Living History Week 1

Question

1. Whom (3 people for different areas/nations) would i consider to be a great human being why?

The 3 people that i would consider to be great would be first of all my living history person Michel Jordan which is considered one of the best basketball players of all time. He wasn't just a great player he was also a great humanitarian. He made many charities for a vast variety of groups and donated a lot of money and even got his basketball club to donate with him. He has his own care center which he personally runs were people can come in and do what they want with their time. He also has an yearly golf competition for charity. He is also inspirational and goes around the world to help people. The second person that i consider is great is Nikola Tesla. He contributed to the world so much and didn't except anything in return. He figured out a way to use electricity and wireless technology which is the basses of the world today. The third person that i think is great is Rosa Parks because she stood up for herself when everybody else was afraid and could never even dream of it.

2.Are there commonalities in the way which great human beings have lived and the choices they have made?

All of the great human beings have certain traits that make them they way they are, one of them is determination. With out determination nothing could be accomplished. If people were not determined then we could not accomplish anything. The second trait is you have to be brave. You have to be willing to share you idea even if no one even believes you.

3. What are 3 things (aside from what he /she is known for) that would make my top living history pick a strong entry into a museum.

The three things i found out about Michael Jordan is that he is also known for being a good humanitarian and businessmen. He contributed much of his salary to  charity and convinced the Chicago bulls to also donate. The second thing is that he is inspirational. He was never good at basketball at a young age and didn't even get in the basketball team which made him more determinate to make it in his basketball team. The last thing is that he was an author. He wrote many books about different things even though he played basketball.

Micheal Jordan
He was born in Brooklyn, new York on February 17 1963. His mother and father were James and Deloris, none of his parents had a sports career or even played sports at all. His father was a mechanic and his mother was a banker. The streets of Brooklyn were not safe enough to raise their children which they had 5. After that he didn't grow up playing sports. He played baseball and catch which his father and decided to start playing basketball in high school.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Peter Amey

 Pages:61
Read: 61

1a.      Nikola Tesla, a Serb who was born in second half of the 19^th century, was one of the most famous scientists and inventors of all time. He discovered electricity, and because of him, we today have lights, computers, technology…etc. Tesla was so devoted to his work, that he chose not to marry, or have children, because he thought it would be a distraction to his research so he decided to sacrifice his family and private life. He devoted all his time to science and inventions which changed and improve the way of leaving. He didn’t gain the fame that he had deserved during his lifetime, and he died in poverty and on his own, in a hotel room in New York.

1b.      The Renaissance man from Italy, Leonardo Da Vinci, who lived in 15th century in Florence, is one of the most famous painters of all time.  He painted portrait of Mona Lisa and The Secret Dinner, but also he was a very good sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He was so advanced for his time and had many ideas for solar panels, calculators, tanks and helicopters, and flying which were later used by many inventors and scientists who were influenced by Leonardo, in order to create his inventions. He was a unique and extraordinary man in every sense, who left a lasting trace in human history.

1c.      Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, was a very dedicated musician. Born in Germany in 18th century, Beethoven started playing the piano at the age of 4, and composed several pieces and symphonies and for sure, one of the most famous is Symphony No.5. At the age of 26 he started becoming deaf, and till age of 44 he totally lost his hearing sense. Nevertheless he managed to overcome his handicap and despair, and not only did he continue to compose, he made some of the most beautiful pieces of all times, Symphony No 9. For great people there are no obstacles which could stop them to create and work to fulfill their dreams.

2.        What is common for great people? Every great human has talent, vision, ambition, and passion, but what is the most important is hard work, discipline, devotion and readiness to sacrifice some other pleasure in life to achieving the goal. All of them have the same wish to change the world for better and to live the mark and legacy for the future generation. It often happened that they weren’t recognized during their lifetime, because their ideas were so advanced and new, that for average people it was difficult to understand. Most of the time, they were misunderstood and sometimes even exiled from the society. Some of them got fame many years after their death. If they try their best in something they love, then their ambition will truly pay off. If a man is ambitious, and is in the same time talented, then for him it is even easier to achieve his goal. But in order for someone to succeed, he needs to sacrifice something else that he likes to do in order to have more time to practice your ambition.

3.        Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for his two paintings, portrait of girl with mysterious smile, The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, paintings with Christ and 12 disciples.   Most people know him as a famous renaissance painter and sculptor, but not many know how he was versatile and multi-talented man. He was also a scientist, architect, mathematician, musician and many other things. He was obsessed by human anatomy and proportions so one of his inventions is Vitruvius Man, that "the span of man’s outspread arms equals his height". Because of all different fields in which he was involved and made amazing contribution, he was considered to be the first Renaissance man, an expression which has been used since then for the exceptional people with different talents and interests.

Soul Surfer

Title: Soul Surfer

Author: Bethany Hamilton

Genre: Biography

Pages I have read: 60 

I am reading the novel Soul Surfer, it is a biography on Bethany Hamilton. This is the main information to know about her,Bethany Hamilton was born on February 8^th, 1990 in Lihue, Hawaii, the child of Tomas and Cherilyn Hamilton. Bethany started surfing at a very young age. When she was 8 she entered her first competition the Rell Sun Menehue event on Oahu, and won both the long and short board divisions. On October 31^st 2003 at the age of thirteen, off Kauai’s north shore she was attacked by a 14 foot tiger shark that bit of her whole left arm. After one month from the attack Bethany entered the water again and continued her goal to become a professional surfer. Around a year later in the Explorer Women’s division of the 2005 NSSA National Championships she took 1^st pace, this was her first National title.

In chapter 1, Bethany talks about the begging of that day she got attacked. At 5 in the morning Bethany’s mum Cheri opened the door and peeked inside asking if she wanted to go surfing. As usually surfing was Bethany’s wake up call. As she was laying in bed for a few minutes she listened to her mums morning ritual” first flicks on the living room television and witches to the local island weather channel for the report while she brew a strong cup of coffee. Listening to not only the weather but also the buoy reports to think of the swell activity. As Bethany puts on a red-white-and blue swim suit to match her board downstairs in the living room her mum so already waiting. ‘I think she gets as excited as I do about surfing. That’s because from the time she was my age, she’s been a surf nut too’ (Hamilton 29).

They get into the ‘Blue Crush’ their car and start down the road. They go to different spots but there is not much. Just to have a look they head to Tunnels beach for a look, there is nothing there but when they go to turn around Alana her best friend shows up with her brother Bryon and dad Holt. Bethany decides to stay with them and her mum goes back home. As they head into the water she looks at her watch and, ‘It was 6:40 o a beautiful Halloween morning’( Hamilton 40). 

1. Whom are three people I would consider to be a great human being? Why?

The first person I think who is a great human being is Bethany Hamilton, because first she was just any other ordinary surfer but then a shark bit of her arm, and that is hard because it was interfering with her dreams and her goals. But she then tried all she could to get to the top again, as she would practice, at the same time she would inspire other disabled people to do things that they thought was not possible. She also them still accomplished her dreams and became a professional surfer. The second person that I think is a great human being is Martin Luther King Jr. Why I think he is such a great human being is because I the 1960’s he stood up for black people, he was their leader. He did not want to fight white people instead he marched, still bringing peace. He led boycotts which was not taking the buses since they had to sit in the back. If it was not for Martin Luther King I do not think that black people would not be equal to white people as they are today. Martin Luther King has changed the world. They last person that I think is a great human being is Amelia Earhart. Why I think she is a great human being is because she is the first women to fly an airplane, and why this is so amazing is because she is a woman. And back during her time so many things men thought women were not able to do. So she stood up for women, showed that they are just as good, or even better. She was also the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, no not women but person. I think that is a great accomplishment because the fact that a woman did something first before a man is just really great in history. The one thing that all these people have in common is that they inspired people. Bethany inspired disabled people, Martin Luther King inspired black people,and Amelia Earhart has inspired women. To inspire someone is just an amazing thing to do, it helps someone in the world to find the dreams and achieve their goals. 

2. Are there commonalities in the ways in which great human beings have lived and the choices they have made?

I think that in life Bethany has made the right choices, of course she did not ask for this to happen but it has made her stronger than before. IN life maybe she has made some wrong choices but for her goals and dreams she has picked the right ones. For example when she could have used a prosthetic arm she decided not to, and she made the right decisions there because, since she does not have a prosthetic arm she has shown all the disabled people not to give up and to keep on trying. She has helped them followed their dreams to be whatever they want.

3.What are three things that would make my top Living History pick a strong entry into the museum?

Bethany s known as the amazing surfer who followed her dreams without an arm. But beside that what makes her a strong entry person is first she has helped many people indifferent ways. First she does a lot of charity work, for example when the tsunami struck Thailand in 2003, Bethany traveled there to help Thai children to get over their fear of the ocean, and showing them that the ocean will not hurt them. Second she has her own foundation ‘Friends of Bethany’ which helps people that have had shark attacks. Lastly she has She inspired many disabled people in the world to try and do things that they thought they could not. Her passion, determination, strength, integrity, and honor have changed lives in the world. Just when people thought that they were hopeless and were going to be nothing she gave them the inspiration and determination to follow their dreams and goals, and to just never give up. After her attack before she went into the water, she was not scared of the shark, she was not scared of the water, and she was scared to never being able to surf again. But when she stood up on her first wave after the attack she knew that she could do it, that it was going to be hard, but she was going to reach for her dreams and achieve them.

This is a picture of the 14 foot tiger shark that bit of Bethany's arm. The shark was caught by Ralph Young and Billy Hamilton. The jaws are a perfect match to the bit in Bethany's surf board. 

Jane Goodall blog 1

1. Whom (3 people from different areas/nations) would I consider to be a great human being? Why?

 There are many people on this planet which have done incerdible things and have made a great impact on our societies and maybe the world. The first person i thought of was Jane Goodall. This is because she was very significant and is well known because of her work with animals, unlike the usually people have made an impact on us humans. Even though i knew from the very start even before we started this project i was going to do my research paper on Jane Goodall, I decided to search for some other people.  First of all I came across Rosa Parks. One of the great things she did was when her action sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Second of all I thought of researching Coco channel. However then I realised that most of her work has something to do with clothing and I didn't feel like she did something so significant worth me writing about her in my 5 page research report. Lastly I thought of researching, however then I realised that she dindt make that many great and smart choices in her life so she was off the list. There were many other ones I thought off however didn't choose because someone else did it or I just wanted someone who didn't only help us humans, so I settled for Jane Goodall. 

2. Are there commonalities in the ways in which great human beings have lived and the choices they have made?

All great human beings which are still known today and will be studied forever have a couple things in common, they all made the right choices. Im sure maybe once or more times in there life they made small mistakes, however the good parts of what they accomplish throws the bad decisions over. They were all loyal, honest, filled with integrity and pride. They all didn't care as much if they die, as long as they died with their dignity. 

3. What are 3 things (aside from what he/she is known for) that would make my top Living History pick a strong entry into the museum?

I picked Jane Goodall for several reasons. First of all she is still alive. Also obviously she is a well known person who will be known in many years from now as well. She has not only accomplished things with humans, however unlike the other historic figures, she has also helped animals especially chimpanzees. This is one reason I picked her, because she is different and didnt only help us however also animals.

Title: My life with the chimpanzees

Author: Jane Goodall 

Number of pages: 160

Summary: Jane was in love with chimps and animals and wanted to learn about them. When she grew up she became an ethologist, someone who studies animal behaviour ; she followed the creator of the field, an Austrian named Konrad Lorenz, who started his work in 1935 and was still living when the book was written. Goodall explains how ethologists run experiments in animals' homes. Goodall started studying chimpanzees in 1960, living in Tanzania. It took a long time before she could get close to the chimps. Goodall was born in London on April 3rd, 1934. When she was five, her family moved to France but after a few months Hitler invaded so they went back to stay in a manor house in the English countryside next to a big farm with scary ruins. Her father's mother lived with them, who Goodall called Danny Nutt. She loved geese. Goodall often saw horses and cattle nearby her home. When Goodall's father went to fight in World War II, Goodall, her mother and her young sister Judy, went to live with her grandmother in the Birchers. That is where she grew up. While they lived in a nice area, there was little food in England during the war. Everything went to defense. Though all in all, Goodall was not much affected by the war. When she graduated, Goodall's mother encouraged her to go to Germany to learn German and to learn that not all Germans were bad people, despite Hitler. However, Goodall's didn't learn the language. Instead, she spent her time with animals and in fields. When she returned to London, she went to secretarial school and got her diploma. Just after that she worked as a secretary at a medical clinic where she encountered lots of sick people and learned many things. After six months, Goodall got a job at Oxford and spent time with students there. She learned to canoe and punt. She started to socialize with people in the area, going to May balls at Oxford.

Goodall's first trip to Africa occurred when she was twenty-three. She loved the trip but when she stopped in South Africa, she found apartheid appalling. Goodall took a train to Nairobi and met with Clo. They spent three wonderful weeks together. Goodall loved it so much that she got a temporary job in Nairobi. As she started her new job, she met Louis Leakey, an anthropologist interested in animals and Early Man. He offered her a job immediately because Goodall knew a lot about African animals. Leakey taught her about local animals and the Kikiyu tribe that he grew up with in the area.

Leakey took Goodall on an expedition in 1957. When they arrived at Olduvai Gorge, she described herself as the happiest she had ever been, despite the hard work of digging fossils. 

The man behind the microchip Luka Brown

Name: Luka Brown

Book: The man behind the microchip

Author: Leslie Berlin

Pages: 309 pgs.

From what I have read so far Robert Noyce has started off his life as an avid thinker. He would make model planes and gliders that were able to carry a small boy. His family moved a lot because of the Great Depression but he was able to settle in Iowa in a city called Grinnell. He was the Ladies boy and was very charming. He was also very smart. When he went through high school he got straight A’s and was especially talented in Physics and technology. During his study he made a huge mistake. He took a prize pig with his friends and murdered it. This got him suspended for a whole school semester.

 If I were to list three great human being they would be Lance Armstrong, Steve Jobs, and Robert Noyce. Lance Armstrong because my dad is an avid rider. He also was able to survive cancer which is a great milestone in anybodies life. Steve Jobs because he was able to make Apple which is now one of the greatest computer company in the world. He had a brilliant mind and was one of those people who changed the world. Robert Noyce because with out him there would be no Apple. He was able to invent the modern day microchip which is in the heart of all computers and devices today.

I choice Robert Noyce as my living history project because he was able to create the modern day microchip. He also worked in the top universities and passed high school with many honors with him. He was named the Thomas Edison of silicon valley and he also invented intel.      

This picture is google honoring Robert Noyce's anniversary.