Click on A-Z book to see pictures

A is for Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who went into hiding from the Nazis during  World War II. She went into hiding because the Nazis were killing all of the Jews. She wrote a descriptive diary about going into hiding when she was 13 years old. Her diary was “the most sacred item she owned.” The play The Diary of Anne Frank, a story of how Anne is in hiding is told, describes what life was like for her. Anne was like many other Jewish people who went into hiding. However, she was able to hide longer than most of the Jewish because of all the measures her family took and because of how many people helped them. Unfortunately, in the end, she died in a concentration camp at the age of 15. She died from from typhus right after her sister Margot died. Her dad was the only family survivor who had hid in the annex with Anne.

B is for Band-Aid,

The Band-Aid was invented in the Roaring 20’s by Earl Dickson. He invented the Band-Aid because his wife was constantly hurting herself, and he would come home to a wife who needed help to cover her wounds. He created a new bandage covering that included a type of adhesive tape so a single person could treat his or her own wounds. But after creating the adhesive bandage, it was only used in his own house. At this same time, Dickson worked for Johnson & Johnson, and when he told a fellow worker about the product, the co-worker urged Earl to sell his invention to Johnson & Johnson. So he sold his new invention, and they loved it. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell well at first, but when they gave some to the boy scouts as a marketing promotion, they loved the new invention, and it became a necessary item for every single household.

C is for Cuban Revolt

The Cuban Revolt was the first act to get the United States into fighting the Spanish-American War. Spain was controlling Cuba, and Cuba wanted to be a free country like America. As an act of rebellion, the Cubans burned the sugar cane we were growing. They burned it so that it would get our attention. Yellow Journalism was used to make the Americans think that the Cubans wanted help to win the war against Spain. Another event of the Cuban Revolt was the De Lome letter. The De Lome letter was a letter criticizing William Mckinley as weak and afraid. This made Americans really mad and ready for war. The final act to bring the United States into war was was when the U.S.S Maine blew up in Cuba’s harbor. Eventually the United States learned it wasn’t because of the Spanish, but the U.S. still declared war and won.

D is for Dust bowl,

The Dust Bowl was a major event in the Great Depression. It was a time when farmers plowed up all of the land. They plowed up all the land so that they could use all of the land for growing crops. When an unexpected drought hit the land, it became dry, and all of the crops withered. Then with nothing to protect the dry dirt from the winds, massive dust storms were created, affecting New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. It even created a flu called dustnamonia. On May 9, 1934 Black Sunday hit. It was the worst dust storm ever. Eventually, it blew into New York and Washington D.C. After that terrible event, congress made acts of soil conservation so that the Dust Bowl would never ever happen again.

E is for Einstein

Albert Einstein was one of the best scientists of his time. Although early in life his teachers did not think Einstein was very bright, and some thought that he was dumb because he was very slow at figuring out math problems. But in fact, he actually was trying to figure out new ways to do those math problems. When the Nazis were taking over many countries of Europe and killing many Jewish people, he was afraid because he was Jewish. So he decided to move to America, and the United States got one of their most influential scientists of all time. Einstein wrote a letter to FDR stating that he would approve of the choice to make the atomic bomb. Later in life, Einstein received a Nobel Peace Prize for his theory of relativity, and he was finally recognized as the genius he was.

F is for Flame-thrower

The Flame-thrower was invented during World War I. The Germans were the first to invent this piece of technology. This weapon used a flammable liquid and set fire to anything. It was as if it shot out liquid fire. In addition to the flame-thrower, many other inventions of war were also created. The British and the French were the first to make tanks. They called them tanks because they presented them to the Germans as something to transport water. Then the war plane came into action. It was developed by the British and the French. Each of these inventions changed the strategies and tactics of how war was fought.

G is for Gangsters

In the Roaring 20’s many good things came. But this great advancement in technology also brought a heavy price on America. Organized crime became common. Gangsters like Al Capone came into power. Gangs were made because alcohol was banned. Alcohol was banned because of the 18th Amendment. Men would spend all of their money that they earned at work in the bars. Then they would come home and beat their wife and kids because they were all drunk. Ironically, people thought that banning alcohol would result in less crime.  Since most were crazy about alcohol, most became criminals. Bootleggers and rumrunners were very common, and it led to more crime. Eventually, the 21st Amendment repealed the 18th on January 16th, 1919. It was the first amendment to ever be repealed.

√H is for Harlem Renaissance

In the Roaring 20’s the Harlem Renaissance was  born. The Harlem Renaissance was a time when African-Americans gave the world music, plays, and poetry. This happened because some factory owners in the north were offering equal pay to black and white people. Suddenly most of the African-Americans came to the north and it was known as the Great Migration.In the Harlem Renaissance African-American’s art was not criticized because of the maker’s skin color. Some famous artists were Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong. It was called the Harlem Renaissance because the center of all this culture being spread was in the New York district of Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance was one of the first steps to African-Americans gaining equal rights.

I is for Imperialism,

During the start of the Spanish-American War many countries had the idea of imperialism. Imperialism is where people think they need more land and they need to take over other countries to “civilize” them. The idea formed two different groups. The imperialists and the Anti-Imperialists. Imperialists thought that more land could get more trade, a stronger navy, and more power. Anti-Imperialists thought that if a country expanded, it would get brought into more conflicts. They also thought it was against the Constitution, and they had sympathy for the other countries.

J is for Japan,

Japan was on the side of the Axis Powers in World War Two. Their ideas were like Germany’s. The Japanese government believed that Japan needed more living space. They attacked China, Korea, and America. They attacked America by bombing Pearl Harbor.They did this so they could weaken the United States Navy. They wanted the navy to become weaker so they could take control over the Pacific more easily. However Japan failed because some of the United States ships were out to sea and those ships were some of the most important to the United States. The Japanese also thought that death was better than surrender. They made the kamikaze, a pilot who  was committed to flying his planes into their enemy’s battleships on a suicidal mission. Out of all those Japanese who served as a Kamikaze, none survived. The main reason Japan gave up in World War II was because the United States dropped two atomic bombs. After that, Japan surrendered on September 2nd 1945, and the United States won the war.

K is for Klu Klux Klan,

The Klu Klux Klan was a group that had started up near the start of the Civil War. The group lost its popularity over the years, but during the Roaring Twenties, it started back up. During the Red Scare, they began to fear many different type of people, and their fear led to many prejudices. The KKK were against not just African-Americans, but they generalized their prejudices to many different nationalities and were against most immigrants, including Jewish, Catholics and Communists. They became more Anti-Semantic than ever.

L  is for Lenin

Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Russian Revolution during World War I. He led the Communists against the Czar of Russia,  and they won. This took Russia out of World War I, and Lenin’s popularity among the Russians grew. He became the leader, and he named the capital city of Leningrad after himself. Lenin was looked up to by many Russians, and he was able to influence a man by the name of Joseph Stalin. He introduced Stalin to Communism by making him his right-hand man. Stalin gained more and more power as time went on. When Lenin died in 1924, it didn’t take long for Stalin to become the leader of Russia.

M is for Myth

A myth is a story that explains how something came to being or why something happened. The Greeks believed that gods controlled everything, and they created many myths to explain the power and the history of the gods. For example, if lightning stuck a building, they would say that a god was angry. The Greeks said that spiders were descendants of a proud girl who challenged the goddess Athena to a weaving contest.However the Greeks weren’t the only ones to make this these types of explanation stories. The Egyptians the Norse and many other civilizations used myths to explain how something came to being. These myths were known throughout their cultures, and they were passed down from generation to generation. Many of the myths explained the same natural phenomenon, but each myth had its own style.

N is for Nazi,

The Nazis were a political group that were the leading power in Germany during World War II. The Nazi party thought that symbols were important, and they had a flag with the swastika in the center. It was important to the Nazis that this flag be hung throughout Germany to show that people were loyal to the party. Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazis. He is sometimes called one of the most evil people in power. The Nazis were also known as the green police. The Gestapo were the worst of the Nazis. They killed millions of Jews just because of their religion. The Nazis also killed many spies. They also burned books because they feared that people would catch ideas from the books. They were defeated on May 8, 1945. Hitler had committed suicide when he knew the Nazis had lost the war. Eventually the group became outlawed, and they are still known as a terrible part of Germany’s history.

O is for “(the) Only thing we have to fear is fear itself”

This is one of F.D.R.’s most famous quote. He this during one of his fireside chats. Fireside chats were radio broadcasts the president made to Americans across the nation. Roosevelt told everybody listening to the radio what was happening in the nation and around the world. In these chats, he would tell the people the problems that were going on, and he would tell them how he would fix it. Another famous quote he would make was, “December, 7th, 1941 a day that will live in infamy.” This was when he told the Americans that Pearl Harbor had been attacked. F.D.R. had suffered from polio and he couldn’t walk, but many people didn’t know that he used a wheel chair. He used steal braces to hold his legs up when he gave a speech. He was able to get elected four times. However, he wasn’t able to finish his fourth term because he died. Harry Truman (FDR’s vice president) took office and he did the last stretch of work to win World War II.

P is for Pearl Harbor

On December 8th, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt started his fireside chat by telling the American people that the United States had been attacked. He said, “December 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.” Why would that day live in infamy? That was the day Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. Pearl Harbor was a massive naval base in Hawaii, and Japan attacked it to try to secure their own power in the Pacific Ocean. During this bombing and attack of Pearl Harbor, 2300 people died, but the United States did not give up. Many of their important ships were out to sea, so they still could fight back.

Q is for Queen of Liliuokalani

Queen Liliuokalani was the last ruler of Hawaii. She tried to overthrow the U.S. business men that were coming in and taking the Hawaiian’s land. The businessmen took the land so they could make their businesses bigger. The businessmen wanted to make Hawaii a state. They wanted this because they would be taxed for everything they sold. When there was no tax, they could sell their products for less. Eventually Queen Liliuokalani lost her fight, and Hawaii became a state on August 21st ,1959.

R is for Red Scare

The Red Scare was a time when Americans feared the ideas of communism. Americans allowed fewer people from Europe to enter America as immigrants. Mitchell Palmer created more scares to try to advantage himself so that he could become president. He led witch hunts for communists. This led to many Americans being sent to Russia without trial, many of whom weren’t Communists. Communism is where the government owns everything. It was feared because a communist country was never a free county.

S is for San Juan Hill

The Battle of San Juan Hill was fought with the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders were a group of riding soldiers for the United States. The leader of the attack was Teddy Roosevelt. San Juan Hill is in Cuba, and it was the first land attack on the Spanish. This attack was special because instead of saying “charge,” Teddy Roosevelt said, “Follow me.” They won the battle of San Juan Hill. The first attack on water was in Manilla Bay, and it was with the U.S. Navy. The Spanish lost all of the ships that they had. The Americans only lost one troop, and it was because of heat stroke.

T is for Tall Tale

Tall tales are events in history that are exaggerated. Stories like Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill were real people, but the stories of these people were changed and extreme  details were added to make the stories more exciting. Paul Bunyan wasn’t as tall a giant, but he probably was tall. They would say that Paul Bunyan cut down entire forests in one day when really he may have just been a very good lumberjack. This was hyperbole because he might cut down a forest but in a slower amount of time or cut down five or six trees in a day.

U is for Utterson

Utterson was a character in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was the lawyer of Dr. Jekyll and a very good friend. He was a lawyer, and he had the will of Dr. Jekyll. Utterson was very curious about the part in the will because it said that if Dr. Jekyll should die or mysteriously vanish, then Mr. Hyde should step into Dr. Jekyll’s shoes. This seemed very odd to him, so he investigated this part. He soon discovered that Hyde was the one who put that in his will. So this curiosity led him to an extreme investigation about Dr. Jekyll, and when he and Poole had to bust down Dr. Jekyll’s door, it was they who discovered that the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were the same person.

V is for Versailles,

World War I ended because of the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty told the terms of ending the war that included Germany being forced to agree to lose much of their territory and power. It was settled that the Allies won the war against the Central Powers of Germany and Austria Hungary. The leaders of Italy, Great Britain, France and U.S.A. were invited to make the treaty. However nobody form the Central powers was invited to make the treaty, including Russia. The treaty made the Central Powers surrender under very harsh conditions. Some of these harsh conditions included the fact that Germany couldn’t have a big military force. Germany also had to pay off all the money of the costs of the war to other countries. They also had a war guilt clause. The war guilt clause said that Germany was responsible for the WWI, and Austria-Hungary was forced to become two separate countries.

W is for Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States. He beat Taft and Teddy Roosevelt at the same time in an election. During his presidency, the ship, Lusitania, was sunk by Germans. On this ship were hundreds of Americans. Because of this loss of American life, Wilson declared war on Germany and the United States entered World War I. The U.S. eventually beat Germany. Wilson then created the League of Nations. The League of Nations was like an alliance system to help create world peace. He also gave women equal rights as men. He created tariffs on foreign imports so that U.S. business could do much better. And Woodrow Wilson was the only President to have a Ph.D.

X is for Annexation of Hawaii

The Annexation of Hawaii began when the United States had won the Spanish-American War. The U.S. had gained the land as a reward from winning the war. It started out that American businessmen were the only ones who wanted Hawaii to become a state. They wanted it to be a State to promote business exchanges. But eventually others saw the value of Hawaii becoming a state.

Y is for Yellow Journalism,

Yellow Journalism was the trend known when the press would change the details of the original story. Yellow journalism changed the facts from what they really were to something that was exaggerated. When the Cubans revolted,Yellow Journalism showed that the Cubans were being treated horribly and that Spain needed to be stopped. It showed the Cubans as peocxzple who were close to death, and portrayed them as people who needed to be saved. It showed “Butcher Wyler” over masses of dead bodies.  However, these pictures were exaggerated, and they weren’t the truth for what was really going on. They were over-exaggerating this so that America would help the Cubans. And so they could also get a better story. Another instance of Yellow Journalism was when the Maine was sunk. People didn’t know what happened, but the newspapers jumped right to it and said that the Spanish had done it with a mine even though that wasn’t true.

Z is for Zeus

Zeus is the god of the air, sky and lightning. He ruled over all of the gods and goddesses. We read about him in Prometheus. Prometheus wanted to give humans fire, but Zeus said he couldn’t. He thought that humans would become top proud and attack the gods. Later, Prometheus stole fire and gave it to man. When Zeus found out he was enraged. He ordered Prometheus to be chained to a rock and every day have a vulture peck out his insides and every night have his insides slowly heal.