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Kitty Pryde-Barton ([personal profile] throughaphase) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2013-09-08 09:30 pm
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Modern American History- Monday- 2nd period

Class met in the Danger Shop today, which looked like a city street right out of 1908, complete with programmed people in old timey clothes walking around. Shhh, Kitty wanted to give the students a real idea of what it was like, okay?

"Welcome to the 1900's," she began, smiling. She also went ahead and handed out a fact sheet, a list of things like who the presidents were, when wars took place, and noteable dates, just because she knew she'd miss things when talking about it. "So in case you can't tell, it was a very different time back then. This is a time when Australia was brand new, when the US and Spain were only just ending a war that started because the Americans intervened in Cuba's War for Independence. We got Puerto Rico, the Phillippines and Guam out of the deal, plus we got leased Guantanamo Bay, which is a name you might recognize if you're up on news from the last few years.

"As for technology, they had light and everything, but a ton of stuff was just being invented, a lot of it in America. We got the first battery. Cameras were being produced. The very first movie theater in America opened up in Los Angeles, because of course it did. And okay, the movies were silent and generally short, but they were movies nonetheless. Among the big new things was the fact that the Wright Brothers managed the first recorded powered, heavier than air flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. It's possible that a man named Gustave Whitehead beat him to this, but as the word 'recorded' is important and he couldn't prove it, the Wright Brothers get the credit. Too bad, so sad, basically.

"Also," Kitty said, as a car drove up on the street behind them, stopping, "Ford Motors came out with the Model T, a car that people could actually afford and drive. It's completely different than what you're used to, but they've got a sort of classic charm to them, right?" It was possible no one was coming along with her on this. "So, for the rest of class you guys are going to get to take turns driving this baby. If you've never driven before, don't worry, it's the Danger Shop, so you won't hurt anything or anyone. And let's just all be grateful we as a nation had progressed past cobblestones at this point."