Looking back, the week of April 3 – 9 has been historically significant for America.
It was a week of peacemaking, when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant and ended the bloody Civil War in 1865, and of rebuilding, when President Truman signed the Marshall Plan (aka European Recovery Plan) in 1948 to help Western Europe recover from the devastation of World War II.
It also was a groundbreaking week: in 1866, the Civil Rights Bill was passed by Congress, and in 1995, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to preside over the Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, this week also was marked by tragedy: in 1968, with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1990, when teenager Ryan White ultimately succumbed to complications from AIDS – the disease he helped the world to understand.
On the international front, twelve nations banned together to create NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization–a milestone that is particularly resonant this week, now that Finland has formally joined the organization.
This week’s video clips highlight two more significant world events: the first modern Olympics and the United States’ entrance into World War I.
Should Olympic Athletes Compete with their Countries… or as Individuals?
In his provocative talk “War Without the Shooting: The Olympics Past and Future,” American History Professor Matthew Andrews explores the complex relationship between the Olympic Movement and global politics. In the following video excerpt, he explains the original intent behind the formation of the modern Olympic games… and proposes one very controversial idea.
The Dawn of Submarine Warfare
In his fascinating lecture “The Undersea War: Germany, Britain, America and the WWI U-Boat Campaigns,” U.K. professor Spencer Jones dives into the dawn of submarine warfare during World War I. In this video clip, he explains the origin of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare campaign and how it resulted in the 1915 maritime tragedy.
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