Events: March Revolution 1917

World War One was probably the biggest reason for the start of the March/February Revolution. One other probable and likely reason was the people's dissatisfaction with how the Tsarina was running the country, or rather not running the country, when the Tsar was away at the Army Headquarters as Commander-in-chief. The main reason for the abismal running of the country was largely due to a man named Grigori Rasputin. The Tsarina was using advice that came from Rasputin on how things should be run.

Other reasons that led to the March/February Revolution were the harsh winter, the lack of food, and the feelings towards the war. The beginning of the revolution was simply strikes put together by workers in St. Petersburg (now called Petrograd). Eventually the tension began to rise and on March/February 23, a series of meetings and rallies were held because of International Women's Day. This time, scuffles with police ended up with casualties on both sides. This caused the demonstrators to arm themselves by looting the police headquarters. After three days of this, the Tsar sent a battalion of soldiers to the city to stop what was happening. The soldiers, however, joined in the protests and went against the Tsar. Eventually, the Tsar was forced to abdicate the throne on February/March 2.

Ideas: Divine Right of Kings

The Divine Right of Kings is the concept that those who are in power, were in power because God or some higher being had chosen them to be in power. It is the concept that God's will was being conducted through the appointed king/queen.

I think that the concept of the Divine Right of Kings is not a good idea. This is because if you look at the places that were run this way, the government is usually not that good. The people who were in charge usually abused the power they were given, not to say that all the people in charge abused the power.

Innovations: Band-Aids

Many people use the term "band-aid" generically, however "band-aid" is a registered trademark of Johnson & Johnson. The actual name of this product is a bandage or an adhesive bandage.

The band-aid was invented by Earle Dickson in 1920. Dickson had originally invented this product for his wife, who was a very clumsy individual, so that she could dress her own wounds without any help.

The first band-aids ever produced were hand-made, and not a very popular product, but that would soon change. By 1924, Johnson & Johnson got the first machine that could make the band-aids for them. This machine was incredibly helpful because in WW2, millions of band-aids were shipped overseas.

In 1951, the first decorative band-aids were introduced into the market. They were decorated with such things as Batman and Peanuts characters, as well as Disney characters.

The invention of the band-aid was a very ingenious idea. It has been distributed all throughout the world, and is used by people everywhere. It is a very useful product and protects from infections from cuts and whatnot. The band-aid is a good thing to have, where ever you go, especially if you have children or just clumsy people around you.

Individuals: Rasputin

Not a lot is known about Rasputin's early life, to be more specific, not much is known about the first forty years of his life. The story of Rasputin has been told and retold so many times that we cannot be sure about which is true. For instance, in some stories, Rasputin was a holy Monk and in another he was an actor or a phony without any connection to God. Some facts, however have been confirmed by historians.

Rasputin was born between 1864 and 1865. He traveled a lot and was a very religious person. He was a self proclaimed holy healer and predictor of the future. Throughout his travels he went to many places of religious significance, Jerusalem for example, and had started to become famous. People actually began traveling to be able to see Rasputin, in search of his unique powers.

During one of his travels, he claims to have seen an apparition of the Holy Mother who told him to heal the son of the Tsarina. Rasputin began traveling to St. Petersburg, where he would stay until he was invited to the Tsar's palace. The Tsarina wanted Rasputin to heal her son who was a hemophiliac. Having temporarily healed her son, Rasputin was basically hired by the Tsarina.

Eventually, an investigation was conducted to find out more about Rasputin's past. There was also a general consensus among the higher officials that Rasputin was negatively influencing the Tsarina, and, in turn, the country. To rectify this situation, three noble men invited Rasputin to the palace to meet one of their neices. While waiting, Rasputin was offered poisoned wine and tea cakes. The poison however did not effect him, and one of the frustrated noble men shot Rasputin instead. He however did not die right away. He was shot again, and when he still didn't die, he was bound and thrown into the Neva River. After this, he finally died.

Rasputin was a significant figure in Russian history because he had a major influence on how the country was managed. He had a considerable influence over the Tsarina who was in cnotrol of the country while the Tsar was at war. I think that had Rasputin never come to St. Petersburg and met the Tsarina, that maybe Russia might have gone down a different road.

Events in the Twentieth Century:"Wright Flyer" Flies

The Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur, are the men who are credited with producing the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air human flight on December 17, 1903. The aircraft flew for a total of 12 seconds for 120 feet. This event is incredibly important because it obviously led to the creation of many other types of planes and various other air crafts such as helicopters and military planes.

I think that the creation of the airplane is an important event because today we are able to travel to places that people back then could only get to by boat. Traveling by air is much quicker than traveling by boat or car. It has made traveling more efficient and easier to do because you don't have to be in a cramped little car for more than 3 hours or spend a day or two on a boat getting sea-sick.

Influencial Person of the Twentieth Century: Henry Ford

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 - April 1, 1947)

I think that Henry Ford was a very influencial and important person of the twentieth century. Henry Ford, of course, was the man who founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903. He was also the man who invented the assembly line, which was used for mass production. When Ford introduced his Model T to the world, he revolutionized transportation and American industry. Ford was awarded 161 U.S. patents and, being the sole owner of the Ford Company, became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. I think that the automobile was one of the most clever inventions of the time. Althought today they contribute to the cause of pollution, they are very usefull and people really, really like them. I think that, had Ford not invented the Model T or the assembly line, we would still be without these things today or that they wouldn't have been the same if invented by someone else.

How did Charlie Chaplin satirize life at the turn of the century in his movie?

Charlie Chaplin was a very famous comedian who made many movies. In his movie "Modern Times", Chaplin portrays a worker in a factory working on an assembly line. In this movie Chaplin satirizes many things about life at the turn of the century. Chaplin compares humans to sheep, through a comparison of pictures as well as showing the effects that working in a factory can have on people. In order to make fun of the people who work on assembly lines, Chaplin has his character go crazy, literally. His character begins to do the same thing he does on the assembly line to every thing else that resembles what he works on on the assembly line. He also makes his character twitch after he finishes his shift, showing that the workers get so used to doing the same things over and over again.

I personally think that the movie, or what we saw of the movie was hilarious. I really enjoyed watching it and I think that Charlie Chaplin is a very unique person with lots of talent.