NOVA: Einstein's Big Idea

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Photo, Einstein and Picasso, NOVA: Einstein's Big Idea
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This companion website to a PBS NOVA documentary contains information about Einstein and his theory of relativity, as well as several special features. The site offers a timeline of Einstein's life from his birth in 1879 to his death in 1955, a short essay on his life before his great discovery in 1905, and an explanation of the theory behind the equation. Special features include: an essay on the legacy of Einstein's theories of special relativity and general relativity and how they affect our world; a feature exploring time dilation as predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity; and an audio feature in which 10 top physicists briefly describe Einstein's equatio. The site also offers two teacher guides: "Einstein's Big Idea" and "Einstein Revealed," 10 links to related websites, and a bibliography of eight books. Though it contains no primary source material, this site should be useful for science teachers and high school students studying Einstein, physics, and the history of science.

Olympic Spirit: Teaching with the Olympics

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Poster, Up where winter calls..., c.1936-1941, Jack Rivolta, LoC
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The 2012 Summer Olympic Games begin on July 27 and continue through August 12. London hosts them this time, but in the past, the U.S. has hosted the Olympics eight times (four times in the summer and four in the winter), the most of any country! The U.S. also holds the greatest number of Olympic medals of any nation—more than 2,500.

What place have the Olympics had in U.S. history? The games can be many things: a focus for cultural exchange, a showcase for new technology and development, an economic boon (or bust), and a platform for international political tensions. Explore the history of the Olympics with these ideas:

  • Read oral histories of Olympic participants from 1932 to 1968 and official Olympic reports from 1896 to 2010 at the Amateur Athletic Foundation Digital Archive. What were the experiences of American women who competed in the early Olympics like? How did being Korean American influence the experiences of diver Sammy Lee, who competed shortly after World War II? How do the Olympic reports from Los Angeles in 1932 and Salt Lake City in 2002 compare? Do the reports from Berlin, 1936, show any signs of the tension between the U.S. (and other nations) and Nazi Germany?
  • Learn more about the 1936 Olympics and the significance of African American track-and-field star Jesse Owens's wins (and the wins of other African American athletes) in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum's exhibit The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936. Here you can also learn about Jewish American athletes who competed in these Olympics.
  • Watch PBS's documentary American Experience: Jesse Owens online, and follow the supporting links for more about Owens and the Olympics.
  • Pick up quick facts on each of the past Olympic Games (and count down to future Olympics) at Olympic.org. What technological developments have changed how the Olympic Games are played, watched, and celebrated? You can also search for athletes, sports, and countries.
  • Compare and contrast the Olympics with other international sporting events, like the Paralympics or the FIFA World Cup. Where have these taken place? How do different countries, including the U.S., relate to these events? When did they begin?

Whether you use the Olympics to explore cultural and technological change, international politics, local history (if you're lucky enough to live in one of the U.S. cities that hosted the Olympics!), or any of the many other rich angles possible, take advantage of this opportunity! Though school may not be in session for you right now, investigating Olympics history can lead to primary sources and historical connections you can weave into your curriculum.

For more information

Teaching with sports history doesn't have to stop with the Olympics! Sports can help students connect to history and see how many different forces contribute to a person's life or a historical event. Browse our Website Reviews for sports-related primary sources, take a quiz on sports history, or watch historian Pellom McDaniels III connect athlete Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr. using primary sources.

Contemporary Museum [HI]

Description

The Contemporary Museum presents art created after 1940. It is the only museum in Hawaii to focus solely on contemporary art. The museum gardens were designed between 1928 and 1941 by K. I. Inagaki. One of the two structures which houses the museum, the Spalding-Cooke House was originally a 1925 residence. All exhibits are temporary. Works selected address a variety of styles, geographical origins, and dates of creation. Artists represented within the collection include Josef Albers, Louise Nevelson, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Richard Diebenkorn, William Wegman, and Edward and Nancy Kienholz. Works include paintings, fiber and textile arts, assemblage, wood works, glass works, ceramics, photography, film, watercolors, drawings, metal works, and prints.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours, guided student tours, guided garden tours, educational programs for students, research library access, artist talks, children's art classes, traveling trunks, teacher workshops, and a cafe. The library is open by appointment only, and many of the materials are available for circulation. All student options require at least two weeks advance notice. Reservations are recommended for the cafe.

Women's Rights National Historical Park [NY]

Description

The Women's Rights National Historical Park is located in Seneca Falls, New York, and marks the site of the first public convention on women's rights. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and four other women called the convention in 1848. The park features a visitor center and is also home to a stop on the Underground Railroad, which is now open to visitors.

The park offers guided tours, exhibits, field trip programs, and special events. The website offers visitor information, historical information regarding the park, a calendar of events, and sample lesson plans and curriculum guides for teachers. In order to contact the park via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

Advertising World

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Logo, University of Texas at Austin, Texas Advertising and Public Relations
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A gateway of links for advertising and marketing professionals, and for students and teachers of marketing communications and related fields. Organized alphabetically into 83 topics, from "Account Planning" to "Word of Mouth." A "History & Museums" section provides 22 links to sites that present past ads and commercials, or deal with the history of advertising and consumer culture. The "Research Center" includes a 167-title bibliography of books on advertising and links to bibliographies on 21 related subjects, including advertising history; two "White Papers" of approximately 12,000 words each on the future of advertising and advertising education; links to 23 advertising-related essays, some of which are on historical topics; and links to more than 40 professional and academic journals on advertising, economics, and sociology. Billed as "the ultimate marketing communications directory," this site will be valuable to students of advertising and its history.

Harry S Truman National Historic Site [MO]

Description

The Harry S Truman National Historic Site preserves the 1885 Queen Anne residence in which Harry S Truman lived between the ages of 22 and 88 (beginning in 1919); the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri, where Truman lived between 1906 and 1917; and several family homes. Collections consist of more than 53,000 artifacts. Truman (1884-1972) served as the 33rd President of the United States between 1945 and 1953. During this time he desegregated the military, approved nuclear weapon use on Japan, adopted the Marshall Plan, and witnessed the founding of the United Nations.

The site offers a 12-minute introductory slide presentation, tours of the Queen Anne residence, school tours of the Queen Anne residence, cell phone tours of the farm and Queen Anne sites, and Junior Ranger activities. Reservations are required for all school visits. The website offers four lesson plans, photo tours, an artifact of the month feature, and a list of the more than 1,100 books owned by Truman.

Planes of Fame Air Museum [CA]

Description

The Planes of Fame Air Museum was the first air museum located west of the Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1957, the museum now contains over 150 vintage aircraft. The museum is open year round, and also operates an annual air-show.

The museum offers exhibits, self-guided tours, monthly presentations, and an annual airshow. The website offers visitor information, an events calendar, and a brief history of the museum. In order to contact the museum via email, use the "contact the museum" link located at the top of the webpage under the "air museum info" tab.

Alice Austen House Museum [NY]

Description

The Museum focuses on the life and times of the photographer Alice Austen. The house features views of New York Harbor, and displays a collection of negatives that depict turn-of-the-century American life.

The museum offers tours, educational programs, and recreational and educational events, and is open to the public throughout the year, with the exception of January and February. The website offers a brief history of the location along with basic visitor information.

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site [DC]

Description

Mary McLeod Bethune achieved her greatest national and international recognition at the Washington, D.C. townhouse that is now this Historic Site. It was the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and was her last home in Washington, D.C. From here, Bethune and the Council spearheaded strategies and developed programs that advanced the interests of African American women and the Black community.

The site offers tours and educational programs.