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Post Essay and Works Cited HERE The 1980s and 1920s were two of the most influential decades of the 20th century. They both gave us huge advancements in many areas such as technology, transportation, economical, social, etc. I believe the most influential types are great men and event-making heroes. People such as Ted Turner, Steve Jobs, Richard Sears, and Gertrude Ederle all did things people couldn't even dream of doing. When people do things that are unheard of it normally catches on quickly. Therefore event-making heroes are the most influential types. Coming up with new ideas can turn out to be great, such as personal computers or department stores which are both big parts of the American economy today. These two decades really influenced our economy today.

The 1920s set up what the 1980s accomplished. The 1920s set up new department stores, new forms of entertainment, and new types of cooperation, between countries. Richard Sears brought a whole new way to purchase household items. "Sears brought everything the American family needed to one place." (Neely) CBS brought a new form of entertainment to the American Society. It was an important step forward for all forms of entertainment. "William S. Paley (born Bill Paley, no formal middle name) changed radio and television, effecting people with news and entertainment." (Jaskot) The American Olympics Association was a new way for America to play games with countries they didn't like. It also popularized sports in America. Gertrude Ederle also popularized sports in america for women because she swam the English Channel. This act "Inspired 100s of women." (Blankenmeyer) All these accomplishments were huge steps in the right direction.

CBS, the AOA, and Sears Department stores are all still big parts of American society today. Almost everyday I watch CBS and my mom goes to Sears to buy clothes every year. CBS was the first of any of the main TV channels such as, NBC, ABC, or TBS. "CBS has changed radio and television history. (Jaskot) CBS revolutionized TV to be what it is today. Some of the biggest TV events take place on CBS such as March Madness, popular TV shows, and daily news. Sears stores are also around today. Sears is where I myself buy a lot of the clothes I wear. "Sears continued it's success up up until it was outsold by Wal-Mart which became a multi-national business." (Neely) Up until a few years ago Sears was still the biggest retail store in the country. Also the Olympics takes place every four years and even World Wars haven't stopped that so the AOA still stands tall to this day.

When CBS first came out it was very popular and it still is to this day. Before CBS there were no big entertainment companies, it opened up a whole new way to listen to the news. Now there was a quick and easy way to receive daily news. "Taking a new track, Paley made the news section of CBS separate from the other programs, making if reliable and easy access to keep people everywhere informed." (Jaskot) The new department stores made it easy and cheaper to buy household necessities. Instead of having to go all over the place to buy clothes, you could just go to your local Sears store. " This also aided farmers and people who lived in rural parts of the country because the items werent so expensive." (Neely) The AOA opened up new opportunities for people to make a living off of their talents. These three really helped revolutionize America and they set up what the 1980s accomplished.

CBS today is the most watched network on television today. CBS is where most of the big sporting events are broadcasted and most local news channels are. Without CBS the world may be different because it opened up a whole new way for entertainment and news to be viewed. The Olympics today is the most important sporting event in the world. The AOA opened up opportunities for people in America to participate in the Olympics. It was important for American society to be able to root for their own country in the Olympics. Sears as I mentioned before is a big place to go shopping today, it is where I get most of my clothes. As you can see the influence of the 1920s is still impacting society today.

The 1980s really finished what the 1920s started. Ted Turner transformed television and finished what CBS set out to accomplish. CBS tried to change the way people received news and entertainment and Ted Turner created channels such as TBS that went above and beyond CBS. When TBS started up CNN people thought it was a bust "These people were definitely mistaken."(Nini) CNN was the first station where the news itself was treated as the most important thing, not the news casters and that made it very popular. Another thing people thought was a bad idea but turned out to be great was personal computers. People thought computers were too big and why would someone want one in there house. The great thing about Bill Gates and Apple is that "They are coming out with products that people didn't even know existed." (Sarno) That is what made personal computers so great, that they were event-making heroes because personal computers were things people had never seen or even thought of before. Another thing that influenced the American Society a great deal in the 1980s was the cult of celebrity. Everyone has the need to be famous today and that really started up in the 1980s when celebrity cults formed. "Celebrities are also very effective because many people worship them and follow what they do. This can result in both good and bad results." (Watkins) If everyone wants to be famous then they do things that famous people do. This movement led to more usage of drugs and other substances which was bad for society but it also brought entertainment which was good for the economy. All these things were significant because they helped the economy, the American society, and People's happiness.

All three of these thing still stand today. Personal computers are used everyday, I'm even writing this paper on a computer. Computers have become a staple in our society today. A lot of people rely on computers to complete daily tasks. "The impact that this topic had on the twenty-first century was now most every house hold had at least one computer and this didn't just advance knowledge it advanced many other things like communications and socializing." (Sarno) Computers are important and probably always will be. TBS and CNN are still commonly viewed channels on TV today. "[CNN] allowed Americans to have full 24-hour news cast whenever they wanted to get caught up in the world new toward the end of the 20th, and into the 21st century." (Nini) TBS is now mainly focused on comedy and entertainment but CNN is still all about news. The cult of celebrity unlike the other two will will definitely be around until the world ends. It is something people will always want. Today people adore people such as Lady Gaga and Kevin Durant so celebrity cults are still around. "Whether it be someone who is famous for their talents or just famous for being famous, people adore people that are famous." (Watkins) That is something people are always going to want.

Things such as TBS and personal computers have been an influence worldwide. TBS and CNN may not be broadcasting in Tokyo but they influenced broadcasting companies in Japan to be similar to CNN. "In 1985 CNN International was launched as a twenty-four-hour global news service, first in Europe and by 1989 in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East." (Nini) Ted Turner had now spread his ideas internationally. Personal computers had also spread around the world. Also the cult of celebrity was a worldwide phenomenon. People like Michael Jackson had world tours and Princess Diana was adored worldwide. The movements in the 1980s unlike the 1920s weren't just in America, they were worldwide movements.

These three topics were more impactful on the daily lives of Americans than the 1920s topics were. Personal Computers and stations such as TBS and CNN are things people use everyday. Personal Computers have especially impacted American society because of how fast they let you complete tasks and receive facts. The cult of celebrity has impacted and will continue to impact our society. It has given a person for one to look up to, this person may not always be the best person but celebrity cults give people idles. Also CNN and TBS have changed the way people view TV. They have brought new perspectives to topics and have become what most of TV is today. “ CNN’s continuous news coverage allowed it to impact society more than any other news station” (Nini) These topics have influenced daily lives in America every second of the last 25 years.

I believe that every topic in the 1920s has influenced our society a great deal but the three topics that had the most influence were the AOA, CBS, and Sears. I believe that the AOA was not as influential as the other two. However, the American Olympics Association created a lot of opportunities for Americans to compete in the Olympics. Back then sports weren't a huge deal but when America started to compete in the biggest sporting event in the world, it drew some interest. Today more than half of Americans are a die-hard sports fan for at least one sport, and all this sprung from the AOA. The second most important topic was CBS. Obviously CBS is still around today and it's the most viewed television network. CBS basically created news broadcasting and who knows where we would be today if CBS never came around. The most influential topic of the 1920s was Sears retail stores. Retail stores made it easy for people to get things that they need everyday. Sears was the first of the retail stores. This was a huge leap for America because it made it easier to get things you needed.

The 1980s topics were even more influential than the 1920s topics. Unlike the 1920s, the 1980s didn't set up the Great Depression. I also believe the 1980s finished what the 1920s set out to accomplish. However, the three topics that stood out the most to me were, Ted Turner, the cult of celebrity, and Personal Computers. The one that was the least influential to me out of the three is Ted Turner. As influential as Ted Turner was he did not come to par with the other two. He changed TV but TV does not have as big of an impact on American society as celebrities and computers. Turner may have accomplished a lot but I believe personal computers were more influential than Ted Turner. Personal computers have totally changed our society. Nowadays computers are the main way people receive their news. Today people carry around iPhones which are basically really advanced computers in your hand. However, the most influential topic in the 1980s was the cult of celebrity. Ironically the cult of celebrity may not have been the best thing. Some of the celebrities than get worshiped aren't worthy of being praised. Princess Diana was just someone who fell in love and got married, not a perfect role model. "The impact of Hollywood and celebrities is something that will never die down." (Watkins) Unfortunately it is just something we will always have to deal with. People will always do things celebrities do and celebrities will keep being celebrities.

Works Cited Becca J. “Columbia Broadcasting System, William S. Paley 1920” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Drew S. "Personal Computers; Apple 2 & Microsoft." //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web. 26 Mar 2012.

Jacob B. "American Olympics Association, Gertrude Ederle." //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web. 31 Mar 2012.

Michael W. “Cult of Celebrity, Princess Diana, John Lennon” //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web. 12 Mar 2012.

Mitch N. "CNN; Ted Turner." //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web. 29 Mar 2012.

Taylor N. "Sears Roebuck, Alvah C, Roebuck appliances & retail stores." //Buchholtz Sidor American Studies.// Web//.// 15 Feb 2012.

RUBRIC

A quality comparison essay will

•Use the __four__ criteria of Great Man Continuum to analyze the significance of three 1920’s topics and three 1980s topics. good analysis of individual criteria

•Analyze of each of the 6 topics with evidence taken from the 1920s and 1980s wikis, supporting evidence for each topic--topics' importance described

•Develop thoughtful and thorough conclusions on all 6 topics, yes

•Rank the three topics for each decade and explain why one topic is more influential than the other two, yes,but not all claims are supported with evidence

•Answer the essay question with a clear, well reasoned argument, clear reasoning often supported with evidence

•Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, generally attempted

•Organize ideas in extended power paragraphs, with a few exceptions, consistently done

•Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, done

•Cite evidence with internal citations and in a Works Cited. Click links for exemplars.  Correct WC and IC entries