The 20th Century
The 20th century has been a time of revolutionary changes. Our daily lives benefit not only from microwaves and computers, vaccines and laser surgery but also from revolutions in thought such as the passive resistance victories by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein. Explore the tremendous events of the last century and the people who have made contributions to our lives through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint.
Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.
Level 1
Scholastic: Events of the 20th Century: The 20th century saw people testing the limits, with Amelia Earhart setting records for flight, Sir Edmund Hillary climbing Mount Everest, and Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Explore eight historic moments through photos, interviews, interactive tours and timelines and learn about key figures such as Rosa Parks who blazed new trails in the civil rights movement.
https://teacher.scholastic.com/century/index.htm
TIME for Kids: Looking Back at the 20th Century: Innovations such as the airplane, automobile, television, and the computer have dramatically changed people’s lives. Learn about key achievements and events of each decade and compare statistics to see how much change can occur in a hundred years.
https://www.pathfinder.com/TFK/worldreport/991217/index.html
Technology at Home: In 1900, an icebox kept your food cool and phonographs played sounds recorded on cardboard cylinders coated with wax. Learn about the development of technology over the last century through an illustrated timeline and find out how certain inventions were developed.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tech/
Level 2
The Millenium: The 20th Century: In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed which gave women the right to vote. Explore 100 years of history through photos, timelines, quizzes and a synopsis of each year’s events.
https://www.infoplease.com/millennium1.html
Academy of Achievement: Through interviews, audio clips and videos, get acquainted with a range of twentieth century leaders in the areas of the arts, public service, sports, business, science and exploration.
https://www.achievement.org/autodoc/pagegen/galleryachieve.html
20TH: The Passing of a Century: The building of the Panama Canal in the early 1900’s dramatically shortened the route for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Read articles discussing society, mass media, war and transportation and try some interactive games that test your knowledge of the 20th century.
https://library.advanced.org/27629/homestand.html
Level 3
People’s Century: What was it like during the Great Depression? How do pollution and endangered species impact our future? Read interviews and articles that explore issues and events of this century ranging from world wars to medical and technological advances.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/peoplescentury/
CNN: Millenium: Take a multimedia voyage through the 20th century ranging from having a dinner with an astronaut to tracing the development of the communications revolution. Compare the achievements of the 20th century with the rest of the millenium through timelines and biographical profiles of such figures as Louis Armstrong, Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, Adolph Hitler, and Mohandas Gandhi.
https://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1999/millennium/
TIME: The Most Important People of the 20th Century: Discover 20th century history through the achievements and lives of 100 key figures from the fields of politics, science, business and the arts. https://www.pathfinder.com/time/time100/index.html
Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Anna Manring.
EXPLORER’S QUEST
The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.
What person was not only the first American to orbit the Earth but was also the oldest person to fly in space?
CLUE: See Scholastic: Events of the 20th Century
Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.
Answer to last week’s Quest: Yes, the year 2000 is a leap year because it is divisible by both 4 and 400.