A Huge Part of History is Missing!!

Great post!! Not enough kids care about our history anymore. (not that your a kid) but people dont know who invented the microwave. i asked my 17 year old sister and she had no clue.. but she does know how to use an Iphone... go figure. our past is being forgotten. it starts with the little things and then grows to bigger things. once again.. great post. out here in vegas they are taking alot of americas history out of the text books. as if they are intentionaly dumbing down the population. but the revolutionary war is barely covered now.

S&F for you !!!

I think one less exciting reason that we haven't been taught this is that history doesn't go into history books until its a couple generations old. People don't want to learn about something til it fades to the 'mythic past' I imagine that at some point in the next hundred years people will be learning about who invented the television and its affect on society.

Also, I think the people who write the books wait a little while before they place things in historical context. It is easier to look back on something and see exactly what effect it had on history after some time has past.

For example, the cotton gin was invented in 1793 and the Civil War did not start until 1861. Even 50 years after the cotton gin's invention, no one would have known about the profound effect it had in bolstering the South's cotton economy and thus its pivotol role in what would be the Civil War.

On a more conspiratorial level, it is also easier to write about history a while after the event has passed because less people will be able to dispute claims. Napoleon would say that history is a myth men agree to believe.

Robert Wuhl the comedian would tell you, when the legend becomes fact print the legend.The wrong person has received credit for a historical event a number of times in American history.

Here is actually a link to Robert Wuhl's interesting lecture about falsehoods taught in American school:

www.thebluetick.com...

wow 1945, thats a big.... if anyone can 1+1

One of the most amazing "who invented this" things is this..

WHy invented the modern day electrical system that most of the world uses to day.. that being alternating current and the system of generatoin and distribution.. you have to admit its the most life changing thing we use today..

Now A/C electricity wasn't totaly invented by one person however this inventor did the most in the modern day electrical system..

So who invented it??

Nikola Tesla..

He gave all his patents to Westinghouse.. free of charge and dies a broke man.. he'd be richer than bill gates if he kept them.. imagine a share of every single watt produced

He also invented high frequency wireless transmission .. aka the radio.. Marconi basically stole his ideas and got the patent first.. however only recently has Tesla been credited for inventing it.

Tesla by far has to be the most over looked influential inventor in history.

However many things that are invented in recent history are from labs or companies.. this why credit usually isn't given to one person. Not to mention that new inventions rely on other inventions so much now its hard to come up with something monumental. Like the early cases you sited.

Even the TV was based on the the ideas Tesla introduced.

reply to post by DONNYxMC


I agree, but I would like to add, "not enough adults care anymore". How are we supposed to insire our kids if we don't take the forefont and find out for ourselves. Because of our school systems, we are the last guard aginst ignorance. Welcome your child to have their friends over, then do your darndest to have intillectual conversations with both of them. Let them do most of the talking. This actually works!!

The inventor of modern electronic television was Philo Farnsworth in 1922.

He appeared on the show, "What's My Line" in 1957:

www.youtube.com...

He invented this wonder of science at the age of 14.

A great story...listen to the follow up questions in the video. In 1957 he says he was working on flat screen HD tV. He also later worked on nuclear fusion. What a brilliant mind!

reply to post by beansanmash


You are SO RIGHT! the thing is, our technology is moving forward at such a rate that we have to keep up and document on a weekly basis. There are many that are very affraid that their kids will out pace them. This fear is legitimate, they are beginning to know more than you on an exponential level. The only way to keep up and compete, is to keep up and compete. Stay current. Stay relevant. Continue to remain the teacher, not an outdated student they will no longer pay attention to. It is your responsibility as a parent.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by dreamwalker74

 

I agree that the educational system is abysmal (in the US). But I don't think it has anything to do with an active plan to hide the information you're talking about. You see, in most cases, students aren't going to encounter these people unless they have enough curiosity of their own to find out about it. And as you have demonstrated, it's pretty easy to find out who "invented" television, integrated circuits, and microwave ovens. But what about postit notes? There are thousands (millions) of things that affect our daily lives, should every single inventor of each thing be taught?

While I agree that there is simply not enough time to teach about every inventor, communications are a paramount in the world today.

For example, How important was television to NASA? So, important that when the viewing audience became uninterested (seen it once, seen it a thousand times), the show was canceled 3 seasons early and shelved between Gilligan's Island and Twilight Zone Re-runs only to come back to life when people wanted their Empty V. Who would of known that the moon man would of taken his place next to the Grammy, though it does speak volumes for entertainment.

While I believe there is no conspiracy afoot, I do absolutely know that history is written by the victors in the race and too their benefit.

Time for a little Drunk History....


Peace

Interesting topic.

I consider the integrated circuit / microchip to be pretty much the most important invention to date, although its' full potential hasn't had many millennia of history and heritage for the potential to become realized. With the Jumping Jesus thing happening at nearly an exponential rate now, I don't foresee it being too long before it's phased out for different, broader technologies. I digress, not to get off the beaten path - I graduated HS in 1990, and if I hadn't looked it up on my own, would have never known a majority of recent history.

Most of the recent "History" that I was taught turned out to be fabricated or embellished in some form anyway (re: Paul Revere, Christopher Columbus, Dare I even mention WWII?). What's in U.S. History that has merit? We envision our powdered wig founding fathers as these bold elder statesmen; visionaries wielding the blazing torch of liberty. When push comes to shove, they would by all rights, by today's standards be considered uppity anarchists who were butthurt about paying taxes, or worse: condemned as political terrorists. This should send a powerful message to anyone that reads History - to do so with the understanding that the objective reality of "history" is how we receive it. In the eyes of the winner, historical accounts of horrible atrocities by the loser can be used as a demonstration of "evil", while it's perfectly acceptable to rewrite history to sweep your own atrocities under the rug, because nobody likes a Negative Nancy.

Cheers, thanks for the thread.

I didn't read through every post to see who is actually drenched in the American Educational System. I am. As a teacher at the secondary level for the past 15 years I can speak as an expert on the topic, especially the U.S. History part as well as the particulars of the OP.

1. Each day U.S. History grows by one day. As a U.S. History teacher I have around 180 days to cover the entire STATE written curriculum.
2. In the state where I teach, the few texts we have to choose from have eliminated U.S. History up to the Civil War. I feel an obligation to the material, to my country, and to my students to teach, however briefly, the time period leading up to the Civil War. The first weeks of school I teach that time period with an emphasis on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution.
3. From the first Unit dealling with the Civil War and onward, I am forced to teach "wide" but not very "deep" in material. Again history grows by the day but the number of days I have to teach remains fairly constant.
4. I do test my students on the content within the book but they also view documentary videos, projects, authentic assessment work, etc. I don't have to teach to a test, yet, so I can teach them to think as another poster put it.
5. I DO cover conspiracy facts although the book may not expressly define them as such. Spanish-American war, Lincoln's death, Pearl Harbor foreknoweldge, JFK,RFK, origins of the CIA and their shenanigans including Op Northwoods, MLK, Tonkin Gulf, Iran-Contra, Silverado Savings and Loan, 9/11, etc.
6. Most books lay out history as a patch work of events that have very few if any connections between the events. And as citizens we wonder why we keep committing the same mistakes over and over...its the text dummy!

7. The biggest problem with the educational system at this point in time from my professional vantage point has nothing to do with education at all. I teach in a school that bests the state average in all measureable statistics. We have a 93% graduation rate. It is a smaller school corporation that may mean 2 or 3 students not graudating, dropping out, moving out, or expelled for discipline reasons. We have a dozen or more scholarship winners with only 1 or 2 of those a year earning one via athletics. And when I read about "our" meaning the U.S. educational system is in shambles, I can state with 100% honesty that I do not see that. But what makes my public high school different than the others?
a. District Income-We have a higher per capita income average than surrounding areas. The saying goes, "The Dr's work in the city but their kids go here." Higher incomes generally mean higher household education attainment by parents which in turns leads to placing a higher value on performance at school for the children. (Makes my job a helluva lot easier!)
b. Adminisitration Support-If I remove a kid from class it is for good reason and I do not get questioned by the admin. The admins support the staff 100%. They treat us as professionals. As the union President, I can state our local union has an outstanding relationshihp with the central office. I have a BS and Masters in education so they had better treat me as a professional. There is no 'fence sitting' with parents so as not to ruffle feathers. If your kid screws up in our school, then he really screwed up and the teacher took action for a good reason.
c. School Climate- Most if not all teachers care about their students in the school that I teach. According to data collected, students believe this as well. This makes for a better school climate which results in a better educational process. Students and staff both feel safe and secure. We have access to technology that other schools do not. A large reason for that is grant writers and adopted programs that bring in technology as well as a central office and administration understand the importance of technology to today's students.

Now why is the system 'bad' in America? I would encourage each and everyone of you to read this free book written by a Regan Administration insiderThe Deliberate Dumbing Down of AmericaThere is most certainly a top down socialist approach that has permeated the educational system in America over the past 50 years or so. At one point students could pick and choose classes. Now students are herded into "Career Clusters" or "School to Work" classes and programs. Here is how it works.
Johnny takes a test. The test shows he has an interest in widgets. The counselor presents several widget clusters the student could choose from that best fits the line of work in widgets. See WORK. (All this at the age of 14-15) Never mind the fact the student might be interested in taking a course that has nothing to do with the career. His 4 year schedule is then pretty much laid out in front of them. Johnny knows exactly what he is taking his 9-12th grade years.

The next problem(based upon a rare but true story) then is Johnny lives in a trailer park. His mom and dad are recently divorced. John stayed with dad because mom said she could only raise him or his little sister. Dad has lost his job and license because he loves Jack Daniels better than a job and marriage. Dad doesnt' give Johnny any money for fun teenage things let alone school clothes and supplies. He doesn't give Johnny rides to school because of the DUI. He gets into sports to escape his homelife but can't be there consistently because of his lack of a ride home from practice. Into my class at 8:00am walks Johnny...hungry, tired from the abuse at home, lonely, dishelved, dirty because the washer is broke and dad's too broke to fix it. John has started to turn to drugs himself because his druggy friends welcome him into their click, give him rides to and from school, help steal what little money the father has, and become in effect his family. Dad doesn't care about Johnny's school so why should Johnny?

This situation is rare at our school but I suspect very similiar to the majority in many schools. If you want to fix the nation's educational system problems, you need to start in those trailer parks, housing complexes, apartments, low to no income homes and improve the personal economic situations. Parents may start to instill the value of a good edcation into their kids instead of worrying about being cool or being their friends.

To be continued....

connected threat

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by dreamwalker74

 

One may consider that many modern inventions are brought about in secret "Corporate" labs. Everybody is looking out to maintain control of said invention and will only release such discoveries after they have covered themselves legally against patten infringement.

Gone for the most part are the days of Thomas Edison and the like. Sweating away in some oversize garage [paying somebody else to invent while he takes the credit.]

I'll use NASA as an example of how some aspects of the modern world fails to inspire today's youth. Ever watch the NASA channel or anything to do with their endeavors? It's like watching paint dry. Outside of the most staunch enthusiast many simply switch channels or knowing how boring their coverage is simply look for highlight videos.

Necessity is the mother of invention. So what happens when all your needs are met? Seems that in today's disposable society most if not all our physical needs have been met, for the most part. Therefore why strive? This is exactly why in the newer developing countries, China & India for example they are striving and putting out many more engineers than in the west.

I think people are pain or strife motivated. If people are too comfortable they become complacent. I agree we should be teaching more of the details not just hitting the highlights. I doubt that this alone will spur a resurgence in creativity though.

Just my

.02

You hit it right on the head Slayer, right on the head. Many of us are complacent now. Lets look at two examples our infrastucture and our space program/industry. Our country infrastucture in many parts are over 100 years old and just keeps getting patched up from the piping to the dams to even bridges and buildings. We need to upgrade our infrastucture in our society for the 21st century. When Obama made comments about high speed rail, he has a point but need to expand it, imagine connecting all 50 state capitals and rail branches to medium and small towns from a intercontinental rail system built for this century. It would cost hundreds of billions but it would be the catalysts into upgrading everything else to support the rail system and the workers and machinery that will be working on it. Of course they decided to let that fall on it's face and forget about it.

Then there's space travel and industry. For a new century our industry should be focused on new materials and new ideas that will help or contribute to our understanding of space and eventually producing stuff from zero g industrial facilities in orbit and on other planets. For more than 50 years we have had the same technology for launching our aircrafts into space why is that? Why is it that we don't look at the future to better ourselves and our society as a whole. It's because we are "comfortable" and all these changes would be CHANGE, and people aren't comfortable with change (remember they have been dumbing down americans for decades to the point that a person who is ignorant but a bully is considered smart and the person who is educated and compassionate is an ivy league glass tower person to not be trusted. The powers that be would rather halt our advancement and devolve our culture and our society because it's easier to control dumb, ignorant people via religion and bullying and grandstanding.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Quote from Joseph Goebbels Hitlers propaganda man.

Not that I'm looking up to this man but he is correct in this quote of his. They can get away with anything they want as long as the plebs/sheep don't have to feel the consequences of their actions or any of the states actions. They want to keep us down because if we started to truly think about what has been done to us and by whom, then as George Carlin said in one of his last stage performances (you may be able to find it on youtube), "You would know how much they have been F***ing you". People are not looking at a future that is possible but a future that is improbable, so they think that by doing whatever they are doing will bring that future along. When I see the US now, I feel as if our politicians our govt. officials and the people have thrown away something that could have truly been the beacon in the world to lead humanity to where ever it wants to go. But instead we and our "leaders" have proclaimed (as with one chinese emperor said which was hurt them) that we know all that is to be known and so virtually have closed off our minds and our actions to the rest of the world and turned inward to fight for control.

Originally posted by dreamwalker74
There is a fundamental part of our recent history that has either been overlooked or intentionally ignored.

You've raised a very interesting point with your observations and I'm in complete agreement that in our existing educational curriculum's, that there is a decided lack of acknowledgement regarding the untold number of men and women that have had a hand in shaping the world that we live in. These people rightly deserve far greater recognition than they have received.

I have to now admit that I have NO idea how 90% of the modern technology I use on a daily basis actually works. I could go back in time and bring with, or tell them about these amazing inventions. Yet I would likely no be able to re-create any of 95% of them.

In my mind, the following "quote" summarizes the situation that unfortunately afflicts the vast majority of people these days. So much so that I have used it as part of my avatar.


We've become a race of technologically advanced imbeciles living in a world we don't understand and don't have any real desire to know anything more about than what affects us directly and individually.



[edit on 7/7/10 by tauristercus] So ... why doesn't the above color command work ???


[edit on 7/7/10 by tauristercus]

My rant continued....

The self esteem movement. If you read the Deliberate Dumbing Down of America you will learn that the self-esteem movement has been one of the major down falls of our educational system over past 30 years. This idea is promoted as there is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer but how does this or that make you feel....so as not to offend anyone. It is very socialist and 'communal' in sound and appearance. You might recognize it as "political correctness for kids." I found myself using an activity that promoted this once or twice last year that fell into this category of bull#.

Both parents and children of this generation are happy with being simply average! Over and over again I hear(true story), "As long as he/she is passing...." Or "I got a D- and didn't fail! Awesome!!" One parent, "Why should he have to do homework? School work should be done at school." My jaw dropped in that meeting. I graduated in 1989 and it was not cool to be a failure and most kids in class tried to be greater than average...but not this generation. The 80's generation of kids turning into adults grew up in an instant gratification environment...do what feels good to me and fuk the rest. It's all about me... Well those values have now been handed down not to new adults but to middle aged and teen aged kids and we are starting to pay the price as a nation.

There is a sincere and dishearting lack of intrinsic motivation(I want to do good for the sake of it)in school by a majority of students. I define well as B or above or anything above average. Guess where this motivation begins? If you said at home, you would be correct.


Anyways, back to what is taught. All of you can find out what is suppose to be taught by going to your state's educational website and looking up the state curriclum for the particular course.

As a history teacher, I dont' teach who invinted the microwave or microchip. Why? Very simply, time. I would rather spend extra time teaching my students a strong emphasis on the WHY's of history. Names and dates are the details to flesh out the story. If you can understand the why, then you can become a more responsible citizen.

I would much rather teach why Bush Shrub won his first term because of the election fraud in Florida and the Supreme Court decision to determine our President and explore how students might brainstorm to change that environment than getting into inventors of recent discoveries such as the microchip or microwave.

One last time... history happens each day, history teachers have a limited amount of time to teach something that grows day by day.

And now your ATS homework assignment:

You have 180 days to teach 234 years of history. You have to make it fun, interesting, stimulating, and engaging for each and every student who already have pre-conceived ideas that history is the opposite of those traits.
You don't get to pick and choose what to teach, your state does.
You standard of living will be determined by 1 test that your students take over the 234 years of history. New career anyone?

Good luck!

Originally posted by Swing Dangler
I didn't read through every post to see who is actually drenched in the American Educational System. I am. As a teacher at the secondary level for the past 15 years I can speak as an expert on the topic, especially the U.S. History part as well as the particulars of the OP.

Thank you swing dangler. Your post is by far the most informative post I've ever read on this sight. Thank you.

Also, thank you for covering the alternatives in your class room. I know of no teachers that will present all the information and let the students make up their own minds.

From my school experience, which was public, I recall only a few teachers that actually used methods other then memorizing the answers. Those teachers are the only ones I remember to be honest.

P.S. You make a difference in "Johnny's" Life...KNOW THAT even if it is small, you make a difference....again, thank you

Funny, I think "Johnny Bender" from Breakfast Club.

Peace

I would imagine you can only take something so far. I'm sure they are not teaching who invented the DVD player or the curling iron either.

Then again, I wonder if those things you cite are mentioned but not tested. I seem to recall discussing microchips in public high school but it was in passing I think. This was in the mid 80's.

PS...not all schools teach the exact same thing either.

reply to post by romanmel


Just out of curiosity, is the coin in your avatar, Hercules, or alexander the first. They were both very close. For that mater could even be Maurice. Would love to see the back.

Nothing missing at all. Kids are taught targeted historical events that were transitions events and important to taking steps forward in history. There isn't enough time in a school year to cover it all. We cover what is most important to understand our current day. Many various history classes between grade school and graduate classes will teach you what you need to know to figure out the rest. If you need it, google it. Nothing missing at all.

reply to post by dreamwalker74

reply to post by ressiv


in England the radar operators notices dead birds in front of the radar.
and they where cook’t. microwave radars. microwave ovens came from this.

www.seed.slb.com...

P.S. great post.

[edit on 7-7-2010 by buddha]

Originally posted by Phage
Neither the microchip or the microwave oven was in common use when I was in school.

You can't really say that Nipkow invented television. His system had nothing to do with modern television.

While Dummer may have come up with the idea for integrated circuits, he never created a working version. If you want to credit someone, you might want to consider Jack Kilby.

Spencer didn't invent the magnetron, though he did come up with the idea of using it to cook food.

[edit on 7/7/2010 by Phage]

Dr. Isaac Asimov notes1 in his Genetic Code that there seems
to be a 60-year cycle between the first understanding of a new
scientific principle and the transformation of the world by that
principle.
For instance, Oersted discovered electromagnetic equivalence—
the fact that electricity can be converted to magnetism,
and magnetism to electricity—in 1820. Sixty years later, in 1880,
electrical generators were in wide use and the Industrial Revolution
had peaked; the telegraph and telephone were already
invented, and our age of Mass Communication was dawning.
Similarly, in 1883, Thomas Edison first noted the so-called
"Edison effect"—the key to electronic, as distinct from electrical,
engineering. 60 years later, in 1943, electronic technology
was appearing everywhere; its primitive form in the entertainment
sphere, radio, had enjoyed a 20-year triumph and was about
to be phased out by television.
In 1896, Becquerel noted the radioactivity of uranium. Sixty
years later, two cities had been destroyed by atomic bombs and
Prometheus Rising 261
nuclear plants were beginning to be built. (This was a contribution
to illth, not wealth.)
In 1903, the Wright Brothers got their monoplane off the
ground for a few minutes. Sixty years later, in 1963, jetliners
carrying over 100 passengers were normal.
Assuming, gambling, guesstimating that this 60-year cycle is
normal, we can predict:
Shannon and Weiner created the mathematical foundations of
cybernetics in 1948. Sixty years later, in 2008, cybernetization of
the world, as complete as the electrification of the 19th Century,
will have jumped us to a new energy-level, a new social reality,
as Toffler predicts.
Hoffman discovered '___' and the chemical control of consciousness
in 1943. Sixty years later, in 2003, every alteration in
consciousness imaginable will be possible by ingesting the
proper chemicals.
McKay had the first success in expanding life-span of laboratory
rats in 1938. Sixty years later, in 1998, longevity pills may
be routinely available in all drugstores.
DNA was identified in 1944. Sixty years later, in 2004, every
type of genetic engineering should be as routine as electronic
engineering is today.
The latest attempt to estimate the rate of information acceleration—
the manifestation of coherence—was made by French
economist Georges Anderla for the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 1973.
Anderla arbitrarily assumed that all the bits of information
possessed by humanity at the beginning of the Christian Era
(1 AD) could be considered his unit of measurement. He made
that information pool one unit in our fund of knowledge.
It took until 1500 AD, Anderla discovered, for the accumulation
of bits of information to add up to two units in our "fund."
It required only 250 years more (to 1750) for our bank of
knowledge to double again, to four units.
The next doubling took 150 years and by 1900 humanity had
8 units in its information capital account.
The next doubling took only 50 years and by 1950 we had 16
units.
262 Prometheus Rising
The next doubling took only 10 years and by 1960 we had 32
units.
The next doubling took seven years and by 1967 we had 64
units. (This was coincidentally the height of the first Youth
Revolution, when reality maps began breaking down everywhere
on the planet and wild new maps were hurtling at us from all
directions.)
In