'v nation of The Dallas Post Students pick the best of the 20th Century Editor's Note: The Dallas Post asked teachers at Lalke-Leh- man and Gate of Heaven School to have students write about their choice of most important event, innovation and person of the 20th Century. These se- lected essays show the range of their thought. Event Dorothy Cashore Grade 8, Gate of Heaven On October 4, 1957, humans reached new heights in space ex- ploration. On that historic day, the world’s first artificial satellite was sent into orbit by the Soviet Union. The satellite was named Sputnik 1. It's launching offi- cially marked the beginning of the Space Age. The launching of Sputnik 1 is important not only because of the discoveries of the satellite itself, but because of the chain of events it triggered, especially in the United States. American citizens were shocked by the Soviet Union's accomplishment, for it had as- sumed that it was the world’s leader in science and technology. Therefore, the United States al- most immediately began launch- ing satellites into space in re- sponse to the challenge presented by the Soviet Union. As other countries joined in the “contest”, satellites were firmly established as some of the most useful and life-changing technology ever in- vented. Since the launching of Sputnik 1, more than 1,000 satellites have been sent into space. The Space Age has progressed rapidly, with the inventions of lunar modules, space stations, etc. There has never been a more exciting time for scientists and people inter- ested in the world around them. However, we have only witnessed a small sample of the wonders of the universe. Who knows what else awaits us? Kimberly Sorber Mrs. Gorgone Grade 8, Lake-Lehman The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is the most important event! President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, during a po- litical trip to Dallas, Texas. The assassin was Lee Harvey Oswald. The entire world was mourning the event during which a great man was killed. Our President was shot and killed. The United States of America was heartbro- ken. The people in the United States lost a father. It was a sad occasion for one and all. He was one of the greatest! He helped in the public welfare. He answered people’s questions and solved people’s problems. He helped the racial integration at the Univer- sity of Mississippi and elsewhere. He even had a space program for exploration, which called for the landing of men on the moon be- fore the end of the 1960's. The world will never forget that sad and painful day. Carissa Reisser Grade 8, Gate of Heaven I think the most significant event of the 20th century is World War II, because it changed all of ! our lives. The cost of the World War II, both financially and in terms of loss of life, was even greater than that of World War I. Europe lay in ruins; allied mili- tary forces occupied Germany, once the strongest European na- tion. The major European na- tions were too weak to hold on to their colonies. The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from the war as the world’s lead- ing powers. Out of the horror of this war came attempts by the nations to settle their disputes peacefully. A new International organization, the United Nations was established near the end of the war to provide a meeting place where countries would try to work out their differences. Susan Barber Mrs. Gorgone Grade 8, Lake-Lehman When my Language Arts teacher Mrs. Gorgone told us we would be writing about a signifi- cant event in the last 100 years, I began to think of a subject. At first] thought about writing about the Nineteenth Amendment (women’s suffrage), the first and second World War or the assassi- John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Then I realized that most likely a lot of people were going to write about those things. I wanted to be different. I believe the most significant period of time this century has been the Great Depression. This is significant because a plethora of predominant people lost all their life savings during this traumatic period. Many investors killed themselves so their families would have insurance money to live on. Children were forced to sell apples on street corners of New York City and most families had only bread and water to eat, and on good days, maybe a little butter. Today, we often take for granted what we have. We strive to always have the biggest, fastest and best things available. If society would remember to relate to the simpler times where you didn’t have enough money to put food on the table maybe, just maybe, we would be thankful for what we have and just not want so much. Melissa Strunk Mrs. Gorgone Grade 8, Lake-Lehman I know we're supposed to pick an eventduring the twentieth cen- tury, but, to me, the most signifi- cant occurrence happened in the last year or so. This single event changed the school system na- tionwide, and the answer to the question, “Do you feel safe in your school?”, will never be the same. Guessed it yet? It's the shootings at Columbine, Colorado. Never before has there been such a massacre in the schools. I think everyone knows the story well, so Iwon'trepeatit. [will say, though, it’s one of those events where you knew exactly where you were when you heard the news (kind of like the J.F.K. assassination and the Challenger explosion). This also changed everyone's life in a very profound way. No longer can we joke around with each other by saying “Hey, you're on my hit list!” or “Man, I'm so mad I could kill someone!” like we could before. School dress codes changed, also. For instance in our high school banned trench coats. Parents began to be afraid to send their kids to school. Copycat crimes were feared, and students walked on eggshells around everyone. The two dissidents who started all the bloodshed certainly accomplished their goal. They changed the way everyone learns. How could soci- ety let such a thing happen? Innovation Steven Cardillo Mrs. Gorgone Lake-Lehman I think that the most important scientific/technological innova- tion of the Twentieth Century is the Internet. Now we can talk to a person in Japan without leaving our-chairs. . We can get great information for reports and re- search projects easily off the Internet. You can talk to your friends without a phone, and can even send e-mail which is sent instantly, instead of using normal mail, which isn’t nearly as fast. Now there is even buying and selling stocks online which has changed the world. You can keep track of your stocks and even get recent, updated information about the companies you own stock in online. Some people are even shopping for all their Christmas presents online now, and a lot of people like it more than going in crowded stores and finding that the toy you were going to buy for your kids is sold out. The Internet possibilities are infinite. That's why I think that the Internetis the most important innovation of the Twentieth Century. Beth Ann Karwaski Grade 8, Gate of Heaven The automobile had both posi- tive and negative long term effects on the world today. The automo- bile, first constructed in the early twentieth century, changed the way people lived, and where they built their homes and businesses. Unlike most other types of trans- portation, the automobile is a lot easier to use, seeing as how you don’t need to get tickets to ride them or get yourself to a station or port in order to use them. A lot of things depend on the automobile including police, ambulance work- ers, and firemen to get where they're going ... Jast. Unforiu- nately, there are some things that the automobile have caused that aren't so great, including pollu- tion. Exhaust from cars and trucks leave out chemicals in- cluding, carbon dioxide, which is the main gas that causes global warming. Accidents are also a negative aspect of the automo- bile. Each year, 265,000 people die in auto accidents, and mil- lions of people are injured. The automobile will continue to be an important invention and helpful tool of the world. Blake Bradley Grade 8, Gate of Heaven The most significant techno- logical innovation of the 20th cen- tury would have to be the televi- sion for the way it affected and still does affect the world. Televi- sion was one of the first most advanced ways of communicat- ing with the entire world. It united people in a way that could not be done by writing or telephone. In the beginning it was considered the best way to get information. You could see what was going on in the world and receive local in- formation such as weather, local affairs, and elections. Over the years this innovation has ad- vanced in good ways and bad. The good is that we can see more about the world then we were ever able to when TV was first in- vented. It is able to show us live coverings from other countries. We are able to know what is going on or what is happening in the world from our own home. Since it has become so popular basi- cally everyone has at least one television so it affects everyone. A problem with television is that maybe too many people are focus- ing their entire lives around it. The images shown on some pro- grams of television influence us, telling us that that is the way we should act, look, and what we should do with our lives. It has become so based on rating for many that they will show any- thing that will interest people other than its first purpose which was to inform. Many may say that the television has shaped the way society is. I would have to say this is entirely true. In good ways it has opened doors for relation- ships with other countries, of- fered information, and brought around the inventions of different torms of communication. In the bad it has made many lazy, easily influenced on the nonessential, and maybe shown us a little more than should be shown on TV. No matter how you look at it the television has influenced the world as we know it. Gregory Andrusisian Grade 8, Gate of Heaven I have chosen the atomic bomb, an innovation so destructive it’s only been used once since its cre- ation. The atomic bomb has changed the way people look at warfare. Living under the fear of anuclear holocaust, the people of the entire world dreaded this in- vention and its deployment. The atomic bomb lead to a chain of more powerful and sophisticated weapons such as the Neutron Bomb. This invention may or may not have been for the better, but its threat has been important in securing the peace of the world since the second world war. Leslie Rosenbaum Mrs. Gorgone Lake-Lehman During the last one hundred years, there have been so many significantinnovations that it was difficult to choose only one. The one | chose had an important impact on health care. I chose penicillin. Penicillin is an antibiotic drug, that is used to treat infections caused by bacteria. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 but wasn’t commonly used until the 1940's. It is prescribed regularly to treat common illnesses among adults and children such as ear and throat infections. Before the 1940's, there was not a drug that could cure such major illnesses as scarlet fever or - pneumonia. Hundreds of thou- sands of people died from illnesses before penicillin was invented. Even though some people are al- lergic to penicillin, it has saved many lives. ] I think penicillin has had a major effect on society, and that is why I chose this for my topic. Amber Kenny Mrs. Slaby Lake-Lehman I think that the electric wash- ing machine was one of the most important inventions of the 20th century. It made washing clothes easier and less time consuming. It was a lot easier than washing them on a wash board by hand. It was also a lot more time consum- ing for many reasons. You don't have to wait for good weather. You can wash your clothes in Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter. You don’t have to sit there and do it by hand, you can just put in your clothes and push start. If it weren't for electric washing ma- chines we would have to spend a lot more time with our clothing. Time that most Americans don’t have. Person Samantha Laskowski Mrs. Gorgone Lake-Lehman [ believe that the most signifi- cant person of the twentieth cen- tury is Henry Ford. [ believe Henry Ford is the most significant per- son because he was considered the man who put America on wheels. The Ford Motor Com- pany is named for him. If it were not for Henry Ford, we would not have a good means of transporta- tion. In the twenties when the Model T arrived, Henry tried his hardest to make an affordable car that every family could own. To do this Ford had to invent assem- bly line style of manufacturing which reduced the amount of time it took to make a car. The Model T also known as “Tin Lizzie” sold for less than $300 and only came in black. Ford became one of the richest men in the nation, and his family was also very famous. Kaitlyn Moody Grade 8, Gate Of Heaven Eleanor Roosevelt was a very important woman during the 1930's and the 1940's. She was a social activist, author, lecturer, and United States representative to the United Nations. She was the wife of the United States Presi- dent, Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was born in New York City on October 11, 1884 to Elliot and Anna Roosevelt. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt. Her mother died when she was eight, and her father died when she was 10. She then lived with her grandmother and at the age of 15 was sent to a boarding school in England. She then married her distant cousin Franklin Roosevelt in 1905. They had six children; one who died while still an infant. Her discov- ery of Franklin's affair with her social secretary, Lucy Mercer, in 1918 was a turning point in their marriage. Eleanor became in- volved in the League of Women Voters, and the Woman's Trade Union League. In 1921 she began to work politically for Franklin who had become ill with poliomy- elitis after his unsuccessful bid for the vice presidency in 1920. She became active in Democratic Party politics to keep her handi- capped husband’s career alive. When he was elected president in 1932, she still continued to assist him. The three main events during her time were the Civil Rights Movement, the Great Depression, and World War II. During the Civil Rights Movement, she helped a black singer, Marian Anderson when she was denied the use of the facilities of the Daughters of the American Revolution, to which Eleanor belonged. Because of this incident, she resigned from this historic organization. Dur- ing the great Depression, she sponsored an experiment to help coal miners and other young people to find jobs. During World War II, she visited American sol- diers and urged admission to Pal- estine of Jewish refugees from Europe. The innovation that she was responsible for was a large one. She was the first woman to greatly influence the policies of the United States while her husband was gravely ill. She was a very impor- tant woman and deserves to be honored for it.. She also helped many people during hard times. [ look up to her and I hope other people do too. Ashley Basar Mrs. Gorgone Grade 8, Lake-Lehman My idea of a very significant person would have to be someone who can stand up for themselves and what they believe is right. That is why I picked Rosa Parks. She thought that all people are equal, white or black. She was one of the many people who helped fight for the Equal Rights Act and integration in schools, parks, and in her case buses. I give her lots of credit for standing up for her- self because at that time I don’t think I would have been able to do that. She was avery strongwoman for even going to jail for what she believed in, I don’t think I would have ever been able to do some- thing that dangerous. Standing up fol my rights I will do but I don’t think I would ever go so far as to go to jail for them. But lam happy she and many others did because I hate racism. It drives me crazy that some people are too vain and prejudiced to look be- yond skin color, religion, or heri- tage. Hate is a strong word and used the wrong way can really hurt someone. Matt Thompson Grade 8, Gate of Heaven I believe that the most impor- tant people of this century are James Watson and Francis Crick. They are the scientists who are credited with discovering the double helix design of DNA. They also figured out how the different components of DNA fit together. They discovered that Adenine con- nects to Thiamin and Guanine connects to Cytosine. This dis- covery led to all of the genetic research going on today. Watson also began the Human Genome Project. They won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work. Their discov- eries shall be remembered into the next millennium. Watson and Crick’s discovery, the beginning of the Human Genome Project, and the advances that have come from these are, in my opinion, the most important of the century. Jason Austin Gate of Heaven Henry Ford, in my opinion, is the most significant person of the 20th century. I chose this man for several reasons. First, he made an automobile that half of the 3 Dallas, PA Wednesday, December 29,1999 7 people in the United Stated were driving. Second, he created the assembly line. He made it pos- sible to make things quickly, more efficiently, and cheaper. The as- sembly line helped him to make the Ford Automobile Company which produced thousands of cars. greatly in the World Wars., ” His invention also helped - The: assembly line was able to make weapons quickly. Some people doubt that the U.S.A. would have even won the wars if it weren't for Henry's invention of the assembly line. If we were to lose the wars, our country would be in chaos. So, 1 believe that Henry is the most significant person of the 20th century. John Paul Hanish Mrs. Gorgone Lake-Lehman Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was like arebel leader. He was leading the Equal Rights Rebellion. He was against the majority of the people in the United States of America. Yet, he had no army. Dr. Martin Luther King’s mind was an army. King's speeches were his battles. and he usually won them. Negro Americans thought of him as a savior. His mission was to protect and make a more equal world for the Negro Americans. As a result of his work and sacrifice, almost all Black Americans can live in a non-prejudiced community. There are still problems in America and all over the world. It may not be Blacks and Whites, but it does not matter. This is what Dr. Mar- tin Luther King told us. It does not matter what race, religion or color we are. It matters what is inside. The lesson is what King told us, and that is why I think he is the most significant person in the 20th Century. Next week: Dallas Middle School students write about their choices for the most significant person, event and innovation of the millennium. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers