Stamps -1910-1919
AMERICAN LOOKS BEYOND ITS BORDERS
The following text is from the 1910s Celebrate the Century stamp sheet.
"Halley's comet lit up the sky to begin the decade. American workers began moving from farms to factories. The Ford Motor Co. refined the automobile assembly line. Traffic lights and white lane dividers became part of the American landscape.
"Scientific and technological achievements changed society. In 1911, in New York, fingerprint evidence alone was used for the first time in the United States to arrest a burglar. Jim Thorpe was an international sports star, but Tarzan was an even more popular hero.
"The accidental sinking of the luxury liner Titanic shocked the nation, but it was the sinking of another ship, the Lusitania, that upset society, leading to U.S. involvement in World War I. Two million American soldiers fought in Europe, and more than 116,5000 lost their lives.
"Americans saw the light as the decade ended: Daylight saving time was instituted in 1918. New words -- camouflage, electronics, and troublemaker -- became a part of the American vocabulary."
FIRST CROSSWORD PUZZLE 1913
Newspaperman Arthur Wynne created the first crossword puzzle. It appeared in the New York World on Sunday, December 21, 1913. Clue 2-3: What bargain hunters enjoy.
Question 1:
Take a look at Wynne's puzzle on the Web page noted below. Go to the solutions
page. What word is used twice on the puzzle?
The Web site: http://www.crosswordtournament.com/more/wynne.html
Find the answer to that question on the Introducing Crossword Puzzles
Web page.
CHILD LABOR REFORM
Lewis W. Hine's photographs of children working in mines, mills, and factories led Congress to try to regulate child labor, but the Supreme Court declared early laws unconstitutional.
Question 2:
One of Lewis W. Hine's photographs showed a group of "breaker boys" in 1911.
What job did breaker boys do? How many hours did they typically work?
The Web site: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hnintro.htm
You can find the answer to that question on the Children at Work, 1908-1912 Web page. Go to Breakers
Boys, 1911 to see a photo of breaker boys.
JACK DEMPSEY WINS TITLE 1919
Known as the Manassa Mauler because he was from Manassa, Colorado, Jack Dempsey won the world heavyweight boxing championship in 1919 and held it for seven years.
Question 3:
Jack Dempsey finally lost his heavyweight title in 1926. Which boxer defeated him in that
fight?
The Web site: http://www.cmgww.com/sports/dempsey/index.html
You can find that answer by reading about Jack Demsey's "Career" on the
official Jack Dempsey Web
page.
PANAMA CANAL OPENS 1914
The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saving a ship traveling between New York and San Francisco almost 8,000 miles.
Question 4:
Who did Colonel Goethals say was the real builder of the Panama Canal?
The Web site:http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/usonline/worddoc/canal_construction.htm
The answer to that question can be found by reading the Short History of the canal
on the History of the Canal Web site.
U.S. BOY AND GIRL SCOUTING BEGINS
The Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1910 and the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. (at first known as Girl Guides) in 1912. Both groups introduce youth to a variety of outdoor activities and promote self-reliance and resourcefulness.
Question 5:
In what decade did the Girl Scouts have their first sale
of commercially baked cookies?
The Web site:http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/timeline/l
Read the
Girl
Scout Timeline to learn the answer to that question.
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER
Botanist George Washington Carver improved the economy of the South by demonstrating the commercial possibilities of peanuts and sweet potatoes. His "Movable School" educated impoverished farmers.
Question 6:
When George Washington Carver enrolled at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, he
didn't enroll in the agriculture program. That came later. What did Carver study
at Simpson?
The Web site: http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/gwc/bio.html
You can learn what he studied on the
The Legacy of George Washington Carver
page on the University of Iowa Web site.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
Charlie Chaplin was one of the most famous film stars of the silent era. Like many other stars, he wanted creative control.
Question 7:
Charlie Chaplin joined other silent film star artists to form
a very famous movie studio. What was the name of that movie studio?
The Web site: http://www.imsa.edu/~mitch/directors/chaplin.html
Find the answer to that question on the The Life of
Charles
Chaplin Biography Web page.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK 1919
The National Park Service was established by Congress in 1916. The Grand Canyon was officially designated a national park two and a half years later.
Question 8:
What are the two reasons that Congress made the Grand Canyon Preserve a national
park?
The Web site: http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/info.htm
You can find the answer to that question on the Grand Canyon National Park
Information Page.
U.S. ENTERS WORLD WAR I
Two million American soldiers fought in Europe during World War I, and more than 116,500 lost their lives. Back home, more than 1 million women joined the workforce.
Question 9:
The 1914 assassination in Europe of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is often cited as one of the root causes
of World War I. According to Count Franz von Harrach, what were the Archdukes
final words?
The Web site: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/w1frm.htm
To learn his final words, go to the Index to EyeWitness
Web page. Find the link
to assassination of an archduke, 1914 and read the accounts of his
assassination.
JIM THORPE, STAR AT STOCKHOLM
The first Native American sports hero, Jim Thorpe was hailed as the greatest athlete in
the world after he won the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in
Stockholm.
Question 10:
Jim Thorpe was born in Oklahoma. He was of mostly Sac and Fox Indian heritage. What was
his Indian name, and what does that name mean?
The Web site: http://www.cmgww.com/sports/thorpe/bio.htm
To find the answer to that question, read Jim Thorpe's Biography on the official
Jim Thorpe Web site.