ROCKY'S MARK ON PHILADELPHIA


In 1976, the movie Rocky won an Academy Award for best Picture. Rocky was a filmed that displayed a Rags to Riches journey of a boxer that had very little in life and was given an opportunity to fight against a world known boxer.  It was life journey that can apply to everyone.  A life lesson about determination of wanting something more than the other person and making the most of an opportunity.  It showed the others that we have the capability to better ourselves.  The Rocky movie gave a agreat sense of hope.  Rocky was one of the most inspirational movies of our time.In the last of 6 Rocky movies, Rocky gives and inspirational speech to his son about beliving in yourself and not letting anyone tell you that you can't reach a goal.    In 1976 Rocky made the Philadelphia Art Museum recognizable when the movie won the Academy Award.  Rocky's triumph run up the steps of the Art Museum symbolized determination and perserverence.  The Art Museum has become one of the famous tourist attractions of Philadelphia.  Many toursist find themselves running up the steps of the museum to demonostrate their determination. Getting to the top you are awarded by reaching your goal and getting to the top of the Art Museum you are rewarded with the beautiful skyline of the city.  During the 1996 Olympic torch relay, olympian Dawn Staley, a native of Philadelphia was chosen to run up the steps.  Philadelphia's monthly bike ride cyclist finish at the top of the steps holding their bikes in their hands as a sense of accomplishment.  Rebox campaign with Allen Iverson, former member if the 76ers, shows him running up the steps.  2004 Presidential canidate John Kerry ended his campaign at the end of the steps.  The Art Museum steps have become backdrop for concerts in Philadelphia such as Live 8.  Former Mayor John Street mentioned that the steps were one of Philadelphia's biggest tourist attraction.  The statue was originally donated to the Art Museum and placed at the top of the steps but was removed because it was not considered art but rather a movie prop.  The statue was moved to the Wachovia Center.  It eventually went back to the bottom of the stairs at the East Entrance of the Art Museum when it was recognized to have such an impact on our culture. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5OookwOoY

http://philadelphia.about.com/od/uniquelyphiladelphia/l/blrocky_statue.htm

http://www.uwishunu.com/2011/01/the-philadelphia-museum-of-arts-rocky-steps-named-the-second-most-famous-movie-location-in-the-entire-world/

 

NORTH AND SOUTH VIETNAM UNIFIED

Vietnam was divided after the French were forced out of the country. Northern Vietnam was still controlled by the communist while South Vietnam was controlled by those who still supported the French.  Many people turned against the government in the South because of its weaknes and communist rebels who were trained by the north were starting to come in.  The United States promised to help other countries that were being threatened by communism and therefore aid was sent to Vietnam.  The help was started with sending advisors to help the South Vietnam army but when an American warship was attacked ground troops were then deployed.  American thought this would be a quick war and that we could easily win with our modern weapons.  The Amercian troops were taken by surprise with the use of guerilla tactics and the surprise attacks on American.  After many lives were lost Anti-war protest started and American wanted their solders out of Vietnam.  Towards the end of 1960's the Vietcong and North Vietnam attacked the south on a much larger scale. With the enormous loss of lives and the pressure from the public President Johnson started to withdrawl troops and peace talks started in Paris.  In 1973 Vietcong, North Vietnam, South Vietnam andand the United States signed a peace agreement.  The peace agreement was not kept by North Vietnam and the Vietcong pushed further into South Vietnam. Without the assistance of the United States the South Vietnam army could not fight alone and many civilians fled. In 1975 communist troops entered Saiggon and the South Vietnamese had no other choice but to surrender.  In 1976 the war was officially over.  North VIetnam and South Vietnam were reunited under a communist government and Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City,  The VIetnam War was a long battle that took so many lives including women and children.  There were estimated to be over 50,000 American, more that one million vietnamese soldiers and two millions civilians that lost their lives.  The soliders returned home feeling like losers as opposed to heros.  The long term affects that these soldiers were left with was debilitating. 

http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamtimeline.htm
http://www.english-online.at/history/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-background.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-29-1973-end-vietnam-war-12981147

           

             1976 ELECTION OF JAMES EARL CARTER

 

James Earl Carter was elected 39th President of the United States. He was born in October 1924 in Plains Georgia. His father was a public official and a farmer and his mother was a registered nurse and a Peace Corps volunteer.  He helped out his family by working in the fields with his father.  He was one of four children.  He married Elanor Rosalyn Smith and had four children.  He had a significant military education.  He enlisted in the Navy from 1946-1953.  He was a student of the submarine school.  He also studied nuclear physics and served as an engineering officer on the first atomic submarine.  He left the Navy in 1953 when his father died and returned to the family business.

              His political career consisted of him becoming a member of the Georgia State Senate from 1963-1967.  In 1971 he became Govenor of Georgia.  In 1976 Jimmy Carter ran for presidency against President Gerald Ford.  His platform was trying to gain back trust after the Watergate Scandal.  He won with 297 out of 538 electorial votes.  His presidency ended in 1981 when he lost to Ronald Regan. 

               On his first day as President, all those who dodged the draft in Vietnam War were pardoned. As a result of the Three Mile Island incident Nuclear energy plants required stricter regulations therefore creating the Department of Energy.  In 1978 President Carter began the Camp David Peace talks by inviting Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for talks.  The talks led to a formal Peace Treaty in 1979. 

          Following his presidency he returned back to Georgia and was involved with Habitat for Humanity. He also assisted with obtaining an agreement with North Korea.   In 2002 he was receipiant of the Nobel Peace Prize.


http://americanhistory.about.com/od/jimmycarter/p/pcarter.htm
http://www.ibiblio.org/lia/president/CarterLibrary/GeneralMaterials/Biographies/JimmyCarter-bio.html
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1976
 

           

                 

           VIKING 1 LANDS ON MARS

 

  On August 20,1975 Viking 1 was launched arriving June 19, 1976 on Mars.  It was on the 11th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing that a planetary probe unmanned by the United States called the Viking 1 became the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars surface.  The Viking 1 was devoted to finding apppropriate landing sites through images the first month it was in orbit.  Its mission took 11 months and approximately 240 million miles away.  On July 20, 1976 it touched down on Chripe Planitia region of Mars and Viking 1 lander and orbit were separated.  It was then that the first close up photos of the rust colored Mars surface were sent back to NASA.  In September 1976, 3 weeks following Viking 1, another planetary probe called Viking 2 was launched.  Its job was to assist Vikingg 1 in imaging the surface and also to send down a lander.  During the voyae the two landers retrieved over 1400 images of the planets surface.  Each spacecraft had a orbit and a lander.  They travelled almost one year to meet Mars. They took full 360 degree photos.  The Vikings landers collected samples and analyzed the martian soil.  It also monitored wind directions, temperature and wind speed.  The soil was analyzed to be rich in iron and but without any sugestion of life on Mars.  The mission also showed lava plains, hugge canyons and details of volcanos.  The planet was divided into two regions.  Southern cratered highlands and northern low plains.  The views of Mars were revolutionized by the results of the viking experiment. 
 http://science.nasa.gov/missions/viking/
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/july-20-1976-viking-lands-mars-10252193
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/04/120413-nasa-viking-program-mars-life-space-science/
 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/iviking-1i-lands-on-mars history

1976 OLYMPIC GAMES

The 1976 Olympic Games: A Financial Disaster

            The 1976 Olympic games were held on July 17-August 1, 1976 in 1976.  July 17th was the opening ceremony of the 1976 summer olynmpic games.  There were over 73,000 who were present in the stadium and approximately a half billion who watched on television.  The ceremeony was the opening of the XX1 olympiad.  It was the first olympic games held in Canada. The games officially began with the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II.  The olympic flag was carried by eight men and hoisted by four women who represented the two territories and ten provinces of Canada.  The arrival of the olympic flame travelled by air from Athens to Ottawa not by plane.  Ionized particles of the flame were detected by a sensor which then turned them into impulses. The impulses was subsequently transmitted by sattellite to Ottawa where they were activated by a laser beam.  It then recreated it to its original hape, the olympic flame.
 
            No African athletes were allowed to particiapte in the olympics, however they did participate in a boycot.  The boycot was organized by Tanzania including 22 countries.  This was in reaction to olympics committee refusal to ban New Zealand from the games.  New Zealand's rugby team toured South Africa.  South Africa was a country that was excluded from special events internationally because of implemetation of the apartheid policy.

  The 1976 Olympic games were the debut for womens events in basketball, team handball and rowing.  For the first time hockey was played on artificial ptich. 
         14 year old gymnist Nadia Comanecia of Romania became the star of the games.  She beame famous for her uneven bar performance when she was awarded a first-ever perfect score of 10.

Montreal faced debts for 30 years after the games had finished.  The olympics became a financial disaster for Montreal.  It became evident that work was so far behind schedule when the tower was still not built weeks before the start of the olympic games.  The Quebec government took over the construction and debt racked up to a billion dollars.  The Quebec government mandated the city to pay in full.  The Olympic stadium was named the Big O in reference to the doughnut shaped rooftop and its name.  It is referred to as the enourmous cost of the stadium and the 1976 olympics as a whole.  Cost were not paid in full until 2006.

www.olympic.org/montreal-1976-summer-olympics
http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1976/ore105/ore105ze.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2pBeV4TYd4
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1091387/index.htm