| |
How Much Does It Cost To Mail a Letter?
While Pat Nixon was in the White House, the cost of a first class postage stamp "jumped" from five to six cents! In 2006 it "jumped" to 39 cents! What happened? Let's find out!
|
What If You Had No Electricity?
When Pat Nixon was a child, she lived on a truck farm (a farm that specializes in growing vegetables which are taken to market in a truck as soon as they are ready) with no electricity. Imagine what life would be like if YOU had no electricity!
|
How Much Does It Cost to Mail a Letter?
While Pat Nixon was in the White House, the cost of a first class postage stamp "jumped" from five to six cents! In 2006 it "jumps" to 39 cents! What happened? Let's find out!
|
How Do Flowers Get Their Names?
Did you know that there was a flower called the Pat Nixon Rose? How do flowers get their names, anyway? Let's find out!
|
How Old is Mickey Mouse? THAT OLD???!
Mickey Mouse turned 40 in 1968, when Richard Nixon was elected to the Presidency. He'd already had a grand and glorious career and there was more to come. If Mickey was 40 in 1968, how old is he now?
|
Tennis, Anyone? Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs
In 1973, 55-year-old tennis champion Bobby Riggs challenged Billie Jean King to a match, saying that women's tennis was so inferior to men's that even an "old guy" like himself could beat a leading female tennis player. Dubbed "the Battle of the Sexes," the match took place in the Houston Astrodome on September 20th. One supposes that Pat Nixon probably rooted for Billie Jean!
|
Big Bird and Dora the Explorer: Education for Preschoolers
Pat Nixon was living in the White House when Sesame Street first appeared on television. Her daughers, Tricia and Julie, were too old for Sesame Street at the time, being 22 and 20, but it was such a sensation that they undoubtly at least saw some of the programs. Since Sesame Street became a household word, other efforts at children's programming have had mixed reviews. But two newcomers on the scene, Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues, characters produced by Nickelodeon, are certainly holding their own with Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and the Cookie Monster!
|
Rock the Vote, but When?
In 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving the vote to all citizens 18 years of age and older. Since then, at least until 2004, the number of 18-21 year-olds who have actually voted has not been high. What do YOU think the voting age should be?
|
The Oscars -- Movies at Their Best
Pat Nixon lost both her parents when she was a teenager and had to work very hard to put herself through college. One of her many jobs was as an "extra" in movies. Her interest in and love of acting also showed itself after college when she was cast in a community theatre production which also had her future husband, Richard Nixon, in the cast. It's safe to say that her interest in good movies and theatre was a life-long one, and that she would have paid some attention to Oscar winners each year.
|
The Death Penalty: Right or Wrong?
In 1972, while Pat and Richard Nixon were in the White House, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down most state laws enabling the death penalty. The Court did not strike down the dealth penalty itself, but ruled that the language of the laws enabling it were "arbitrary and capricious," and as such, violated the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. It would be seven years before the next person was executed by the state (Utah) under laws that had been substantially rewritten.
|
Emergency? Dial 9-1-1!
The first 9-1-1 emergency call in the United States was placed in February of 1968, just about a year before Pat and Richard Nixon entered the White House. The history of the IDEA of 9-1-1, however, goes back further than that. How far? Let's see!
|
The World Trade Center: Symbol of Power
The twin towers of the World Trade Center in NYC, were built and completed during Richard Nixon's presidency. For a year or so, they were the tallest buildings in the world, surpassed in 1973 by the Sear's Tower in Chicago. Still, the World Trade Center became a symbol of America's place in the world's economic systems and it was probably that "place" that made it the target of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
|
Rock the Vote! But When?
In 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving the vote to all citizens 18 years of age and older. Since then, at least until 2004, the number of 18-21 year-olds who have actually voted has not been high. What do YOU think the voting age should be?
|
The American Story Through Song: Protest Music
The protest music of the 60s and 70s, much of which surrounded the Vietnam War, was not the first time Americans had exercised their First Amendment rights to free speech by writing songs that told of disagreement with the government or with some organizations and institutions of power. In fact, protest music has been a part of American history since there was an America at all.
|
Hey, Hey, It's the Beatles!
In January of 1968, eleven months before Richard Nixon was elected President, the Beatles' album, "Magical Mystery Tour," reached #1 and stayed #1 for eight weeks. There is no record of the Nixons' view of the Beatles, but it is certainly true that the Beatles made a huge contribution to popular culture during the 60s!
|
What Happened to the Equal Rights Amendment?
In 1972, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and sent it to the states for ratification. Pat Nixon was a strong supporter of the ERA, including an open letter supporting the amendment in the official program of the 1972 Republican National Convention.
|
May, 1970: Tragedy at Kent and Jackson State
One of the most tragic events stemming from the social unrest of the entire Vietnam War period were the deaths of two college students at Jackson State University (Mississippi) and four students at Kent State University (Ohio). Occurring as a result of protests over President Nixon's announcement on April 30th, that the United States had sent troops into Cambodia, the student shootings by military and law enforcement personel shocked the nation, and created even deeper divisions among the citizenry. It was one of the darkest times in the nation's history.
|
Searching for China: A Full WebQuest
One of the great accomplishments of Richard Nixon's presidency was his trip to China, in which he began opening up China to the U.S. and to the world. China is equally interesting and important to us today, as a trading partner, as a potential rival on the world stage, as an economic giant with enormous potential. And yet, we still don't know too much about it. Let's find out more!
|
Be an Entrepreneur!
During the presidency of Richard Nixon, a new way of delivering mail was invented by a young entrepreneur named Frederick W. Smith. His company, which he named Federal Express, grew to be a major competitor with the U.S. Post Office, and spawned several other delivery companies. In the ensuing years, a number of young entrepreneurs have started hugely successful companies, often based on new ideas of how to manage a company. Let's look at some of them.
|
Taking a Flyer in the Market: the Dow Jones and All That
It's hard to imagine now, when the stock market has been up over 10,000 for so long, that it was only 33 years ago, in November of 1972, that the Dow Jones Stock Average passed 1,000 for the first time. Everyone was amazed and elated and hardly anyone thought the market would go as high as it has. So, what is the Dow Jones, anyway? And, for that matter, what is the stock market? Let's find out.
|
Protecting Our Natural World: Issues of Conservation
In the summer of 1970, President Nixon formed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to address "concern with the condition of our physical environment--land, water, and air." These two agencies were especially tasked with understanding and regulating polutants of various kinds, but they were only a part of a larger picture of considervation that had existed in the United States since the middle of the 19th century.
|