the government or in health care, trade,
or other service industries. Food processing,
construction, and printing are
among the leading industries.
In 1839 a man named John Augustus
Sutter established a settlement that later
became Sacramento. In 1848 gold was
discovered on Sutter’s land. Thousands
of people moved to the area to look for
gold. Sutter’s son soon laid out Sacramento.
The city became the supply center
for the gold seekers.
In 1854 Sacramento became the capital
of California. Gold mining later
declined in the area. But Sacramento
continued to grow as a center of government,
food processing, and shipping.
..More to explore
California • Gold Rush
Sadat, Anwar el-
Anwar el-Sadat was the president of
Egypt from 1970 until 1981. He is
remembered for trying to make peace
with Israel.
Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat was born in
Egypt on December 25, 1918. He
graduated from the Cairo Military Academy
in 1938. In 1950 Sadat joined a
group of military officers led by Gamal
Abdel Nasser. In 1952 Nasser’s group
removed the king of Egypt from power.
Nasser became president. In 1964 Sadat
became vice president under Nasser. He
was elected president soon after Nasser’s
death in 1970.
As president Sadat had to deal with
Egypt’s long-standing conflict with
Israel. Many Arabs in Egypt and other
countries believed that Israel was their
enemy. Some thought that Israel should
not even be a country. In 1967 Israel
had taken control of a piece of Egyptian
The California state Capitol is in a park in
the heart of Sacramento.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Sadat, Anwar el- 5
land called the Sinai Peninsula. In October
1973 Sadat led Egypt into war with
Israeli soldiers on the peninsula. Israel
was able to hold onto the land. But
Sadat gained respect among Arabs.
Sadat’s actions toward Israel soon
changed. In 1977 he made a historic
visit to the country. He said that Israel
had a right to exist and offered to make
peace. Later he took part in peace talks
with Menachem Begin, Israel’s leader.
Sadat and Begin shared the Nobel peace
prize in 1978. The next year Egypt and
Israel signed a peace treaty. It was the
first peace treaty between Israel and an
Arab country.
Many Arabs hated Sadat for making
peace with Israel. They still believed that
Israel was their enemy. A group of Egyptian
soldiers shot and killed Sadat in
Cairo on October 6, 1981.
#More to explore
Arab-IsraeliWars • Egypt
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein took power as president
of Iraq in 1979. He ruled as a brutal
dictator, or leader with unlimited
power, until 2003.
Early Life
Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti was born on
April 28, 1937, in a village near Tikrit in
northern Iraq. He joined the Ba!th Party,
a revolutionary political group, in 1957.
Two years later, Saddam participated in
a plot to kill Iraq’s prime minister (head
of government). When the government
discovered the plot, he fled to Egypt.
Presidency
Saddam returned to Iraq in 1963. He
joined the Ba!th government, which had
seized power. The Ba!th government lost
control later that year. But the Ba!th
Party, including Saddam, returned to
power in 1968. In 1979 Saddam forced
Anwar el-Sadat
A special court was created for Saddam
Hussein’s trial. He was accused of several
crimes, including crimes against humanity.
6 Saddam Hussein BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Iraq’s president to retire. He then took
the job for himself.
As president, Saddam became extremely
rich and built a powerful military to
serve him. Those who did not agree with
Saddam’s government paid a heavy
price. They were often jailed or murdered.
Despite these acts, many Arabs in the
Middle East admired Saddam. They
liked that he spoke out against the
power of the United States and Europe.
In 1980 Saddam attacked Iran. This led
to the Iran-IraqWar, which lasted until
1988. In 1990 Saddam invaded Kuwait.
The Persian GulfWar began in 1991 as
a result. During the war, the United
States and its allies drove Saddam’s
forces out of Kuwait.
Capture and Trial
By 2003 the United States and other
countries feared that Saddam was building
illegal weapons and supporting terrorism.
U.S. and British forces invaded
Iraq that year, but Saddam escaped.
Months later, U.S. soldiers found and
captured him. In 2005 Saddam went on
trial for his crimes. He was accused of
playing a role in the deaths of more than
100 people in Iraq in the 1980s. In
2006 he was found guilty and sentenced
to death. He was executed on December
30, 2006.
..More to explore
Iran-IraqWar • Iraq • Persian Gulf War
Safety
Safety is anything that people do to protect
themselves or others from harmful
accidents. People can prevent accidents
by following safety measures. Governments
pass laws to keep people safe. For
example, a law could require that buildings
have clearly marked exits. This
would allow people to escape quickly
during a fire. Laws and other rules that
are meant to protect all people are called
public safety measures.
Another way to promote public safety is
to spread information about safety
measures. For example, magazines
about parenting often have articles on
how to keep a house safe for children.
