Earth Site Education

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1943-01-14In 1943 Soviet forces penetrated a section of the German Siege of Leningrad. In June 1941, Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, a massive invasion of the Soviet Union. One of Adolf Hitler’s strategic objectives was the capture of Leningrad, the Soviet Union's second-largest city in Russia, an industrial powerhouse, and a cultural hub. The city held immense symbolic significance as the cradle of the Russian Revolution. As German forces, along with Finnish troops from the north, advanced toward the city, the Soviet government and Red Army hastily organized defensive efforts. Factories were repurposed to produce weapons, civilians were mobilized to build fortifications, and soldiers were prepared to hold the city at all costs. The Siege of Leningrad, one of the longest and most harrowing sieges in modern history, began on September 8, 1941, and lasted until January 27, 1944. For 872 days, the city of Leningrad (modern-day St. Petersburg) endured a brutal blockade imposed by Nazi Germany and its allies, resulting in immense suffering and loss of life. German and Finnish forces had effectively surrounded Leningrad, cutting off all land routes for supplies. The city's only lifeline was Lake Ladoga, through which supplies could be transported via a precarious route known as the Road of Life, initially by boat and later across the frozen lake during winter. Food supplies quickly dwindled, and rationing was introduced. By the winter of 1941-42, the daily bread ration for civilians dropped to as low as 125 grams (less than a slice of bread). Starvation claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. People resorted to desperate measures, including eating pets, and wallpaper paste, and, in extreme cases,...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1942-02-02In 1942 Vidkun Quisling, the Nazi collaborator established himself as Prime minister of German-occupied Norway. Quisling was a Norwegian commander and Nazi sympathiser who on the 9th of April 1940 gave the order to permit the Germans safe passage into Norwegian ports allowing them to slip through the mines laid by the British. This allowed thousands of troops to enter Norway and take control of the country. When the Norwegian government refused to surrender they were replaced by more controllable councillors, the chief of these was Quisling. Quisling sent many of his fellow countrymen to German concentration camps, buying favour with his German overlords. At the end of World War II Quisling was tried for treason and executed.1942-06-04  On this day in 1942, the Battle of Midway began. After the attack on Pearl Harbour (on the 7th of December 1941), the Japanese fleet continued to dominate the Pacific Ocean and conquer resource-rich islands in the region, including Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. They destroyed anything in their path including British Battleships. Meanwhile, the United States had been salvaging the ships damaged at Pearl Harbour. They had managed to repair all but one of the sunk Battleships and within six months the United States were ready to strike back. Between the 4th and 8th of May 1942, the United States and Australian Naval vessels encountered the Japanese fleet in the Battle of the Coral Sea with equal damage on both sides they both retreated. During the Battle two of the Japanese Aircraft carriers, the Shokaku and the Zuikaku, could not continue fighting. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Naval fleet had planned...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1941-03-11In 1941 the ‘Lend-Lease’ as devised by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt went into effect The Lend-Lease Act provided money and materials to Great Britain and its allies against Germany in World War II. Roosevelt wanted to find a way to help the Allies while officially staying Neutral and devised this act allowing the president to “sell, transfer title to, exchange, lease, lend, or otherwise dispose of, to any such government [whose defence the President deems vital to the defence of the United States] any defence article". Its official title was “An Act Further to Promote the Defense of the United States” and based on the reasoning that if you help your neighbour defend their home you effectively enhance the security of your own (it was also well known that this war may well come to the United States and helping Britain and her allies would help America). The military hardware was made available on the understanding that if an item was destroyed it would be paid for and if it was un-damaged it would be returned for free. To sell this to the American public, the majority of whom wanted to remain neutral, FDR compared the situation to a neighbour’s house being on fire and them wanting to borrow a hose "I don't say... 'Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it' - I don't want $15 — I want my garden hose back after the fire is over."  On this day the Lend-Lease act became law and gave the Allies much needed resources and boosted morale.1941-04-17   On this...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1940-01-08In 1940 food rationing was introduced to Great Britain. Initially, bacon, butter and sugar were the only items that were rationed, using books of coupons for the items but later many more food items as well as petrol, clothes and soup would be added to the list. The rationing started due to supply lines and production being hampered by the Germans in World War II. The government launched initiatives like “Dig for Victory”, encouraging citizens to grow their own food in gardens, allotments, and even public parks. Recipes and cooking tips were widely circulated to help people make the most of rationed ingredients, with a focus on minimizing waste. Although rationing meant restrictions, it also led to healthier diets for many Britons, as people consumed fewer fats and sugars and relied more on vegetables and whole grains. It also increased the sense of shared sacrifice and fostered community spirit during the war. Rationing did not end with the war's conclusion in 1945. It continued into the post-war years due to economic challenges and food shortages. The last rationing restrictions were lifted in 1954, marking the end of a system that had lasted nearly 15 years.1940-05-10  On this day in 1940 First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In September 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met with Hitler at his Mountain top retreat. Hitler said he would invade Czechoslovakia unless Britain supported his plans to take Sudetenland (an area of Czechoslovakia around its border with Germany and full of German loyalists). Chamberlain discussed the situation with French leader, Edouard Daladier, and they met...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1939-08-25In 1939, the United Kingdom signed a military alliance treaty with Poland. On the 31st of March 1939, Britain and France pledged their support for Poland in the event that Poland was invaded.  This came when the threat of invasion by German forces was proving inevitable since Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia on the 15th of March that year. The declaration was made to Poland in the event of an invasion by any force, but had been drawn up with Hitler specifically in mind. On the 25th of August, the ‘Polish-British Common Defence Act’ was signed, pushing back Hitler’s planned invasion date. But it didn’t deter Hitler entirely, and on the 1st of September 1939, he invaded Poland. In response, Britain and France declared War on Germany on the 3rd of September 1939.1939-09-01In 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Five German armies totalling 1.5 million troops advance on Poland on several fronts while their planes attack from the air, bombing cities including the capital of Warsaw. This undeclared act of war without provocation angered the world, while England and France prepared for war with Germany in response. In February 1938, the Austrian Chancellor Dr. Kurt von Schuschnigg met with German leader, Hitler, to reassert Austria’s sovereignty. In the meeting, Hitler bullied the Austrian chancellor into allowing Nazi officers to fill high positions in the Austrian government, threatening that if he didn’t comply, then German forces would march in and take the country by force. Dr Schuschnigg attempted to hold a referendum in the country on the 9th of March, but before the vote could be taken, Hitler pressured the chancellor into resigning, and on the 12th of March 1938, Hitler rolled into Austria with his...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1938-05-14  On this day in 1938 at the start of a football match, the English team caused anger at home when they gave a NAZI salute to the German team. The players had been ordered to give the salute to the opposing team as a sign of appeasement to the NAZI’s by Neville Chamberlin’s government. In a few months on the 30th of September the UK, France, Italy and Germany signed the Munich Agreement which said that Britain, France and Italy would support Germany’s takeover of Sudetenland on the understanding that Germany makes no more attempts to expand its borders. Chamberlin announced that the agreement brought “Peace in our time”, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. It was not the first time football had been hijacked in the name of politics and it would not be the last. England’s 6-3 win was a bittersweet victory in the shadow of an ill-advised political agenda.               TIMELINE...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1937-05-12  On this day in 1937 George VI and Lady Elizabeth are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom. On the 11th of December 1936 King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of the United Kingdom freeing him to marry American Divorce Wallis Simpson and live the normal live he’d longed for. Up on his abdication his brother and heir to the throne, Prince Albert, became King George VI and his consort, Lady Elizabeth became King and Queen of the United Kingdom. King George VI understood the role of a King and took to it extremely well. He became George VI to emphasise his father’s line and return peoples trust in the monarchy once more (much of which was lost when his older brother abdicated after just one year on the throne). He overcame a speech impediment and in 1939 he addressed the nation to declare that the United Kingdom was at war with Germany. He boosted the moral of his people during the Second World War, visiting bomb sites and visiting armies on the battle front. As King he could not fight but the bravery he showed, staying in Buckingham Palace in London during the blitz, gave the people of the London great strength in their hardest times. At the end of World War II King George remained a very dignified in the role, with the British Empire’s transformation from an empire to the commonwealth but his deteriorating health meant he had to reduce his duties. His daughter Princess Elizabeth took on most of his duties which help prepare her for her own success as monarch....

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1936-12-11In 1936 King Edward VIII abdicated the throne of the United Kingdom King Edward VIII made history by becoming the first British monarch to voluntarily abdicate the throne, a decision that sent shockwaves through the nation and the British Empire. His abdication stemmed from his desire to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée whose previous marriages and divorces were deemed incompatible with Edward's role as head of the Church of England, which at the time disapproved of remarriage after divorce. Edward faced intense opposition from the government, the Church, and the royal family, leaving him with the choice to renounce either Wallis or the crown. Choosing love over duty, Edward relinquished the throne, stating in a heartfelt radio address, "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility... without the help and support of the woman I love." Following his abdication, his younger brother, Albert, ascended to the throne as King George VI, while Edward assumed the title of the Duke of Windsor and lived much of his life in exile. This dramatic event had lasting repercussions for the monarchy, reshaping public perceptions of royal duty and personal freedom.1936-12-12In 1936 after his abdication the previous day former King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom became the Duke of Windsor On the 20th of January 1936, King George V died leaving his eldest son Edward to take the throne as King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom. This was a role Edward neither wanted nor was fit for. He was a brave soldier; joining the Grenadier Guards in June of 1914 he was keen to serve...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1935-09-15  In 1935 Nazi Germany dissolved citizenship of all German Jews and changed the flag, incorporating the Swastika.   Hitler and his Nazi party had gained control of Germany in 1933 and began to introduce new laws which met with the parties anti-semitic and Aryan laws. The Nazi Party would hold annual Rallies in Nuremburg (the Nuremburg Rallies) where they would discuss policies and new laws.  One such law defined Germans or true-bloods as having four German Grandparents and those with only two German grandparents as being half-bloods. Those with three or more Jewish grandparents were legally classed a Jewish and thus banned from citizenship. This was later extended to other minorities on the 26th of November that year. Relations between “true-bloods” and minorities were outlawed to keep the Aryan bloodlines pure. The new flag depicting the ancient Hindu and Buddhist symbol of the Swastika which the Nazi Party adopted as a sign for their Aryan Race.                 TIMELINE...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1934-04-21  On this day in 1934 the famous picture of the Loch Ness Monster was first published on the cover of news papers after Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson claimed the image was genuine. Dr Wilson requested not to be affiliated with the photo when it went to print leading to its nickname as the ‘surgeon’s photo’. This image was later proven to be a hoax.  1934-06-30In 1934 “Night of the long knives” (Hitler ordered the assassination of high-ranking Nazi Officers). When German President Paul Von Hindenburg died on the 2nd of August 1934, Chancellor Adolf Hitler took steps to dissolve democracy and become the supreme leader of Germany. Hitler’s next move was to ensure that no one within his own government had the power to overthrow him in a coup. Hitler’s friends and high-ranking officers within the Nazi party had helped him come to power but many of them were also powerful in their own right. Ernst Rohm was leader of the Sturm Abteilung (Storm Troopers). A 3 million man force of Nazi police, much larger than the German army, who had aided Hitler’s rise to power by suppressing any political opposition. Hermann Goering accompanied Hitler on the "Beer Hall Putsch" which was an early unsuccessful attempt to take control of the German government by force. Goering formed the Gestapo (the Nazi’s secret police) on the 26th of April 1933. Still, Goring gave command of the Gestapo to Heinrich Himmler on the 20th of April 1934 before taking control of the Luftwaffe (Germany’s mighty air force) in 1935. Goring would later be promoted above all other Nazi officers to Reichsmarschall making him...

TIMELINE 1900's DateTypeEvent1933-01-05In 1933 America started work on its Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate Straight is a mile-wide and three-mile-long channel between San Francisco and Marin County in California, USA. On this day, work began bridging the gap with a 2.7 km or 1.7 mile suspension bridge. The bridge officially opened on the 27th of May 1937 taking a little over four years to complete.1933-11-12In 1933 Mr Hugh Gray claimed to have taken photographic evidence of the Loch Ness Monster The original mention of a monster in Loch Ness comes from St Columba's biography in 565 AD. However modern-day sightings and ‘hype’ started again in 1933, after the release of the original King Kong movie which featured a long sea serpent-like creature. The King Kong movie was released on the 2nd of March 1933 and was closely followed by the first ‘photographic evidence’ of the Loch Ness Monster said to have been taken on the 12th of November 1933 by a Mr Hugh Grey. The photo is an extremely blurred and out-of-focus image which could resemble many things but was released on the front cover of the Scottish Daily on the 8th of December under the heading of “Monster photographs of the mysterious Loch Ness object”. The Daily Mail added to the hype by hiring movie maker and big-game-hunter, Marmaduke Wetherell (or Duke Wetherell), to investigate. Despite finding no real evidence the claim of possible giant footprints on the side of the lock not only sold papers but increased belief in the monster. Claimed sightings continued and then on the 21st of April 1934 the much clearer and more famous picture was...

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