United States
Alcatraz: The Rock In The Bay
We may never know for sure if anybody has ever escaped from the 12-acre island penitentiary of Alcatraz. While most of those who attempted to do so were shot or drowned in the San Francisco Bay, Frank Lee Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin successfully made their way to the edge of the water on [...]
Alaska: The Last Frontier
CAPITAL: Juneau JOINED UNION: January 3, 1959 STATE BIRD: Willow Ptarmigan STATE FLOWER: Forget-me-not MEANING OF STATE NAME: Based on Eskimo word “Alakshak” meaning “great lands” or “peninsula” 1992 POPULATION: 586,872 RANK FOR POPULATION: 48 LAND AREA: 570,373 square miles
Alamo: Torn Over Texas
By 1830, more than 20,000 Americans were living and growing cotton in Texas on land that belonged to Mexico. These Americans had about 2,000 slaves to work the cotton, even though Mexico outlawed slavery. When the Texans’ request to separate from Mexico was denied, they decided to secede.
Albert Bierstadt: Painter of the West
While his peers from the Hudson River Valley group of artists were painting landscapes of that part of New York, Albert Bierstadt went after views that were far more remote.
Triceratops: Rhinoceros of Dinosaurs
70 Million BC30 Feet11 Tons With its mighty three-horned head and heavily armored body, a fast-charging Triceratops must have been a fearsome sight to any hungry Tyrannosaurus. Certainly not what you would call an easy meal.
Butterflies and Moths: Nature's "Flying Jewels"
They have been called "flying jewels" but we know them as "butterflies." Lepidoptera–"lepido" meaning scales and "ptera" meaning wing or scaly wing–is the scientific name for two of the most common and well known of all insects, butterflies and moths.
Bald Eagle: A Hunter in the Forest
The bald eagle is a large North American bird of the forest that catches most of its meals live–including ducks, gulls, seabirds, salmon, and other fish. The bald eagle is an accomplished fisherman. It can snatch fish from the surface of the water — but with its feet rather than its hooked beak. The eagle [...]
Antebellum Architecture: Old South Grandeur
Antebellum architecture in America refers to the style of building that existed before the Civil War in the South. Here, wealthy plantation owners built magnificent estates on their land and in towns. During the antebellum years, Natchez, Mississippi, was a center of wealth and culture, where many cotton barons had estates. Today, these homes still [...]
African-Americans: Unwilling Immigrants
In 1619, the first African slaves were sold in the Jamestown colony. Slavery, however, was not new. In 1442, Portuguese ships took some Africans as slaves and the Spanish quickly followed their lead and began to trade slaves as cheap labor to the New World. The British followed suit in 1562 and by 1600 the [...]
Empire State Building: Scraping The Sky
When completed in 1931, the Empire State Building was the tallest building in the world. The building, standing 1,245 feet high, was constructed during the Great Depression and became a symbol of confidence in America. It has remained a symbol of American greatness even though taller American buildings now exist.