Jim Whiting
When the Great War began in August 1914, many people thought it would be over by Christmas. Instead it lasted for more than four years and claimed millions of lives.The most dominant feature of the conflict was the seemingly endless miles of trenches that faced each other, often just a few hundred yards apart. The only way of attacking was through brutal frontal assaults. Often thousands of men died in a few hours. When they werent fighting, men
...Frogs are very sensitive to their environment. Changes in their appearanceand their rapid disappearancecan tell us when the environment is unhealthy. When people around the world began noticing that frog species were dying or becoming deformed at an alarming rate, they knew something had to be done. Frogs in Danger gives an overview of some of the frog species that have become endangered and why. Read about a flesh-eating fungus that thrives in
...Spanish explorer Hernando Corts is a very controversial figure. To some people, he was heroic. Even though he was greatly outnumbered, he was able to defeat the Aztec Emperor Montezuma and conquer the Aztec empire because of his personal courage and leadership abilities. The Aztec empire was centered in modern-day Mexico. Its religion was based on human sacrifice. Corts replaced it with Christianity.To others, including many Mexicans, he was a
...Early in January 2005, high officials of many world governments gathered in the Polish town of Auschwitz. They were there to remember the sixtieth anniversary of its liberation from Nazi tyranny. The concentration camp at Auschwitz is the primary symbol of one of the worst crimes ever committed against human beings: the Holocaust. Under the orders of German dictator Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust was the organized killing of an estimated six million
...One of the most famous trials in U.S. history took place in a tiny town in Tennessee in 1925. Dayton was the site of what became known as the Scopes Monkey Trial.The defendant, John T. Scopes, was accused of violating a recently passed state law. This law made it illegal to teach the theory of evolution. Under most circumstances, few people would have paid any attention to the trial.Several of Daytons leading citizens saw a chance to put their
...10) Paul Revere
12) Anne Frank
Anne Frank was bright, cheerful, and full of hope when her family moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The family, who were Jewish, had left Germany because Adolf Hitler, the country's leader, was trying to kill as many Jews as possible. Soon the Germans invaded their new country. Anne, her family, and four others hid in a tiny apartment for more than two years. Anne wrote in her diary about her feelings and experiences during this difficult
...Until she was thirteen, Joan of Arc led a normal life. Then she began hearing voices. She believed these voices spoke for God. At first, they told her to be a good girl. A few years later, they told her that her destiny was to save France from its English invaders. Joan s inspirational leadership helped the French to defeat the English at the city of Orleans. Soon afterward, she persuaded the crown prince Charles to become King of France. A few
...The formation of the State of Israel in 1948 is one of the most important events in recent history. About 3,000 years ago, Israel was a powerful nation. But it soon fell from power and in the second century CE most Jews were forced out of their homeland. Many went to Europe, where they were subject to prejudice and persecution for centuries. By far the worst case was the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed. Their suffering accelerated
...Late in 1945, five U.S. Navy torpedo bombers took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a routine training mission. Soon the mission became anything but routine. Flight 19, as it was known, became hopelessly lost. Then the planes vanished. No one ever found a trace of them or the 14 men who had been aboard. Starting five years later, people began to notice a pattern of disappearances of ships and airplanes similar to Flight 19. These disappearances
...16) Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams was the equal of her husband, President John Adams, in many ways. She had strong views about women's rights and slavery, and she let him know exactly how she felt. Her strength and wisdom left a lasting mark on the fledgling U.S.
Greek soldiers defeated numerically superior Persian armies in several battles near the beginning of the fifth century BCE. That set the stage for what is known as the Golden Age of Greece, several decades of almost unparalleled accomplishments in art, politics, and civil affairs. The leader during this inspired era was a citizen of Athens named Pericles. He led many important political changes in the city. He was also largely responsible for the
...Julius Caesar is one of the most famous figures in ancient Rome. He was born into a turbulent era, when different factions were trying to control the government. He survived and began a steady rise in importance. He became a very successful military commander who added more than 200,000 square miles to the territories under Rome s control. But his triumphs created powerful enemies in Rome. They wanted to strip him of his power. He defeated those
...Ferdinand Magellan made one of the most famous ocean voyages of all time. He left Spain in 1519 with five ships. He was trying to find a quicker route to the Spice Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, he encountered many problems. Many of his men turned against him. He ran into heavy storms. Food and fresh water were often in short supply. But he kept going-until he was killed in battle. A year later, one of his ships returned to Spain.
...20) Bubonic Plague
In the middle of the fourteenth century, a terrible and mysterious plague swept across Europe and Asia. One in every three Europeans died during the five years that it terrified the continent. People tried all sorts of ways to avoid catching the Black Death. They carried flowers, burned incense, fired cannons, and rang church bells. They nailed whole families in their homes to try to keep the disease from spreading. Nothing seemed to help. The
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