Panama Canal

The building of the Panama Canal was one of the most controversial works that has ever occurred in history. Its constructing was a work of enormous proportions and hard work. This made it the work that it was, being that many did not want it and its construction was immensely difficult. however, it was built, with perseverance and endurance.
The Panama Canal is a ship canal that allowed ships to travel between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This route, previously, had taken several days to make this type of trip. This canal allowed ships to travel in a faster route and a less dangerous route to travel between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This canal also allowed for the route from South America across the ocean to be much shorter. Because of this trading became simpler, and travel became swifter.
The building of the Panama Canal was not only controversial, but the work that it required was extremely strenuous. This canal was incredibly long and deep, therefore, it took tough workers and true leadership. The most well known builder of the Panama Canal was President Theodore Roosevelt . Roosevelt helped lead the building of the Panama Canal by taking a swift role of leadership by pulling the pieces together and making things work out in this architectural work.
Along with the building of the Panama Canal , there were also health and death issues that came along with the construction. At this point in history, hygiene is still a large issue. Disease can spread quite quickly when men and women are packed in tight together, such as in a building of the Canal. Among the entire time while building the Panama Canal, there were 27,500 deaths that occurred in construction. Diseases, such as malaria, spread quickly through the men who were building this masterpiece. Many also died from this malaria, which added to the death toll. However, there must always be sacrifice when we desire reward.
Finally, this canal was built to simplify and make more useful, the traveling of ships and the safety and speed of trade. This goal was accomplished and at a high level as Theodore Roosevelt took complete charge and made it so that this building would not fail.. This is the type of leadership that needs to be taken in our own world today. The leadership that was demonstrated in the building of the panama Canal was absolutely extraordinary.
Haskin, Frederic Jennings. The Panama Canal. Doubleday. 1914. Harvard University.
Bennett, Ira Elbert. History of the Panama Canal: its building and construction. Historical Publishing Company. 1915. Michigan.

Trans-Continental Railroad

The Trans-Continental Railroad was one of the most famous and spectacular creations of our country's past history. Congress came together and tried to to discover a strategy for building some sort of transportation that could be used in a transcontinental fashion for the country. They eventually passed an efficient trans-continental plan known as the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862, shortly following the beiginning of the Civil War, and happily signed by President Abraham Lincoln. I will attempt to explain the monumental importance of this major construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
There were truly only four men, known as the "Big Four" who really brought this incredible idea together. These men were Leland Stanford, Collis Huntington, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins. These men were also all merchants. It was soon recognized by those who saw the great dedication of these men to the construction of this railroad. They used most of their own money to fund this creation, and themselves worked on it. Without these four brave men, this railroad would have never been built.
California, before the building of the railroad, sat apart of the rest of the country. There was no real way for anyone to be transported there without the railroad. This shows that this building was absolutely monumental to the linking of California to the rest of the country.
The linking of these numerous states did not just help transportation but also economy. With people not having to pay as high for the various needs of transportation, the value of the dollar went up again. This railroad was a enormous aid to the economy as well as the transportation. "By linking with the existing railway network of the Eastern United States, the road thus connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by rail for the first time. Opened for through traffic on May 10, 1869, with the driving of the "Last Spike" at Promontory Summit, Utah, the road established a mechanized transcontinental transportation network that revolutionized the population and economy of the American West."
Finally, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad was a great achievement. These men and the many that supported them demonstrated bravery and dedication to this work which is what made it successful. Without this railroad, not only would there be no link for the states, but the way we see the rest of the country would be utterly different.
Blashfield, Jean F. Transcontinental Railroad, The. Compass Point Books. 2001. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Houghton, Gillian. Transcontinental Railroad: A Primary Source History of America's First Coast-To-Coast Railroad, The. The Rosen Publishing Group. 2003. New York.

Paris and London

Paris and London are two of the greatest cities in the world, and have been for centuries. Paris, the permanent capital of France, has a long history of movement and defeat but survived and is now one of the premier cities in Europe. London, the capital of England, also has a history of movement and is one of the most beautiful, inhabitated cities in Europe. These two magnificent cities hold great splendor and great history.
Paris was first given the name in 360. one of its first attacks was by Attila the Hun who tried to enter in 451 but was stopped by the Prayer of Genevieve. The first main conqueror of Paris was King Clovis 1 who succeeded in capturing the great city in 508, making it his capital. Clovis also built two glorious sculptures of the Apostles Peter, and Paul after his conversion to Christianity. He was the first great ruler of Paris.
The second astonishing ruler was Charlemagne, ruler of the Carolignian Empire. His conquest of Paris began in 768. He built many churches and monestaries making Paris a great religious city within his empire. Paris reached its high point of growth in the 8th century under Charlemagne. This short reign of Paris was still magnificent considering the growth in such a short time frame.
London also had two great eventful rulers in its history. The first, was Queen Boudicca of the Iceni Tribe. She sacked the city in an attempt to revolt against the Roman Empire. The Emperor Paulinus, tried desperately to save his beloved city but the size of Boudicca's army was simply too large to fight against. He retreated and the city was taken over by the Iceni Tribe.
The next powerful ling of Paris was the great Christian Emperor Diocletian. he again reorganized Britain to become a universal Christian capital of his Empire. London still was known as the financial center of Britain, but it was now a Christian city. He is also known for keeping a watchful eye on his troops and spreading his empire to create a massive rule.
These two astounding cities will be known for many years to come. They are both incredibly beautiful and attract thousands of tourists a year. Being one of the tourist capitals of Europe, these cities are often used but still retain their luster as they hopefully will forever.
Wilson, A.N. London. Modern Library. 2004. New York.
Druon, Maurice. The History of Paris From Caesar to St. Louis. Hart-Davis. 1969. Michigan

Salah Al Din

Salah Al Din was an influential leader and led an inspirational life as the sultan of Egypt and Syria. His life impacted many and has even led some to live their lives to accomplish the things that he did, such as Saddam Hussein. Saladin, as he is better known today, is recognized for his chivalrous actions toward those he captured and to those who lived around him.
Saladin was born a Kurdish Muslim and practiced as such. He was led by his uncle, Sherrga, into war and came out the leader of his country after the death of his uncle. After the death of Sherrga, Saladin was appointed vizier of Egypt in 1169. This event caused his glorious reign to begin, and not stop until 1193 . This reign is known as one of the most chivalrous times in history because of the acts of Saladin. "Saladin is one of very few personages of the time of the Crusades that has managed to be positively described in both Western and Eastern sources. With his high position among his Western opponents, he has become a figure that have fascinated Western writers."
The first interaction Saladin is faced with is when his uncle, the present vizier of Egypt, asks him to ride along with him into Egypt. Though Saladin does not want to go, he does so willingly. While on this trip, his uncle dies after a party from eating too much. This propels Saladin into power since he is the only heir left to the throne. He is still young, but he takes his responsibility as a man, and takes the crown and thus begins his reign over Egypt .
Saladin is most well known for his defense against the 3rd Crusade. As the Crusaders were invading attempting to defeat the Muslims, there was a truce made between the Crusaders and Saladin. Raynald, the leader of the 3rd Crusade, broke the truce by attacking the caravans of Saladin. After being asked to stop, he once again attacked a caravan. This caravan, however, carried with it Saladin's sister, whom Raynald captured and perhaps raped. This action launched Saladin over the edge in rage. His defense is to attack Raynald, crushing him, and eventually killing Raynald with his bear hands. He does so and therefore ends the 3rd Crusade.
This event is the one of the few points in history that we see the cruelty of Saladin. He is well known for being a kind, chivalrous leader while still conquering and spreading his kingdom. This man ruled well over Egypt, while still maintaining his kingdom and respect from his people.
Stanley, Diane. Saladin:Noble Prince of Islam. Harper Collins. 2002. New York.
Ali, Tariq. The Book of Saladin:A Novel. Verso. 1999. New York.

Orthodox Religion In Comparison With Christianity

The Eastern Orthodox Church is an attraction to those who love history as well as an exciting religion. Orthodoxy bases much of its value on historic lineages and relation. This concept is odd because there is not much depth or intrinsic value in lineages compared to events or miraculous occurences that happen in other faiths. As with Christianity, many events occur which together, are powerful to give us hope and righteousness and to save us. As we look at these two faiths, keep in mind that this is not a presentation but simply, rather a description of the two.
First of all, the core of the Orthodox Church is the same as the Christian Church, which is that Jesus is the head of the church and the church being his body. This idea is spelled out in Ephesians 5, saying that Jesus is the husband and His bride is the church. This gives us a framework of marriage as well, being that Christ gave Himself to the church and she submitting to Him. This should be the example that mirrors the Christian marriage. This concept is at the heart of Orthodoxy.
The Orthodox Church traces themselves back to great names and titles from Biblical history. Each person of the faith traces himself back to one of the apostles in a direct lineage. As well as these people, each city is governed by a bishop. These bishops are directly are believed are to be traced to Jesus Christ Himself. This historical lineage is the basic reason that they believe makes thier beliefs valid. This is a concept with not much proof because lineage has value, but not truth. There is no truth and no proof and no glory in lineages for obtaining power! There must be events and actions that differentiate this religion from others
This faith also claims that they are the true recievers and obtainers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe that it was passed from the Apostles to them without flaw or demeanor and that they are the true chosen nation and people of God and that he chose them from the beginning. This is clearly not truthful for God personally claimed Israel, the Jews as His chosen people, and that is why salvation comes from the Jews as Jesus states in Matthew 15. This idea gives light on the concept that The Orthodox Church has not been truly chosen by God as a people.
The Greek or Eastern Orthodox Church has been established since Jesus and His Apostles established Christianity. They believe they are the true recievers of this faith and that they are truly traced back to them. This idea is widely debated and discussed around the world, and will be done so for years to come.

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages was a time of grand building and exsquisite artistry. But, very few writing took place during the years of the Middle Ages. Through these years, an event took place called the Reformation. This is by far my favorite time period of the Middle Ages. The Reformation was headlined by Martin Luther, a German monk and theologian, who challenged the church by posting a theses of 95 acts that he felt the church was committing that were sinful. This action by Luther led to the split of the church forming the Reformed Catholic church.
Martin Luther was born on November 10, 1483. He was born to Hans and Margaretha Luther and was baptized the day after his birth. Hans Luther was a peasant man who wished only to see his son to go beyond the life of a peasant into civil service and becoming a educated man. Martin Luther obeyed his father's wishes and graduated with his master's degree in only 4 years of college. After recieving his degree, Luther began attending law school. One day, Luther was on his way home when a lightning bolt struck quite near to Him. In deep fright, he shouted, "St. Anne! Spare me and I will become a monk!" Later regretting his words, Luther kept his promise and went into the monestary.
The Catholic Church in the 16th century was much like some churches today. The priests and bishops lived in luxury and comfort while the lower church employees struggled financially. The aristocracy and poverty clashed within the church walls and arose tension in the early 1500's. Seeing this anger build, Martin Luther began to compile a list of sinful traditions the church leaders were now executing with the congregation. These rituals included indulgences. This is the practice of using monetary value to earn salvation during and after your life. Many other occurences of sinful deeds soon angered Luther causing him to post his list on the door of the Wittenburg church in Germany.
After the posting by Luther, many things changed in the Catholic Church. Several artworks and sculptures were destroyed by the Protestants along with parts of churches that signified the glory of man himself. Some of the gorgeous windows and crosses that represented were torn down as the Protestant Radicals did as they believed was right. Though we can no longer see this great history because of the acts of the Radicals, the point of Luther was firmly made clear to all that God is the ultimate power in thes world, not man.
MacCullough, Diarmaid. Reformation, The. Viking Publishing. 2004. New York
Bainton, Roland Herbert. The Reformation of the Sixteenth Century. Hodder and Stoughton. 1953. New York.