Walking Through the

Social Studies Alphabet

By: Jonathan Jeffery

A-Armstrong, Neil

Neil Armstrong developed a fascination with flight at an early age. He earned his pilot’s license when he was 16. Armstrong became an astronaut in 1962. On July 20, 1969 he became the first man to walk on the moon.

B-Babe Ruth

His real name was George Herman Ruth, Jr. Ruth was born on February 6, 1895 in Baltimore, Maryland. He played for the Yankees. Ruth was one of the first five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

C- Carver, George Washington

He was born in January 1864 and died January 5, 1943. He was a prominent African-American scientist and inventor. Carver is best known for the many uses he devised for peanuts. He devised over 100 products using peanuts, including dyes, plastics, and gasoline.

D-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Eisenhower graduated at the top of his class at West Point. He became a 5-star general and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during World War II. He was elected U.S. President in 1952. He served two terms.

E-Edison, Thomas He was one of the greatest inventors of all

time. He was credited for inventing the light bulb. He only attended school for 3 months; that was the end of his formal education. His mother continued his education at home. His most famous statement was “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

F-Fidel Castro In 1959, Fidel Castro took control of

Cuba by force and remained its dictator for nearly five decades. During 1959-1960 , Castro broke ties with the U.S. and established strong ties with the Soviet Union. Castro transformed Cuba into a communist country.

G-Gettysburg It was the site of the bloodiest battle

of the Civil War. The population of Gettysburg was 2,000, but 50,000 soldiers fought there. Sixty-three Medals of Honor were awarded to Union soldiers for their actions on the battle- field.

H-Henry Ford

Ford developed the assembly line mode of production which changed industry. As a result, Ford sold millions of cars and became a world famous company. The common person could afford to purchase an automobile. He helped build America’s economy during the nation’s early years.

I-Iwo Jima

The capture of Iwo Jima occurred February 16 through March 16, 1945. The capture of Iwo Jima was important because it provided a landing strip for damaged U.S. bombers. Navajo Code Talkers were important to the capture of Iwo Jima.

J-Joseph McCarthy

He was born on November 14, 1908. He served in the U.S. Marines and ran for political office in 1944 while he was still in the Marines. He ran as a Democrat in 1944. He ran as a Republican in 1946.

K-Kennedy, John F.

He was the 35th president of the U.S. He joined the Navy because he was rejected by the Army due to his back problem. He served in the Navy in World War II. His PT boat (PT109) was sunk by a larger Japanese ship. On November 22, 1963 he was assassinated.

L-Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln is best known for leading the

country during the Civil War. He had very little formal education, but he did have a strong interest in reading and learning. He became a lawyer while serving in the Illinois State Legislature. He was elected president in 1860. He is remembered today for the Gettys- burg Address. He was shot April 14, 1865, and died the next day.

M-Montgomery, Alabama The Montgomery Bus Boycott was the

beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in the south. It started with Rosa Parks and her refusal to give up her seat on the bus. Black people refused to ride the buses; the boycott lasted for a year. Black churches across the country donated shoes to the walkers and marchers.

N-NATO

NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is a political and military alliance of 28 nations formed in 1949. The goal of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.

O-Orville Wright

Orville was born in Ohio in 1871. Orville and his older brother, Wilbur, were the inventors of the first successful airplane. The Wright brothers are known as the “fathers of modern aviation”. Orville is also known for developing technology for the U.S. Army.

P-Pearl HarborOn December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the Empire of Japan. Pearl Harbor is located in the Hawaiian Islands. The U.S. was at peace with Japan at the time. This was the beginning of U.S. involvement in World War II.

Q- al- Qaeda

Al-Qaeda is Arabic for “The Base”. It is an international terrorism network started in the late 1980’s by Osama bin Laden. They want to get rid of all western political and religious influence.

R- Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was an actor turned politician. He served two terms as Governor of California as a Democrat. He served two terms as President of the U.S. as a conservative Republican. He called for the des- truction of the Berlin Wall.

S- Slavery

The first African slave arrived in Virginia in 1619. Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin increased the demand for slave labor. In 1861 the Confederacy seceded from the Union and the Civil War began. In 1865 the Civil War ended and the 13th Amendment abolished slavery.

T-Thurgood MarshallHe was the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court serving there for 24 years. He was also one of the most affective Civil Rights crusaders of the 20th century. The greatest achievement of his career as a Civil Rights lawyer was his victory in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case “Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.”

U-Ulysses S. Grant

As a young man, Grant was shy and an average student. He was appointed to and graduated from West Point Military Academy. He served as commander of the Union armies during the late years of the Civil War. Later he served as the 18th President of the U.S.

V- V-J Day

Victory in Japan (VJ) Day was a day celebrated as the end of World War II. On August 15th, 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman declared the day of victory in Japan. Although Emperor Hirohito surrendered on August 15th, the Japanese administration under General Koiso Kuniaki did not officially surrender until September 2, 1945.

W- Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Defense on May 10, 1940 by King George VI. As prime minister, he rallied the British people during World War II and led his country from the brink of defeat to victory. He introduced the first British minimum wage and helped pass unemployment insurance.

X- Alexander Graham BellHe was one of the primary inventors of the telephone and held more than 18 patents. His mother was deaf which taught him to look past peoples disadvantages and find solutions to help them. He was homeschooled by his mother. He was a mediocre student but he showed an un- common ability to solve problems.

Y- Yalta ConferenceThe Yalta Conference was held in Yalta (Crimea) in 1945. It was convened by Winston Churchill of Britain, Joseph Stalin of Russia, and Franklin Roosevelt of the U.S. It was intended to discuss the re-establishment of the nations of war-torn Europe. There they also planned the final stages of World War II.

Z-Zimmerman TelegramA coded message was sent from German foreign secretary Arthur Zimmerman to Mexican president Venustiano Carranza during World War I on January 16, 1917. It proposed a German-Mexican alliance suggesting Mexico reclaim its former territory by starting a war with the U.S. It was published by president Woodrow Wilson on March 1, 1917. The U.S. entered World War I five weeks later.