26. At the height of the First World War, British forces launched a massive assault against German defensive positions in Cambrai, France, using a devastating new weapon: the tank. These armored vehicles were practically immune to the machine-gun fire that frequently mowed down waves of troops, and they could penetrate the barbed wire and lines of trenches the Germans had thought impregnable. Britain utilized hundreds of tanks in the assault, which led to an unprecedented advance of six miles and briefly appeared to have broken the long-existing stalemate between the opposing armies. With so many tanks involved in the assault, however, little was left in the way of reserves; a fact painfully realized after tanks on the front line broke down and needed maintenance or replacing. The difficulty in replenishing infantry and exhausted crewmen due to poor weather only made things worse, and with a majority of tanks out of commission, the attack stalled, allowing the Germans to retake territory.
27. Most of the machines that people in developed nations use were invented during the last 200 years. They make tasks easier for people and give them more time for other tasks and for leisure. However, which of these machines has changed society the most? Even though people spend more time with their TVs, computers, and smartphones, some historians argue that the impact of these inventions has been small compared with that of washing machines.
28. Before washing machines, clothes and sheets were washed by hand. For most of history, this has involved carrying the laundry to a river or a lake, wetting it, and rubbing it with rocks, sand, or soap to remove the dirt. Then, the laundry had to be put in water again, and the extra water was usually removed to make drying easier. Even if people had water in their homes, the laundry would have to be rubbed against a special board or hit with pieces of wood to make it clean. It was hard work that took a long time.
29. Ann Lowe was an African American fashion designer. She was born in Alabama in the United States around 1898. When she was a child, Lowe's mother and grandmother taught her how to make clothes. Both her mother and her grandmother had jobs. They made clothes for rich people in Alabama, and Lowe often helped them with their work.
30. Lowe's mother died in 1914. When she died, Lowe's mother was making some dresses in Alabama. The dresses weren't finished, so Lowe finished making them. In 1916, she met a rich woman from Florida in a department store. Lowe was wearing clothes that she made, and the woman really liked them. So, Lowe became a dressmaker for her in Florida. After that, Lowe went to live in New York in 1917.
