"Roots" By Alex Haley report by aLex Cruz

Roots is a book that was written by Alex Haley and published in 1976. It is a story about the struggle of an african slave. It first starts with the birth of a boy in 1750. He is born in Juffure an african village. He is named Kunta Kinte and the stor goes on to show how he grew up in a Muslim African village. Suddenly, he is captured by slavers and is sold to an American plantation. At the plantation he meets his soon to be wife Bell and he has to accept that he is a slave and that someone owns him. He struggles within himself to escape and become a free man or stay and remain a slave. Kunta marries Bell and they have Kizzy. Unfortunatly, Kizzy is sold because does something bad. Her new owner rapes her. This part of the book show how bad it ws for slave families to be separated. It also shows how badly slaves were treated. Also that pretty much they were treated as property instead of the people that they are.
Anyway Kizzy marries and has a child named Chicken George. The father is the slave owner Tom Lea. The story about George revolves around chicken fighting, his marriage with Mathilda and saving up money to buy their freedom. Mathilda later has a lot of children including Tom. Tom becomes a very fine blacksmith. This is around the end of the Civil War, where all the slaves were set free. In the end Tom marries Irene and they have Cynthia. It just happens that Cynthia is Alex Haley's mom. So this book can be sort of an auto biography.

PS there's a tv show based on this book

The Walkman by Jerilyn Nick

The Walkman, also known as a Personal Stereo, was created in 1978 by a Sony audio-division engineer named Nobutoshi Kihara. Co-chairman Akio Morita had Nobutoshi create the divice in order for him to listen to music during airline trips. The musical device, though it was originally only marketed in Japan, became increasingly popular around the world, especially in the United States.

With the ever advancing achievements in technology and pop-culture during the 70's, the Walkman marked a point in time when technological habits in society started to become more similar to how it is today. People were able to listen to music wherever they went, without having to lug a large stereo along with them. In addition, the cassette Walkman (for CD Walkmen weren't available until the 1980's) allowed people to listen to their music through the use of headphones. Though it held a relatively small amount of battery life and music compared to today's standards, the Walkman was a step towards the ipods and other mp3 players that we have today.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman

The VCR by Victor Osoria

The VCR’s or the videocassette recorder’s first commercially successful machine was made in 1956 named the Ampex VRX-1000. It uses re videotape cassettes containing magnetic tape to record audio and video from a television broadcast so it can be played back later. Then in 1963, The Telcan, produced by the Nottingham Electronic Valve Company, was the first home recorder. However, it was expensive, not easy to put together and could only record 20 minutes at a time in black-and-white. In October 1969 Sony demonstrated a videocassette prototype, and then set it aside to work out an industry standard by March 1970 with seven fellow manufacturers. The result was the Sony U-matic system, introduced in Tokyo in September 1971, was the world's first commercial videocassette format and had made other formats obsolete because of how easy it was to use. However the high cost of $1,395 had kept it out of most homes.

In 1970 Philips developed home videocassette format but confusingly named it VCR. At nearly £600, it was expensive and the format was relatively unsuccessful in the home market. This was followed by digital timer version, sold quite well to schools and colleges. The Avco Cartrivision system, a combination television set and VCR from Cartridge Television Inc. that sold for US $1,350, was the first videocassette recorder to have pre-recorded tapes of popular movies available for rent but was abandoned thirteen months later because of poor sales. And it was not until the late-1970s when European and Japanese companies made more technologically advanced machines that the VCR became a Mass-market success.

The Godfather By Victor Osoria

The Godfather is 1972 movie based on a novel of the same name by Mario Puzo. It is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and is written from a screenplay by Mario Puzo, also. The movie stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and many other actor including Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton. The Godfather is a gangster film that chronicles the fictional Italian Corleone Family. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and is about the ageing patriarch of the crime dynasty and transfers control of the empire to his reluctant son.

The movie had won 3 Academy Awards for Best Actor for Marlon Brando, Best Picture and Best Adapted screenplay. The film was also nominated for other award Best Supporting Actor for Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall, Best Director, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixings. The film is also respected by not only the public but critics on an international scale and often listed as one of the greatest films ever made and is often found in Top 10 lists.

Micheal Jackson by Ria wallace

Micheal Jackson

(August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)

Micheal Jackson was born August 29th 1958. Micheal was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. He was the eighth child of Katherine Joseph Walter Jackson and Esther Scruse. He had nine brothers and sisters. His six brothers were; Jackie, Tito, Jermaine,Marlon, Brandon and Randy. And his sisters were Rebbie, La Toya, and Janet. In Michael's childhood he was treated very strictly and almost abused. (Joseph) Jackson was a very strict father to his children. Micheal would be held by his legs up side down and be smack on his back and his bottom. Micheal admits that his fathers strict parenting did help him to his success. The older Jackson brothers; Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine were musicians at a very Young age, and made a musical group. Micheal wanted to join his brothers, so he, and his brother Marlon performed with their brothers at a Christmas recital, playing back up percussion. Micheal soon then upgrated in his musical talents, he became a backup singer for their little performing group. eventually him and his brother made a group called "The Jackson Five"

• The Jackson Five went from 1964 to around 1984. Some members separeated to persue solo careers.
  
  
• In between 1976 and 1984 The Jackson Five released 6 albums which successed.

Micheals Solo Career

Micheals first solo album was "Off The Wall". This album was released in 1979. This album was a great hit, and everyone was ver into his pop like music. Laer on he continued with awesome albums like; (all in chronological order) "Off the Wall", "Thriller", "Bad", "DANGEROUS", "History", "Blood on the Dance floor", "Invincible". All of which were very successful albums. Many genres of musician have been influenced by Micheal Jackson. Micheal Jackson was famous and labled "The king of Pop".

Apollo 17 By Ria wallace

Apollo 17

Apollo 17th had taken place in December 7, 1972,at 12:33 a.m. It was the eleventh manned space mission by NASA. To this day, this mission is the most recent successful manned moon landing, as well as the most successful. On this mission theyve collected the most samples, had been in lunar orbit the longest, and had traveled the earths low Earth orbit.

The Astronauts who were abord this mission:

COMMANDER: David Scott

David scott was also the Commander of the Apollo 15 mission.

• Was apart of the third group of people be called astronauts by NASA.


• Commander modual piolet of apollo 9
• Seventh person to walk on the moon.
  

Command Module Pilot: Alfred Warden

Lunar Module Pilot: James Irwin

Betty Ford by Zaharina Velazquz

Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer Ford
April 8, 1918


Life Story:
Betty Ford was born in Chicago Illinois to Elizabeth Anne Bloomer and William Stephenson Bloomer Sr. She is the youngest of 3 and the only girl. At the age of eleven, she modeled clothes and taught other children dance. At sixteen, her father died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Living in Michigan now, she graduated from Central High School in 1933. When it came time to choose a profession, Betty decided to continue with dance. Compromising with her mother, she went to Bennington School of Dance in Vermont and graduated in 1935. From there she moved to New York but returned to Michigan in 1941, where she was a fashion coordinator at a department store. In 1942 she married William C. Warren but divorced after 5 year because of "imcompatibility". Then in 1948 she married Gerald R. Ford Jr. who later became the 38th president of the United States. Together for 58 years, they had 4 children.

Works and Awards:

• Became First Lady in 1947.
• Founded the Betty Ford Center.
  

Best Known For:
Betty Ford is best known for her habits and activism. She is noted for her help in the raise of breast cancer awareness and during the women rights movement. Her most memorable habit was the ability to comment on all topics. She openly spoke of sex, drugs, abortion, feminism, equal pay, and gun control. And most memorable is her founding of the Betty Ford Center after facing alcholism herself.

Why its Important:
Betty Ford is important not only for all the things she did, but what she represents. She is a liberal, well learned woman not afraid to speak her mind. At the time when women were considered less important than men she stood out. She commented on all aspects of social life and did so educatedly. She is a role model for all women at any point in history.