History

Refine Search

What was Mackenzie King's "5-cent Speech" about?

Mackenzie King was the Prime Minister of Canada during the beginning of the Great Depression. By 1930, hundreds of thousands of Canadians were out of work, but King had done nothing about it. He believed the unemployment problems were seasonal and did not require any action from the government.\nKing began to face scrutiny from both the public and the Conservative opposition. On April 3, 1930, King gave what would be known as his "Five Cent Speech" in front of the Canadian Parliament. King adamantly stated he would refuse to give federal unemployment benefits to provincial governments that wer..

Continue Reading

How does the telegraph work?

For a telegraph message to go from one person to another, a wire or cable must run from one location to the next. To get messages from the United States to Europe, this meant that cables had to run beneath the Atlantic Ocean.\nThe technology behind the telegraph also led to the creation of the telephone, which quickly became more popular. Alexander Graham Bell was actually twiddling with a novel type of telegraph when he spilled something on himself. His assistant heard him calling for help from the next room, but his voice was coming through the wire. Landline telephones use flowing electrici..

Continue Reading

When was Albert Einstein alive?

Einstein lived in a time of great upheaval. Born in Germany of Jewish descent, he was in the United States when Hitler rose to power, so Einstein opted not to return home, becoming an American citizen instead. He formulated the general theory of relativity, which is considered one of the most important concepts in the study of physics. He also proved that mass is energy.

Continue Reading

Could the Holocaust have been prevented?

One view on the inevitability of the Holocaust is actually put forth by the Jewish community itself. It points to the fact members of the Jewish community took extensive efforts to stop Hitler's abuses toward the Jews, but the movement fell apart because the two factions of which it was comprised could not agree on whether to take action to pursue economic relief and freedom from Nazi actions or to attempt to save their fellow Jews. Those scholars who believe the Holocaust could have been prevented largely point to the ambivalence of France, England and Russia in the early part of Hitler&..

Continue Reading

How many kids did Queen Victoria have?

Her other children include Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who was born 1841; Princess Alice, who was born in 1843; Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, who was born in 1844; Princess Helena, who was born in 1846; Princess Louise, who was born in 1848; Prince Arthur, who was born in 1850; and Prince Leopold, who was born in 1853.\nMany of Victoria's children married into the royal families of Europe, which linked the dynasties of these families with strong ties of blood. For example, her daughter Victoria's husband was Frederick III, the German emperor. Queen Victoria's grandchildr..

Continue Reading

What is a computer made of?

A computer is composed of several individual parts, and they are not all the same. Although computers tend to have similar architecture, there is no guarantee that what components found in one type of computer are also found in another.\nThere are some components though that appear in every type of computer, and these components tend to make up the bulk of the hardware. Every computer starts off with a CPU or central processing unit. According to HowStuffWorks, the CPU is the brain of the computer, and its job is to process the instructions given to it by any type of compatible software.\nComp..

Continue Reading

Who invented the pH scale?

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A neutral solution has a pH of 7. It is neither an acid or a base. An acidic solution is indicated by a pH below 7, while a basic solution is indicated by a pH above 7. Acids and bases are classified into a strong acid or base and a weak acid or base. Strong acids and strong bases are chemicals that are very reactive. The automobile battery is an example of a strong acid, and lye is an example of a strong base.

Continue Reading

When was the Parthenon built?

The Parthenon was constructed not only to replace the buildings damaged during the Persian attack on the city in 480 BC, but also to restart the aborted temple project that began in 490 BC. It also proclaimed the success of Athens and asserted its position as leader of the Greek military that withstood the Persian invasions of Darius and Xerxes.

Continue Reading

What did Pedro Cabral discover?

Upon leaving Portugal in March of 1500, Cabral and his 13 ships followed the same route as Vasco da Gama. Discovering Brazil, Cabral originally thought the land was an island and named it the Island of Vera Cruz, or Island of the True Cross. The territory was renamed Brazil when Portuguese merchants began to refer to it as Terra de Brasil due to the abundance of brazilwood.

Continue Reading

What was Alexander Hamilton's assumption plan?

In order to get the assumption plan passed through the House of Representatives, Hamilton had to make an agreement with James Madison that the nation's capital would be moved to Philadelphia before it was placed along the Potomac River. It was agreed that the capital would remain at Philadelphia for 10 years before being moved. This agreement won Hamilton the support of the state of Virginia.

Continue Reading
Showing 791 to 800 of 8554 (856 Pages)