AMERICAN PATRIOT
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JULY 14, 2010
M&M’S THE SOLDIER’S CANDY THE FIRST FEMALE SENATOR
R.E.M. ALT ROCK WITH A SOUTHERN TWANG
AMERICAN PATRIOT M&M’S THE SOLDIER’S CANDY
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6 THE FIRST FEMALE SENATOR
8 R.E.M. ALT ROCK WITH A SOUTHERN TWANG
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AMERICAN PATRIOT
DENALI
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY
M&M’S THE SOLDIERS’ CANDY 4 AMERICAN PATRIOT
What is America’s favorite candy? Chocolate, of course! And high on the list of chocolates are M&M’s — the “melts in your mouth not in your hand” treat — with an estimated two hundred million sold each day in the United States alone. Surprisingly, this ingenious candy has a military past. The history of the M&M goes back to the
The peanut M&M was not introduced
Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Inventor
until 1945, and only came in the brown
Forest Mars got the idea from Spanish
color. This was the same year that the
soldiers munching on chocolate pellets.
company created the popular M&M char-
When World War II broke out, Mars and his
acters that still feature prominently in
partner, Bruce Murrie, created M&M’s
the commercials.
for American soldiers so that the soldiers abroad could enjoy chocolate overseas.
M&M’s continued to serve the nation as
The sugar encasing prevented chocolate
well. Through scientific study, M&M’s
melt thus allowing for M&M’s to be
were found to be suitable food for space
transported easily. The colors at that time
crews. In 1984, the M&M’s went into
included red, yellow, brown, green, and
space and have been part of space mis-
violet. Hershey produced the actual prod-
sions ever since. This was also the year
uct because it had control over candy
M&M’s were named the official food of the
rationing during the war. Hundreds of thou-
1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Periodically
sands of cardboard tubes of M&M’s were
America votes to change the color of the
shipped over to Europe and the Pacific.
M&M from yellow to blue to green, etc. Various fillings are also occasionally
The colorful candy caught on quickly at home, too. In 1948, the packaging changed from cardboard tubing to the brown
added to the mix. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF M&MS
bag. Then in 1950, the M was printed on the candy, creating the iconic branding.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 5
THE FIRST FEMALE SENATOR
6 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Hattie Wyatt Caraway was the first woman to be elected to the Senate. She served as an Arkansas Democrat from 1931 to 1945. Chosen to finish her husband’s senate term after he died in November 1931, Senator Caraway was then elected to her own term in January 1932 by her Arkansas constituency. Caraway was born in Bakerville TN in 1878. She attended local public schools and then went on to Dickson Normal College. There she met her future husband; Thaddeus was just a few years ahead of Hattie in school. After Thaddeus had completed his law degree and Hattie had earned a B.A., the couple married and moved to Jonesboro AR. Thaddeus was elected to Congress in 1912. Hattie remained a dutiful housewife, raising three sons and managing the house. She rarely dabbled in politics until her husband died suddenly after a routine surgical procedure. The Arkansas Democratic Committee could not come to a compromise on a candidate for the imminent election, so they nominated Hattie. Everyone expected her to step aside just two months later to allow for a new Democratic senator at the point of the official election; she was simply to be a figurehead. But Hattie did not see her position in this way; she ran for reelection promising to help the poor local farmers suffering more and more each day due to the deepening Depression. She embraced
junior Senator Huey P. Long’s redistribution of wealth and tax reform. Campaigning feverishly, she visited 31 counties and gave 39 speeches. Senator Long even came to Arkansas in the last week to accompany her around the state. She won the Democratic primary and then the November election. Carraway devotedly supported President Franklin Roosevelt’s reforms and projects. She supported the Equal Rights Amendment in 1943. She banned together with several other southern senators to propose anti-lynching and anti-poll tax legislation. She had a strong belief in equality and fairness for all, citing her own achievement as an example. Hattie spoke infrequently on the Senate floor, but when she did speak, her words were well-chosen and eloquently delivered. After two terms in Senate, Carraway went on to work in other civil service jobs in Washington. Carraway died in 1950 after a stroke, and is buried next to Thaddeus in Jonesboro AK.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 7
HOW TO
LIVE UNITED: JOIN HANDS. OPEN YOUR HEART. LEND YOUR MUSCLE.
FIND YOUR VOICE. GIVE 10%. GIVE 100%.
GIVE 110%. GIVE AN HOUR. GIVE A SATURDAY. THINK OF WE BEFORE ME. REACH OUT A HAND TO ONE AND
INFLUENCE THE CONDITION OF ALL.
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.
LIVE UNITED
™
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R.E.M ALT ROCK WITH A SOUTHERN TWANG
8 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Photos by Andrea Sartorati
With its southern twang, R.E.M. has dominated the American music industry for almost three decades. A rock band founded in Athens GA, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry, and Mike Mills came together to pioneer the alternative rock genre. Releasing their first single in 1981 entitled “Radio Free Europe,” America has been wowed by this band since. The New York Times listed it as one of the top ten singles of the year. The band emerged as an icon solely through persistence and grit, they built their reputation by playing endless small gigs, performing on college radio sets, and releasing records with small companies. The band members lived on $2 a day during this time. By the early 1990’s, R.E.M. produced two commercially successful albums: “Out of Time” and “Automatic for the People.” In 1996, R.E.M. signed with Warner Bros. for $80 million, which at the time was the priciest record contract in history. Bill Berry left the band a year later, but the group continued as a three-piece crew. The band name is somewhat arbitrary; the members very much liked the ambiguity and openness that the initials provided, and this ambiguity shows through their music as well. R.E.M.’s music diversity excites people; no two songs sounded the same. They alternate between slow-paced albums and more excitedly-paced albums. Peter Buck, guitarist, once described their music as, “Minor key, mid-tempo, enigmatic, semifolk-rock-balladish things.” Their songs
definitely credit the band’s southern heritage. Buck is acclaimed for his economical guitar playing, which some would say makes the band what it is. He says his inspiration is Paul McCartney. R.E.M. has had a lasting legacy on the American music industry. R.E.M. has won countless musical awards. On June 23, 2010, “Radio Free Europe,” was chosen for the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, which preserves recordings of music that are considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” CLICK HERE TO SEE R.E.M.’S MUSIC VIDEO “IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT”
AMERICAN PATRIOT 9
ONE FISH, TWO FISH . . . 20,000 FISH
THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM
10 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Considered the first modern public aquarium in the United States, the New England Aquarium is one of the most popular attractions in all of Boston. Located on the city’s waterfront, the aquarium was designed to help visitors experience ocean life in the most natural environment possible. The open atrium of the main building contains the principal exhibit: the famed Ocean Tank. Visitors can follow the four-story Ocean Tank all the way to the top along a ramp wrapping around the tank. It is 23 feet deep and holds 20,000 gallons of water, so large that it had to be built first with the rest of the aquarium built around it. With the water temperatures running as high as 74°F, the Ocean Tank represents an exact replica of a Caribbean coral reef containing hundreds of fish and animals. Over 1.3 million people visit the aquarium’s Visitors can travel the world in just a few steps.
thousands of inhabitants annually. The insti-
Below the Ocean Tank, for example, the African
tution puts emphasis on educational programs
Rockhopper penguins reside. These endan-
for anyone who is interested. Extensive pro-
gered species live on islands around the sub-
grams have been implemented to preserve and
Antarctic. The exhibit is interactive, so visitors
research marine life. The aquarium prides it-
can look through underwater periscopes, listen
self in rearing queen triggerfish from eggs
to penguin sounds, and even play with the
harvested in the Giant Ocean Tank, which is
penguins at the penguin light station. After
an important step toward creating a sustain-
the penguin experience, it may be time to head
able fish trade.
north to the Pacific Northwest region where visitors can find the Giant Pacific Octopus.
CLICK HERE TO PLAN A VISIT TO THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM
Since this particular Octopus is a master of camouflage, the aquarium just might be the best sighting people can experience.
AMERICAN PATRIOT 11
DENALI THE HIGH ONE 12 AMERICAN PATRIOT
Alaska is the largest and wildest state in the United States. It is also the least populated, with a density at 1 person per square mile. That leaves lots of room for nature to display itself in all its glory. Perhaps most spectacular is Denali National Park, considered one of the most stunning in the world and capped by Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. Denali was founded in 1917 by Charles Sheldon. The park was rated in the top five list for American trekking by National Geographic, and is on every top ten most beautiful national parks listing. The gem of the park is Mount McKinley; it stands a breathtaking 20,320 feet high. The park lands once belonged to the Athapaskan people. Archeologists date remnants found at ancient campgrounds to be over 12,000 years old. Denali or “High One” is the name the Athabascan people gave the peak. Between the time the nomadic tribe left Denali and the early 1900’s gold rush, the land was left mostly wild. The gold rush drew prospectors to the creek beds, but the rush only lasted a few years, and very few prospectors remained in the area. While panning for gold, William Dickey wrote to the New York Sun that he and fellow prospectors had named the highest mountain in Alaska after William McKinley, a nominee for presidency at the time, and future twenty-fifth president of the United States. Hence, the centerpiece of the region
became known as Mount McKinley. Locals never loved the name; today most people refer to the park as “Denali” and split as to whether to call the mountain “McKinley” or “Denali.” Having fallen in love with the Alaskan land, Charles Sheldon, a conservationist, became a primary advocate for the preservation of the land upon which Mount McKinley stood. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Mount McKinley Park bill. Originally established as a game refuge, Denali was redesignated as a preserve in 1980 and the park was expanded to 4 million acres. There are over 650 species of flowering plants and over 220 species of animals found in the park as well as millions of breathtaking views. Despite its beauty, the park still only hosts about 400,000 visitors a year making it a magical and uncrowded place to visit during the summer months. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO ON CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OFFICIAL VISITORS WEBSITE AMERICAN PATRIOT 13
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I was born an American;
I live an American; I shall die an American.”
—DANIEL WEBSTER LEGISLATOR, STATESMAN, LAWYER AND ORATOR DURING THE PRE-CIVIL WAR PERIOD
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THIS WEEK IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
1984. Representative Geraldine Ferraro of New York is chosen to run for Vice President on the Democratic ticket by Presidential candidate Walter Mondale. Ferraro is the first woman to run on a major party ticket. The team is ultimately defeated by Reagan-Bush in the fall. LISTEN TO FERRERO’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH IN 1984
AMERICAN PATRIOT 15
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