In 1910, Sir Robert Falcon Scott led a team of Englishmen racing to be the first people to reach the South Pole. Amidst frigid temperatures and raging winds, Scott and four others made it to the pole only to find that another team had gotten there first. Low on morale and facing ever-plunging temperatures, the trek home would prove a harrowing task. Find out if Scott and his men ever made it back home from their frigid adventure.
With the Declaration of Independence, the 13 colonies in America declared their independence from Great Britain. Virginian Thomas Jefferson, later the third president of the United States, was chosen to write it. But did he write every word? Did anyone help him? What are the differences between his first draft and the document signed by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776? Readers will discover the answers to these questions and find out more about the desk Jefferson designed and at which he wrote this important document.
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 nearly doubled the size of the United States. The U.S. suddenly went from consisting of 17 states along the Atlantic coast to claiming land as far west as present-day Montana. The U.S. government knew little about the terrain there. Was there a water route to the Pacific? President Thomas Jefferson sent William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to find out. With nothing to guide them but a compass, what would Lewis and Clark discover? Readers will find the answer to this question and how an artifact can tell us about U.S. history.
The bloody Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place in May 1864. The frantic back-and-forth fighting at an area now called the Bloody Angle was among the fiercest single-day battles of the entire Civil War. How did the bullet-riddled stump of a once-mighty oak tree there become a symbol of the conflict? What can its story tell us about that day's battle and the broader history of the Civil War? Readers will out the answers to these questions and discover more of what the Spotsylvania Stump can tell us about history.
The natural world can be a beautiful and awesome place. But sometimes things happen naturally that are quite peculiar. Have you heard of Blood Falls in Antarctica? Ice cold water flows bright red out of a glacier. Did you know that Death Valley National Park in California has boulders that mysteriously slide across the desert? Learn the details of these mysteries and other peculiar natural phenomena.
The field of medicine is fascinating. But some medical conditions, treatments, and experiments are almost unbelievable! Did you know workers test medications and medical equipment for bacteria by using a chemical from horseshoe crab blood? Have you ever heard of freezing people's bodies in the hopes of bringing them back to life in the future? Check out these fascinating findings and even more bizarre medicine!
Growing up, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was no stranger to being treated unfairly. After all, she was female and Jewish--two groups that faced discrimination at the time. But Ruth worked hard in school, finished first in her class, and eventually became only the second woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. She continues to stand up for the underdog, including fighting for women's rights and fair treatment of workers.
Shawnee leader Tecumseh was born at a time when white settlers were moving westward across the United States and making their homes on Native American lands. Tecumseh rallied the Native American people to defend their lands. But he also dreamed of peace and worked to unite all Native Americans into a single confederacy. He did not live to see his dream become a reality, but his deeds as a warrior and statesman live on.
Order in the court! What do free speech, due process, freedom of assembly, and search and seizure have to do with our legal rights? Using engaging, age-appropriate language and colorful photos, readers decipher our nation's complex legal system and understand their rights under the law.
"Everybody believes they're immune to propaganda, but everyone is wrong about that. Propaganda assaults us daily, on TV, on the Internet, on the streets of our cities; everywhere we look, and even when we don't think we're looking. Easy-to-understand text, simple infographics, and lots of examples helps kids learn how to crack the code of propaganda and learn how to use their brains to decide when they are being manipulated into believing lies presented as the truth."--Publisher's description.