Although scientists still do not completely understand the causes behind the formation of tornadoes, most agree on this basic pattern. Three ingredients must be present: a large mass of warm moist air, a large mass of cold dry air, and a violent collision between the two. During springtime in the central United States, enormous masses of warm moist air can move rapidly northeastward from the Gulf of Mexico into what has become known as “tornado alley.” When the warm air collides with the cold air, thunderstorms are almost always produced. However, if the rapidly moving warm air slides under the cold air and gets trapped beneath, that’s when a tornado can occur. Because warm air is lighter than cold air, the warm-air mass will try to form something like a “drain” in the cold-air mass that would allow the warm air to shoot through. If this happens, a vortex of air develops, sucking everything on the ground upward at enormous velocities, causing the strongest winds produced anywhere in nature, up to 300 miles per hour. These powerful winds sometimes accomplish the unbelievable, such as uprooting enormous trees and driving pieces of straw through wooden planks.Type your textbox content here.

Although the U.S. had only entered World War I at the very end  – nineteen months before the Treaty of Versailles – 70% Americans believed that joining the conflict was a mistake. As a result of the fighting, the poisonous gas, and the dismal conditions of the trenches, and the influenza pandemic,  over 116,000 American soldiers had perished.

The Path to War

As Hitler continued his tirade across Europe, public opinion began to change. In the beginning of 1940, 88% of Americans opposed joining the war. In June, the number of citizens who supported helping the British had risen just a few points to 35%. Then the fall France jolted the nation awake. The Nazis focused the strength of their air force on blitz bombing of London, Liverpool, and Manchester every night from September to May to break the morale of the British people. Despite being out-planed, the Royal Air Force fought back courageously, showing that Hitler could be repelled. At the beginning of Hitler’s onslaught, many U.S. citizens changed their minds. More than half, 52% of Americans, felt it was worth the risk of war to provide aid to Britain. As the bombing campaign intensified, this increased to 68% by April of 1941.

Meanwhile, the war in the Pacific progressed. During 1939-1940, the U.S. began to cut its ties with Japan by ending its treaties and cutting off Japanese access to American steel, rubber, and oil. Despite being short resources, Japan continued to invade nations across the Pacific, naming the empire the “Greater East Asia Prosperity Sphere.” In response, the U.S. called upon Japan to relinquish the conquered territory in China. Military planners in Japan, as a consequence, considered American involvement in the war unavoidable, and launched the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to give the Japanese forces time to prepare. The lives of 2400 Americans, many of them servicemen, were lost in the bombing, and the resistance of the isolationists collapsed. FDR declared war a few hours later with full support of Congress.