Channels Visual Vocabulary Builder Story Index Radio Broadcasts Newsletters Contact Us
Lesson Plans Narrations Slide Shows Videos Images Audio Clips Documents Topics FEBRUARY VIDEOS AND In This Issue FROM THE EDITOR HIGHLIGHTS at Awesome IN THE NEWS SITE SIGNUP and Stories LOGIN
FEBRUARY February, 2013 HIGHLIGHTS HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! SEARCHING AWESOME STORIES FROM THE EDITOR Quick Links February ... It's the month to think about Valentine's Day, the Oscars, snow (if you're in the northern hemisphere) and "Black About Us History Month" (if you're in America). Why Subscribe? And ... Channels Contact Us It's the month to think about Big News @ Awesome Stories. Here's part of the story:
ALIGNMENT & WEBSITE UPGRADES All of the stories (and chapters) at Awesome Stories are being aligned to Common Core and State Standards. Our website is undergoing a major update to support this, to improve navigation and to provide evenmore functionality for all our users: teachers, education leaders, students, parents and lifelong learners!
If you have suggestions for improvements, while we're in the final design phase, please send them to [email protected].
AWESOME TEACHER LEADERS Many of you accepted our invitation to learn more about being an "Awesome Teacher Leader" (ATL) and have participated in webinars, emails and phone calls. Beyond receiving more information on the "ATL" role, and the upcoming new elements at Awesome Stories, those wishing to contribute to Awesome Stories' content and community growth are now completing agreements.
If you are interested, and have already attended one of the 5 Intro Webinars, just complete the "ATL Agreement." Click here to get there.
If you are interested, but have not attended a webinar (or need more information), you can attend the next webinar on Tuesday 2/19. Just click this link to join at 7pm EST, 6pm CST, 5pm MST, 4pm PST, 2pm HT.
Or ... you can participate in the discussion by phone, at the above times, by calling: (213) 4930014 Access Code: 660048109
When you've been through the process, you can complete the ATL Agreement at the abovereferenced URL. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
We will announce the ATL team in the March newsletter. If you want to join the group, but missed the earlier invitations, email [email protected].
Now ... let's view what's up for February. WHAT'S NEW...OR...IN THE NEWS
LINCOLN
It's Oscar month, and Lincoln is a film with many nominations. Learn about the 16th President in our story.
ARGO
ARGO has already won numerous awards. Learn the real story (and meet the real people) in our story behind the film.
THE IMPOSSIBLE
Also nominated for Academy Awards, this emotionally stirring film is about a family who survived an unbelievable disaster, in 2004. Our story behind the film explains why the Great Sumatra Andaman earthquake (and its resulting tsunami) were so powerful. Watch animations, based on scientific date, which show how the waves traveled around the world. Meet the real family who survived the horror.
EDUCATOR COMMENTS about AWESOME STORIES
If you'd like to see what educators think about Awesome Stories, have a look at this survey compilation.
AWESOME STORIES ... IN THE NEWS
In case you missed it ... Awesome Stories, and the site's editor, were featured in a major news profile. Take a look at the story and its pictures.
FOLLOW AWESOME STORIES
We are using Twitter, between monthly newsletters, to profile current and historical events. To stay on top of things, click the link above, sign up and off you go!
We're on FaceBook now, too. Stay connected ... and ... we hope everyone clicks "like" to help us spread the word.
NEWSLETTERS ONLINE
Because it's much easier to share our newsletters with a standalone URL (rather than as an email), we have created a separate URL for this month's edition. We will activate the link, reflected above, soon after the email version is sent.
SITE SIGNUP and LOGIN
We have a simple signup and login process on the site. You need both a username AND a password. Just follow the instructions on the relevant page. QUICK CLIPS from the VIDEO ARCHIVES
GREENSBORO FOUR - SIT-IN at the LUNCH COUNTER
On the 1st of February, 1960, four African Americans tried to order food (including a piece of cherry pie) at the Greensboro F.W. Woolworth store. Go back in time to watch what happened when four young men decided to challenge the lunch counter's "whites only" policy.
COLUMBIA - THE LOST ASTRONAUTS
On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia exploded. Seven astronauts were onboard. This video clip features the astronauts during their last minutes of life. Of all the many videos made during Columbia's last mission, only this one was found in the debris field.
COLUMBIA - DISINTEGRATING DESCENT On the 1st of February, 2003, two Royal Dutch Air Force pilots were training on a Longbow Apache Helicopter (AH-64) out of Fort Hood, Texas. Practicing maneuvers, the pilots were about 100 feet above ground when they saw a most unusual sight. They recorded a video with their gun camera which depicts disintegration of the space shuttle Columbia. The video, released by the Department of Defense, was a key piece of evidence as government investigators tried to determine what happened to the crew and their orbiter.
COLUMBIA - THE "BLACK BOX" FALLS TO EARTH
Sixty kilometers above the states of Louisiana and Texas, the space shuttle Columbia began to disintegrate on the morning of February 1, 2003. People driving their cars - or fishing in their boats - avoided fatal injuries as more than 80,000 pieces of debris - some of it huge - fell to Earth. Six weeks after the disaster, a searcher found the shuttle's "black box." Although it did not have a protective casing, the data recorder had survived a 37-mile fall before it landed in a swampy area near the town of Hemphill, Texas.
AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI RETURNS to IRAN
Exiled for nearly 15 years, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran on the 1st of February, 1979. Who was he? What were his beliefs? Why did his return cause an Islamic Revolution in Iran?
JAMES JOYCE - AUTHOR OF ULYSSES
James Joyce - an Irishman, born on February 2, 1882 - wrote one of the most famous English-language novels of all times. Who was Joyce? What was he up to in Ulysses?
END of QUEEN VICTORIA'S REIGN
Queen Victoria was laid to rest on the 2nd of February, 1901. She gave her name to an age, but what do we really know about her? This video clip gives us some background of the Queen at the time of her death.
THE "BIG BOPPER" and HIS NEW GRAVESITE
Nearly 50 years after an airplane crash killed Buddy Holly, J.P. ("The Big Bopper") Richardson and Ritchie Valens, there was a reason to move the Bopper's grave site. Because his remains had to be exhumed anyway, his family members thought it would be good to find out what happened to their loved one on "the day the music died." The examining doctor tells us what he found.
YALTA - A CONFERENCE WHICH CHANGED THE WORLD
During the closing months of World War II, three leaders - Churchill, FDR (looking extremely worn and frail) and Stalin - met in the Crimean town of Yalta. The decisions made by the Allies - at that February 4, 1945 meeting - changed the political make-up of Europe for decades to come.
DEATH of KING GEORGE VI
George VI - Britain's monarch (featured in The King's Speech) who had struggled so hard to overcome his stammering - became a much-loved leader during World War II. When he died, very unexpectedly - on February 6, 1952 - his loss stunned the whole country. This historical footage provides a glimpse into the reaction of the British people.
GUADALCANAL - A TURNING EVENT IN WWII
February 8, 1943 marked a turning point in WWII's "Pacific Theater." For the first time, Allied forces defeated the Japanese by securing the strategically located island of Guadalcanal. As Japan lost control of islands in the Pacific, its leaders also lost control of air strips vital to their conquest plans. SHERGAR, the AWESOME RACE HORSE
In 1983, Shergar - the incredibly fast "horse of the year" - disappeared on the 8th of February. Why did Lloyds of London have to pay a $10.6 million insurance claim for him? Why did it take 25 years to solve the mystery of Shergar's disappearance?
EXECUTION of MARY, QUEEN of SCOTS
It was said, after Mary Queen of Scots was executed at the Castle of Fotheringhay on 8 February 1587, that her lips continued to move for fifteen minutes after her death. That claim is repeated in this recreation of events, from Elizabeth R, featuring Glenda Jackson in the title role and Vivian Pickles as the doomed queen.
MACBETH - AN ANIMATED SUMMARY
Speaking of Scottish royalty, Macbeth comes to mind. Shakespeare's play - about this King of the Scots - was based on an actual ruler from the 11th century. How did Shakespeare hear the original story, and how did he use it as background for his famous tragedy?
NELSON MANDELA - RELEASED FROM PRISON
On the 11th of February, 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years in prison for his opposition to South Africa's apartheid. In this clip - from Mandela's only-known video interview, before his decades of confinement - we hear him explain why he rejected non-violence as the best form of resistance to the apartheid regime.
LADY JANE GREY - QUEEN for 9 DAYS
A former queen of England - for nine days, that is - was put to death for treason on February 12, 1554. Who was she? How did she become queen? Why did her reign end so soon? ALEKSANDR SOLZHENITSYN - DEPORTED
One of Russia's most beloved writers was exiled from the Soviet Union on the 12th of February, 1974. Already a Nobel Laureate, by that time, Solzhenitsyn himself tells us what happened to him on the day that government officials arrived at his home.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN - AMERICA'S 16TH PRESIDENT
Many Americans consider Abraham Lincoln as their country's "greatest president." Presiding as chief executive during the U.S. Civil War, Lincoln did his best to reunite the warring States. Born on the 12th of February, 1809, Lincoln was the first in his family to read. Who was he, as a man and as a leader?
CHARLES DARWIN - BORN FEBRUARY 12, 1809
Born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin was a loving husband and father of ten children long before the rest of the world knew his name. He was especially close to Annie, his second child and oldest daughter. In 1851, when she was ten years old, Annie became very ill and died. Crushed by the loss of their daughter, Charles and Emma Darwin coped in different ways. Emma found solace in her faith; Charles found focus in his work.
This video clip, and its supporting description with links to primary sources - including Darwin's letters about Annie - help us to learn more about Charles Darwin, the man.
BOMBING of DRESDEN
Dresden, Germany was pounded by Allied bombing on February 13, 1945. This historical footage gives us a look at its unimaginable impact on the city and its people.
DOWNTON ABBEY and the 5th EARL of CARNARVON
On the 13th of February, 1924, archeologists opened the tomb of King Tut. The expedition was sponsored by George Herbert (also known as the 5th Earl of Carnarvon) who owned an ancestral mansion called Highclere Castle. We know that home by a different name - Downton Abbey.
ROBERT OPPENHEIMER - MANHATTAN PROJECT
On the 18th of February, 1967, Dr. Robert Oppenheimer died. Leader of the Manhattan Project - which developed the world's first nuclear bomb - Oppenheimer lived to regret his role. In this clip, he makes his famous statement: "Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds."
GEORGE WASHINGTON - FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY
George Washington is often known as "The Father" of his country. Born on the 22nd of February, 1732, he served as the colonials' commanding general during the revolutionary war. Resigning his commission after the war was won, Washington retired to his Mount Vernon farm never expecting to be in the public eye again. He changed his mind, however, after he was asked to serve as the country's President. He remains the only individual ever unanimously elected to that position.
HUCK FINN
Mark Twain published his famous book, in America, on the 18th of February, 1885. Hear a dramatization of the first five chapters.
JAPAN ATTACKS AUSTRALIA
Between 1942-43, Japan bombed Australia nearly 100 times. The first of those air raids was launched against Darwin on the 19th of February, 1942.
WILLIE LINCOLN
Willie Lincoln was a fun-loving boy who lived in the White House with his family. What was he like? What were his favorite toys?
DEATH of WILLIE LINCOLN
The movie Lincoln, by Steven Spielberg, has a key scene involving the death of the President's son, Willie. What happened to Willie?
BATTLE of VERDUN
In all of human history, few battles approach the magnitude of Verdun - on multiple levels. Why - and where - was it fought? What was at stake? Who was responsible? Why were there so many casualties? The battle began on February 21, 1916. When did it finally end?
PRESIDENT NIXON GOES to CHINA
Following top-secret negotiations, President Nixon and his entourage arrived in China on the 21st of February, 1972. His aim was to improve relations between the United States and China. See the highlights of that significant visit.
KAMIKAZE PILOTS
Near the end of World War II, the Empire of Japan began using kamikaze attacks against the Allies. Many of the pilots were very young. Who were they? On the 21st of February, 1945, kamikaze missions sank the Bismarck Sea and damaged the Saratoga. What types of planes did the kamikazes use? This clip takes us into their world.
GUTENBERG PRINTING PRESS
February 23, 1455 is the traditional date for Gutenberg's first printing on his new invention - the printing press. Knowing his work would likely change the world, Gutenberg said: "Like a new star it shall scatter the darkness of ignorance and cause a light heretofore unknown to shine amongst men."
FIGHTING POLIO - SALK VACCINE
Before Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine to protect people from contracting polio - a highly contagious, still-incurable virus - thousands of children were getting sick. The paralyzing disease could also target adults, like President Roosevelt. How did Dr. Salk develop the vaccine? What happened on the 23rd of February, 1954, when the first mass-inoculation trials began?
POLIO VACCINE - "THERE is no PATENT"
When Dr. Salk was asked who owns the polio-vaccine patent, he responded: "The people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" See a clip from the interview.
IWO JIMA - CAPTURING MOUNT SURIBACHI
On the 23rd of February, 1945, fierce fighting continued on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima. Although U.S. Marines captured Mount Suribachi on that day - thereafter raising the flag made famous in an iconic war photo - the battle for the island would continue for several weeks. This historical clip, depicting the fight for Suribachi and one of two flag-raising ceremonies, is from a Universal newsreel.
JUDICIAL REVIEW - MARBURY v MADISON
Chief Justice John Marshall, and his U.S. Supreme Court colleagues, decided that their court had the power to decide whether American laws are constitutional. That process is called "judicial review." Learn the story behind the famous case of Marbury v Madison.
FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN
When Hiram Rhodes Revels was sworn-in as the first African- American Senator - on the 25th of February, 1870 - he was known as "The 15th Amendment in Flesh and Blood." Learn more about him.
RIGHTS GIVEN; RIGHTS REMOVED
Just when it seemed like progress was being made - with the swearing-in of Hiram Revels - the U.S. took backward steps when it came to the civil rights of African-Americans and former slaves. Why was that?
NAPOLEON ESCAPES ELBA
Following his disastrous campaign into Russia, Napoleon was forced to abdicate. Sent to the island of Elba, he grew restless after ten months. On the 26th of February, 1815, Napoleon concocted a plan which returned him to power. How did he do it?
WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING - 1993
At 12:18 PM - on the 26th of February, 1993 - terrorists set-off a bomb in the parking garage of New York's World Trade Center. When one of the alleged bombers was tried, he admitted responsibility: "Yes, I am a terrorist and proud of it." Learn more about what happened that day.
SALEM WITCH HUNT
On the 28th of February, 1692, the village of Salem began an infamous chapter in its history. Children asserted that some of the residents were "witches." What caused this situation - and - was it the first time it had happened in the colonies?
PRESIDENTS' DAY - AN AMERICAN COMMEMORATION
Americans honor their top leaders on Presidents' Day. This year, that event falls on February 18th. In this video, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his first inaugural address (on March 4, 1933). To commemorate Presidents' Day, we provide these additional inaugural addresses:
HARRY TRUMAN INAUGURAL - January 20, 1949
JOHN F. KENNEDY INAUGURAL - January 20, 1961
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON INAUGURAL - January 20, 1965
RONALD REAGAN INAUGURAL- January 20, 1981
GEORGE H.W. BUSH - January 20, 1989
WILLIAM J. CLINTON INAUGURAL - January 20, 1993
GEORGE W. BUSH - January 20, 2001
BARACK OBAMA INAUGURAL - January 20, 2009
FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS JULIA WARD HOWE and the WRITING of BATTLE HYMN
Julia Ward Howe was a mother, wishing to do something for the Union side, during the American Civil War. At the time, however, women had a different role in society. What could Julia do to help? Then ... someone suggested that she write different words to a popular tune. An idea came to her during the middle of the night. Getting up, so as not to forget the words in the morning, Julia wrote "Battle Hymn of the Republic." She published her poem on the 1st of February, 1862 in the "Atlantic Monthly." Learn the background of a popular American political song.
JESSE JAMES and the BUSHWACKER CONNECTION On the 2nd of February, 1865, the son of an Ohio teacher burned a railroad depot, stole horses and robbed individuals in the Kentucky town of Midway. His name was William Quantrill, and he would soon have a profound impact on a young teen called Jesse James.
BATTLE of STALINGRAD
Hitler thought he could conquer the city named after Stalin. Stalin issued a proclamation that anyone who surrendered, or retreated, would be shot. The lives of ordinary people, trapped in the middle, were reduced to unimaginable horror. Those who survived were sustained by little more than the human will to live. That they lived at all, given the conditions they endured, is astonishing. By February 2nd of 1943 the city was back in Soviet hands. The German defeat was a major turning point in the war, ultimately leading to Hitler's defeat.
"THE DAY the MUSIC DIED"
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and "The Big Bopper" were in a terrible plane crash on the 3rd of February, 1959. All three singers, and their pilot a young man who oriented his whole life around flying died. What happened?
UNANIMOUS ELECTION of a PRESIDENT
On the 4th of February, 1789, an unusual event happened. George Washington was unanimously elected as America's first president. No U.S. president since has ever had such an honor.
KING TUT'S TOMB
On the 13th of February 1924 archeologists opened the tomb of King Tutankhamun. It contained something rare treasures which had not been damaged, or stolen, by grave robbers. In the ensuing years, people throughout the world have had an opportunity to see some of the contents of the young Pharaoh's tomb. But at the time, folks were convinced a curse would doom anyone involved with its excavation.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR
Known as "The Great Emancipator," Frederick Douglass (born a slave on the 14th of February, 1817) died a free man and a leader (on the 20th of February, 1895). His story is one of remarkable courage and determination.
JOHN MARSHALL and JUDICIAL REVIEW
America's Supreme Court routinely considers whether U.S. laws conflict with the country's constitution. How did that process come about? On the 14th of February, 1803, John Marshall then America's Chief Justice wrote these words: "an act of the legislature, repugnant to the constitution, is void." Who was John Marshall?
FDR ISSUES an ORDER AGAINST JAPANESE AMERICANS
After considering advice that America should take action against its citizens and residents of Japanese ancestry, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. His words that day the 19th of February, 1942 caused untold anguish for hundreds of thousands of people. Apologizing to JapaneseAmericans, for the wartime actions, President Ford officially rescinded FDR's order on February 19, 1976.
PARLIAMENT ABOLISHES SLAVETRADING
Eighteen years after he'd first raised the issue to abolish slave trading, William Wilberforce Member of Parliament put another bill before his colleagues. It was the 23rd of February, 1807.
As he listened to the debate, William sensed momentum may have changed. Could it be that people were now in favor of abolishing the slavetrade law? At 4:00 in the morning, the House of Commons voted. The law changed by a vote of 283 to 16.
Wilberforce bowed his head and wept.
AFRICANAMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
In the United States, the month of February is AfricanAmerican History Month. We provide a list of topics, featuring stories and assets on the site, which focus on those issues. SEARCHING AWESOME STORIES
The site has a blazingfast search for each database. Choose the one you need (images, videos, audio, etc.), and you will immediately get the "search" feature for that database. "Search," at the top right of the site, is for story text.
Stories and topics
Images
Videos
Audioclips
Documents
If it's on the site, you'll find it. HAVE A GREAT MONTH!
Awesome Stories