Julius Caesar was born on July 12 in 100 BC and was a Roman general as well as a statesman. Early into Caesar’s life he held the position of quaestor and praetor before moving on and becoming governor of Farther Spain in 61 BC. He then formed what was the First Triumvirate which was a political institution started with Crassus and Pompey. After forming this institution, Caesar gained a lot of power and conducted the Gallic Wars during which he invaded Britain crossing the Rhine. On a war path as I like to call it he led his forces between Gaul and Italy because he was mad that Senate would not command Pompey to give up his ruling. This ended up leading to the Roman Civil War. Pompey tried fleeing to Italy but still was defeated and killed by Caesar. Caesar continued to exterminate all of Pompeii’s last supporters although when he followed Pompeii to Egypt, he fell in love with Cleopatra. He married her and became dictator for life to the Romans. His life came to an end when he was assassinated at the age of 66.
History
The Persian Wars
The first war started back in 499 BC because the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor decided to rise up against the Persians who tried to dominate them, and the people who had lived there for quiet awhile were tired of being controlled. So the Greeks started seeking help and went to the Spartan king for help telling them that the Persians could be a danger to them all. The Spartans end up turning them away but then they sought the Athens for help which they got in the form of 20 ships to support the uprising. In the end the Persians still came up victorious in 494 BC.
After this the Persians would demand earth and water from the tribes as tribute and kinda like revenge after they started a war. When the collectors demanded the materials from Sparta they got mad and threw both of the collectors down a well where they died. After doing this a few bad things were happening and the Spartans believed these were bad omens because they killed those men. So the next morning two men went to the Persian emperor which at the time was Xerxes to ask for their forgiveness and in return could kill the two of them like they killed two of their men. Although they gave themselves to be killed Xerxes didn’t kill them because he stated that they we’re better than the Spartans and didn’t need to kill the two men. So fast forward a little after to 490 BC the Persian king Darius I wanted to give a show of force to Greece by starting another war that they thought would be an easy win. When the Athenians find out they try to get assistance from Sparta because it was thought that they could at least agree on that. The Spartans once again said no but this time it was because they we’re in the middle of a religious ritual and it was unthinkable to partake in war at that time. In this war the Greeks end up taking victory which was extremely unexpected and this was the Battle of Marathon.
Now for the last war I’m going to talk about today which is the Battle of Thermopylae. Fast forward a whole ten years later the son of Darius Xerxes, wants revenge on the greeks for what they did so he sends a quarter million men and over 500 ships. Most of the Greek city-states untied to repel the invasion, but the part we most remember is this mountain pass in northern Greece where 300 yes only 300 Spartans held off the Persians for multiple days because the Spartans are trained there whole lives to fight. When they were warned about how dangerous the Persians were they laughed and said good, they weren’t scared of anything because it was an honor to die on the battle field. In the end the Athenians and Spartans were defeated but they died with honor.
George W. Bush
George was born in July of 1946. He was the eldest son of George H. Bush who was the 41st president of the US. Him and his siblings were raised in Texas with his father’s oil company. George attended many high schools growing up, but finally went to boarding school in Massachusetts to finish his high school education. While he was there he took up a few hobbies like baseball and cheerleading, after graduation he attended Yale. George was commissioned to the Texas Air National Guard. He spent two years in active duty and then was assigned to serve in Houston before he was honorably discharged in 1974.
In 1977 while George was at a backyard barbecue he met Laura Welch. After three months of dating they got married having twin girls Jenna and Barbara. George began his political career by running for the House of Representatives, but he was unsuccessful. He later ran for Governor of Texas in 1994 and won. He got the confidence to run for president in 1999 with his running mate Dick Cheney. He won the election and only 8 months into his presidency the September 11th terrorist attacks occurred. After these attacks George launched what he called the “War on Terror”, which was a war on Afghanistan and Iraq. These wars lasted a while and fully ended in 2014.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald was born in 1911, he was the son of Nelle Clyde and Jack Reagan. Ronald grew up poor but some how he always saw the good in people and was very optimistic. Since he was so kind he had always supported black people which was unusual at the time but he thought they should be treated the same. One time he saw a local hotel not letting black people stay the night so Ronald invited them to stay at his house where the next morning his mother even cooked breakfast for everyone. Ronald attended Dixon High School where he picked up hobbies like acting, sports, and storytelling. When he went off the college he was called a jack of all trades because he was a cheerleader, football player, and captain of the swim team. After college he moved to Iowa and became the announcer for the Chicago Cubs baseball games. While traveling with Cubs he took a screen test which ended up being in a contract with the Warner Brothers for the next 7 years.
He was some what of a successful actor but was ordered to active duty by the U.S. Army. Because of his poor eyesight he requested to be moved to the First Motion Picture Unit and made over 400 training videos for the air force. Ronald became the first president to be divorced after his wife filed for divorce in 1949, but he remarried in 1952 and having two children. He got in to politics and gained national attention for supporting Barry Goldwater’s campaign for president. He gave many speeches on the importance of smaller government and suggested he run for governor in 1966 which he won. Reagan soon ran for president and was elected because he was widely loved. He served for 7 years because he was reaching the limit of how long you could be in office. After suffering for 10 years with Alzheimer’s disease Ronald passed away at 93 in his home in California
The Great Depression
The Great Depression began in 1929 and ended in 1939. It hit right after the time of the roaring 20s when the world was at its peak. In 1929 banks started handing out more money then they could afford and the optimism of the roaring 20s meant that this was no problem but when that optimism ended it caused a negative chain reaction across the whole world. Also in the 1920’s was when stock markets rose in a fast pace with very high spending levels. It then reached its peak in 1929 then it went plummeting down.
People across the world due to the end of good economic times started pulling what ever they could out of banks causing 3,000 banks around the world to declare bankruptcy. So many people lost their savings and jobs causing them to suffer from extreme poverty. There were multiple long term effects on America such as starvation, psychological strain, and extreme frugality. Probably the worst part of the depression was the unemployment rate. It went for about 3 million unemployed to 12.5 million in the span of three years, and even if you did have a job there were most likely pay cuts because businesses didn’t want to take any risks. If you lost your job you probably lost your home as well and vagrancy numbers shot up. One of the last things that made the depression even worse was the three droughts that happened. People in certain states like Arkansas and Oklahoma were forced to move because of the unbearable conditions. The depression lasted for all of the 1930s up until 1939 around the time when WWII started.
Technology of WWI
In 1914 World War 1 began and with this war new inventions and weapons came with it. First was machine guns, which were technically invented in 1860 but hadn’t really been used in any wars yet. Because of the industrial revolution it was easier to mass produce guns which kept on making the machine gun better and better. These guns were very deadly causing them to become very popular during the war because you didn’t have to reload them after every shot therefore making it quicker then any other traditional weapon and you had a higher chance of killing someone fast when using the machine gun.
Next was the flamethrower which was completely new and was invented during the war unlike the machine gun. Flamethrowers were extremely popular, there main use was to burn their enemies out of hideouts and trenches by covering the area in flames. Along with flamethrowers came the deadliest gun of all during WWI called the Big Bertha. The Big Bertha was an artillery gun capable of accurately shooting a 1700 pound cannon ball over 7 miles.
Last but not least is poison gas, which was first developed by the Germans but both sides did use it. Poison gas was used to suffocate your enemies when they would breath it in which it was successful in doing so, until gas masks came along making the gas harder to use. This didn’t mean that people didn’t those their lives to it many suffered from injuries and permeant disabilities making it a theme around the time of WWI. To try to get through the gas masks stronger gas was made but then others would just make stronger masks and it just continued going on and on.
4 World Inventions
Toilet Paper
Toilet paper is tissue paper used to clean the butt. Toilet paper is so commonly used there are 7 billon rolls made every year. A interesting fact about toilet paper is it is made out of tree bark. Toilet paper was first used in America then other countries such as China started using it. The inventor of toilet paper is Joseph Gayetty, he is an American inventor born in 1827.
Washing Machine
The washing machine is a home appliance that is used to wash clothes. The washing machine is used in most homes, but before the washing machine people would hand wash them with soap and water. Most people may use washing machines but some people still don’t and just use their sinks. Now a little about the inventor Jacob Christian Schaffer. He was a german professor and he was a very smart man and well known for his book on medical uses of plants for doctors and pharmacists. He was a philosopher as well as inventor.
Condensed Milk
Condensed milk is cow’s milk that has had more than 50% of the water removed from it. It can be canned and last for years. Sometimes it has sugar added to it making it sweetened condensed milk. This form of milk is most popular today and used in many dessert recipes all around the world. In the 1800s Nicolas Appert of France and Gail Borden of the US, condensed milk to help with the difficulties with storing milk for more than a few hours. Borden wanted this more because he saw many deaths from poorly obtained milk from cows. His name is still known today for condensed milk. Sugar was also added to it as a preservative. Baking with it is the most common use and makes macaroons delicious.
Sleeping Cars
The sleeping car is a railway passenger car that has beds for passengers to rest on long trips. It was made for comfortable travel on overnight trips. George Pullman was the creator of this car. He made them in 1865. This car was fancier and cost more than others and this made the railway a lot more money.
4 Inventions that Changed the World
The Safety Elevator
The safety elevator is an elevator that incorporates clamps to stop the elevator. The inventor Elisha Otis risked his life just to show his invention and make money. Otis had two sons and his wife ended up passing away when one of them was still in diapers. The safety elevator works by having a safety brake on the bottom and when it detects high speed going down it jams the brake and stops the elevator from falling. Before this invention buildings were only limited to six floors but now we are able to have over hundred. The safety elevator made skyscrapers possible.
The Syringe
The syringe is a needle that can inject fluids into a body or object. The syringe was very popular in the medical industry because the doctors need something to inject medicine into their patient. The syringe also is used with food to make dough or other things. Alexzander wood was Scottish physician born in 1817 and invented the syringe in 1844. The syringe was never planed to be invented which is pretty interesting since it became such a important invention.
The Egg Beater
The egg beater is a whisk that is used to mix eggs and other foods. The egg beater was invented in 1856 which means that it has been around for a very long time. The eggbeater is used today very commonly and is used in huge cookie factories. The egg beater has many different types of styles and sizes and are used in homes.
The Bessemer Process
The bessemer process is where steel from molten pig iron is developing in an open furnace. This process was important because it was the first inexpensive way of doing this which helped a lot. New ways to melt iron and other medals were discovered and that is why it is not used anymore. In the 1800s this was one of the best ways to melt iron.
Benjamin Thompson and other inventions
Benjamin Thompson
Benjamin Thompson was a physicist and inventor born in 1753. Thompson worked on heat science which helped reveal parts of the periodic table. Something else he did was invent the Rumford fireplace. Thompson made the most of his team and learned as much as he could on heat science. Because of Benjamin we have fireplaces and other heat technology. Thompson died of pleurisy in 1814.
Gas Lighting
Gas lighting was a light that provided lots of light. Gas lighting would be put in light post to bring light to the streets at night. This was very helpful because this brought down the rate of crime. Gas lighting also made work shifts longer because they did not have to worry about there being no light to see where you are going. Another thing gas lighting did was it helped with theater and acting. Gas lighting can also be dangerous, because there can be a lack of oxygen by gas lighting. Then in the 19th century it got replaced by electrical lighting because people found a better way to light their homes.
William Murdoch
William Murdoch was a engineer and inventor born in 1754. Murdoch was famous for inventing gas lighting. Murdoch worked for the Boulton and Watt company working with steam engines. His inventions were helpful because they led to modern electrical power. Murdoch would always be doing something, either studying, improving inventions, or building inventions. He died at 83 years old in 1819.
The Screw Cutting Lathe
The screw cutting lathe is a machine that rotates and cuts very accurate screws. This made the division of labor go down. This invention made lots of things easier and it made the prices of screws go down. The screw cutting lathe was very helpful, so it had factories all around the world. The screw cutting lathe was a very big machine. The screw cutting lathe led to a breakthrough in the development of technology. This invention led to better machines.
The thing I liked most this week was gas lighting. I liked it because how many things a type of light can fix. I also like that how much it relates to modern home technology.
Benjamin Franklin and other Inventions
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, scientist, printer, and many other things. Franklin was one of the first founders of America. Franklin ran away from his family home and then became a printer. Franklin came from a good family, but his brother did not like him and would be very mean to him. After awhile of being a printer he started his own printing business. Later he went back to visit his family. When he got back from visiting his family, he continued his studies.
The Lightning Rod
The lightning rod was a long rod that was resistant to lightning. Lightning rods were sometimes placed on buildings to protect them from getting struct by lightning. Lightning rods were a great protection system and were installed all around the world. Lightning rods are not used today because we have better protection systems and technologies. The lightning rod was invented in 1749 by Benjamin Franklin.
The Glass Harmonica
The glass harmonica is a beautiful spinning instrument made out of glass. This invention was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It produced a beautiful sound and became very popular. The glass harmonica was so beautiful and popular that even movie theme used it. This instrument soon became common. The glass harmonica works by 37 different bowls threaded on a iron spindle. The glass harmonica is still around today, but is not very common.
The Swivel Chair
The swivel chair is a chair with a cushion and wheels. The swivel chair was invented 1776. The swivel chair later became a standard piece of office furniture. These chairs were also very helpful with back pain because the back of the chair is soft but with other chairs they are hard most of the time. The swivel chair became popular very fast because it was easy to move to around. The swivel chair is still used today and they are very common. They are used in many different places such as schools, offices, homes, and other places.
What I liked the most this week was learning about Benjamin Franklin. I liked how he ran away from his home and became very successful. I also, liked how he kept up with all the work that he had.
laura verity 