We Didn't Start the Fire

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Musicians & Composers of the 21st Century Contemporary musical artists with biographical information and photographs.

Pop culture is all around us and influences our lives every day. The Pop Culture Collection provides useful information from over two million articles found in over 100 subject appropriate, full-text periodicals that are updated daily, including: Advertising Age, American Theatre, Billboard, Cosmopolitan, Daily Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture & Society, Macleans, etc.

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The Disability Rights Movement This online exhibit from the archives at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History explores the social activism that laid the groundwork for people with disabilities to gain full and equal access in all aspects of life in American society. The Exhibit Items link allows visitors to examine photographs and artifacts while listening to audio clips describing the social activities, and political participation that led to the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. There is also a video of senate testimony concerning the rights of people with disabilities that can be viewed with a media player.
Topic: People with disabilities--Legal status, laws, etc. Language: English Lexile: 1180 http://americanhistory.si.edu

Activists Seven different AIDS activists are introduced at the web site of PBS Frontline. Read interviews from a television feature called The Age of AIDS. For each activist, there is a photograph and a brief explanation of why that person became involved with fighting AIDS. Look at interview highlights for each activist and watch related video clips. You will learn about medication for AIDS, AIDS education, AIDS legislation, AIDS prevention and much more. A helpful timeline is included.
Topic: AIDS activists Language: English Lexile: 1370 News Source http://www.pbs.org

Peacekeeping Power: 1990's PBS has created a fantastic site dedicated towards the efforts which were made to promote peace in the 1990's. Presented in a chronological order, major world events and conflicts are provided. Each item is accompanied by links with further information, photographs or brief textual descriptions. The information is presented clearly and encompasses the influential people who had a positive impact on the world's peacekeeping efforts.
Topic: Peace movements, (1990s) Nineteen nineties Language: English Lexile: BR http://www.pbs.org

Living in the Information Age Although the Internet was developed by the Defense Department in the 1970s and many people had personal computers in the 1980s, the Information Age really emerged in the 1990s. The Internet began to be used for work, study, research, commerce, and entertainment. Using a modem, people connected their computers to cyberspace and the World Wide Web. Electronic mail became a popular way to communicate in minutes. Chat rooms allowed strangers to meet and discuss topics. Surfing the 'Net became a popular way to gain knowledge.
Topic: Internet--History, Information networks Language: English Lexile: 1060 http://www.ushistory.org

1990's Shoes make the outfit and the statement. The 1990's were no exception to this rule. Explore to view the shoe fashion trends for this decade. As you move through the site, information about the many different aspects of the Nineties culture is presented. View lists of trends and fads. Detailed information on well-known designers, their inspirations and accomplishments can also be found here. Enjoy delving into the world of the 1990's.
Topic: Shoes, (1990s) Nineteen nineties Language: English Lexile: 1190 http://www.centuryinshoes.com

Voices for Creative Nonviolence Voices for Creative Nonviolence is an organization committed to nonviolent resistance to U.S. war-making. Formed in the summer of 2005, Voices draws upon the experiences of those who challenged the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and U.N. against the Iraqi people between 1990 and 2003. Read about how Voices participants rely on and have learned from experiences of those who have engaged in active nonviolent resistance to military might in the U.S. The website features stories about draft resistance; resistance to the wars in Latin America; and resistance to nuclear weapons, such as the Plowshares resistance efforts.
Topic: Nonviolence (Passive resistance) Language: English Lexile: 680 http://vcnv.org

Pop Culture: 1990 Explore the events of the 1990s as you take a look into pop culture. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, but U.S.-led forces liberated Kuwait in 1991. Also in 1991, McDonalds opened a restaurant in Moscow, a first in the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Waco siege lasted 51 days as agents tried to take David Koresh into custody. In 1998, John Glenn went to space once again when he was 77 years old. Princess Diana died. Learn about bestselling books and best actors, albums, and movies.
Topic: (1990s) Nineteen nineties Language: English Lexile: 950 http://www.census.gov

Timeline: History of Health Reform Efforts in the U.S. Travel this exceptional timeline to understand the history of health reform efforts in the United States from 1912 to 2009. The timeline begins with the early 1990s and Teddy Roosevelt's endorsement of social insurance as part of his platform. Look at National Health Insurance in the 1930s and 1940s and find out about the establishment of government programs such as the Social Security Act, Department of Heath and Human Services and Medicaid and Medicare. Also discussed are the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Topic: Health insurance, Health care reform Language: English Lexile: 1310 http://healthreform.kff.org

Timeline: War in the Gulf The historical event in 1990 that led to the Gulf War is presented in a timeline format at the BBC News web site. The timeline begins with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on August 2, 1990. Watch a news clip of a report from that day. Scroll through the timeline to find out when Operation Desert Storm was launched. Significant dates and events are listed and corresponding news reports are available throughout the timeline. Country profiles of Kuwait and Iraq are included.
Topic: Kuwait--History--1990, Iraqi Invasion Language: English Lexile: 1150 News Source
http://news.bbc.co.uk

Cable TV: Intro Cable television news changed journalism forever in the 20th century but no longer enjoys the experimentation and controversy of new technology. Its audience is slowly declining as the Internet becomes the primary destination for news on demand. Find out how the three major news networks are doing as you learn about news on demand, crisis coverage, and prime-time personality programming. The economics of cable news is only partly tied to audience trends due to multi-year contracts with cable systems. Although CNN still led in 2006 in revenue, Fox News produced the most profits and even MSNBC saw meaningful profits.
Topic: Cable News Network (CNN) Language: English Lexile: 1250 http://stateofthemedia.org

Rwanda: A Historical Chronology Investigate this timeline of Rwanda's history. Learn about the events that shaped this African nation. Explore the class system that existed in Rwanda throughout the colonial period and the relationship between the Tutsis and Hutus. Examine the events and political climate that led to massacre and civil war. Find out why thousands of refugees left the country, and what the United Nations did and failed to do to keep the peace and prevent and punish those responsible for genocide.
Topic: Rwanda--History Language: English Lexile: 1210 http://www.pbs.org

The Triumph of Evil: 100 Days of Slaughter An estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed over a period of 100 days, beginning with the killing of Rwandan President Habyarimana on April 6, 1994. This timeline chronicles the actions of the U.S. and United Nations during the course of the Rwanda genocide. As mentioned here, a key issue hinged on whether or not the killings could be formally classified as genocide, which would have created a legal obligation for U.N. intervention. Quotations from key figures, including President Bill Clinton and U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan, illustrate international response during and after the genocide.
Topic: Genocide, Rwanda Language: English Lexile: 1070 News Source http://www.pbs.org

The CNN Effect: How 24-Hour News Coverage Affects Government Decisions and Public Opinion Have you ever heard of The CNN Effect? Visit this site to find out the impact of the twenty-four hour a day live television coverage broadcast from around the world by all news cable channels has on the role of information and media on the war on terrorism. This Brookings Harvard forum consists of journalists, scholars, and politicians. Read this transcript of their discussions and learn of the effect world leaders relaying information to each other via cable news networks has on foreign policy and the conduct of war.
Topic: Cable News Network (CNN) Language: English Lexile: 1480 http://www.brookings.edu

Research Resources at the George Bush Presidential Library Read a short biography and view several interesting photos of Barbara Pierce Bush and her family. This article gives basic information about Mrs. Bush, but the most interesting part is the photographs. There are three on the main page, but if you click on view more you can see several. These include pictures of Barbara as a young person, a wedding picture, and even a picture of President George W. Bush as a baby! There are also more recent photos, including one of Mrs. Bush with five other former first ladies.
Topic: Bush, George,--1924-, Bush, Barbara,--1925- Language: English Lexile: 1100 http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu

The People History Do you know how much the price of gasoline has risen in the past few years? What about the past 80 years? In 1930, gas averaged 10 cents a gallon; in 2012 it averaged $3.80. The average wage back then was $1,970; today it’s over $44,000. This interesting website chronicles historical events and everything about our culture (clothes, prices of things, toys, furniture, sports, appliances, homes, etc.) by day, year, and decades. The ‘Shopping Basket’ shows how our cost of living has increased over the past five years—45%! Search by topic or date, or simply peruse the pages.
Topic: Inflation (Finance), Material culture, Consumer price indexes Language: English Lexile: 2500 http://www.thepeoplehistory.com

The 90s The nineteen nineties are often referred to as the Information Age due to the general public's wide use of technology. The Cold War Museum provides you with articles that define this particular decade from a political point of view. The opening page provides you with an interactive list of articles to browse. You can gain access to information on Nelson Mandela, the reunification of Germany, Boris Yeltsin, the fall of the Soviet Union, and President Clinton.
Topic: (1990s) Nineteen nineties Language: English Lexile: 1310 http://www.coldwar.org

2000: Bush and Gore Fight to the Finish After a legal battle that took the election to the United States Supreme Court, George Bush was finally declared president more than a month after the 2000 elections. A few hundred votes separated the two presidential candidates as a problem with ballots in Florida led to a call for a recount. Find out what went wrong and why thousands of ballots were not counted after being improperly punched. Learn about the Supreme Court decision that ended the recount.
Topic: Bush, George W.--(George Walker),--1946---Trials, litigations, etc., Gore, Albert,--1948---Trials, litigation, etc. Language: English Lexile: 1250 Biography http://news.bbc.co.uk

Economic Shock Gives Rise to Coupon Cutting As prices for consumer goods rise and consumers are looking to spend less in the economic crunch, many are turning to coupons instead of cutting back on luxuries, services, or necessities. Although restrictions are tightening, the use of coupons has increased as shoppers from all economic levels are looking to be frugal with their finances. People are still going out to eat and taking their clothes to the dry cleaners. They are just trying to find more affordable options for doing so. The use of coupons declined in the 1990s and early 2000s but has been increasing since 2006.
Topic: Coupons (Retail trade) Language: English Lexile: 1400 http://www.cnn.com

Bush v. Gore Evaluate whether the Florida Supreme Court violated the United States Constitution and created new election law in the case of Bush v. Gore. When Al Gore contested presidential election results in 2000, the Florida Supreme Court ordered that thousands of contested ballots be tabulated by hand. This manual recount was designed to decide the outcome of an extremely close election. Find out what was unfair about arbitrarily recounting the ballots in a particular county. Investigate dissenting opinions among Supreme Court justices.
Topic: Gore, Albert,--1948---Trials, litigation, etc. Language: English Lexile: 1400 http://www.oyez.org

Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the federal government's human resources agency. The Federal Equal Opportunity Recruitment Program (FEORP), a recruiting initiative to eliminate underrepresentation of women and minorities in the federal service, was established and assigned to OPM by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978. The FEORP's annual reports for years 2000 through 2004 are available online in PDF format; years 2000 through 2002 are also available as web documents. The data in these reports include employment and occupational category information for the following groups: Blacks, Hispanics, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans, and Women.
Topic: African Americans--Employment, Federal government Language: English Lexile: 1420 http://www.opm.gov

Steve Jobs Knew How to Think Different The founder of Apple Inc, Steve jobs was an inventor. He encouraged people to Think Different and changed how computers and phones looked and worked. Growing up, he liked to build electronics from kits. He got a job making computer games. In the 1970s, he had the idea that computers should be fun and easy. They weren't then, but they are now. After being forced to leave the company he started, he started making movies like Toy Story using computer animation. Back at Apple again, he invented iPods and iPhones as well as a new computer called the iPad.
Topic: Jobs, Steven,--1955-2011 Language: English Lexile: 830 News Source http://hmhinthenews.com

The Financial Crisis: A Timeline of Events and Policy Actions The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has created an excellent web site to help people understand the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Explore the site to find out what caused the economic downturn and what is being done to reverse it. The Timeline is a good place to start to learn of the events leading up to the financial meltdown. You will also find a Frequently Asked Questions page, a glossary of terms, and links to related articles and data. The site is updated regularly with the latest developments.
Topic: Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 Language: English Lexile: 990 News Source http://timeline.stlouisfed.org

Automobile Recall Statistics Recalls of automobiles may happen for manufacture defects or safety issues. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigates accidents that may have been caused by faulty automobile design. More than 15 million vehicles were recalled in 2011 with more than three million each being recalled by Honda, Toyota, and Ford. The recalled vehicles may be up to ten years old. The most vehicles were recalled in 2000, followed by 2010. Toyota recalled more than 8 million cars after power steering failure caused 2,000 accidents. Bridgestone recalled more than 6 million cars after faulty tires caused 271 fatalities.
Topic: Product recall, Automobiles Language: English Lexile: 750 http://www.statisticbrain.com

Catching Up with Dominique Dawes The first African-American to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics, Dominique Dawes took over for Kerri Strug on the individual floor competition after Strug suffered an injury. Just 19-years-old, Dawes seized the opportunity of a lifetime and won Olympic bronze. She a sports pioneer and her accomplishment was unique. Many girls have decided to pursue success in gymnastics because of Dawes. Dawes began taking gymnastic classes when she was just six. She went to the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. Now, she mentors girls and serves as a motivational speaker.
Topic: Dawes, Dominique,--1976- Language: English Lexile: 1160 News Source http://sports.espn.go.com

Overweight and Obesity

In the United States, obesity has risen at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years. One of the national health objectives for the year 2010 is to reduce the prevalence of obesity among adults to less than 15%. Links are provided to topics which include: Defining Overweight and Obesity, Body Mass Index (BMI), Obesity Trends, Contributing Factors, Health Consequences, Economic Consequences, Recommendations, State-Based Programs, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and Resources. Great information at this site!
Topic: Obesity Language: English Lexile: 1260 http://www.cdc.gov

Year by Year: 1900 - 2010

We Didn't Start The Fire
_{Billy Joel}

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, "The King and I", and "The Catcher in the Rye"

Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

CHORUS
We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Josef Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Zhou Enlai, Bridge On The River Kwai

Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California Baseball,
Starkweather homicide, Children of Thalidomide

Buddy Holly, Ben Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

U2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land,
Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania
Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British Politician sex
J.F.K. blown away, what else do I have to say

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again
Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock

Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline
Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide
Foreign debts, homeless Vets, AIDS, Crack, Bernie Goetz

Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law
Rock and Roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning since the world's been turning.
We didn't start the fire
But when we are gone
It will still burn on, and on, and on, and on...

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire...

_{*Source: http://www.sing365.com}