The March on Washington in August of 1963 was about more than Martin Luther King’s stirring “I Have a Dream” speech. Find out first-hand what went into organizing it and what the experience was like.
Author Archives: Mikki Gibson
Newborns Can Bond to a “Mother” from a Different Species
Birds of a feather may flock together, but it doesn’t have to be so. Studies show that a newborn animal will bond with whoever is around to take care of it—even if they aren’t the same species.
Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
The 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the young United States. It also opened a vast wilderness to American exploration, starting with the daring quest led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Social Networking Sites and Politics
What’s a little political disagreement among friends? In many cases, it’s the last straw that causes people to cut ties to acquaintances on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. The Pew Research Internet Project set out to document how often this happens.
Romeo and Juliet: The Sources of the Plot
Shakespeare’s astonishing output of plays didn’t spring from thin air; he drew from a wide array of sources for his plots and characters, including those of the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet.
Genghis Khan
The Mongol ruler Genghis Khan, who lived during the time of Macbeth, could have taught Shakespeare’s Scot a few things about ruthlessness. Get the full picture of one of the most powerful men in history.
Stanley Meets Livingstone
Nineteenth-century Scottish missionary and abolitionist David Livingstone gained fame by trekking across Africa and becoming the first European to see many of its sights. When he went missing, the intrepid Henry Morton Stanley was sent to find him.
Conquering Cliques in School
Cliques—small, exclusive social groups—make some students feel comfortable as they navigate the challenges of middle school and high school, but they may do so at the expense of the students who are left out. Some schools are now tackling this problem head-on.
Circus ‘Families’ Bonded by Daring and Danger
Part of the thrill of watching a circus performance is the inherent danger—what if that trapeze artist or tightrope walker falls? Read about the precautions circus performers take to ensure their safety, and what happens when things go wrong.
Stephen Hawking: Biography
The subject of the award-winning film The Theory of Everything, physicist Stephen Hawking has changed our understanding of the universe while undergoing substantial changes in his own life.
A Best Friend? You Must Be Kidding
Some of our best friends are the ones we make during elementary school. But some schools actively discourage the formation of close friendships. Read about the reasons in favor of and against BFFs.
The Grand Canyon: How It Formed
Believe it or not, the power of water was strong enough to help carve the 4000-foot-deep and nearly 300-mile-long Grand Canyon. Find out how in this PBS video.
Meet the Tenacious Gardeners Putting Down Roots in “America’s Most Desperate Town”
Community gardens have been springing up on blighted urban blocks for decades, but perhaps no city in America needs them more than Camden, New Jersey. Find out how community gardens are bringing together people from all walks of life to solve this city’s pressing problems.
The Hatfield & McCoy Feud
Like the Capulets and Montagues, the legendary Hatfield and McCoy feud featured long-standing and sometimes deadly conflict between families . . . and love between members of the feuding clans.
Immigration: Assimilation and the measure of an American
Immigration can be a hot-button issue, with some opponents arguing that recent arrivals to the United States choose to retain their own language and culture. This article gets to the bottom of that concern, exploring recent data on assimilation—the process of adapting and fitting into a new country.
Captured: The moment photosynthesis changed the world
Humans can’t survive without oxygen, but just how did earth’s atmosphere wind up with the perfect amount of oxygen for us in the first place? Here’s a look at the change that made our existence possible.
Emancipation Proclamation
For many Americans during the Civil War, freedom began with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. View and explore the Emancipation Proclamation at the National Archives.
Bats Are: Important
Over 1000 species of bats are found in nearly every part of the world, but how much do you know about them? Learn about the important roles bats play in their ecosystems at this site from a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the bat population.
Elizabethan Playhouses, Actors, and Audiences
The subject matter of Shakespeare’s plays ranges from the violent to the sublime, and that’s no accident. This article explores the reasons behind this seeming contradiction.
Running for His Life
The 1990s genocide in Rwanda and Burundi turned classmates into adversaries overnight. Learn about how one teen escaped the carnage and made a new life for himself in the United States.