Fortune cookies were likely invented by a. American immigrants to Japan b. Chinese immigrants to the US c. Japanese immigrants to the US
Makoto Hagiwara was a. a candy maker b. a tea garden caretaker c. a religious leader
During World War II, many American Japanese restaurants went out of business because a. it was becoming too expensive to keep the restaurants open b. Chinese restaurants were more popular with American diners c. the US government forced thousands of Japanese Americans into internment camps
Discussion/essay questions
A belief in fortunes and lucky numbers is an example of a superstition. Superstitions are beliefs that certain actions or events will bring good or bad luck. Most cultures have their own superstitions. Do you believe in any superstitions? Do you know anyone who is very superstitious?
Transcript
Fortune cookies are a popular dessert served in Chinese restaurants across North America. But they actually don’t come from China at all. Fortune cookies were likely invented by early Japanese immigrants to the US. The fortune cookie recipe is similar to a type of Japanese cracker called senbei. In the early 1900s, a man named Makoto Hagiwara worked as the caretaker of the Japanese Tea Garden in California. He had the idea to put “thank you” notes inside senbei crackers. During World War II, the US government forced over 100,000 Japanese Americans into internment camps. This put many Japanese restaurants out of business. However, Chinese cuisine was still popular in American cities. American diners liked to have dessert with meals, so Chinese restaurants served fortune cookies to make customers happy. Today’s fortune cookies usually contain a small note with a piece of advice and a set of lucky numbers.
Nuclear fission was discovered in a. 1938 b. 1942 c. 1945
The lead scientist on the Manhattan Project was a. Albert Einstein b. J. Robert Oppenheimer c. Leo Szilard
70 Manhattan Project scientists signed a petition to convince the US government a. that dropping the bombs on Japan was the only way to end the war b. to end all research on the bombs and never use them c. not to drop the bombs without warning Japan first
Discussion/essay questions
How do you think the world would be different if the US hadn’t started the Manhattan Project? Do you think another country would have built and used an atomic bomb? Why or why not?
Is scientific progress always a good thing? Why or why not? How can scientists be responsible when inventing new technology?
Transcript
The Manhattan Project was a secret American project during World War II. The goal was to build an atomic bomb. Refugee scientists from Nazi Germany, including Albert Einstein, convinced the US government to begin the project after the discovery of nuclear fission in 1938. Einstein and his peers feared that the Nazis would use this discovery to build their own atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project began in 1942. The lead scientist was J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is now known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The first successful atomic bomb test was in July of 1945. Soon after, 70 scientists who worked on the project signed a petition to convince the government not to use the bomb without warning. However, the petition never reached the president. The US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945, killing close to 200,000 people. It is still one of the most controversial military acts in history.
Although it may sound like fun to visit an island full of rabbits, tourism has caused unfortunate consequences. People who feed the rabbits are contributing to an overpopulation problem that is harmful to the island’s natural ecosystem. How could tourism be regulated to protect the ecosystem?
Transcript
Okunoshima, a small island off the coast of Japan, is a place mostly populated by rabbits. The island is a popular tourist destination for people who want to spend the day with cute animals. Tourists can reach this island by taking a ferry over from the mainland. Although Okunoshima is mostly known for the rabbits that live there today, it is also a very historical site. The island was once used to produce chemical weapons during World War II. Back then, these weapon factories were kept so secret that Okunoshima wasn’t even labelled on Japanese maps. Many people believe that the island’s rabbit population is related to this history. A common theory is that the military once brought rabbits to the island to test chemicals on, and a few rabbits were released into the wild. Today, over 1,000 rabbits live there, and the population is only growing.
