Archived Stories
Mars: Our Next-Door Neighbor in the Solar System
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and Mars is the fourth. The gravity on Mars is about 37% Earth's gravity. This means if you were standing on Mars you could jump almost three times as high as you can jump on earth Earth. Mars is the home to both the...
The Transcontinental Railroad and Its Golden Spike
The word "transcontinental" means "from one side of a continent to the other side." The world's first transcontinental railroad was built in the United States between 1863 and 1869. It connected the existing eastern U.S. rail system with the Pacific coast. Before...
Grantland Rice: It’s Not Whether You Win or Lose…
Grantland Rice loved sports, and he loved to write. So it's no wonder that he became a sportswriter. In fact, he became one of the very best sportswriters in the first half of the 20th century. Covering stars like Babe Ruth (the home run king), Ty Cobb (a baseball...
Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and England: So What’s the Difference?
You'll often hear people talk about England. It's the home of William Shakespeare, the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Bridge. Sometimes, you'll hear people talk about Great Britain or the United Kingdom when they're actually trying to...
Winston Churchill: He Didn’t Give Up!
During the early days of World War II, before the United States entered the war, England stood alone as the sole defender of freedom in Europe. An evil German dictator named Adolph Hitler had already conquered most of western Europe. But he still wanted to conquer...
Jesse Owens: When the World Needed a Hero, He Grabbed the Gold
While still in high school, Jesse Owens tied the world record for the 100-yard dash. Two years later, at a college track meet, he set three world records and tied another world record in less than an hour. That amazing feat, which has never been equaled -- and...