We Didn't Start the Fire, Lyric Study - 100+ History References

Explore the historical tapestry behind Billy Joel's iconic anthem "We Didn't Start the Fire" in our comprehensive class. Delve into the context and significance of each reference, from "Harry Truman, Doris Day" to "Rockefeller, Campanella," unraveling the events, personalities, and cultural phenomena that shaped the post-World War II era. Gain a deeper understanding of the song's lyrical journey through history, and uncover the interconnected stories that define the tumultuous decades of the 20th century.


Week 1 - Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio
Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, Television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Week 2 - Rosenbergs, H-Bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, The King And I, and The Catcher In The Rye
Eisenhower, Vaccine, England's got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

Week 3 - Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev
Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc
Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron
Dien Bien Phu Falls, Rock Around the Clock
Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team
Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland
Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Khrushchev
Princess Grace, Peyton Place, Trouble in the Suez

Week 4 - Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac
Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, Bridge On The River Kwai
Lebanon, Charles de Gaulle, California baseball
Starkweather Homicide

Week 5 - Buddy Holly, Ben-Hur, Space Monkey, Mafia
Hula Hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go
U-2, Syngman Rhee, payola and Kennedy
Chubby Checker, Psycho, Belgians in the Congo


Week 6 - Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strange Land, Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion
Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania, Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson


Week 7 Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again,Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, Terror on the airline, Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal, Foreign debts, homeless Vets, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law, Rock and Roller Cola wars

Week 8 - Review + Games. ( Blooket)