Do you have any essays, research papers, or book reports that you would like to share? I hae a few that are rather old and I decided th share them. I do many of my English assignments on my computer and still have some of the files saved.
This first one is an essay I did last year in English class. The prompt was "What do you think is at the end of a rainbow"? My teacher loved it. Enjoy...
" What do I think is at the end of a rainbow, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you what I think is at the end of a rainbow. If you should go to the end of a rainbow, you would find a trap door leading underground. Inside would be a magical land with happy, little, subterranean elves who make candy and sing all day. The elf magic mixes with water and sunlight, producing a spectrum of light which produces the beautiful colors of the rainbow. The elf city is a happy place where happiness is law. If you show signs of unhappiness, the Happieness Gustapo will do bad things to you. The only time in which a Subterranean Elf may show any emotion other than absolute happiness is when speaking of their subspecies, the tree dwelling Keebler Elves. You see, the Keebler Elves have found a way to survive on the surface using their powerful elf magic, but they refused to share it with their underground relatives. Now, bitter hatred exists between the two species.
It is also believed that Santa Clause was originally from the Subterranean Elf Empire and narrowly escaped with his life so he could be free of the evil thought control.
The rainbow acts as a signal for of war. At each end of the rainbow is another trap door leading to another elf city. The elves use the signal to alert others that they are preparing an attack on the Keebler Elves which usually takes place after dark. The elves, you see, cannot survive in the sunlight which is why they must live underground and only come out at night. Should the elves come in contact with sunlight, they will turn into a pile of seaweed. When the time for war comes, the battles usually involve shooting candy and cookies at one another with candy mortars. When an elf is struck with a cookie from a Keeblar Elf, he or she must immediately eat it lest they magically become depressed and suffer the wrath of the Happiness Gestapo, the secret enforcers of elf law. It is said that their brutal tortures include bludgeoning with French bread, forced ingestion of Warheads (ridiculously sour candy), and being forced to watch Teletubbies again and again. Fortunately the elf magic has no effect on humans and children have been known to raid elf cities for the candy. For this reason, the elves have bribed lawn gnomes to warn them of people approaching. The elves will then turn off the rainbows and cover their trap doors, making it nearly impossible to find. Sometimes lawn gnomes refuse to accept the bribes from the elves and this can lead to unpleasantries. For instance, one particular lawn gnome has become the spokes person for Travelocity because he is constantly using their agency to arrange traveling in an effort to avoid the hit men of the Happiness Gestapo. The elves are not very intelligent, and they believe that polka music will deter children from stealing candy and cookies from them. This was tragically proven wrong on December 9, 1954. Some say it was the Keebler Elves launching a surprise attack. Others say it was a human attempting to stop the annoying polka music. Whatever the case, someone chucked a hand grenade down one of the trap doors. The ensuing blast sent fruity candy everywhere. The fruity candy has since become known as Skittles. This is also the reason why Skittles are often associated with rainbows. To sum things up, elves are not very smart so if you find one of their treasure caches, feel free to take what you want."
My recent research paper on the history of aviation. I have cited my sources, in case you are wondering what the names are at the end of each sentence.
The power of flight is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. Today, ocean and continents can be traversed in a matter of hour, a feat thought to be impossible a little more than a century ago. From the early days, to the golden age of air travel, up to the most modern aircraft, the history of aviation is an exciting story of triumph and tragedy, and one of the greatest breakthroughs in transportation of modern history.
For thousands of years, it has been mankind’s dream to fly. Early forms of transportation were slow and unsafe. Traveling by horse-drawn cart posed many dangers, and traveling on a ship posed even more dangers such as diseases and lack of food. There was also the danger of the ship sinking. Flying, on the other hand, would be faster and safer than carts or ships (Lore 14). Many people tried to fly and were often injured or killed in the process (21). Philosophers, scientists, and artists, such as Leonardo DeVinci, designed aircraft. Roger Bacon hypothesized the use of lighter-than-air aircraft in the year 1250. The hot air would cause the craft to rise. In 1783, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier made history by making the first ever flight in a hot air balloon. Another important event in 1783 was the creation of an aspherical balloon designed by J.A.C. Charles. It was safer than the Montgolfier balloon, which was inflated over an open fire, and the design is still in use today. In the late 1700's and 1800's ballooning almost became an extreme sport. Although balloons were successful, other aircraft did not produce such positive results 24). Man still desired controlled flight, which could not be achieved in a balloon. George Gayle built the first glider using kites and a movable tail in 1809, but it never carried a person. Russian inventor Mozhaisky made short, powered hops in a small plane in late 1800's but they were not controlled or sustained. Otto Lilienthal, a German inventor, make the biggest advances in glider design. Otto made 2000 flights in his glider but died in a crash on August 9, 1896 (65). Using Otto Lilienthal’s research, the Wright Brothers built their first glider in 1900 and a second one in 1904. They later used the glider design to build their first plane. Finally, on December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first powered and controlled flight in an airplane (24). The flight lasted twelve seconds and covered 120 feet (Graham 42). They had achieved the greatest feat of aviation history.
There have been many influential figures in aviation history. None, however, have been more influential than Otto Lilienthal, who is recognized as one of the greatest pioneers in aviation history (Timechart 3). Lilienthal was born in Prussia in 1848. In 1881, he began working on glider designs, which he worked on for the next five years (Otto 1). Lilienthal built eighteen gliders: fifteen monoplane gliders and three biplane gliders. Lilienthal made over 2000 glider flights before perishing in a glider crash in 1896. One of Lilienthat’s gliders is on display at the Smithsonian Museum . Otto Lilienthal made more progress in the field of aeronautical research, but the Wright Brothers were the first to produce a practical powered aircraft (Lore 25). Upon hearing of Lilienthal’s death, Orville and Wilbur Wright decided that aircraft needed a means of control (Inventing 2). They read as many materials as they could about the science of flight. The Wright Brothers searched for a suitable place to fly and decided to use Kitty Hawk, North Carolina because of the climate and terrain. The Wright brothers tried to improve the design of their second glider, but unfortunately, it failed, which resulted in them almost giving up flight. Luckily, Wilbur gave a speech to the Western Society of Engineers that went well, and the Wrights decided to continue their experiments (3). After extensive wind tunnel research, the Wright Brothers developed a design that appeared to work. In late 1903, the Orville and Wilbur put together their airplane and prepared for their first flight. Finally, on December 17, 1903, the moment of truth arrived (Graham, 42). On that cold and windy morning, Orville Wright launched the Wright Flyer into the air and completed a twelve second flight that covered 120 feet. The Wright Brothers had just made the first successful powered and controlled flight in history. They made a total of four flights that day and the longest one lasted fifty-nine seconds and covered 850 feet, achieving another great feat in aviation history (Lore 25).
In the early days of aviation, there were several groundbreaking flights which made pilots legends virtually overnight. Charles Lindbergh was probably one of the most famous of these early aviators (Grayham 45). Lindbergh accomplished a landmark feat on May 20, 1927, when he piloted the Spirit of St. Louis alone across the Atlantic Ocean from New York City to Paris, France. The flight lasted thirty-three and a half hours and gained Charles Lindbergh instant fame. Though Lindbergh was probably the most famous of the early pioneers, he was not the first to cross the Atlantic. The first transatlantic flight was performed by a pair of navy seaplanes, but the first nonstop transatlantic flight was accomplished by John Alock and Arthur Brown in a modified Vickers Vimy bomber. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic alone. She made her landmark flight in her red Lockheed Vega. Amelia Earhart made many more flights, but her promising aviation career came to a tragic end when her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while she was attempting a flight around the world. Wiley Post made the first flight around the world in his Lockheed Vega, the Winnie Mae (49). He took off from New York City and eight days later, arrived back in New York. In 1959, a B-50 Superfortress named the Lucky Lady completed the first nonstop flight around the world with the aid of midair refueling. The first nonstop flight around the world without the aid of midair refueling was accomplished by the Voyager, crewed by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, in 1986. The flight covered 25,000 miles and had a duration of nine days. One of the last great aviation achievements of the 20th century was the flight of the Breitling Orbiter 3, the first manned balloon to fly around the world. In 1999, the balloon, piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, flew for nineteen days and over 30,000 miles on jet stream winds.
Though aircraft were originally designed for peaceful purposes, they have undoubtedly shaped the course of history. Before World War I, it was thought that planes were only useful for recreation and would not be valuable to the military. That all changed during the war. The first planes to be used in war were light observers during World War I. These planes were unarmed and served only the purpose of locating enemy troops and reporting their position. Later, however, armed escorts bean to accompany the observers to protect them from ground fire. The Fokker Monoplane of Germany, armed with two guns, was the first real fighter aircraft. Only a small number were produced, but they performed well in combat. Thus, the age of aerial warfare had begun. Eventually, planes such as the Sopwith Camel and the Fokker DR.1 triplane, the aircraft of the infamous Red Baron, dominated the sky. Although aircraft were first used in combat during the first world war, they did not have a major impact on the outcome. That would not happen until the second world war (Lore 67). World War II was the first war to be significantly affected by air power. Planes such as the British Spitfire, and the German Fw-190 dueled for air superiority over Europe while bombers such as America’s B-17 Flying Fortress and Germany’s Ju-87 Stuka and Ju-88 devastated towns across Europe. One airplane that undoubtedly altered the course of the war in the favor of the allies was the North American P-51 Mustang. With a top speed of 440 miles per hour and superior maneuverability, the Mustang could take on virtually any aircraft of the day (Timechart 95). Possibly one of the greatest aviation achievements of World War II was the invention of the jet aircraft (61). The Me-262, a German fighter was the first jet to fly but the British Gloster Meteor was the first to actually see combat, when it was used to shoot down German cruise missiles over England. The fastest plane of World War II was Me-163 Komet. Though it had a top speed of 596 miles per hour, the Komet had only twelve minutes of effective power in its rocket engine. The plane was armed with two machine guns and twenty-four rockets, but it was largely unsuccessful. Though Germany’s jets were virtually unmatched in firepower and speed, they did not enter service quickly enough to effect the outcome of the war. They did, however, pave the way for the jet age. One of the greatest jet fighters of 1950s was the North American F-86 Saber. With its sleek design, sweptback wings, single engine, and four machine guns, the F-86 was a well balanced, high tech flying machine. The saber one of the most widely mass produced aircraft since WWII. During the Korean War, the Saber was used to combat Soviet Mig-15s (107). Another great jet from the jet age was the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, an eight-engine, strategic heavy bomber. The B-52 was capable of carrying up to 50,000 pounds of bombs in both conventional and nuclear roles. The B-52 Stratofortress flew in 1952 and was so successful that it still flies today (110).
Bombers and fighters have soared through the skies of war since the turn of the century, but civil aviation has helped society progress. In the early days, planes could only carry one passenger (12). Before World War I, most planes were used for sport (Hallion 995). There were no laws at first but as flying gained popularity, it was obvious that regulations were needed. The first flying laws were started by the French in 1905 and in Florida that same year. In 1919, the world’s first successful airline was started in Europe. Flying became more and more popular and by the late1930's, one third of people in the United States traveled on airlines. Boeing started regular transatlantic passenger service using Boeing 314 Clippers, a type of seaplane. Today, the biggest passenger plane flying is the Boeing 747-400 (Lore 64). The 747 seats up to 500 people and can fly thousands of miles. Other notable airliners include the Vickers Viscount, the Tu-104, the Douglas DC-8, and the Lockheed Constellation. In addition to the great airliners, thousands of private planes fly to airports around the world, in some cases to some airports where big jumbo jets can not land (Timechart 12). Airplanes can take people to virtually anywhere on the globe within a matter of hours, a feat considered impossible little more than a century ago.
From the old gliders of Otto Lilienthan to the modern jets, aviation has changed the world forever. Hundreds of years ago, many believed that man would never fly. Now, it is hard to imagine how man ever managed without the power of flight. If someone wished to travel across the United States, the hazardous journey could take up to a year. Now it takes about six hours. If someone wished to cross the ocean a hundred years ago, they would have to board a leaky boat and embark on a dangerous voyage across savage seas. Today, a modern passenger jet can cross the ocean in only eight hours. It is probably safe to say that aviation has had a huge impact on modern history as we know it.
I was going top post last year's research paper on James A. Garfield but I discovered, much to my horror, that I had deleted it. It wasn't on my jumpdrive either. Then, I was looking through files on my old jumpdrive and found the rough draft. Unfortunately, I don't have the final copy anymore so I need to make corrections to the rough draft. I'll post it when I get it corrected.
