1910's Scavenger Hunt

Celebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1910s

Search the Web to learn more about the stories behind the stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service, commemorating the people, places, events, and trends of the second decade of this century. Explore Web sites related to the Girls Scouts and the Grand Canyon, Charlie Chaplin and child labor.

"Capturing history on stamps is an important part of what we do at the Postal Service," said John Ward, a Postal Service vice president, as he introduced the 15 stamps that commemorate the 1910s.
Those stamps, introduced February 3, 1998, are part of the U.S. Postal Service's
Celebrate the Century program.

AMERICA 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."

THE STAGE IS SET
So sets the stage for the 15 stamps commemorating the 1910s.


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. How was Wynne's puzzle different from the typical crossword puzzles you see today?
The Web site: http://www.crosswordtournament.com/more/wynne.htmlFind 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?
The Web site: http://www.ibiscom.com/hnintro.htmYou 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/dempsey.html You can find that answer and read about other "Career Highlights" 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:How long did it take and how much did it cost to construct the Panama Canal?
The Web site: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/ The answer to that question can be found by reading the Short History of the canal on the History of the Canal Web site.

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 5: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.

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 6:In 1913, W. J. Hoxie, a noted naturalist, and Juliette Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, prepared the first official Girl Scout handbook. What was the title of that handbook?
The Web site: http://www.girlscouts.org/organization/vmuseum/index.htmTake a tour of the Girl Scout Virtual Museum to learn the answer to this question.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S LITTLE TRAMP
Charlie Chaplin first assumed his famous costume for the Little Tramp in 1914. The clothes, mustache, cane, and walk came to identify one of the most familiar characters in the history of film.
Question 7:Charlie Chaplin introduced his Little Tramp character in two 1914 films. What was the title of one of those films?
The Web site: http://www.autographics.com/chaplin.html Find the answer to that question on the Sir Charles Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin) Biography Web page from the Autographics Hollywood Legends series.

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:The Grand Canyon National Park can be divided into three distinct sections -- the South Rim, the North Rim, and the Inner Canyon. Which of those sections is the wettest? Which is the hottest?
The Web site: http://www.grand.canyon.national-park.com/info.htmYou can find the answers to those two questions on the Grand Canyon National Park Information Page.

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 9: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/thorpe.htmlTo find the answer to that question, read Jim Thorpe's Biography on the official Jim Thorpe Web site.

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 10:The 1914 assassination in Europe of an archduke is often cited as one of the root causes of World War I. Who was that archduke?
The Web site: http://www.ibiscom.com/eyindx.htmTo learn which archduke's assassination led to World War I, go to the Index to EyeWitness Web page. Find the link to another Web page that contains a description of this 1914 event.

Article by Gary HopkinsEducation World® Editor-in-ChiefCopyright © 1999 Education World

Now, make sure you have all the answers and hand your paper in.

1900's Scavenger Hunt

Celebrate the Century: Search the Web for U.S. History of the 1900s

Search the Web to learn more about the stories behind the stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service, commemorating the people, places, events, and trends of the first decade of this century. Explore Web sites related to the Wright brothers and Frank Lloyd Wright, Ellis Island and the St. Louis World's Fair.

"These stamps help us remember some of the greatest achievements from the beginning of the century," said John Ward, a Postal Service vice president, as he introduced the first stamps in the U.S. Postal Service's Celebrate the Century program.

"The stamps celebrate things we pretty much take for granted today. They remind us that cars and planes are inventions from nearly a hundred years ago -- that we wouldn't want to live without."

THE DAWN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
The following text is from the 1900s Celebrate the Century stamp sheet.
"Sixty percent of Americans lived on farms or in small towns. Immigrants were arriving at an average of 100 an hour. Railroads dominated land travel, but 1900 saw the first U.S. auto show and 1908 the first family transcontinental car trip. In 1908, Henry Ford made automobiles more affordable with the Model T. The Wright brothers stunned the world with their first airplane flight in 1903, and the game of baseball grew up.

"President Theodore Roosevelt protected 148 million acres as national forests. The first daily comic strip, "Mutt and Jeff," appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. The Ash Can School brought realism back to the art world.

"Muckrakers exposed corruption: Ida Tarbell attacked monopoly in the oil industry, and Upton Sinclair revealed shocking conditions in the meat industry. In 1909, the newly formed NAACP promoted equal rights for African Americans. New words crept into the American vocabulary in this decade -- words such as cheerleader, filmmaker, phony, and psychoanalysis. "

THE STAGE IS SET

So sets the stage for the 15 stamps commemorating the first decade of the century.

IMMIGRANTS ARRIVE
Ellis Island was the nation's principal immigration station between 1892 and 1954. During the peak decade, 1900 to 1909, an average of 100 immigrants arrived each hour.
Question 1:How many immigrants came into the United States through Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954?
The Web site: http://www.ellisisland.org/You can find the answer to that question on the Ellis Island Immigration Museum Web page.

1904 ST. LOUIS WORLD'S FAIR
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 was also known as the St. Louis World's Fair. Americans were already enjoying ice cream, but the ice-cream cone became popular at the fair.
Question 2:At the Word's Fair, Festival Hall was a large, gold-domed building that housed a 3,500-seat auditorium and the world's largest pipe organ. After the fair, that organ was dismantled and loaded into 13 railroad cars. Where is that organ today?
The Web site: http://www.bitwise.net/~ken-bill/fair.htm You can find the answer to that question at the Meet Me at the Fair Web site. Visit The Heart of the Fair.

KITTY HAWK 1903
On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, achieved the first controlled, powered flight in an airplane.
Question 3:The Wright brothers are most famous for their air exploits, but before they got involved in flying, they had a successful "ground" business. What kind of business did they own?
The Web site: http://www.nps.gov/wrbrYou can find that answer at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a National Park Service Web page.

MODEL T FORD
The low-priced, 4-cylinder, 20-horsepower Model T Ford made the automobile more affordable for the average American. One of its nicknames was the "Tin Lizzie."
Question 4:The 1909 Model T came in four styles -- the touring car, the runabout, the coupe, and the town car. How much did a brand new Model T Touring car cost in 1909?
The Web site: http://www.modelt.org/thecars.html The answer to that question can be found on the Web site of The Model T Ford Club International. Look for the Prices link.

PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT
The 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, promoted conservation and earned the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to negotiate an end to the Russo-Japanese War.
Question 5:Teddy Roosevelt became president when President William McKinley was assassinated. Before he became president, Roosevelt was the governor of New York and a war hero. In which war did he lead a group called the Rough Rider Regiment to victory?
The Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/You can learn the name of that war on the White House History and Tours Web site. Go to Teddy Roosevelt on the Presidents of the United States page.

ROBIE HOUSE, CHICAGO
Frank Lloyd Wright is considered one of the nation's most innovative architects. The masterpiece of his early work, constructed in the Prairie House style, is the Robie House in Chicago.
Question 6:Robie House caused quite a stir when it was completed in 1910. Construction of the house had gone quickly. How many months did that construction take?
The Web site: http://www.wrightplus.org/robiehouse/index.htmlYou can read about one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous projects on the Frederick C. Robie House Web page.

FIRST WORLD SERIES
The championship games of 1903 are considered baseball's first (modern-day) World Series. Boston, of the American League, beat Pittsburgh, of the National League, five games to three in a best-of-nine series.
Question 7:Most people didn't expect the Boston Red Sox to win the 1903 World Series, but the Sox did it by winning the last four games. What was the score of the final game of the series?
The Web site: http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/worldseries/1903.htmlFind the answer to that question on the History of the World Series: 1903 Web page from The Sporting News.

W.E.B. DU BOIS, SOCIAL ACTIVIST
An educator and author, W.E.B. Du Bois promoted the cause of equality for all Americans. He helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Question 8:As a young man, Du Bois left his Massachusetts home and moved to Tennessee. There he saw the horrible conditions in which many rural black people lived. The move to Tennessee changed his life! Why did Du Bois move to Tennessee in the first place?
The Web site: http://www.library.umass.edu/spcoll/dbbio.htmlTo find the answer to that question, take a look at a biographical essay The Achievement of W.E.B. Du Bois.

CRAYOLA CRAYONS 1903
The first box of Crayola crayons was produced in 1903. It cost 5 cents and contained eight colors: black, brown, blue, red, violet, orange, yellow, and green.
Question 9:Binney & Smith, the company that makes Crayola products, got its start making pigments that were used in red paint (for painting barns) and that gave tires their black coloring. Soon the company also began making products for use in schools. What were the first two school products that Binney & Smith produced?
The Web site: http://www.crayola.comTo find the answer to that question, go to the Crayola Web site and click on Inside Crayola to read about the company's Colorful History.

THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY 1903
The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter in 1903, was one of the most successful story films. This box-office hit became part of the Western genre.
Question 10:The first narrative film ever made, The Great Train Robbery, was based on a true event that happened in August 1900 near Table Rock, Wyoming. Where did director Edwin S. Potter film the movie version of this story?
The Web site: http://www.filmsite.org/grea.htmlTo learn where the film was made, read the story behind The Great Train Robbery.

Article by Gary HopkinsEducation World® Editor-in-ChiefCopyright © 1999 Education World

Now, do the Scavenger Hunt for the 1910's.