Snapshots in History - Set of 8

The Berlin Airlift

On June 24, 1948, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin shut off the flow of food and supplies from West Berlin. Stalin hoped this blockade would force the Americans and their Allies to leave the sectors of the city they controlled. Then the Soviet Union could install a Communist government for the whole city. Instead, U.S. and British pilots began a nonstop airlift, using giant cargo planes to supply the city and show Berliners that they would remain free.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Gives detailed information on the events that took place during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Includes notes and a timeline.

A Day Without Immigrants

On May 1, 2006, immigrants in the United States left their jobs and their schools for a day to bring attention to immigration law and the rights of immigrants.

The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party has its foundations in the late 1700s with the party of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. Andrew Jackson, known as the peoples president, later took Jeffersons ideas and formulated a new party, the Democrats. In its early years, the party favored a strong union with the balance of powers given to individual states. It also encouraged westward expansion of the growing country. The oldest party in the United States has changed over the years but remains a powerful standard bearer of American ideals.

The Hundred Days Offensive

Four years into World War I, millions of soldiers had died or been badly wounded, and neither side could gain a clear advantage in the bloody conflict. In August 1918, one year after the United States entered the war, Allied troops launched an attack near Amiens, France. It was the first of many Allied offensives that would take place all along the Western Front during the next 100 days. These small but significant attacks helped the Allies gain the advantage and ushered in the end of the war.

Miranda v. Arizona

On March 13, 1963, Ernesto Miranda confessed to three crimes. Based on his confession, Miranda was convicted at trial, but some lawyers thought Miranda's rights had been denied. The lawyers helped Miranda wage a three-year battle, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In an historic decision, the Court said anyone accused of a crime had "the right to remain silent." This and several other legal protections are now part of the Miranda Warning read to every person who is arrested in the United States.

The National Grape Boycott

Beginning in 1966, activist Cesar Chavez led a nationwide boycott of table grapes to draw attention to the plight of farm workers.

Pearl Harbor

This book provides detailed information on the events leading up to and taking place on December 7, 1941, the day that thousands of Americans were killed by the Empire of Japan in Hawaii's Pearl Harbor Naval Base, ultimately resulting in the United States joining World War II. Includes source notes and a time line.