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In August of 1990, the country of Iraq, under the direction of its president, Saddam Hussein, invaded its neighboring country of Kuwait. Iraqi troops took control of the capital of Kuwait, Kuwait City and also took control of Kuwait's rich oil fields.

The UN Security Council, over a period of five months, called for Sadaam Hussein to remove his troops. When he did not, a coalition of 32 nations which included the United States launched an attack upon Iraq. The conflict lasted from January 16, 1991 to the end of February 1991, and Kuwait was liberated.

Sample some of the following activities to learn more about the Persian Gulf War.

Places To Go

The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out about the Persian Gulf War.

CIA World Factbook - Iraq 
Virtually visit Iraq. It is located in the lower part of the Tigris-Euphrates valley and has a long and interesting history.

Lonely Planet - Kuwait
Travel to Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait in 1991, it was the beginning of the Gulf War.

Iraq History Timeline
Travel through Iraq ’s long history via this timeline that begins in 2500 B.C. and extends through the current conflict.

CIA Factbook: Kuwait
Check out the current facts about the country invaded during the Gulf War.

National Geographic: Map of Iraq
Look at a detailed map of Iraq and the area around it.

General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
Meet General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. He was the allied commander during the Gulf War.

Colin Powell
Meet General Colin Powell. He was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War and advisor to President Bush.

Saddam Hussein
Learn about Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein. He has been the president of Iraq since 1979. He is a member of the Ba'ath party whose main goals include secularism and pan-Arab unionism. Hussein has engaged in a long-standing dispute with Iran over waterways. In 1991, his forces invaded Kuwait in an attempt to expand Iraq's boundaries. His policies towards Kurdish citizens in the north of Iraq have caused persecution for them. In recent years, Hussein has resisted UN-supervised weapons inspections.

Iraqi Rulers
Meet all the rulers of Iraq in the 20 th century beginning with King Faysal I.

PBS : Gulf War 
Based on a PBS series, you can find support materials from the website to use this program in your classroom.

Fog of War
According to this site, "Of the nation's 10 major wars, this one was the cheapest in blood and treasure. One hundred and forty-eight Americans were killed in action, a body count far lower than commanders and arm-chair strategists alike had anticipated before the war opened on Jan. 16, 1991 at 7 p.m. EST." This excellent site is from the Washington Post and you will find an analysis of the war, photos, video clips, information about the airstrikes, a collection of declassified material and previously top secret documents, interviews from Air Force officials, and much more.

Gulf War
Learn about the United States relationships with Iraq and Kuwait and about the build up of events that led to the Persian Gulf War.

Persian Gulf War : Operation Desert Storm
Read the diary of an Iraqi soldier during the war.

Persian Gulf War TV News Collection
Read selected transcripts and view still frames from over 400 Gulf War TV news tapes.

Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm)
Locate information about Kuwait, Iraq, the illnesses brought on by the desert war, and more.

Historic Wings: Target Baghdad
View images of Tomcats, Nighthawks, Thunderbolts, and other aircraft used in the first Gulf War.

Naval Historical Center: U.S. Navy in Desert Storm
Study about the role of the U.S. navy in Operation Desert Storm.

Center for Disease Control
Learn about the various ailments that affected veterans who returned from the first Gulf War.

• Daily Life in the Middle East
• How stuff works:Persian Gulf War
• Tactics in the Persian Gulf: From Diplomacy to Force
• The Price of Freedom: Gulf War 1991

• Bratman, Fred. War in the Persian Gulf. Brookfield, Conn. : Millbrook Press, c1991.
• Deegan, Paul J. Operation Desert Shield. Edina, Minn. : Abdo & Daughters ; Minneapolis, Minn. : Distributed by Rockbottom Books, c1991.
• Deegan, Paul J. Persian Gulf Nations. Edina, Minn. : Abdo & Daughters ; Minneapolis, Minn. : Distributed by Rockbottom Books, c1991.
• Foster, Leila Merrell. The story of the Persian Gulf War. Chicago : Childrens Press, c1991.
• Gay, Kathlyn. Persian Gulf War. New York : Twenty-First Century Books, 1996.
• Italia, Robert. After the Storm. Edina, Minn. : Abdo & Daughters ; Minneapolis, Minn. : Distributed by Rockbottom Books, c1992.
• Kent, Zachary. The Persian Gulf War : "The Mother of All Battles". Hillside, N.J. : Enslow Publishers, c1994.
• King, John. The Gulf War. New York : Dillon Press, 1991.
• Miner, Jane Claypool. Saddam Hussein. Vero Beach, fla. : Rourke Publications, c1993.
• Nardo, Don. The Persian Gulf War. San Diego, CA : Lucent Books, c1991.
• Valentine, E. J. H. Norman Schwarzkopf. New York, N.Y. : Bantam/Skylark, 1991.