Fire Project

We Didn't Start the Fire

1. Harry Truman-

Harry Truman was in office after Roosevelt, which makes him our 33rd president. He developed the Marshall Plan, which would help Europe's economy after World War II. He also put in to affect the Truman Doctrine. The Doctrine said that we would provide support to Greece and Turkey and would later be referred to as the start of the containment policy. Truman made the decision to drop the bomb on Hiroshima after Japan decided not to accept the Potsdam Declaration. When he didn't hear anything back from Japan, he decided to drop the second bomb three days later. After the second bomb, Japan surrendered.

2. Doris Day-

Doris Day is a singer, actress, and animal rights activist. She briefly sang in the Les Brown band with Bob Hope. She had multiple hit records which include "My Dreams Are Getting Better All the Time", "Embraceable You", and "It's Magic". Her role in Romance on the High Seas was responsible for two of those hit records. In Korea, the serviceman voted her their favorite star. She went on to star in small musicals.

3. Red China-

On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was established after the communists won the Civil War. This eased much of the tension in China. Everyone was put into one of four classes: the first were the workers, second were the peasants, third (accounting for ninety percent of the population) were the bourgeoisie, and the fourth were the national-capitalists.

4. Johnnie Ray-

He became deaf at the age of 13, but that didn't stop him from becoming a music star in 1949 and 1950 with many hits. Some of the hits include Cry, The Little White Cloud That Cried, and Walking in the Rain. Hoping to break into the music business, he went to Hollywood but it wasn't as simple as he thought it would be. Not being able to make it, he worked other jobs to have money to keep pursuing his dreams.

5. South Pacific-

The popular Broadway musical was derived for the book Tales of the South Pacific, which was written in 1947. The story is about an American nurse who falls in love with a French plantation owner, but she doesn't know if she can accept his mixed kids. There is also another love affair involving a U.S lieutenant and an Asian woman, but the lieutenant is afraid of the social consequences that come along with his lover. In short, the musical is about the racial prejudice issues in that early era. South Pacific became a famous film in 1958.

6. Walter Winchell-

He was a very popular yet controversial figure in radio in 1949. He was a popular journalist who worked for The Vaudeville News. Throughout his career his work was read by over 50 million Americans. He had the power to end careers with the popularity that he had through the whole country. He was the place to get all of your gossip.

7. Joe DiMaggio-

He was named "The Yankee Clipper" until he retired in 1952. He played with the Yankees for 13 years. Although his career with the Yankees started out strong, in 1949 he sat out the beginning of the season due to an injury. When he returned, he was the American League's first to earn $100,000. He is also known for his affiliation with Marilyn Monroe.

8. Joe McCarthy-

Joe McCarthy was a politician who served as a U.S senator for the state of Wisconsin. He made claims that there were a lot of Soviet spies in the U.S government. He even made accusations against Harry Truman. The term McCarthyism was used to describe his practices and was later used to describe similar anti-communist activities. He became less popular and less people supported him after the McCarthy Hearings in 1954.

9. Richard Nixon-

Richard Nixon was our 37th president. Before serving as president, he was the senator of California and the 36th vice president. Nixon visited the People's Republic in China, which opened up diplomatic relations between the two countries. He also started the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union. Nixon started several things dealing with the fighting of cancer and illegal drugs and he also enforced some desegregation in southern schools. He established the Environmental Protection Agency and imposed wage and price controls. He eventually resigned from office after he knew that he was going to get impeached.

10. Studebaker-

Founded in 1952 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company. This car was popular in 1950 in the United States, it was known for appearing as if it was going backwards. The company eventually couldn't compare with the low prices of Ford and GM, so it merged with another company called "Packard Corporation". The company was called "Studebaker-Packard Corporation" until its fallout.

11. Television-

At first, only the wealthy had a television, but once they became more affordable, every American had a television sitting in their living rooms. The television was a cheaper and simpler way of displaying media. People watched television to find out results of elections and inaugurations.

12. North Korea and South Korea-

Korea was split into the North and the South after WWII. North Korea was then established as a communist dictatorship by the Soviet Union and Red China after Japan had been defeated. The Korean War was started by the north. The UN stepped in to defend South Korea. President Truman allowed the American troops to enter the matter resulting in a stalemate. To this day Korea is still divided.

13. Marilyn Monroe-

Marilyn Monroe was originally born with the name which led to her film career. Monroe's first major role was in Don't Bother To Knock, which led to another big role in Niagara. In some films, she was casted as a "dumb blonde". When she couldn't find any more work in film, she turned her career back to modeling. A photographer