Summary of World War II

Today we are going to study WWII. This war took the lives of 60 million people. The war also cost $ 4.1 trillion in 1945 money. Today were are going to study the war and the effects it had on the world.
WWII started on September 1, 1939; when Germany invaded Poland. After Germany invaded Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany. Germany invaded countries by using the Blitzkrieg. This tactic used tanks and airplanes to attack very fast. Then Germany attacked Denmark and Norway. Russia attacked Finland and almost lost. Germany then launched an attack on France. Then Germany attacked Britain by bombing London, but the bombing failed. Next, Germandt invaded Holland, North Africa, Greece, and Russia. In all of these, the Allies lost. But on December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Peral Harbor. After the United States declared war on the Axis, the Axis offensive slowed down. Soon the Germans were on the run in Russia. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded France. Germany surrendered on May 8, 1945. Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.
What were some of the effects WWII had on the world? It brought the beginning of the Cold War. It saw the horrible crimes committed by the Axis. It also saw great advancements in technology. The machine gun became far more popular. Also, the atomic bomb was created and dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

 

WWII is the worst war of all time. We need to be grateful that our forefathers gave their all to win this war. Thanks for reading.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

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The Great Depression

 

Today we are going to study a sad time in American History. The Great Depression was caused by an economic downfall. Let’s look at the Great Depression and the effects it had on America.
During the Roaring 20’s, the U.S. experienced an economic boom. The banks let more money then they had and didn’t keep enough cash on hand. On October 29,1929 (also known as Black Tuesday), the stock market came crashing down. 3000 banks bailed out and investors sold their stock for ridiculously high prices. This was caused by products being overpriced. People then tried to pull their money out of the banks. However, many people lost their savings and jobs, leading to extreme poverty. In 1932 unemployment was at 12.5 million people. To make matter worse the Dust Bowl struck the agricultural heart of the Midwest, worsening the Depression.

 

The Great Depression had many large effects on America. The moral of the people dropped very low. This led to gangs being formed and then the government agencies to control the gangs. In Chicago, a gangster named Al Capone amassed 11.3 billion dollars. Also, the children in this era were the men and women of WWII. This is one of the reasons America won WWII.

 

The Great Depression is one of the few failures of the America stock market. We need to be thankful that we have a stable stock market right now. However, the Great Depression should be a warning to us to prepare for the next economic bust.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

The Bolshevik Revolution

 

Today we are going to look at the beginning of Communism. Actually, we are going to study the Bolshevik Revolution. First, we need to look at the founding of Communism and Karl Marx.

Karl Marx was born in May 1818. He and a friend, Friedrich Engles wrote the Communist Manifesto. Communism is the idea that the state owns everything. There are two classes in Communism. The working class (which makes up 98% of the population) and the capitalist class or the central planners ( 2% of the population). The state’s job is to take from the rich and give to the poor. However, the government in Communism only takes form the poor to benefit themselves. This is why the poorest countries are Communists.

 

The Bolshevik Revolution was the overthrow of the ruler of Russia by the Communists. The Carz of Russias, Nicholas II, was thrown off the throne and later killed. The head of the Communist party, Vladimir Lenin took control.

 

Lenin was born in 1870. He studied Marx in his younger years. He was arrested for writing a pamphlet supporting Communism, and exiled to Siberia. After WWI, Lenin stirred the Communists to overthrow the Carz. He gained control in 1918. However, Russia was known only for its poverty. Lenin died on Jan 21, 1924.

 

Communism is one of the greatest evils in the 21st century. Sadly, after Lenin died the second wickedest man in the 21st century, Joseph Stalin took control of Russia.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

Astronomy Week I

 

 

This week I started a new section in Science. Astronomy is one of my favorite subjects. Let’s look at what I learned this week.

 

First, we had a lesson outlining out the next few weeks. Next we learned about telescopes. Telescopes have grown much over the years. The first telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey, it had a 3x magnification. Galileo Gailie worked and fine-tuned the telescope making it 30x. Telescopes work with convex and concave lenses. Over the years telescopes developed to what we have today. One of the problems was Chromatic Aberration. This gave the picture a rainbow-like hue to the image. Then we studied five important astronomers, Ptolemy, Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton. Sadly, we don’t have time to look at these men individual. However two of them are worth mentioning. Nicholas Copernicus discovered the earth went around the sun and Isaac Newton came up with the law of gravity.
This week has been really fun. I can’t wait for the coming weeks! Thanks for reading.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

World War I Summary

 

Last week we learned how WWI started. Today we will look at what were some of the important battles and a few of the inventions.

Let us look at a timeline of WWI. The Battle of Liege was the first battle of the war. It took place in Belgium when the Germans invaded neutral Belgium. The battle lasted 11 days. It ended when the last fort in the city Liege surrendered. When neutral Britain saw the Germans invaded neutral Belgium, the Britsh declared war on Germany. This invasion was part of a campaign in Pairs. On the Eastern Front, the Battle of Tannenberg took place in August of 1914. The German Army attacked the Russian Second Army. The battle was won by the German. Both Russian Armies were out of commission. The amount of the Battle of Liege took gave the French a small but important amount of time to build their defenses. By the time the Germans were 75 miles away from Paris, the combined French and Britsih forces were able to hold them back. At this time the trench lines were built all the way to the ocean. Also, the navies were fighting a see-saw battle. The German submarines were able to cause much damage to the Britsh ships. The Gallipoli Campain was an Allied attack on the Ottoman Empire. This campaign was supposed to destroy the Ottoman Empire but it failed. The Battle of Jutland was the only naval battle of the war. 151 British ships fought 95 German ships. The British lost 14 ships while the Germans lost 11. The Battle of Verdun was a bombardment battle between France and Germany. The total casualties for this battle exceeded 700,000. It was a victory for the Fench so the Germans had to look for other weak points. The Battle of Somme was very much like the previous battle. The Battle of Somme had a death toll of 1 million. In this battle, a soldier by the name of Adolf Hitler was wounded. This was also a Global War. The British invaded Palestine. The invasion was very successful. This would lead to the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The Ottomans invaded the nation of Armenians, killing 75% of them. The Third Battle of Yeps was an Allied offense against the Germans. But it failed and nothing changed. The Battle of Caporetto was an invasion of Itlay by the Germans and Austrians. Sadly the Italian Army was obliterated. The Battle of Cambrai was a combined effort of the Britsh and the Americans. The idea was to overwhelm the Germans with tanks. Unfortunately, the plan failed. The Battle of Amiens was the last battle of the war. The Germans were put in a retreat. The treaty was signed on November 11, 1918. The war ended after 4 years and over 9 million soldiers killed.

 

One of the most interesting things about this war were all the inventions. A new type of gun was a machine gun. This gun could fire way faster than a rifle and be used a lot in trench warfare. Some newer inventions were the flamethrower and tracer bullets. Also, invented were artillery guns. These guns were extremely powerful. One German gun, named Big Bertha, was capable of accurately shooting 7 miles. The British invented tanks in 1915, starting a whole new type of vehicle. Most importantly were fighter planes. The planes were able to have a machine mounted above the propeller. A German pilot named Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen had 80 confirmed kills. He is known as the Red Baron. Also, a new transportation was a Zeppelin. Also, important was poison gas. This caused many to lose their lives or suffer disabilities.

This war was a major point in the invention age. We can see how see-sawing a war can be. But sadly, WWII is 20 years away.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

Swimming Rescue Steps

 

 

What do you want to do when you go into the water to rescue someone? Well, let’s have a look.

First, you want to make sure emergency personnel has been called. Next, find a personal floatation device and a rescue aid eg. a shirt. Then focus your eye on the victim and start swimming towards them. The breaststroke is the best stroke for rescue. At 6-10 ft reevaluate the situation. If the person is conscious and swimming widely, back up, and go around them. And hold out the rescue aid. If they are unconscious, you will need to tow them to land. When landing a person it is wise to have a person on land helping you. After you land them verify emergency personnel is on the way. Treat for shock or do CPR if necessary.

Rescuing a person can be hard and dangerous. But if you follow these steps you and the other person have a good chance of surviving. Thanks for reading.

 

Samuel Duarte JM

 

The Advantages of an Older Car.

 

Today let’s look at whether an older or newer car is the best buy.

An older car is mostly made of metal and glass. Take for instance the headlights. The older headlights are made out of glass. The newer ones are made out of plastic. The plastic ones turn a yellow color as they age, lowering the light output. The plastic assemblies that hold the lightbulbs are plastic for a lighter weight load. Now we have LED lights. They are very pretty and pretty expensive. One LED light can cost $20. Some cars have 12 LED lights in the brake lights. Now we have cars that don’t last that long and in twenty years are a piece of junk. Not to mention we have 90-80-year-old cars on the road. However, older cars are not as safe as newer cars. New cars have different safety features old cars never got close to achieving. Older cars are much more dependable and reliable. They are also easy to fix.

In my opinion, older cars are a better buy. But what do you think? Please let me know in the comment section below. Thank you for reading.

 

Samuel Duarte JM