Name:
Date:
Core:
U.S. History
Mental Warm-Up:
What Makes an Event/Person Historical Significance?
Directions: Answer the following questions to the best of your ability. Answers should be written in
complete sentences.
1. Examine the term “historically significant.”
a. The word “historic” is an adjective (a describing word). If something is described as
“historic” what does that mean about its age? __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
b. The word “significant” is also an adjective. If something (or someone) is described as
“significant” what does that mean about its value/worth? ________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
2. Why is it important to study the past? ______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. We do not study every event/person that has occurred in U.S. History. Why not? (think of
possible reasons besides the fact that we would not have enough time to learn about every
event/person who has lived in the United States since its founding)
We do not study every event that has occurred in the history of the United States because: __
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Feeling frustrated by question #3? Think about this…Do you think we should study every
event/person in U.S. History? Why not? Why would that be a bad way to spend our time
in U.S. History class?....Also, there is another question on the back.
4. Read over the list of events below and place an “X” next to the events you consider to be
historically significant.
December 4, 1991. Mr. Higgins got his driver’s license in Old Saybrook, CT. Mr.
Higgins drove his father’s 1984 Mercury Grand Marquee during the driving test. The
car was nearly 17 feet long. He drove that car for the next 8 years of his life.
September 11, 2001. The terrorist organization known as al-Qaeda attacked the
United States by high-jacking commercial airliners and flew them into the World
Trade Center, NY and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Another high-jacked plane
crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
December 7, 1941. Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl
Harbor, A total of twelve ships sank or were beached in the attack and nine additional
vessels were damaged. More than 160 aircraft were destroyed and more than 150
others damaged. The event caused the United States to lend their military support to
the Allied Forces during World War Two.
June 13, 1952. Louise Hanrahan graduated from St. Bernard’s High School. Louise
later went to college in Boston where she studied to become a teacher. She started
teaching 4 years later in 1956.
October 27, 2014. Taylor Swift releases 1989, her fifth studio album. The first single
from the album, Shake it Off. "Shake It Off" debuted at number one on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending September 6, 2014, becoming Swift's
second number-one single in the United States and the 22nd song to debut at number
one in the chart's history.
5. Select two of the events you selected. In the space below, explain why you classified those
events as “historically significant.”
Date of Event
Rationale for classifying the event as historically significant.
6. What makes an event/person historically significant? __________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________