THis Year:
I learned that in 404 BC, Athens and Sparta went to war, creating chaos and allowing outsiders to take advantage and invade the weakened city-states.
Practice Video
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who?
The person I chose to interview is my neighbor, Mrs. Cheryl Schlosser. She worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company for 35 years as manager in Human Resources. In the interview, she talks about how, when she first started , it is just Firestone, but then, in 1988, the company was purchased by Bridgestone in Japan. She also speaks about the various ways the two worlds merged into one as well as the cultural differences that were eventually overcome.
History:
In 1900, Harvey S. Firestone established the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. Then in 1903, the company began to manufacture rubber, and in 1904, the firm proceeded to develop pneumatic tires for automobiles. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, factory workers faced poor working conditions, low wages, and almost no benefits. So the workers went on a "sit down strike." Workers from Goodyear, Firestone and B.F. Goodrich all participated in this strike. Finally in 1988, the Bridgestone Corporation purchased Firestone. Bridgestone is involved in tire manufacturing on an international scale, making the corporation one of the largest of its kind in the world.
Information from: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Firestone_Tire_and_Rubber_Company?rec=891
Information from: http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Firestone_Tire_and_Rubber_Company?rec=891
What I Learned
I felt like I learned a lot from the interview , but I found it especially interesting to learn what it was like for a foreign company to merge with one that started right here in Akron. I learned what it would have been like to travel to another country and have to work with their customs and culture.
Importance
Mrs. Schlosser is extremely important to our community for many reasons, but especially because she worked for 35 years in a business that is vital to the Akron area. Our community is known as the Rubber City and the rubber industry was an important part of Akron's rich history, so to have the experience of meeting someone who has spent much of her life in that line of work is truly an honor. It is also very important to share her story because she worked at Firestone during the time they merged with Bridgestone and got to experience the meshing of the cultures first-hand.
