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 * __ The Bloody 1910s __**

This 8th grade exit project is on the 1900s.This decade had some tragedys like the sinking of the Titanic and Luistania**.** This decade also has a few great discoveries like the discovery of Machu Picchu and the visit of Halley’s Comet**.** This decade is also a bloody one with the start of World War 1**.** As you continue through this decade you will find out that without this decade the world you live in wouldn’t be the same**!** In 1910 Halley’s Comet made another trip to our little planet Earth. Halley’s Comet appears at our planet about every 76 years**.** The Orionid Meteor Shower is actually chunks from Halley’s Comet**.** The Comet was named after Edmund Halley**.** On this special visit Earth would be directly behind the Comet’s Tail**.** Also the Japanese**,** the Russians**,** and the European Community launched 5 space probes to explore the Comet. The Comet’s most famous trip was in 1066 a**.**d**.** at the Battle of Hasting**.** The event was commemorated in the Bayeux Tapestry**.** Philosophers think the Comet was mistaken as the Star of Bethlehem**.** Halley’s Comet was said to be the Harbinger of Death**.** The reason it’s called the “Harbinger of Death” is because every time it shows up, something bad happens**.** An example is in 1665 the comet showed up one day before the outbreak of the Black Plague**.** ` In 1911 Dr. Hiram Bingman discovered Machu Picchu**.** Dr. Hiram discovered Machu Picchu on accident while looking for the last Incan stronghold, Vilcabamba**.** Machu Picchu is the last Incan city/stronghold left**.** The reason it’s the last is because the architectural style which is highly resistant to earthquakes**.** Machu Picchu means “Old Mountain”. It’s also the name of the mountain on which Machu Picchu rests on**.** The city is 5sq miles big and is 8,000ft above sea level**.** The city has more than 150 buildings and around 7 temples including the Temple of The Sun. Machu Picchu was built around 1450a**.**d**.** as a royal estate for the Incan Emperor Pachuacuti**.** In 2007 Machu Picchu was declared as one of The New Seven Wonders of The World**.** In 1912 The Titanic sinks to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean**.** The ship hit the iceberg at 11:40p.m. on the 4th day of her maiden voyage**!** Captain Edward John Smith was the captain of the ship**.** 1,522 people died or got lost at sea that dreary day**.** Luckily the Carpathia was there to rescue some of the people in the lifeboats**.** They rescued 705 people but 54 people died while on board because of freezing to death**.** The Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time**.** The Titanic only carried 20 lifeboats (enough for half of its passengers) because it was thought to be the safest ship afloat. The Titanic’s voyage was from Southampton to New York**.** Only four Titanic survivors are alive today and only two are American**.** The ship weighed about 46,000 tons (92,000 pounds) and the ship was 175ft tall and 882ft wide. In 1914 World War 1 began**.** World War 1 was once called “The War to End All Wars” and the other name was “The Great War”**.** One of the leading causes of the war was the assignation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand**.** There were two sides to the war and they were The Allied Powers (U.S.A) and The Central Powers (Germany)**.** Forty-seven countries were involved in the war**.** Ten million troops were killed in this bloody event**!** The war lasted about 4 years**.** This war had a lot of firsts like the first aircraft carriers, the first plane battles, the first enlisted women (Yeomanettes), chemical warfare, and the first tanks**.** 78 battles were fought in the war. The most feared person in the war was a German fighter pilot Baron Manfred von Richtofen (The Bloody Baron). In 1915 another boat disaster happens and it was the sinking of the Luistania. The boat was sunken by a German U-Boat (submarine). The Germans shot at the boat cause they believed the boat was carrying ammo to Britain. The Germans were correct the ship was carrying 4,000,000 U.S. made Remington .303 bullets. The boat was sunk at 2:10p.m. around the Irish coast. The boat was known as the “Greyhound of The Seas”. The reason it was named that was because it was the fastest ship afloat at the time. Although the boat was to remain a passenger ship it had seven wartime modifications (ex. Turrets and mounted machine guns). 1,783 people died that day but 717 people survived. The boats course was from New York to Liverpool. The boat had entered service in 1907 and its first captain was Edward John Smith who was also the captain of the Titanic In 1916 the bloodiest, largest and longest battle occurred and it was the Battle of Somme. This happened along the Somme River in France. The Germans used Belgium as a highway to France, although Belgium remained neutral. General Sir Douglas Haig of Britain constructed the battle. Around five hundred thousand men were killed. The battle started on July 1st and ended on November 16th. This battle was the first time planes and tanks were used in World War 1. 782 planes and 368 tanks were destroyed in the battle. Although no side won France gained 30km of its taken land back. In 1917 America declared war on Germany. It was declared on April 6th. One of the two reasons why America declared war on Germany was the Sinking of the Luistania. The other reason was the Zimmermann Telegram. In January of 1917 British cryptographers deciphered the telegram and the telegram was to Mexico from Gremany. The telegram asked Mexico to help attack America and Germany would give Mexico some of the land. The Zimmermann Telegram is made up of a series of numbers. After the British told America of Germanys plans they sent troops led by Major General John J. Pershing to help aid Britain and France. Veterans Day was made because of World War 1. British Prime Minister David Lloyd George supported Woodrow Wilson of entering the war. In 1918 one of the deadliest diseases swept the Earth and it was the Spanish Flu. 50-100 million people died because of this disease. The disease started in Fort Riley, Kansas. This deadly disease is a mutated garden-variety flu. The disease swept the Earth in 3 waves. The 1st was the least deadly and the 2nd was the deadliest. The 3rd did affect many people but more people died in the 2nd than 3rd. The flu only attacked people in their prime (18- 40). The flu attacked the lungs first than the kidneys than the heart. 15% of the world’s population was killed and more than 30% affected by the disease. Although the disease started in America it’s called The Spanish flu because it was 1st publicly announced in Spain. In 1919 World War 1 finally ended by the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty of restricted Germany to only 100,000 men and any boat/ship under 100,000 pounds. The ships that were above the weight limit were put in a British Base in the Orkney Islands. This Treaty created the League of Nations. The treaty consisted of 440 articles split into 15 parts. The treaty was signed on June 18th, 1919 at the Versailles Palace. The Versailles Palace is in France. The treaty took 6 months of planning and negotiating. 6 countries signed the treaty (Italy, U.S.A., Britain, France, Russia, and Germany). The treaty also helped end the Russian Revolution. One bad thing about the treaty was that it help start World War 1.
 * \** In 1913 the Second Balkan War started**.** The war was about who got Macedonia. Greece, Serbia, Romania, Ottoman Empire, and Montenegro were allied together going against Bulgaria**.** Bulgaria had the largest army between all the countries but with Greece, Serbia, Romania, the Ottoman Empire, and Montenegro they out number Bulgaria by 617,000 men**.** The last battle of the war was on June 29th when King Ferdinand of Bulgaria attacked Greek forces in Macedonia**.** The war officially ended on August 10th, 1913 when the treaty of Bucharest was signed**.** In the end Greece got the southern part and Serbia got the northern/central part. Even though Romania, the Ottoman Empire, and Montenegro helped in the war they werent given any land**.**