Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2024 i Cobblestone American History and Current Events for Kids and Children

If you look at a map of the North Pacific Ocean, Midway Atoll appears to be a speck in the middle of it, located about halfway between the continents of Asia and North America. Sometimes called Midway Island or simply Midway, it is part of the Hawaiian archipelago. That chain of islands extends 1,500 miles across the North Pacific. Midway is one of the western-most points. It is a remote, unincorporated U.S. territory and the only part that is not included in the state of Hawaii. Like the eight main Hawaiian Islands, which are the tips of ancient volcanoes created more than 27 million years ago, a volcano once existed at Midway Atoll, too. But the island slowly eroded. Its central part fell below sea level, leaving a six-mile-wide lagoon.…

For centuries, naval battles resulted when enemy ships came face to face with each other. Over time, technology changed naval warfare. Early wooden ships were powered by oars or sails and manned by sailors who were prepared to board an enemy vessel. Those vessels were replaced with steam-powered, ironclad ships with guns shooting projectiles that could blast enemy ships out of the water. Then, in 1906, Great Britain introduced the modern battleship, the HMS Dreadnought. It was the first ship fitted with all large guns so that it could fight at greater ranges. It also was designed to achieve high speeds. Powerful, massive battleships became the backbone of every major naval power—until the aircraft carrier revolutionized naval warfare by combining airplanes with ships. Aircraft carriers were like fortified floating islands…

For months, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Japanese Combined Fleet had been pushing for another decisive battle aimed at the U.S. forces in the Pacific. But the Japanese Army, which was needed to land and provide occupying forces for any invasion, had resisted those efforts. But after the U.S. bombing of Tokyo in April 1942 embarrassed Japan’s military leaders, the Imperial Japanese Navy and its Kido Butai was given the go-ahead to coordinate a strike eastward in the Pacific Ocean. A master strategist, Yamamoto chose Midway. Control of Midway would extend the perimeter of Japan’s outer defenses in the Pacific. Yamamoto also knew that the Americans would send any remaining aircraft carriers to protect their naval base there. With the element of surprise on its side, the large Japanese force…

Can you solve this crossword puzzle about the Battle of Midway? All the answers can be found in this issue. Answers are on page 49. ACROSS 1. U.S. Navy pilots in this dive-bombing plane were responsible for sinking all four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway.3. In the Battle of the Coral Sea, the _____ became the first Japanese carrier to be sunk during World War II.4. This aircraft was used in air-to-air combat to gain control of the sky over a naval fleet.8. Japan’s attack on _____brought the United States into World War II.11. After the Battle of _____, the Americans went on the offensive in the Pacific.13. Rear Admiral Frank Jack _____was the on-site commander at the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway.14. American cryptographers cracked…

Dear Readers, Draw a picture or write a poem or a short essay that connects to a U.S. history topic that interests you. All contributions must be your original work. Include a note from a parent or a legal guardian clearly stating: “This is my child’s original work, and COBBLESTONE has permission to publish it with my child’s name, age, and hometown, in print and online.” We will include as many as we can in an upcoming issue. Email your submission to cobblestone@cricketmedia.com.…

Japan seemed to be itching for a fight in the 1930s. It had spent a number of years engaging in battles with China. But in July 1937, Japan launched an all-out war to dominate that country. By 1939, it controlled parts of eastern China, but China’s determined resistance resulted in a military stalemate. Hoping to put an end to the conflict in Asia, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt sent Japanese officials a warning. He threatened to cut trade with Japan if it did not withdraw from China. In February 1941, he moved the U.S. Pacific Fleet from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a further warning to Japan. But World War II (1939–1945) was being fought in Europe, and Germany’s invading forces had quickly defeated a number of…

The earsplitting Klaxon horn sounded, and the loudspeakers of the USS Hornet blared: “Now hear this! Army pilots, man your planes!” Rain pelted the pilots as they ran toward their aircraft. Large waves sent water over the ship’s bow and caused the large carrier to toss up and down. On April 18, 1942, sixteen B-25s, each carrying four 500-pound bombs, were readied for takeoff on a daring mission: a long-range attack on Tokyo, Japan, led by Lieutenant Colonel James H. Doolittle of the U.S. Army Air Force. The story of the Doolittle raid began several months earlier. After bombing the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Japanese went unchecked as they seized territory in the Pacific Ocean. The United States lost both personnel and territory in…

Here are a few heroes that played a role during the Battle of Midway. Vice Admiral Marc Andrew “Pete” Mitscher (1887–1947) was among the first U.S. Naval Academy graduates to develop an interest in aviation. In 1916, Mitscher became the 33rd Navy man to earn his aviation wings. He supported naval aviation through its experimental stages. In the early 1920s, he helped defend the Navy’s efforts to keep its air units instead of them being absorbed into an arm of the military that controlled all aircraft. Mitscher served on the USS Langley, the first U.S. aircraft carrier. Along with other aviation officers, he tested theories and flew exercises that established procedures for carriers and their aircraft, many of which are still practiced today. Mitscher was the commander of the USS…

Japan had big plans for expanding its empire in the South Pacific Ocean. Among other things, it wanted to isolate the Allied nations of Australia and New Zealand. One of its initial steps toward that goal was the capture of Rabaul, New Britain, on January 23, 1942. Japanese forces established a large air and naval base on the island. From it, they could launch other attacks. Within a few months, the stage was set for Operation MO. Operation MO referred to the planned Japanese invasion of two locations defended by Australian forces: Tulagi in the Solomon Islands and Port Moresby in southeastern New Guinea. Port Moresby is just across the Coral Sea from Australia. The Japanese thought that once they controlled that city, Australia and points south would be cut…

CHICAGO’S TWO AIRPORTS HAVE CONNECTIONS TO WORLD WAR II (1939–1945) IN THE PACIFIC THEATER. CHICAGO MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS NAMED FOR THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY, AND A DAUNTLESS DIVE-BOMBER IS ON DISPLAY IN THAT AIRPORT AND . . . . . . O’HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IS NAMED FOR LIEUTENANT EDWARD “BUTCH” O’HARE, THE FIRST OFFICIAL NAVAL ACE OF THE PACIFIC WAR. HE WAS CREDITED WITH FIVE KILLS IN ONE ATTACK ON FEBRUARY 20, 1942. A WILDCAT, SIMILAR TO THE PLANE FLOWN BY O’HARE, IS ON DISPLAY AT THAT AIRPORT. ON FEBRUARY 23, 1942, A JAPANESE SUBMARINE GOT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE PACIFIC COAST TO SHELL ELLWOOD OIL FIELD NEAR SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA. THE ATTACK CAUSED LITTLE PHYSICAL DAMAGE. IT DID, HOWEVER, TRIGGER FEAR AND CONCERN ABOUT A JAPANESE INVASION. ANOther…

Millions of seabirds once lived on Midway. But those thriving bird populations began to decline after the United States claimed the atoll in 1867. It was valued for its rich deposits of guano, which was an important natural fertilizer for farmers. By the early 1900s, the U.S. Navy had a base there, introducing permanent human residents and man-made structures. Midway Atoll remained a base for navy operations until the late 1970s. A decade later, however, the use of satellites and long-range nuclear submarines reduced the atoll’s importance as a strategic location. In 1987, the World War II structures built in the 1940s were added to the National Register of Historic Places. A year later, the atoll was named the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is part of the…

Midway Atoll is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is credited with naming that ocean in 1520. He sailed from Spain across the Atlantic Ocean and then around the tip of South America. The tip of South America is famous today for the Strait of Magellan (named for the explorer). That narrow channel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans experiences unpredictable weather and often violent, churning waters. After Magellan safely made it through the strait, the massive ocean he sailed into looked calm and peaceful, so that’s the name he went with. Pacificus is the Latin word for “peaceful.” At different moments in history, certain nations have adopted an imperialistic attitude about their role in the world. Imperialistic describes a “policy of extending a…