Berlin Blockade essays

Berlin Blockade essays On June 26, 1948 the largest airlift began as the American and British forces began the Berlin Airlift. To understand how the airlift came to be, we have to look all the way back to the Yalta Conference. The Yalta Conference began in February 1945 in which the three superpowers, America, Russia and Britain, met to discuss the future of post war Europe. America and Russia were emerging as the two superpowers, and their deteriorating relationship would soon lead to many problems that would develop in post war Europe. Yalta saw the beginning of this deteriorating relationship. First, Stalin put a communist government in place in Poland. Poland had been the route that enemies had used to invade Russia on three separate occasions and Stalin felt he needed a friendly government in power. Stalin had agreed to hold elections in liberated countries following the war which he broke when he established a communist government in Poland. Although the U.S. and Britain had done the same thing when they put their own government in Italy following their defeat, Stalins move in Poland still upset the other two superpowers. U.S. still needed Russias help to fight the war in Japan so President Roosevelt had to be careful not to upset Stalin. The communist government was allowed to stay in Poland but the government was extended to include the Poles living in London that were suppose to form the government. Stalin made sure that the communists always had the majority. Also in an attempt to keep good relations with Russia, Roosevelt agreed to allow Russia to remove ten billion dollars from defeated Germany. Also at Yalta, it was agreed that post war Germany be divided into four occupational zones, which would become one of the main problems leading to the Berlin Airlift. Russia was given the north east, the U.S. was given the south east, Britain the north west, and France the south west. Berlin, German...

Spaceship Earth - More than a Disney Attraction

Spaceship Earth - More than a Disney Attraction Visionary and designer, poet and engineer, R. Buckminster Fuller believed that we must work together as a crew if we are to survive on our planet, spaceship earth. How did the dreams of a genius turn into a Disney World attraction? When Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) conceived the geodesic dome, he dreamed that it would house humanity. Constructed of a complex framework of self-bracing triangles, the geodesic dome was the strongest and most economical structure ever designed for its time, first patented in 1954. No other form of enclosure covered so much area without internal supports. The larger it is, the stronger it becomes. Geodesic domes have proven durable in hurricanes that have flattened traditional homes. Whats more, geodesic domes are so easy to assemble that an entire house can be built in a single day. Spaceship Earth at Disney World The enormous ATT Pavilion at Epcot in Disney World is perhaps the worlds most famous structure modeled after Fullers geodesic dome. Technically, the Disney pavilion isnt a dome at all! Known as Spaceship Earth, the Disney World attraction is a full (although slightly uneven) sphere. A true geodesic dome is hemispherical. However, theres no question that this Disney icon is Buckys brainchild. EPCOT was envisioned by Walt Disney in the 1960s as a planned community, an urban development of the future. Disney allotted 50 acres of his newly purchased Florida swampland to be what I remember to be called an Environmental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney himself presented the plan in 1966, explaining the Celebration-like development as an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a climate-controlled bubble community, with, perhaps, a geodesic dome atop. The dream was never realized at Epcot- Disney died in 1966, shortly after he presented the master plan and shortly before Buckminster Fuller had great success with Biosphere at Montreals Expo 67. After Disneys death, amusement prevailed, and living under a dome transformed into being entertained inside a sphere representing Spaceship Earth Built in 1982, Spaceship Earth at Disney World encloses some 2,200,000 cubic feet of space inside a globe that is 165 feet in diameter. The outer surface is composed of 954 triangular panels made of a polyethylene core sandwiched between two anodized aluminum plates. These panels are not all the same size and shape. Geodesic Dome Homes Buckminster Fuller had high hopes for his geodesic domes, but the economical designs didnt catch on the way he envisioned. First, builders needed to learn how to waterproof the structures. Geodesic domes are made up of triangles with many corners and many seams. Eventually builders became skilled in geodesic dome construction and they were able to make the the structures resistant to leaks. There was another problem, however. The odd shape and appearance of geodesic domes proved to be a hard-sell for homebuyers used to conventional houses. Today, geodesic domes and spheres are widely used for weather stations and airport radar shelters, but relatively few geodesic domes are built for private homes. Although you wont often find a one in a suburban neighborhood, geodesic domes do have a small but passionate following. Scattered around the world are determined idealists, building and living in the efficient structures Buckminster Fuller invented. Later designers followed in his footsteps, creating other types of dome housing such as sturdy and economical Monolithic Domes. Learn More: Movies About Famous Architects, Including Buckminster FullerWhat is a Geodesic Dome?From our architecture glossary, illustration and definition of the geodesic dome, conceived by Buckminster Fuller.Build A Geodesic Dome ModelStep by step instructions, with diagrams, by Trevor Blake.Buckminster Fuller: BiographyFast facts about the life and works of Buckminster Fuller.Buckminster Fuller: InventionsAn extensive collection of resources from your Inventors Expert.Buckminster Fuller Bibliography by Trevor Blake, 2016Walt Disneys Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow by Richard R. Beard, 1982