"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.

Star Wars IV by Zaharina Velazquz

STAR WARS Episode IV: A New Hope
Directed & Written by George Lucas (1977)

This film was the first of the six film saga. It starred Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford. The story is set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." and follows former farm boy Luke Skywalker. As Luke accidently acquires the Rebel Alliance's droids he is pulled into the war. The Rebel Alliance are a group of freedom fighters plotting to destroy the Death Star created by the evil Galactic Empire with stolen information from the space station. R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids Luke found, were carrying all the stolen Death Star plans and were being searched for by the Empire. This leads Luke to Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, where his training, the journey to Princess Liea and saving the galexy begins.

Awards Won:

• Oscar for Best Director (1977)
• Oscar for Best Picture (1977)
• Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (1977)
• Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (1977)
• Oscar for Best Costume Design (1977)
• Oscar for Best Effects, Visual Effects (1977)
• Oscar for Best Film Editing (1977)
• Oscar for Best Music, Original Score (1977)
• and many more....

Importance:
This film is important to the 1970s because it brought many innovations to the film world. Not only did it introduce never before seen special effects but it had ground-breaking changes in editing and in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Besides being really cool and high-tech (in the 70s), Star Wars became the highest grossing film not only in the United States but around the world, betting the then best Jaws.
Star Wars is a six film saga that is still really popular today. The newest installment to the saga was Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith which came out in 2005. The whole saga has become a icon to film and will forever be along the best of the best. Without it film would not have been the same and all those special effects we love and adore would have taken longer to develope or would still be in the process of being thought up of.

Fiber Optics by Zaharina Velazquez

FIBER-OPTIC WIRE

Who and When:
Researchers from Corning Glass Works, Rober Maurer, Donald Keck, and Peter Schultz invented fiver-optic wire in the summer of 1970.

What is it:
Fiber-optic wire is a strand of fused silica that has a high melting point capable of carrying 65,000 times more information than copper wire. This information is carried by patterns of light waves which can be decoded from distances of even thousands of miles away.

Outcomes:
Thanks to the invention of fiver-optic wire, fiver-optic communication came to be. In 1977, General Telephone and Electronics developed the first live telephone traffic through the wire in Long Beach, California. Later that year, Bell installed a 1.5 mile optical telephone communication system in Chicago. Today, fiber-optics traffic more than 80% of the worlds long distance voice and data information. They are also used in medical and mechanic imaging.

Effects and Significance:
Fiber-optics allowed telecommunications (TV/phone/internet) become less expensive because it is cheaper to make. Because of its tiny size, things that use them are also allowed to be made smaller. This also means more phone lines can go into a cable allowing for more channels and faster internet. Fiber-optics have less of a chance of losing or interfering with other signals and they use less power. Plus they are light weight, flexible and non-flammable.
This discovery is so important because without it we would never have made the advances we have made up to today. The reason this project is done online is because of how simple and fast of a process it is. Without fiber-optics it would never have been a possibility as the internet wouldn't be as popular and as attainable as it is. This invention also helped us move foward in voice communication with cheaper phone lines and calling through computers. This invention definately help shape our modern lives.

The Sexual Revolution by Jerilyn Nick

The Sexual Revolution, which carried over and grew from the 1960's, was a cultural movement that promoted public openness of sex and sexual orientation. It's method of "free love", or sex outside of marriage, was often practiced among hippies, who agreed with it. With the growing popularity of the birth control pill and other contraceptions, people were better able, if not encouraged by the media, to partake in in pre-marrital sex without the chance of pregnancy. However, despite what is commonly believed, the Sexual Revolution brought on more of a public tolerance about portraying and talking about sex than people engaging in increased and/or varied types of sex.

What was at the time, a movement of the post World War 2 generation's sexual escapades, has become known as a cultural movement that helped to mold American culture into what it is today. By the 1970's the Sexual Revolution had caused a shift in the way Americans viewed sex and open sexuality. The topic went from being taboo and unspeakable to something commonly seen in mainstream media and pop-culture. Pre-marital sex and openness of sexual orientation increased, sparking gay rights activists into action and countering the Double Standard of previous decades.

By the end of the 70's, much of the concepts of the Sexual Revolution were integrated into the media, and it became common for colleges to have co-educational dormatories. Today, the public acceptance of sex and sexuality continues. Issues such as masturbation or pornography are more tolerated in society than before, where they were unthinkable. In fact, much of what was viewed as redical or explicit back then would be considered mild today.

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

Gloria Steinem by Victor Osoria

Gloria Steinem, born on born March 25, 1934, is an American journalist, feminist, social critic, and political activist. She is the founder and the publisher of Ms. Magazine, when the first issue hit the news stands in July 1972, its 300,000 copies sold out nationwide in eight days and it generated 26,000 subscription orders plus over 20,000 reader letters within weeks. She is also the founder of Choice USA, a pro-choice organization, co-founder of the Women’s Media Center, the Women's Action Alliance, in which she played a variety of roles within the Women’s Action Alliance, including chairing the board from 1971-1978 as well as being involved in fundraisers to assist the Alliance, and is an influential co-convener of the National Women's Political Caucus also Steinem was also a member of Democratic Socialists of America. However, Steinem began of her rise to national prominence in the 1970s.

By the 1972 election; the women's movement was rapidly expanding its political power. However, although she had brought in McGovern's single largest campaign contributor in 1968, she felt disrespected by McGovern's campaign staff. In April 1972, Steinem remarked that he "still doesn't understand the women's movement." McGovern ultimately excised the abortion issue from the party's platform, much to Steinem's disappointment. Steinem co-founded the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1974, and participated in the National Conference of Women in Houston, Texas in 1977.

Joyce Carol Oates By Ria

Joyce Carol Oates was a famous author who was born in Lockport, New York on June 16th 1938. Growing up Joyce was raised as a catholic, she lived with her mother, Rita Oats and grandmother, Blanche Woodside, who was “very close” to her. Once her grandmother, Blanche passed away, Joyce found out her father had killed himself and also that her grandmother was keeping her Jewish heritage a secret from her. Later on in life in her writing she wrote The Gravedigger’s Daughter, based on her grandmothers life.

In Oates’ early education she was very interested in reading, and she went to school in a one- room school, in which her own mother attended in her own childhood. And while getting more interested in reading and literature, her grandmother gave her Lewis Carrolls’ “Alice in Wonderland”, and she was in love with this book. Joyce immediately began writing when she got her first type writer at the age of 14 , with the influences of such writers like; William Faulkner, Emily Bronte, and Henry David Thoreau. Growing up, she moved on to bigger, more suburban schools. She attended Williamsville South High School, in which she wrote the school newspaper, she was apart of the graduating class of 1956. With earning a scholarship in high school, she attended Syracuse University where she won the Mademoiselle fiction contest. She graduated from that college as valedictorian. In 1962 Joyce was married to Raymond J. Smith.

Oates taught in the University of Windsor in Canada for 10 years during 1968 and 1978. while teaching at the collage she was still writing on her free time. Oates was writing an average of 2-3 books a year. While being interviewed the interviewer called her a “workaholic” to where she responded “I am not conscious of working especially hard, or of 'working' at all. Writing and teaching have always been, for me, so richly rewarding that I don't think of them as work in the usual sense of the word.”


Joyce Carol has been, and STILL is one of the worlds most successful writers. She has written; 56 novels, more than 30 collections of short stories, plays, and poems. She still continues to write today. Oates has no children her first husband Raymond J. Smith. Passed away in 2008 due to complications of pneumonia. She recently re-married to Professor Charles Gross of the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Institute at Princeton.

Novels by Joyce Carol Oates:

• Black water
  




• Blonde


• 
  
  

Short stories by Joyce Carol Oates:

• The wheel of Love


• 
  
  
  

• The Hungry Ghost
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Childrens Fiction stories:

• Come meet Muffin!

Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Carol_Oates
- http://jco.usfca.edu/life/
- http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/oat0bio-1

Robert Wright Penn by Victor Osoria

Writer and poet Robert Penn Warren was born on April 24, 1905 in Guthrie, Kentucky. He is the only person to have won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1947 and poetry in 1958. His fiction, which is usually historically based, considers the implications of man's initiation into awareness of the potential evil in himself and the world. His book All the Kings Men with the central theme of man capacity for evil got him his first Pulitzer Prize. Another book also by Warren, World Enough and Time, examines the conjunctions between idealism and evil, innocence and guilt. Then Wilderness described a youth's acceptance of moral responsibility.
Warren’s early poems were of the so-called New Critical School and his later poems became more romantic and transcendental. Promises: Poems 1954 to 1956 won Warren his second Pulitzer Prize. 1971. Warren died of cancer September 15, 1989, in Stratton, Vermont.

Jim Jones by Victor Osoria

Jim Jones was born in May 31^st, 1931 in Lynn, Indiana. As a young man he had become a pastor of a Methodist church but could not become a minister for not meeting Methodist standards. Then in 1954 he left to found a community what would be called The People’s Temple. Later on in the mid-1960’s he had a vision of a nuclear holocaust and moved the congregation to Ukiah, California, which he believed was a safe place, then became affiliated with the Disciples of Christ.

As things progressed Jones had become a social activist extending his work to Los Angeles and San Francisco building African congregations also but had become frustrated that his efforts to end racism, he began to lean increasingly to Marxism. In 1973 he founded a rural colony in the largely Marxist country of Guyana. The colony seemed to prosper though rumors had surfaced of irregularities in the temple, including violence against former members and temple critics. Then in 1977 Jones and many of his followers migrated to the colony, which had been named Jonestown.

Jones had responded to his accusation with heightened paranoia. He was also seeking ways to finance his following and placing his followers in a harmonious environment. He looked at the possibilities including “revolutionary suicide.” Then in 1978 congressman Leo Ryan made a visit to Guyana to observe Jonestown. Then immediately after he left and prepared for his trip back to the U.S. a group of temple members attacked and killed him including his party. A short time later at least 900, including men, women, and children either committed suicide by a cyanide laced drink or were murdered. Jim Jones died by a gunshot wound to the head on the same day.

Recombinant DNA by Jerilyn Nick

• Recombinant DNA


• Scientists involved: Proposed by graduate student Peter Lobban and A. Dale Kaiser at Stanford University Department of Biochemistry. Later realized by Stanley Norman Cohen, Herbert Boyer, Daniel Nathans, Hamilton Smith, Werner Arber, etc.




• Discovered: 1972-74
  
• Where: Proposed at Stanford University Department of Biochemistry


• Recombinant DNA is the process in which two portions of DNA are combined to create a new strand of DNA. The process is usually done within a host cell, commonly bacteria such as E. Coli. Rings of DNA inside bacteria are called vectors. Pieces of DNA from a donor cell are inserted into the vector in order to change the sequence of nitrogen bases that act as instructions on what proteins the cell should make. The new vector containing the DNA of both the host and the donor is called a "chimera". The chimera is then left in the host cell and allowed time for the new instructions the DNA codes for to take place. This makes the host cell produce proteins that it normally would not make if left in it's unaltered state.


• Awards: Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1978 by Hamilton Smith, Daniel Nathans, and Werner Arber.
  
• As stated in the previous paragraph, the process of creating Recombinant DNA allows host cells to produce proteins that it normally would not make. A well known example of that is when scientists use the method to breed bacteria containing insulin. The insulin is then harvested and used for human purposes, such as for people with diabeties. The discovery of Recombinant DNA has allowed medicine to create treatments an vaccines for medical conditions like that.

In addition, the process could also be used to alter the way organisms react to certain things or environments. Hybrid or super crops are an efficiant example, for now there are kinds of crops and other plants that are altered. Seedless crops or plants that produce their own pesticides are the result of Recombinant DNA. Crops that are more able to survive in droughts or heat than normal are also results of the process. Through Recombinant DNA, science is able to produce or genetically modify things that will benefit humans.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombinant_DNA

http://rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Projects00/rdna/rdna.html

Kent State Massacre by Jerilyn Nick

• Kent State Massacre



• Sergent Taylor. National Guard. College Students; deceased includes: Jeffery Miller, Sandra Lee Scheuer, Allison Krause, and William Knox Schroeder, with several others wounded.



• May 4, 1970



• Kent State University, Kent, Ohio



• On May 4, 1970, over 2,000 college students gathered at Kent State University near Taylor Hall to protest President Richard Nixon's address on the American invasion of Cambodia. The National Guard was called in, for the campus had disapproved of the rally and feared violence would erupt. After several attempts to disperse the crowd, the National Guard fired on the students, the shootings lasting about 13 seconds. 4 students were killed, 2 of which passerbyes trying to go to class, and several others were injured and/or paralyzed.

• A photograph of a teenager screaming over the body of one of the victims earned the Pulitzer Prize.



• The Kent State Massacre shook the nation. Protests sparked across colleges and other school across the country, and over 10,000 people rioted in Washinton, DC 5 days after the massacre. People were furious at the deaths, but the public was divided on whom to blame for the incident: the Guard for firing, or the students for refusing to dispurse. Over 900 schools were closed during the riots. On June 13th of that year, the president put together the Scranton Commission to figure out if the shootings were justified. They later ruled that they were not.

Because of it's name, the Kent State Massacre is often compared to the Boston Massacre, in which British soldiers fired upon a group of colonists, killing some and injuring numerous others.

• Due to the massacre, the National Guard has had to improve it's methods of crowd control to less leathal ways. The question of self defense was also tested, as well as where the line determining that should be drawn. The riots that occured afterwards demonstrated the public's opposition to the shootings, and the invasion of Columbia. Because of that, another question of whether the riots were "student protest" or "civil war" was raised, for the president had to stay at Camp David during the time, and soldiers stood by to prevent the public from extentive violence.

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

Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 by Jerilyn Nick

Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975

• Important People Involved: President Nixon; Native American population


• January 4, 1975
  
• The Indian Self-Determination (and Education Assistance) Act of 1975 was a law passed by President Richard Nixon in order for government agencies such as Secretaries of Education, Health, and Welfare to establish contracts with Indian tribes. Through those contacts, Native American tribes were able to gain financial grants in order to build things such as a health clinic. This allowed the tribes to be able to manage their societies and finances better than before, without being assimilated and/or their tribes being assimilated.
  
• As stated above, the Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975 provided federally recognized Native American tribes with financial support from government agencies. Prior to the passing of the act, the government focused more on assimilating the Native American population and terminating their tribes. The Act served to reverse that effort, giving more control and freedom to the tribes.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Self-Determination_and_Education_Assistance_Act_of_1975

Terracotta Army by Zaharina Velazquez

Important People Involved:

- Chinese Farmers
- archeologist

When and Where:
The Terracotta Army was first discovered in 1974 in the Xi'an, Shaanxi province of China near the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor.

What Happened:
In 1974, local farmers were digging a well when they stumbled upon a pit full of life sized statues. This lead to the excavation of the area and a total of three pits begin found. Each pit is believed to be about 230 meters long and about 7 meters deep. Inside the first pit archeologists found the main army consists of 8,000 figures. In the second pit they found chariots, cavalry and infantry in a U-shape. And finally the third pit contained the commanding headquarters. The army is said to be a replica of Emperor Qin's warriors with over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses. Historians believe there are more to be found.


Effects and Significance:
The discovery of the Terracotta Army lead to the most successful year at the British Museum in London. the exhibit consists of 120 objects from the mausoleum and 20 warriors. The Terracotta Army exhibition sold out tickets so fast that the museum had to extend hours until midnight and even them people still had to be turned away.
This discovery is important because it taught us a lot about the past. Thanks to this discovery we learned about the skills of the people in ancient times. We also learned about the high levels of mercury that were present in the soil. And now we have a human made wonder which only a select few have been able to walk through.