. Many of the inventions we use today were created in the 20th century.