With the NATO meeting just completing in Chicago this past week, I thought it might be a good idea to write about what NATO is, when did it start, and what its primary responsibilities are.
What is NATO?
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is also known as the North Atlantic Alliance (although NATO does sound so much better, and I don't know if I would like NAA. It sounds like a noise a goat makes). NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty.
So, what is the North Atlantic Treaty? The North Atlantic Treaty was created when Europe and North America were worried about an attack by the USSR (the Soviet Union back then). The original twelve members of the treaty were:
Belgium
Canada
Denmark
France
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
United Kingdom
United States
The members agreed to join together if one of them were attacked. They would help defend one another against an attack by an enemy force.
Today, there are 28 countries from North America and Europe who are part of NATO. Here are the countries who joined later:
Greece
Turkey
West Germany (when Germany joined back together, the entire country became a member)
Spain
Czech Republic
Hungary
Poland
Bulgaria
Estonia
Latvia
Lithuania
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Albania
Croatia
Did you know that the treaty was first forced into action in 2001 after the September 11th, attack on the United States? At that time, NATO helped secure American airspace against any more terrorist attacks.
When did it begin?
NATO began on April 4, 1949. The members met in Washington, DC on that date to sign the treaty and then formed the NATO alliance. Their feelings - if one of them was attacked, then all of them were attacked and should be defended. Once an attack occurred, they would meet and decide upon a course of action. They could choose to maintain security OR they could decide to not respond at all. It all depended on the severity of the action against the country attacked.
The Korean War sorely tested the resolve of NATO. The Korean War started in 1950, just one year after the formation of NATO. Since the country was not part of NATO, the group had to decide if the spread of Communism was enough of a threat to the countries in the group to warrant action.
Why did NATO meet in Chicago?
Chicago hosted the NATO summit for the first time ever. This was also the first time a city in the US outside of Washington, DC hosted the summit. These meetings are not yearly. There have only been 25 NATO meetings over the past 60 years. As a matter of fact, the first one was in 1957 in Paris, France. The next one wasn't until 1974 in Brussels. The United States has held the summit only 3 times. In 1978, the summit was held in Washington, DC, then again in 1999. Of course the last one was just this past weekend, in Chicago.
If you want to know more about NATO - go to their website here.
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago. Show all posts
Transportation and Chicago's Connection
Chicago has an important connection to the development of transportation in our country. Being next to Lake Michigan and being close to several vital rivers - the Chicago, the Illinois, the Des Plaines, the Kankakee, and others, helped make Chicago a major transportation hub. Millions of people have traveled through our city when traveling east or west. Even today, millions travel through Chicago from all across the world. Without Chicago, our country would not have grown so quickly. When visiting the Smithsonian, we saw several examples of how Chicago helped our country grow.
Of course the first mode of transportation for settlers and pioneers was by boat.
Another is Chicago's O'Hare airport. Even from the very beginning, O'Hare was an important way for people to cross the country. Midway Airport, though not as big, was just as important and helped troops move across the country.
Our train system, also know as the CTA (the Chicago Transit Authority) helped people who lived in the suburbs go to work downtown.
We also were a major stop for the railroads. Materials and supplies would come across the lake or by river and be loaded on trains to go across the country. Not only supplies, but before airplanes, people would travel via the railroads. Some would sleep in Pullman cars - where the seats were replaced by beds to sleep on overnight. George Pullman invented these sleeper cars and a small "city" rose up in Chicago named after him.
Finally, our bus system helped people travel from one city to another. Many people could not afford to travel by plane so they used buses. Also people used buses to travel from one area of the city to another.
All of these forms of transportation were displayed at the Smithsonian - with specific examples from Chicago. With these developments in transportation, our nation could not have grown from 13 colonies into 50 states.
 |
| Major transportation routes - check out Chicago in the middle! |
Of course the first mode of transportation for settlers and pioneers was by boat.
 |
| Native Americans used these to traverse the rivers and trade |
 |
| O'Hare Airport - built in 1955-1958 |
Our train system, also know as the CTA (the Chicago Transit Authority) helped people who lived in the suburbs go to work downtown.
 |
| One of Chicago's signs for an "L" stop |
 |
| An "L" train from Chicago |
 |
| Another "L" sign from inside a train |
 |
| Mayor Richard J. Daley nailing in a spike for our "L" |
 |
| Right, American, and Lefty hitching a ride |
 |
| CTA fare rates |
We also were a major stop for the railroads. Materials and supplies would come across the lake or by river and be loaded on trains to go across the country. Not only supplies, but before airplanes, people would travel via the railroads. Some would sleep in Pullman cars - where the seats were replaced by beds to sleep on overnight. George Pullman invented these sleeper cars and a small "city" rose up in Chicago named after him.
 |
| Traveling by train was very glamorous for many years. |
Finally, our bus system helped people travel from one city to another. Many people could not afford to travel by plane so they used buses. Also people used buses to travel from one area of the city to another.
 |
| Chicago bus |
All of these forms of transportation were displayed at the Smithsonian - with specific examples from Chicago. With these developments in transportation, our nation could not have grown from 13 colonies into 50 states.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)