In lecture, we are discussing the Cold War and I found this book while browsing for my next read. This is the synopsis for the book: “What if the bomb had actually been dropped? What if your family was the only one with a shelter?
In the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is all anyone talks about. But Scott’s dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst. As the neighbors scoff, he builds a bomb shelter to hold his family and stocks it with just enough supplies to keep the four of them alive for two critical weeks. In the middle of the night in late October, when the unthinkable happens, those same neighbors force their way into the shelter before Scott’s dad can shut the door. With not enough room, not enough food, and not enough air, life inside the shelter is filthy, physically draining, and emotionally fraught. But even worse is the question of what will — and won’t — remain when the door is opened again. Internationally best-selling author Todd Strasser has written his most impressive and personal novel to date, ruthlessly yet sensitively exploring the terrifying what-ifs of one of the most explosive moments in human history.“.

It is a YA historical fiction novel and I find the plot extremely interesting. It definitely gives a different perspective on the war.

The thesis of my essay involves arguing how the United states grew as a global superpower during WWII. I plan to explain how military development played a huge part into making them the power they are today, specifically the atomic bomb. In the development of the atomic bomb it became the most profound scientific development, due to it being the first nuclear weapon to be created. The United States were the first to complete the atomic bomb, and as such held the power to decimate any city.

-Nick Thips-

Coffee is vital for me to study, but what things were vital during the early 20th century? I act like its the end of the world if I have to study at night without coffee, but 100 years ago nobody could study at night period because of a lack of lighting… can you imagine trying to read our history book by the dim light of a candle?

Or without coffee???

THE HORROR

Technology is the harbinger of the future. It can make a government powerful, or crush it like a cockroach. It can heal the sick, or be used to kill the innocent. What I would like to focus on however, is not so doom and gloom. As the tides of time roll on, and technology becomes more and more ubiquitous, one can often forget to appreciate the little things. Like, a video game for instance. As a proud nerd, playing video games is one of my favorite past times, and I can get lost playing the right one for hours and hours on end without thinking twice (Skyrim anybody?). However, being surrounded by so much technology all the time can make us forget that at one point, 99% of the things we enjoy today didn’t exist 100 years ago. A century ago, kids played with a stick and hoop for fun. They could whack that hoop with that stick all goddam day long if they didn’t have to go work in factories to support their family of nine. Since only children were small enough to reach into the small spaces inside machines, this happened all too often in the past. HIST teaches us about the horrible working conditions and standard of living for many in the working class during the industrial age in Ch. 17, which brings me to another point. Technology has not only allowed us to enjoy the magical serenade that is an Xbox 360 starting up, but it has also allowed us all to enjoy a much greater standard of living. You might say, “But Brandon, what about politics? Economics? Philosophy? What about all the other realms of learning and knowledge? How can you say that science and technology are at the core of it all?” To that I say, technology is not only the medium, but the catalyst for this change. Without electricity, penicilin, automobiles, computers, and Call of Duty, you would still be reading by candlelight and hoping that the water doesn’t give you cholera.

Brandon Beal

Occult
Throughout the 1900’s the Occult grew into something that people either hated or supported. It was mainly in the 1920’s when the Occult grew becuase of Hollywood growing into a huge creative place. Also because radio began broadcasting commercialy, which means that television shows and movies were talked about and or played on the radio (Hist 378). This seemed to be the era where people were more willing try strage new things that were more out of the box than tradition, much like the Occult. Through the interest of the growing Occult, there was a lot of dislike towards those who supported or participated in the supernatural doings and labeled as “freaks” for their abnormal doings.

  In class we’ve been talking a lot about the atom bomb and so I was trying to see how that related to us today.  As I was talking to a friend, she said that she thought it was funny that North Korea started to threaten to bomb us just because of the movie The Interview.  So I thought I’d post about it!

The United States should have intervened in WWII by 1939 in order to stop the spread of communism, prevent human rights violations, and encourage economic prosperity.

The U.S. was a safe haven for many Jews on the run from Hitler’s tyranny in Europe. Despite it’s seemingly accepting border patrol, there was a boom of anti-semitism in the United States during WWII. No one knows for sure when the U.S. government found out about the atrocities committed against different races in Europe in the late 1930’s. There is a conspiracy that FDR and his cabinet had some knowledge of Hitler’s crimes against the Jewish people but turned the other way until 1941 when we were attacked on U.S. soil.

The “roaring 20’s” was a time for partying, excitement, and challenging the norm. As a result of this carelessness, the Great Depression was the result, leading to great poverty and deprivation across the nation. The Great Depression was sparked by the overindulgence of credit and the stock market crash of 1929. The economy was in such turmoil, that the average American lived in poverty, due to such high unemployment rates. It was President Roosevelt’s New Deal and variety of programs that got the American economy back on its feet.

I was at an Aztecs baseball game when I thought about the history of baseball. There were many questions I had, and I wanted to know more about, so I researched and compared it to today. Baseball was introduced to the US in the early 18th century, that of which included rules from cricket and rounders, combining to make the game of baseball as we know it today. Baseball’s first professional team was founded in Cincinnati in 1869, whereas today there are 30 professional baseball teams. There have also been major advancements in the baseball community regarding racial segregation, and baseball was one of the first sports to desegregate, with the famous baseball player Jackie Robinson at the forefront. Baseball has a great history amongst the American people, making it one of the greatest pastimes in American culture.