Natural Disasters

Of coures the devastation in Japan caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami were terrible news this week. As one of my best friends is stationed on an Army base in Korea, I try to keep up on the news from the East. We have all witnessed the terrible sadness in New Orelans and the unspeakable terror in Indonesia thanks to the 24 cable news. The purpose of this post is to try and spark some interest in more historical natural disasters which changed human history.

How did diseases from Europe affect Native Americans in the Columbian Exchange?

Did a volcano in the Pacific Ring of Fire cause crop failures in Europe causing the Dark Ages?

While usually inside of the classroom we study the habits of human beings and there impact on history, we only need to look at the dinosaurs to see how easily the dominant force on planet Earth can be taken out due to a natural disaster.

My question to my reader's this week is what is an interesting historical natural disaster which should be examined in class? I will read through the array of comments and choose one which will we talk about on Friday.

Well wishes,

Mr. Bennaka

Kodak Moment

Since summer break is coming up fast and furiously, I thought this would be a fun time to show off our travel experiences. No need for deep thought here, just post a picture from a previous vacation which is related to history. Also in your comments, tell me where you are headed this summer on vacation.

Next October I will be re-visiting Washington D.C. to go visit all of the sites there since the previous encounter with D.C, I only had one day to see the city. Clearly that wasn't enough time so I am excited to head back. Where will you be heading?

Well wishes,

Mr. Bennaka

 Here is my best friend Tyler and I at the White House when we visited Washington D.C. (Mom didn't tell us she was taking a picture.)

Revolution Abroad

The Middle East is currently going through a turbulent time which has not been seen my generation. Since we are currently studying the American Revolution in class, I thought it would be interesting to hear some feedback on the revolutions happening in Egypt, Libya, etc. What do they have in common with the American Revolution? How are they different? Do they have any resemblence to the French Revolution?

If anything is learned inside of my classroom, I want it to be shown that events that happen in the past are still affecting us today. What is happening in Egypt today will have ramifications 100 years later and beyond. In the world of 24 hour news coverage we become so immune to breaking news that we as a society have a tendancy to forget the magnitude of such events. Take a minute or two and think about a couple of events that have happened in your own lifetime which you think will have an effect 100 years later. For example, for me it is without question 9/11. I was in sixth grade in Mrs. Banner's class and can remember it like it was yesterday. Post your comments below, I will be very interested to see the responses.

Well wishes,

Mr. Bennaka