Jim Whiting
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
...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
...The Japanese attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was one of the worst defeats in U.S. military history. It began a string of Japanese successes that seemed to threaten the security of the United States. Many U.S. citizens and government leaders were on the verge of panic. But the attack was probably the greatest mistake the Japanese made during World War II. At that time, many Americans didn t want to go to war.
...Many people believe that chameleons change their colors to blend in with their surroundings. They are partially right. Chameleons are natures quick-change artists. They can change their colors within a few moments. But they do it either to express their feelings or to help control their body temperature. This ability to change colors is only one of the things that make chameleons so interesting. Because they are so much fun to watch, many people
...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
...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
...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
...18) Paul Revere
19) 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
...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
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