The Internet History Sourcebook is a Fordham University site that has collected historical primary sources for educational use, “specifically designed for teachers to use in teaching”. The site was initially developed in the 1990’s and has continued to update its links regularly. IHSP has a page on the site dedicated to Copyright and Fair Use. As we learned in the readings, using documents and images for educational purposes falls under the Fair Use clause. IHSP reiterates this on its page: “any copyright material used here is (a) not used for commercial gain and used exclusively for educational purposes; and (b) used in limited amounts in comparison to the published source”. The creators warn site users that this does not mean that every item is copyright free. Because the site specifically lays our its intentions and takes the time to explain fair use and copyright laws, the ethics and legality of the site should not be called in to question.

Exercise 1

Teachinghistory.org
I looked up Teachinghistory.org because I helped to work on the website and was interested to see if the information matched.

Domain ID:D94380008-LROR
Domain Name:TEACHINGHISTORY.ORG
Created On:27-Jan-2003 02:18:16 UTC
Last Updated On:12-Jan-2013 11:27:09 UTC
Expiration Date:27-Jan-2014 02:18:16 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Domain.com, LLC (R1915-LROR)
Status:OK
Registrant ID:DOT-P78NVARPQGK6
Registrant Name:N/A
Registrant Organization:Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Registrant Street1:4400 University Dr.
Registrant Street2:MSN 1E7
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Fairfax
Registrant State/Province:Virginia
Registrant Postal Code:22030
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.7039939277
Registrant Phone Ext.:
Registrant FAX:+1.7039934585
Registrant FAX Ext.:
Registrant Email:@gmu.edu

Exercise 2

I looked up “Litvaks” on Wikipedia because I am currently doing research on the subject and would be able to have a better judgement on the article than another topic.

“Litvaks” is the name given to the Jews of Lithuania. Vilnius, the capital, was once referred to as the Jerusalem of the North; however, this ended during WWII as over 90% of the Litvak population was destroyed.

Searching “Litvaks” on Wikipedia redirected me to the page, “Lithuanian Jews.” The article was created in 2005 and is not very lengthy. Aside from the introduction, there are only 7 sections of texts with about 1 paragraph each. If you scroll down the page to “See Also,” Wikipedia offers another article, which at first glance appears to contain more information: “History of the Jews in Lithuania.” The “Lithuanian Jews” article offers only 1 reference. Although short, the article cites several reliable sources such as the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Department of State, and published journal articles; however, several of the citation titles would not help you to discover the history of what happened to the Litvaks. 2/5 external links on the page are broken and would not help. What is most helpful is the “Further Reading” section. It provides you with a few recently published books on the Litvaks along with the ISBN number to make searching easier.

Exercise 3

Jane Browning began her research from a blurb on a restaurant menu about the last American pirate. The knowledge comes from a local legend would not be able to be considered reliable on its own. Jane furthers her research about the pirate by speaking to town locals. From this information she narrows down her search to the possible time period in which her pirate lived. Her professor even doubts the reliability of the town locals and suggests that Jane change her topic.

Although town folklore cannot be considered reliable, it did give Jane a good starting point on her research. With each visit she learned more of the legend and could narrow down her search of where to look for sources. She looks through police reports and insurance documents, which would provide her with primary sources during the late 19th century in the Chesapeake. She also visits the National Archives and Library of Congress, which would also provide reliable sources. Browning’s main document is the last will and testament of Edward Owens. A stranger delivers this to her house. Although an interesting find, she should not use the document as proof. She has no idea where it comes from and whether it is truly Owens’ will and testament or someone playing a joke on her.

The question that I am looking to research is, “Should the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 be viewed as a cause of World War I or an event that merely expedited the inevitable.”

To start, I searched ProQuest Historical Newspapers to find background information and sources on the actual assassination and outbreak of war written during that period. The article I selected is from the Washington Post entitled, “General War Impending,” written July 29, 1914.

The article features language from the onset that leads one to question whether the assassination caused the Austro-Hungarian Empire to seek vengeance against Serbia or if the assassination was an “opportunity for [Austria to] formulating demands” from the Serbs. Both the Serbians and Austrian Empire sought to control the Bosnian territory. Did the assassination simply serve as validation for the Austrian to attack Serbia to remove them as a threat from the Balkans or did the empire truly want justice for Franz Ferdinand?

The article then continues to speculate on what would occur if Austria proceeded to attack. An overpowering of Serbia would place the Austrians closer to Constantinople, which the Russians did not want to allow. The author places most of the power in German hands – if Germany commits to the Austrian cause, the rest of the great powers will fight back.

I did not understand how to use the Archive Finder. I typed “Franz Ferdinand” into the search bar, and it returned 53 results. I clicked on one of the collections titled, “Heinzen, Karl Peter” and found information that he was a refugee from Germany. I’m not sure how these collections relate to the search of Franz Ferdinand.

Here is an image of Franz Ferdinand from Flickr.

Technology in 30 Years

Lightsabers and/or Laser-shooting Guns

• The idea has already been thrown out there from Star Wars. I would actually be surprised if someone somewhere wasn’t already working on inventing these.
• How cool would it be to watch lightsaber battles?
• May the force be with you.

Holographic Calling

1. A combination of Skype/Facetime, but in 3D
2. It’s not a new concept. We’ve seen this form of communication in many Sci-Fi television programs and film.
3. For a recent concert, there was a holograph of Tupac performing on-stage. Now we just have to learn how to make the technology live and mobile.

The Death of Facebook

• All great things must come to an end.
• Will we go back to more face-to-face communication or become more intwined with virtual relationships?

I was recently shown this website and thought it related to the conversation that we had last lecture. Thought you all would enjoy!