History timeline 1840-1849

1840: Queen Victoria marries Albert
    World Anti-Slavery Convention
    William Henry Harrison wins the presidential election

1841: Britain takes Hong Kong
    Amistad Case
    Harrison dies/JohnTyler becomes president
   
1842: Webster-Ashburton Treaty

1843: A Christmas Carol published

1844: Princeton explosion
    Joseph Smith murdered
    James K Polk wins presidential election

1845: The Raven published
    U.S. annexes Texas
    Manifest Destiny coined

1846: Krakow Uprising
    Mexican-American War begins
    Bear Flag Revolt in California
    Neptune discovered
    The Oregon Treaty
    Polk creates the Independent Treasury

1847: Battle of Buena Vista
    Battle of Veracruz
    Mormons reach the Great Salt Lake
    Winfield Scott enters Mexico City

1848: Gold discovered in California
    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
    The Communist Manifesto published
    Revolutions in Europe
    Seneca Falls Convention
    Zachary Taylor wins the presidency

1849: Corn Laws abolished

Sci-Fi History: A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Stanley Kubrik's film portrays a dystopian future in which Malcolm McDowell's character, Alex, displays no sense of morality or empathy. Alex loves classical music as much as rape and intense violence. The immoratlity portrayed is a reflection of the culture at large. The film mocks psychiatry and psychology while focusing on violent youth culture. Some believed the film critiqued communism, but instead examined the extremes from both the right and left.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faML0QvVb2A

Sci Fi History: The Blob (1958)

 

Steve McQueen, the embodiment of cool for a generation, made his film debut in The Blob. A meteorite strikes a hill unleashing an alien blob monster. The thing oozed into a small Pennsylvania town consuming all in its path. Eventually, the town uses fire extinguishers to freeze the monster. After, the Air Force transports it to the arctic. Some argue the blob represented communist encroachment. Although a number of period films tackle this subject, The Blob seems to be a simple sci-fi horror flick. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUsyXQ8Wrs

Sci Fi History: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Aliens attack a small town and replace people with duplicates devoid of emotion or individuality. A doctor discovers the plot and tries to stop the invaders. Critics have argued for years about the film’s theme. Some believe it was a commentary on conformity in Middle America. Others argue it is a warning about communism. One critic claims it is an examination of the reduction of personhood in the face of extreme leftist ideology. Still others point to Senator McCarthy as inspiration. It could also be the loss of one’s self in the modern world. One thing is for certain, Invasion of the Body Snatchers is about the loss of individuality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFnSxeDfENk

Sci Fi History: Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis is a film set in an urban future in which workers and capitalists struggle against one another. The film is Marxist in viewpoint and demonstrates class warfare. On one hand, the capitalists live an easy life while the workers struggle for survival. In the end, the two sides reach an accommodation as a mediator intervenes. The human body serves as an allegory for society. The brain represents capitalists, the hands represent workers, and the mediator (the heart) brings them together.

The film has proved influential over the years. Blade Runner borrowed the cityscape. Star Wars appropriated the golden robot. Queen used scenes from the film in their “Radio Ga Ga” video. In the end, almost every Sci Fi film owes something to Metropolis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSExdX0tds4

The Real Political Spectrum: Historical and Modern

http://tinyurl.com/29qg3zz