Facts For Kids

Tag: United States

  • Lincoln Memorial Facts for Kids | American National Monument

    Lincoln Memorial Facts for Kids | American National Monument

    Lincoln Memorial is a national monument of America. It was built to honor Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US President. Located in Washington D.C.’s National Mall, it is one of the main tourist destinations for people around the world. The memorial is built on Greek Doric temple style. Along with the statue of Lincoln, this building also houses two popular speeches given by him: ‘Second Inaugural Address’ and ‘The Gettysburg Address’. It is also home to the famous speech of Martin Luther King, ‘I have a dream’ in August 1963. The Lincoln statue was carved out by Piccirilli Brothers. It is made up of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble. It ranks seventh on the List of America’s Favorite Architecture. About 6 million tourists drop by this memorial every year.

    Designer: Daniel Chester French

    Architect: Henry Bacon

    Painter: Jules Guerin

    Statue of Lincoln

    • It weighs 170 tons.
    • Its height from the ground is 9.1 metres (30 feet).
    • The size of seated figure of Lincoln is 5.8 metres (19 feet).
    • The height of pedestal upon which Lincoln is seated is 3.4 metres (11 feet).
    • A flag of United States is draped at the back of the chair.
    • The statue was finished in 4 years.
    • If the statue of Lincoln had been standing, it would stand 8.5 metres (28 feet) tall.
    • The width and height of the statue are equal.
    • The white marble was shipped separately in 28 pieces.

    IN THIS TEMPLE

    AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE

    FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION

    THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

    IS ENSHRINED FOREVER – epitaph by Royal Cortissoz above Lincoln’s statue

     

    History

    • The first statue of Lincoln was built in 1868 by Irish artist Lot Flannery. It is also made up of marble and located at the front of old District of Colombia City Hall.
    • In 1867, the Congress passed the first bill and a US sculptor Clark Mills was assigned the duty for the design of monument. He intended to build a structure of 21 metres (70 feet), 31 pedestrian statues and the statue of Lincoln with the size of 3.7 metres (12 feet). But the sufficient funds for the project could not be collected.
    • The Congress approved the construction of memorial on its sixth bill which was passed on 13 December 1910.
    • At first, some people raised doubts about the architectures built by Henry Bacon. They thought the Greek temple built by him was flamboyant and do not fit in with the personality of Abraham Lincoln. Therefore, they proposed to build a simple shrine made up of log cabin.

    Must Read: Abraham Lincoln Facts For Kids

    • In McMillan Plan of 1901, the Potomac Park location was suggested and so the commission also recommended the same site for the monument. This commission was headed by William H. Taft, the 27th US President.
    • The congress approved the funds of $300,000 for the project.
    • The original size of the Lincoln’s statue was 3 metres (10 feet) but it was extended to 19 feet.
    • On 30 May 1922, the Chief Justice of United States (William H. Taft) presented it to Warren G. Harding. At the ceremony, the son of Abraham Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln was also present who was 78 years old at the time.
    • On 15 October 1966, it was listed on National Register of Historic Places.
    • It was closed down on 26 July 2013 when green paint was thrown at the legs of a statue. However it was opened again the same day.

    Memorial

    • The size of memorial is 189.7 by 118.5 feet.
    • Its height is 30 metres (99 feet).
    • When Lincoln passed away, there were 36 states in the Union and so 36 fluted Doric columns were constructed for that reason.
    • Each column is 13 metres (44 feet) high.
    • The diameter at the base of the column is 2.3 metres (7.5 feet)
    • This Lincoln Memorial was depicted on one cent coin of the USA from 1959 until 2008. At the back of United States five-dollar bill, this memorial is depicted. The statue of Abraham Lincoln is also visible.

    Interior

    • There are three chambers at the interior of memorial.
    • The names of the Union’s 36 states along with their entry dates were inscribed on frieze of memorial.
    • The width of the area where statue is situated is 60 feet. Its length is 74 feet.
    • There are four columns in every row with the height of 15 metres (50 feet).
    • The statue was lighted properly in 1929.
    • The only alteration took place was in 1970s when the elevator was installed for the handicapped.

     

  • Michael Jordan Facts for Kids | Greatest Athlete of 20th Century

    Michael Jordan Facts for Kids | Greatest Athlete of 20th Century

    Michael Jordan is a former American basketball player as well as a businessman. As a chairman of basketball team, he owns Charlotte Hornets. He played 15 seasons for Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls in NBA. In 1984, he was enrolled in the team of Chicago Bulls and soon after became a league star. He was known by the name of ‘Air Jordan’ thanks to his extraordinary ability to leap in performing slam dunks from free throw line. He is also credited for being one of the best defensive basketball players. Michael won the first NBA championship for the Bulls in 1991 followed by another two years consecutively. Thus, he earned the ‘three-peat’. He led his team to three championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998. At 1995-96 NBA season, he held the record of winning 72 regular seasons. Let’s dive down more in Michael Jordan facts for kids!

    By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. 

    Fascinating Michael Jordan Facts for Kids

    • He was born on 17 February 1963 in Brooklyn, New York. During his years as a toddler, the entire family was shifted to Wilmington, North Carolina.
    • In Grade 10 in the Emsley Laney High School, he couldn’t play for the university basketball team because his height was only 1.80 metres at the time. His only friend who was selected for the team was Harvest Leroy Smith.
    • At the junior varsity squad of high school, Jordan worked hard and proved himself to be a star player.
    • He grew four inches in the following summer and took hard training. In his last two seasons, he earned 20 points per game (ppg) on average.
    • After earning an average of triple-double, he secured the place in McDonald’s All-American Team.
    • In the team of Dean Smith, he gained an average 13.4 points per game (53.4 percent shooting) and honored with ACC Freshman of the Year
    • During 1982 NCAA Championship game, Jordan made a winning jump shot against Georgetown. Jordan described this shot as the main turning point in his basketball career.
    • His average on three seasons he played at North Carolina was 17.7 ppg with 54 percent shooting. He also had 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).
    • In his first season in NBA, he had an average 28.2 ppg (51.5 percent shooting) and became a fan within no time.

    A Star Is Born just over a month into his professional career – Sports Illustrated, cover headline

    • At the time, some of the veteran players under Isiah Thomas became frustrated when Jordan became a fan at once. Therefore, players did not give pass to Jordan during the entire game.
    • During his third season, he had a broken foot and could not play for 64 games.
    • The 1986-87 season of Jordan was one of the most prolific scoring seasons in the history of NBA.
    • At 1986-87 season, Jordan proved to be the best defensive player by making a record of 100 blocks and 200 steals. However the Most Valuable Player Award went to Magic Johnson.
    • Jordan received the first MVP award during 1987-1988 season. He also got the Defensive Player of the Year because of his average of 3.16 steals per game and 1.6 blocks.
    • He played on a position of shooting guard.
    • In 2015, Jordan became the first player in the history of NBA to become billionaire.
    • In 1985, Nike launched its sneakers by the name of ‘Air Jordan’ and became famous until today.
    • In 1996, he starred in the feature film named Space Jam.
    • He is one of the most marketed players in the history of sports.
    • The ESPN named Jordan as the greatest athlete of North America in the 20th century.
    • In 1999, among the list of athletes of the century issued by Associated Press, Jordan was ranked second after Babe Ruth.
    • In 2009 and 2010, he became inductee to the Basketball Hall of Fame twice in his career.
    • Jordan has an NBA record of highest career scoring at an average of 33.45 ppg in the playoff.
    • He has the record of having highest scoring average of 30.12 ppg in NBA regular season.
    • He has been honored with five times Most Valuable Player Awards, ten times All-NBA First Team designations and 14 All-Star Game exhibitions.
    • He is 1.98 metres (6 feet 6 inches) tall.

     

  • Helen Keller Facts for Kids | American Author and Lecturer

    Helen Keller Facts for Kids | American Author and Lecturer

    Helen Keller was an American author, speaker and political activist. She earned the B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree and was the first deafblind individual to earn it. Though she could not hear or see anything, but with time she learned to communicate thanks to the fantastic works of her teacher as well as her companion, Anne Sullivan. In 1903, Keller published her autobiography called The Story of My Life when she was 22 years old. It was first published in Ladies Home Journal. She founded an organization named Helen Keller International (HKI) in 1915 and published 12 books in total. The site in Alabama where she was born has now turned into museum and each year a ‘Helen Keller Day’ is celebrated on her birthday. Let’s find out more about this wonderful lady in Helen Keller facts for kids!

    Helping your fellow men were one’s only excuse for being in this world and in the doing of things to help one’s fellows lay the secret of lasting happiness – Helen Keller

    Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan
    Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan

    A Quick Guide to Helen Keller Facts for Kids

    Date and Place of birth: 27 June, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama

    Name of her teacher: Anne Sullivan

    Name of her autobiography: The Story of my Life

    Name of her Organization: Helen Keller International (HKI)

    Number of books that she authored: 12

    Fascinating Helen Keller Facts for Kids

    • Her ancestral origin traces back to Swiss native, Casper Keller. One of the members of her Swiss members served as the first instructor for the deaf in Zurich.
    • The paternal grandmother of Helen was the second cousin of a U.S. general of the American civil war called Robert Edward Lee.
    • Her maternal grandfather was the colonel of Confederate states army called Charles Adams.
    • Arthur Keller (Helen’s father) served as an editor of North Alabamian. He was also the captain of Confederate States Army (CSA).
    • The home where she spent her childhood is called Ivy Green. It was built in 1820 by her grandfather. She had two siblings.
    • When Keller went to Japan in 1937, she asked them about Hachikō (a popular faithful dog). Hachikō was an Akita dog, died in 1935. Keller was given two dogs by Japanese. The name of her first dog was Kamikaze-go and the second one was its brother named Kenzan-go.
    • Akita dogs were introduced to the United States for the first time by Keller.
    • If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze. I know I shall never feel quite the same tenderness for any other pet – Keller

    A child Helen Keller

    Helen Keller Childhood

    • She was not born deaf and blind. When she was 19 months old, she had a scarlet fever or meningitis and became a cause of her lack of vision and deafness.
    • After her illness was diagnosed, she could communicate with one of the daughters of her family cook Martha Washington, who was only six years old. Martha was able to understand what Helen had to say.
    • At the age of seven years, Helen was able to talk to her family with 60 home signs.
    • At the age of 11, she wrote a short story about King Jack Frost named ‘The Frost King’.
    • In her youth, she met an American clergyman and writer named Phillips Brooks. For the first time, Brooks told her about Christianity.

    I always knew He was there, but I didn’t know His name – Keller

    Helen Keller Achievements

    • Keller completed her graduation at the age of 24 from Radcliffe College and became the first such person to earn this degree.
    • At the age of 22, she published her autobiography titled: “The Story of my Life”.
    • In 1915, she established an organization called Helen Keller International (HKI).
    • She is the author of 12 books.
    • Helen went to 40 countries along with her companion, Anne. She also traveled to Japan for a number of times.
    • Keller spent her entire life for the blind until her death through American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). She served this institution for 40 years and was a prominent figure in introducing Talking Books Program.
    • From Cleveland to Johnson, she had a chance of meeting all of the U.S. Presidents.
    • Some of the popular figures among the friends’ list of Keller were Charlie Chaplin, Mark Twain and Alexander Graham Bell.
    Keller and Sullivan
    Keller and Sullivan

    Helen Keller Teacher

    • Sullivan remained teacher as well as companion of Keller for 49 long years.
    • The director of the institute asked Anne Sullivan to become teacher of Keller. Sullivan was only 20 years old at the time but could not see.
    • While Sullivan was only eight or ten years old, she had an eye disease called trachoma and eventually became blind.
    • Helen’s mother was inspired by Laura Bridgman, who was the first deaf-blind American kid to seek education in English. She sent her daughter along with her husband to consult Julian Chisolm (a specialist doctor), who sent them both to Alexander Graham Bell. Bell was doing research on the deaf children.
    • Bell told Keller and her father to go to Perkins Institute for the Blind. This was the same school where Bridgman was educated.
    • In March 1887, Anne Sullivan began teaching Helen Keller by spelling each and every word with Keller’s hands. Sullivan had brought with her a present of doll for Keller so the first word that she spelled into her hands was ‘d-o-l-l’.
    • During her initial lessons, Keller would often get frustrated and on one occasion she broke the mug when Sullivan tried to teach her the word, ‘mug’.
    • Wilhelm Jerusalem was an Austrian philosopher and pedagogue. He was the pioneer to find out the Keller’s talent for studying literature.
    • With time, she started learning the speeches of other people by touching her hands on their lips.
    • In 1905, Anne married to John Macy. After nine years of her marriage, her health started going down. When Anne became ill, one of the Herald’s reporters named Peter Fagan served as private secretary of Keller. Keller secretly fell in love with him.

    While in her thirties Helen had a love affair, became secretly engaged, and defied her teacher and family by attempting an elopement with the man she loved – The Huffington Post

    Helen Keller Death

    • After having a number of strokes in 1968, she eventually died at the age of 87 on June 1, 1968. Her last resting place is in Washington National Cathedral.
    • At the time of Anne’s death in 1936, Keller was holding her hand.
    Graham Bell and Keller
    Graham Bell and Keller
  • Elvis Presley Facts for Kids | The King of Rock and Roll

    Elvis Presley Facts for Kids | The King of Rock and Roll

    Elvis Presley was an American actor and musician. In the 20th century, he was by far the most important cultural icon who transformed the American culture and music in the 1950s. Scotty Moore was Presley’s guitarist and Bill Black his bassist and together they set the tone for rockabilly.

    In 1954, he started his music career and the producer who recorded his first song was Sam Phillips of Sun Records. During 50s Presley had struck a deal with RCA Victor and thus the first single launched from RCA was ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. This song was released in January 1956 and subsequently became super hit in the U.S. After nine months of his first single-hit, he made his first appearance in a film ‘Love Me Tender’. In 1958, he joined the U.S. military through a draft. In 1968, Presley started a United States television special named Elvis. He resumed his live music performances after seven years of interval. That’s why this stage performance was called ‘68 Comeback Special. With the estimated sales of 600 million items around the world, Elvis Presley is the best-selling music solo artist in the history of music. Let’s find out more in Elvis Presley facts for kids!

    It was Elvis who made rock ‘n’ roll the international language of pop – Rolling Stone Magazine

    Elvis Presley Family

    • The ancestral origin of Presley was German, Scottish and Scots-Irish. Even few of them belong to Normans of France.
    • It is believed that his maternal great-great-grandmother was Native American. Her name was Morning Dove White. She came from a Cherokee tribe.
    • He was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. After 13 years, his family shifted to Tennessee’s Memphis.
    • Presley was born in a ‘shotgun house’, a rectangular house made up of two rooms and normally not more than 3.5 metres wide. At the time, it was popular style in Southern United States.
    • In 1938, Presley’s father became guilty of check fraud (known as check kiting) and eventually lost their house. Thus, Vernon (Presley’s father) was imprisoned for 8 months.
    • He was very close to his mother and he got his first inspiration of music from the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, which his parents used to attend.
    • In order to meet the expenses, Presley’s father used to change his jobs quite frequently. However the government and neighbors sometimes took care of the food provisions of Presley’s family.

     

    Elvis Presley Childhood

    • He was one of the identical twins. Presley was born 35 minutes after his brother’s stillborn birth.
    • According to his teachers in 1941, Presley was an average student when he took admission in first grade.
    • One of his instructors was impressed by Presley’s singing abilities when Presley sung an ‘Old Shep’ song by Red Foley.
    • While he was just 10 years old, he made his debut in a singing contest held on 3 October, 1945. He put on a dress of cowboy and stood fifth in the competition.
    • In September 1946, he took admission in a sixth grade in the new school in Milam. He usually preferred to do things on his own.

    Top 10 Interesting Facts about Elvis Presley | Elvis facts you didn’t know

    • As a birthday present, Presley got his first guitar after few months from his first public performance (10-year-old). It was not a very welcoming gift for Presley because he wanted to have a bicycle or perhaps rifle for his gift.
    • In his 7th grade, he started playing his guitar during lunchtime in school. However, the kids around him used to laugh at him. They would often call him a ‘trashy’ child.
    • He was enrolled in Humes High School in Memphis. In his eighth grade, he got C for his music. For this, Presley was told by his instructor of music,

    ‘You have no aptitude for music’

    • Presley was a shy kid which was why his mates would call him ‘mama’s boy’.
    • He used to give shape to his hair with Vaseline and rose oil.
    • He never took formal lessons for music. He always played music by ear.
    • In April 1954, he worked as a truck driver for Crown Electric company.
    • One of the American guitarists Eddie Bond rejected Presley and instead advised him to continue driving:

    “because you’re never going to make it as a singer”

    • He was failed in an audition of a quartet and when his father asked about it, he responded:

    “They told me I couldn’t sing”

    • The bodyguards, employees and friends who served Presley during his musical career till his death were nicknamed Memphis Mafia.

     

    Elvis Presley Facts 1950s

    • His uncles as well as the pastor became his first instructors on learning basic guitar lessons.

    I took the guitar, and I watched people, and I learned to play a little bit. But I would never sing in public. I was very shy about it –Presley

    • In 1950, he took guitar lessons from his neighbor Jesse Lee Denson. Presley was only two and a half years younger than his guitar teacher.
    • In April 1953, he participated in his high school’s show called ‘Minstrel’ and sung a song ‘Till I Waltz Again With You’ and became popular afterwards.
    • In 1953, Presley stepped into the office of Sun Records. When the receptionist asked him about the kind of singer he was, Presley replied:

    “I sing all kinds”

    • The first person to record Presley’s songs was Marion Keisker in 1953. These two songs were ‘My Happiness’ and ‘That’s When Your Heartaches Begin’. The charges paid by Presley for the recording of these songs were $3.25.
    • His mother had hepatitis and died of heart failure at the age of 46. Presley was shaken up by this incident because he was very close to her.
    • On 24 March 1958, Presley was inducted into U.S. army at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. By this time, Presley had made up his mind that his music career was finished.
    • Presley learned karate during his stay in the army which helped him a lot during live performances. On 5 March 1960, he was discharged from the army at the rank of sergeant.

    Elvis Presley Achievements

    • During his two-year period in army, he had ten top 40 hits including ‘Hard Headed Woman’, which turned out to be the best-selling song.
    • The six singles of Presley were released after his death (1977 – 1981) and became top ten country hits.
    • He earned five music halls of fame.
    • In 1987, he earned award of merit from American Music Awards. He also received three Grammy Awards.
    • In 2005, 17 singles of Presley were reissued and gained top five positions in UK.
    • For five consecutive years, Forbes called him to be the top-earning deceased superstar. He had a gross income of $45 million.
    • He staged 168 concerts in 1973 alone, the highest in his career.

    Elvis Presley Death

    • Presley was married to Priscilla Beaulieu on 1 May 1967 at the Las Vegas’ Aladdin Hotel. They got separated on 9 October 1973 and this divorce left a deep impact on his life from which he could not recover.
    • After his divorce, he took overdose of drugs called barbiturate for two times in a year. He was admitted to the hospital at the end of the same year.
    • Presley had a number of diseases like liver damage, high blood pressure, glaucoma and enlarged colon. All of these diseases were caused by excessive drug abuse.
    • At one time, he fell onto his knees after coming out of limo.
    • In his final years, Presley staged a number of disappointed concerts. At times, he could barely talk on stage and even the entire tour had to be canceled when at one time he could not get out of bed in a hotel.
    • The final concert of Presley was staged at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on 26 June 1977.
    • He died on 16 August, 1977 at the age of 42.
    • Billy Mann was Presley’s cousin who took a photo of his deceased superstar secretly. He got $18,000 for this work. This picture became the cover photo of National Enquirer and eventually turned out to be a best-selling issue.
    • On August 18, his funeral took place at Graceland. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery right next to his mother’s grave. Almost 80,000 people gathered around at the cemetery.
    • In August, there was an attempt to steal the corpse of Presley. As a result on October 2, the corpses of his mother as well as his own were moved to the Meditation Garden in Graceland.
    • Presley had bought an estate in Graceland which was made public in 1982. Afterwards, this site became the second most toured site in the country. In 2006, this site was declared National Historic Landmark.
  • Bill Gates Facts for Kids | Richest Man on Earth

    Bill Gates Facts for Kids | Richest Man on Earth

    Bill Gates is an American entrepreneur, investor and computer programmer. Established in 1975, he is a pioneer of Microsoft Company. Microsoft became the largest software company in the world which is used in PC. Paul Allen was also one of the founders of this software. Bill served as the chairman and CEO of this company. He established the foundation in 2000, by the name of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is by far the largest private foundation in the world. Gates married to Melinda on 1 January, 1994. They have two daughters and a son. He resigned from the chairmanship of Microsoft on 4 February, 2014. His favorite sports are golf, bridge and tennis. Let’s find out more in Bill Gates facts for kids!

    Bill Gates, on the right, and Thierry Breton

    Bill Gates Wealth

    • The shares held by Gates in Microsoft Company are the highest in the world by any person until 2014.
    • During the period 1995 to 2007, he was the richest man on earth.
    • During five years (2009 – 2014), the wealth of Gates surged to more than double. In 2009, he had $40 billion which increased to $82 billion in this period.
    • In just one year from 2013 to 2014, there was an increase of $15 billion in Gates’ wealth.
    • Today, Gates holds assets worth $77.3 billion and maintains the position of being the richest man on this planet.
    • In 1999, Gates had a wealth of slightly more than $101 billion. Thus, he was popularly known as ‘centibillionaire’.
    • Gates and his wife have decided to give away almost 99 percent of their wealth as donations. Thus, they have a plan of leaving an inheritance of about $10 million for each of their three kids ($30 million in total).
    • In 1987, he had a wealth of $1.25 billion which made him the youngest self-made billionaire in the world.

    I wish I was not the richest man in the world because I dislike the attention it brings – Gates 

    Interesting Facts about Bill Gates House

    Bill Gates and his family live in a big mansion in Melinda, Washington. Its area is 66,000 square-feet. With a cost of $63.2 million, the Gates’ home was built in seven years. Nicknamed Xanadu 2.0, this mansion overlooks the magnificent Lake Washington. It has a swimming pool of 18 metres (60 feet). Today, it has a value of almost $154 million.

    Facts about Bill Gates childhood | What was Bill Gates childhood like

    • He was born on 28 October, 1955 in Seattle, Washington D.C. He was the son of a lawyer.
    • The ancestors of Gates were German, English, Scots-Irish and Irish.
    • His maternal grandfather was the President of National Bank named JW Maxwell.
    • He was called in his family by the name of William Gates III or ‘Trey’. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer.
    • He took admission in Lakeside School at the age of 13.
    • Instead of studying math classes, Gates was fond of programming in GE system of BASIC programming language.
    • Gates wrote his first computer program on General Electric (GE) computer. His first program was called tic-tac-toe.

    There was just something neat about the machine – Gates

    • Gates and Allen established a business partnership by the name of Traf-O-Data for making traffic counters. Gates was only 17 at the time. It was a very important step toward making Microsoft software.
    • He was enrolled at Harvard College in the fall of 1973.

    young bill gates

    Bill Gates Adulthood | Bill Gates Talent

    • Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) was the company who created microcomputers. MITS launched Altair 8800 on an 8-bit microprocessor called Intel 8080 in 1975. Seeing this, Gates decided to create his software company. In November, MITS hired both Gates and Allen.
    Altair 8800
    Altair 8800
    • The name that Gates and Allen gave to their partnership venture was ‘Micro-Soft’. They established their first office in Albuquerque.
    • On 26 November, 1976 the company’s name was changed into ‘Microsoft’ and registered with it.
    • In 1976, Microsoft started working independently from MITS. On 1 January 1979, the office of the company was transferred to Bellevue in Washington.
    • When MITS finally launched microcomputer named Altair 8800, Gates told them that he, along with his peers, was working on a BASIC interpreter. However, Gates did not have a microcomputer at the time and so there was no question of writing a code for Altair. They only wanted to see whether MITS was interested in their project or not.
    • In July 1980, when IBM was about to launch their personal computer by the name of IBM PC, they asked Microsoft company to write BASIC interpreter.
    • Microsoft struck a deal with Seattle Computer Products (SCP) for using their operating system called 86-DOS. Later on, Microsoft acquired full rights of ownership of 86-DOS. Microsoft sold it to IBM by the name of PC DOS for a payment of $50,000.
    • On 20 November, 1985, the company launched first version of Microsoft Windows.
    • Though he was a software developer, but his expertise lay in managing subordinates and devising strategies (as executive head) of the products Microsoft offers. Gates used to do regular meetings with his program managers. While his managers tended to give him presentation, Gates often cut them short by the following remarks:

    That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard! 

    • In 2006, Gates had made up his mind to become philanthropist. Ray Ozzie of Microsoft was thus assigned the responsibility of managing daily affairs of the company while Craig Mundie was in charge of making strategies for the company’s products.

    Cool Bill Gates Facts for Kids

    • After completing graduation from school in 1973, Gates won the National Merit Scholarship program. Out of total 1600 marks in SAT, he got 1590 marks.
    • Gates did not complete his studies at Harvard College and decided to quit. After seeking advice from his parents, he went on to create a company.
    • In his classroom at Harvard, Harry Lewis was a teacher of combinatorics class. He gave a series of unsolved problems to the students. In a solution which Gates presented, he created an algorithm for pancake sorting. The solution of Gates became the fastest version and retained this record for about 30 years.
    • In 1985, Gates was among one of the ‘50 Most Eligible Bachelors’ under Good Housekeeping Seal.
    • At the age of 32 years, Gates was among ‘400 Richest People in America’ of Forbes magazine.
    • In 1997, Gates had purchased a private jet for himself. But until then, he often went on to his business tours on economy class.
    • In March 2010, Gates was ranked second richest man in the world after Carlos Slim of Mexico.
    • In 2013, Gates became number one billionaire in the world who had highest earnings (Bloomberg Billionaires Index).
  • Walt Disney Facts For Kids | Co-founder of Mickey Mouse

    Walt Disney Facts For Kids | Co-founder of Mickey Mouse

    An American icon of the 20th century, indeed the only person that visibly stands out in the field of entertainment is Walt Disney. He was a cartoonist, animator as well as a producer of motion-picture film. He was an industrialist and set up the second biggest revenue-generating broadcasting company of the world along with his brother Roy Disney: ‘The Walt Disney Company’. What’s more, he created a number of famous animated characters like Donald Duck, Goofy and Mickey Mouse. He gave his voice to the Mickey Mouse cartoon character. In July 1955, he also built an amusement park in California known as Disneyland.

    Full Name: Walter Elias Disney

    Date of Birth: December 5, 1901

    Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois (U.S.A.)

    Profession: Cartoonist, Animator

    Date of Death: December 15, 1966

    Age: 65

    Reason for Popularity: Founder of Mickey Mouse and Disneyland

    Early Years

    • 1.   In 1906, Walt’s family travels to a city in Missouri called Marceline. The family stays here for about four years. This is the very city in which he starts portraying pictures and doing works of art.
    • 2.  In 1911, the entire family travels to Kansas City.

    Walt Disney childhood - Walt Disney Facts for Kids

    • 3.   During these years, Walt and his elder brother Roy starts distributing newspapers (‘The Kansas City Star’ and ‘Kansas City Times’). Walt had to wake up at 4:30 am to deliver newspapers and after attending school, he had to pick up where he left off until late at night. Because of the very tiring routine, he used to sleep lightly in his classroom and couldn’t do well in his studies.
    • 4.   Walt did this job of distributing newspapers for about six years.
    • 5.   In his school named ‘McKinley High School’, he develops interest in making cartoons. In particular, he fancies drawing portraits of World War I.
    • 6.  As he reaches 16 years of age, Walt leaves his school because he wants to join army. However since he is under age for joining army, he is rejected.

    Later Years

    While working with Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, Disney (Walt Disney) comes across another well-known American cartoonist of his time named ‘Ub Iwerks’. Disney and Iwerks jointly create two remarkable animated characters: Mickey Mouse and Oswald Rabbit.

      • Iwerks and Disney begin their professional career by creating a commercial company known as ‘Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists’ in 1920.
      • Disney finds great interest in animation and forms a business project by the name of ‘Laugh-O-Grams’. The first member of staff in this company was Fred Harman.
      • In October 16, 1923, Disney along with his brother Roy forms a company in Los Angeles (Silver Lake district) known as ‘Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio’.
      • Roy and Disney mutually founded a company known as Walt Disney Productions.
      • In 1925, Disney gets married to a girl named Lillian Marie Disney. The names of their two daughters are Sharon and Diane.
      • During 1920s, Disney produces a series of cartoons titled ‘Alice Comedies’. The character of Alice in these animated cartoons was played by a U.S. actress named Virginia Davis.
      • The name of the first cartoon of this series was ‘Alice’s Day at Sea’. It was released on December 26, 1923. The very first income from this cartoon was $1,500.
      • The fame of ‘Mickey Mouse’ grows so much that in November 18, 1932 Disney is awarded Academy Award for this cartoon character.
      • During early 1930s, Disney produces various animated characters like Donald Duck, Pluto the Pup and Goofy.
      • In 1938, the U.S. animated feature in which Technicolor was used for the very first time, was launched in February and came to be known as ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. It was distributed by Radio-Keith-Orpheum Pictures and became the most flourishing feature film the same year.
    • In 1964, Disney produces a fantasy motion-picture known as Mary Poppins. This film turns out to be the most flourishing film in 60s.

    Final Years

      • Disney used to do ‘chain smoking’ a lot all the way through his life span. However, he never smoked when kids were round the corner.
      • Disney at last passes away in December 15, 1966. The cause of his death was lung cancer.
    • After Disney’s death, his corpse was burned to ashes and these remains were laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery of California (Los Angeles).

    More Facts

      • While Disney was active doing work in his studio in Kansas City (named ‘Laugh-O-Gram Studio’), he had hired a pet-mouse and over time this mouse had resulted in the creation of Mickey Mouse. Disney had given tone of voice to this animated mouse and also defined its behavior.
      • Disney was awarded a total of 22 Academy awards.
      • Among many other nominations and awards, Disney also received seven Emmy Awards.
    • He got four awards in just one year, which is the highest achievement by any person.
  • Thomas Jefferson Facts For Kids | Third US President

    Thomas Jefferson Facts For Kids | Third US President

    Thomas Jefferson was the third President of United States of America. What’s more, he was among the Founding Fathers of USA when in 1776, thirteen American Colonies declared independence from British and became autonomous nation under the name of United States of America. He was the champion of democracy and personal freedom of every individual. He loved reading books and had a huge collection in his home comprising of thousands of volumes. He was the founder of University of Virginia. He was a lawyer as well as linguist. He could read and write in quite a few languages like German, Greek, French and Spanish. He studied science, philosophy and classics from eminent teachers of his time. He loved playing violin. He was also one of the finest orators that America has ever had.

    Date of Birth: April 13, 1743

    Place of Birth: Shadwell, Virginia

    Age: 83

    Profession: Lawyer

    Date of Death: July 4, 1826

    Family

    • The names of Jefferson’s grandfather as well as Great grandfather were also Thomas.
    • The name of his father was Peter Jefferson. He was a cartographer, possessor of slaves and inspector in Virginia. He belonged to a Welsh origin which means their ancestors were from Wales.
    • His parents got married in 1739.
    • Jefferson had 9 siblings. He was the third child of Peter Jefferson.
    • The name of Jefferson’s sister was Jane. She was three years older than Jefferson. She passed away when she was just 25 years old in October 1, 1765.
    • All the holdings of his father were divided amongst Randolph (brother) and Thomas. When he reached 21, he became the legal possessor of such holdings.
    • Jefferson became heir to about 50 slaves, 5,000-acre piece of land as well as a big library which his father left when he passed away in 1757.

    Marriage

    • The name of his wife was Martha Wayles. She was a widow.
    • Jefferson and Martha got married on January 1, 1772. Martha was 23 years of age at the time of marriage. This was her second marriage with Jefferson.
    • The marriage of Jefferson and Martha continued for about 11 years.
    • Jefferson was 6 years older than his wife Martha.
    • Martha was a diabetic patient and the disease continued to get worse until she finally died at the age of 33 on September 6, 1782. She died only months following the birth of her last child.
    • Jefferson did not marry again though he was a young man of 39 because he gave his word to Martha (who asked her not to do so while she was dying) that he would not marry after her death.
    • The farmhouse where Jefferson’s wedding took place was known as ‘The Forest’. This was the estate of his wife Martha. It is located close by Williamsburg and the couple spent 14 days after their marriage was over.
    • Jefferson’s estate was in Monticello and there was a distance of hundred miles between Charles City County (The Forest) and Monticello. After wedding was over, the couple decided to head off Monticello on a carriage. The carriage had two horses but the city was struck with heavy blizzard at the time. As a result, carriage was stuck in about 30-feet snow and Jefferson-Martha couple had to ride the two horses and reached Monticello.
    • Jefferson and Martha had 6 kids but four of them died very young. Only two daughters reached maturity and one of these two girls died under the age of 25.
    • Jefferson liked playing violin while Martha loved to play piano. Jefferson gave a present of ‘Fortepiano’ to Martha as a wedding gift.

    Education

    I cannot live without books – Thomas Jefferson

    • His early education began in Tuckahoe.
    • While he was just 9 years old, he started learning French, Greek and Latin.
    • The name of the professor and mentor from whom Jefferson studied law was George Wythe.
    • Professor William Small taught him philosophy and mathematics.
    • He was always fond of studying books. He used to study classics of Cornelius Tacitus and Homer, learned playing violin and studied Greek and French.
    • During a period of two years (1758 – 1760), Jefferson studied science and history from James Maury who was Virginia’s most popular figure in the field of education.
    • In 1762, he completed his graduation from The College of William & Mary. One of the Jefferson’s dearest friends in college was named John Page of Rosewell.
    • His personal library in his home in Shadwell comprising 200 volumes was razed in fire in 1770.
    • On July 5, 1784, he set out for France from his home in Boston. Since the journey took 19 days, he learned Spanish language during these days.
    • In 1787, he was elected as a Fellow of one of the oldest societies in USA named American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
    • Until 1814, there were 6,487 books in the personal library of Jefferson which was the biggest collection at the time in USA. He sold all of these books to the Library of Congress at a price of about $23,950.
    • Jefferson was also a member of the finest US academic society located in Philadelphia and known as American Philosophical Society (APS). In 1743, Benjamin Franklin founded this society. Jefferson remained a member of this society for about 35 years until January 20, 1815.
    • In 1819, he founded the University of Virginia.
    • He made the original document of United States Declaration of Independence by uniting thirteen American colonies under the name of ‘United States of America’.

    Final Years

    • The name of Jefferson’s personal physician was Robley Dunglison. He was a British. He is also recognized as ‘Father of American Physiology’.
    • The funeral of Thomas Jefferson was done by priest Charles Clay on July 5.
    • During final hours before his death, Jefferson pulled his family and friends together as they sat beside his deathbed. Jefferson said to them in the following words:

    I have done for my country, and for all mankind, all that I could do,
    and I now resign my soul, without fear, to my God, – my daughter to my country – Thomas Jefferson

    Interesting Facts about Thomas Jefferson

    • He was among the founding fathers of the United States of America.
    • Jefferson was the third US President.
    • He was the first US Secretary of State.
    • He was the second US President whose postage stamp was released in 1856.
    • He invented quite a few scientific devices as well like Great Clock and cipher wheel.
    • He wrote almost 18,000 letters in his entire lifetime.
    • When he was just 26 years of age, he began the construction of his farm in the region of Piedmont named Monticello. The land was originally used for the cultivation of Tobacco but Jefferson started growing wheat on it.
    • He was elected as the Governor of Virginia for the very first time in 1779. He was 36 years of age at the time.
    • At the time of his Governorship, Williamsburg was Virginia’s capital. Jefferson changed the capital and made Richmond as its new capital in 1780.
    • Jefferson was elected as the US President on February 17, 1801 and took oath as President on March 4.
    • Jefferson purchased a very large area of land in 1803 from France and termed it as ‘Louisiana Purchase’. With the possession of Louisiana territory, the size of the then United States increased twofold.

  • Albert Einstein Facts For Kids | Famous Physicist

    Albert Einstein Facts For Kids | Famous Physicist

    Albert Einstein was one of the finest and most prominent physicists of the 20th century. He was not a bright student from his schooldays but he always excelled in mathematics, physics and Latin. He was also fed up with routine school classes and their old-fashioned style of teaching methods. For most of the time, he studied physics, mathematics and philosophy on his own. He was a shy kid but his curiosity was phenomenal. He was extraordinarily curious about the things he came across. He was passionate about music, playing piano or violin and had learnt sonatas of Mozart as well.

    I made one great mistake in my life—when I signed the letter to President Roosevelt recommending that atom bombs be made… – Einstein

    Date of Birth: March 14, 1879

    Place of Birth: Ulm, Germany

    Age: 76

    Date of Death: April 18, 1955

    Place of Death: Princeton, NJ (USA)

    Interesting Facts about Albert Einstein

    • He had only one sister named Maria Einstein. She was younger than Einstein and known by the name of Maja. In the early years of his life as a kid, Maja was the only friend of Einstein. When Einstein first met Maja (he was just one-year-old kid at the time), he thought Maja was something of a plaything and said,

    Yes, but where does it have its small wheels?

    • Einstein was a quiet kid in his early years of childhood. While talking, he used to pause a lot until the age of nine years. His parents felt worried whether their child was a below average kid.
    • One of the early mentors of Albert Einstein was Max Talmey. He was an ophthalmologist from Poland. Einstein was just 10 years of age when he first met Talmey. Talmey used to give Einstein various books on Mathematics, Science and Philosophy.
    • He always disliked rote learning from his schooldays. Besides, he did not like paying illogical respect to teachers which is why one of the teachers in Munich’s high school asked Einstein to go away and walk out from school. As a result, Einstein left the school and went to his parents in Italy. At the time, he was 15 years of age.
    • When he was 16 years of age, he gave entry exams in the Zürich’s management and engineering university named Swiss Federal Polytechnic (ETH Zürich). Though he did not succeed in securing high marks overall but he took excellent marks in mathematics and physics.
    • When he gave ‘Matura’ exam (which he passed) in 1896, he achieved highest grade of 6 in both mathematics and physics. The grade scale ranges from 1 (minimum) to 6 (maximum). At the age of 17, Einstein was signed up for the program of teaching diploma in Zürich Polytechnic.
    • Einstein fell in love with Marić during their teaching program in Zürich Polytechnic. Though Einstein passed teaching diploma in 1900, Marić could not pass.
    • Einstein and Marić had a daughter named Lieserl Einstein. She was their first kid and was born in January 1902. However, she died due to scarlet fever on September 18, 1903. Marić wanted a girl to be born while Einstein had desired for a boy. Einstein never saw Lieserl in his lifetime.
    • One fine morning Einstein did not have his breakfast because he was occupied in deep thinking. Soon after he started playing piano, then went upstairs and lived there for about 14 days while his wife Elsa brought food for him. After 14 days of hard work, he came down with his papers describing the ‘Theory of Relativity’.
    • After the bloodiest Holocaust in World War II, Germany offered Einstein several honors and awards for his achievements but he declined all of them as he did not forgive the Germans for the massacre of Jews.
    • When Einstein went back from USA to Belgium in 1933, he realized that Nazis broke into his home. He relinquished his nationality of Germany on March 28, 1933.
    • During the time of Nazis, one of the magazines of Germany offered a price of five thousand US dollars for the one who would kill Einstein.
    • With so many Jewish scientists left Germany and settled in USA during 1930s, Einstein remarked,

    In my whole life I have never felt so Jewish as now.

    I do not know how the third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth — sticks and stones – Einstein

    Death

    • The name of a pathologist who did autopsy of Einstein in 1955 was Thomas Stoltz Harvey. He took out Einstein’s brain from the dead body and preserved it for research.
    • Though the brain of Einstein was cut off in 1955 after his death, no one knew this fact because it was made public in 1986.
    • After Einstein died in 1955, his brain was taken out within seven and a half hours of his death.

    More Facts

    • Einstein was an Ashkenazi Jew. The term Ashkenazi literally means ‘Germany’.
    • He was a right-handed person.
    • His father wanted him to study Electrical Engineering.
    • He had a great obsession in his life to become a musician. He was fond of playing violin and piano.
    • Einstein received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Zürich.
    • He was awarded Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
    • On 2 April 1921, Einstein came to USA for the first time.
    • He went to Palestine and stayed there for about 12 days.
    • In 1940, Einstein became a US citizen.
    • Einstein was also one of the great supporters of civil rights. On one occasion he paid college fees of one of the black students in Princeton (New Jersey) during 1940s.
    • In 1952, the first Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion honored Einstein by asking him to become the Israel’s President. However, Einstein respectfully turned down this proposal.

    I want to go when I want. It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly – Einstein in 1955

    Learn: Albert Einstein Facts for Kids

  • White House Facts For Kids | Official Residence Of The US President

    White House Facts For Kids | Official Residence Of The US President

    White House is an office as well as home for the President of USA. Every US President uses it as his home and this tradition began in 1800 from the time of second US President named John Adams. The word ‘White House’ was not the original name of this house. The original name was the ‘President’s Palace’. It was probably in 1811 when people began calling it as the ‘White House’ for the first time.

    Original Name: President’s Palace or President’s House

    Current Name: The White House

    Name of Architect: James Hoban

    City: Washington, D.C.

    Starting Date of Construction: October 13, 1792

    Age (as of 2014): 222 years old

    Construction

    • The foundation stone for the construction of the White House was laid down in October 13, 1792.
    • The construction of this house began without any official ceremony.
    • The laborers that built the foundation of the White House were mainly African-Americans. Some of the Europeans were also hired for this purpose.
    • Except the main residence, most of the construction work of the White House was done by non-American people. They were not citizens of the United States.
    • The initial work on this House continued for about 8 years.
    • The initial cost of construction was just about $232,372.
    • The design of White House was made by James Hoban. He was an Irish architect.
    • It was built during 1792 to 1800.
    • It is made up of Aquia Creek sandstone.
    • The structure of White House is built on Neoclassical architecture.
    • The name of the architect who expanded White House in 1801 was Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
    • The South Portico was built in 1824 and the North Portico was made in 1829.

    The initial plan of the entire project was made by Pierre Charles L’Enfant. He was a French architect. The White House is about 5 times smaller than his original plan.

    Physical Description

    • The three main structures of White House are collectively known as White House Complex. These structures include Executive Residence, West Wing and East Wing.
    • The First Family of the United States lives in the Executive Residence.
    • There are 6 stories in the Executive Residence.
    • In the second floor of the White House, there is a yellow-colored room called Yellow Oval Room.
    • There are 3 state parlors in the first floor of the White House. One of these is called Blue Room.

    US Presidents

    • The first US President to enter the White House as his official home was John Adams. He entered in this house on Saturday (November 1, 1800).
    • In 1801 as Thomas Jefferson became the US President, he built additional series of columns and made it even bigger.
    • On 2nd June 1886, the US President Grover Cleveland got married to Frances Folsom in the ‘Blue Room’ of the White House. This was the only wedding ceremony by any US President that was celebrated in this house.
    • In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt changed his workplace and shifted it to the West Wing of White House. West Wing was recently built and it is also known as Executive Office Building.
    • In 1909, President Howard Taft built first Oval Office which has become the office of the US President ever since it was made. He also remodeled West Wing and made it bigger.

    More Facts

    • When the War of 1812 broke out, the British Army destroyed much of the interior of this house by setting it on fire.
    • The very first guide of the White House was officially published in 1962.
    • The White House was opened on November 1, 1800 to serve as the home and workplace of the US President. It was not however fully completed at the time.
    • The North front of this house is the main front wall.
    • The north front of the White House is known as north portico. It was made in 1830.
    • There are 3 floors and 11 bays at the North front of the White House.
    • The south front of the White House is known as south portico. It was made in 1824.

  • Jackie Robinson Facts For Kids | The US Baseball Player

    Jackie Robinson Facts For Kids | The US Baseball Player

    Jackie Robinson was an African-American baseball player. He was the first black-American who played in Major League Baseball (MLB). After Bing Cosby, he stood at second position as the most famous personality of US in 1947. In 2002, he was entered in the listing of 100 Greatest African Americans. The Time magazine awarded him in 1999 by enlisting Robinson among the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Now let’s have a look at some other Jackie Robinson facts for kids.

    Jackie Robinson Facts For Kids

    Date of Birth: January 31, 1919

    Place of Birth: Cairo (Georgia)

    Total Average on Batting: .311

    Total Number of Hits: 1,518

    Total Stolen Bases: 197

    Total Home Runs: 137

    Name of Major League Baseball: Brooklyn Dodgers

    Date of Death: October 24, 1972

    Place of Death: Stamford, Connecticut

    Early Life and Family

    1. The names of his parents were Mallie Robinson and Jerry Robinson.
    2. The name of his wife was Rachel Robinson.
    3. He had 4 siblings. He was the youngest of all.
    4. In 1920, the family of Robinson traveled toward the city in California called Pasadena.
    5. He did graduation in Washington Junior High School in 1935.
    6. After Junior High School, he joined John Muir High School.
    7. He played quite a few games in Muir High School namely basketball, baseball, track and football.
    8. In a game of baseball, he used to play catcher as well as shortstop.Jackie Robinson picture - Jackie Robinson Facts For Kids
    9. In a game of football, he used to play quarterback.
    10. In a game of basketball, he used to play guard.
    11. He achieved quite a number of prizes in broad jump.
    12. He was an affiliate of one of the tennis teams.
    13. In a championship of junior boys, Robinson came first in Pacific Coast Negro Tennis Tournament. It was the annual tournament held in 1936.
    14. After Muir High School, he joined Pasadena Junior College (PJC).
    15. He had 3 kids.
    16. The names of these three children were Jackie Robinson Jr., David and Sharon.
    17. Jackie Robinson Jr. died in a car crash on June 17, 1971. He was just 24 at the time.

    Later Years and Death

    1. He was chosen in a baseball team in 1938 for the team named All-Southland Junior College Team. He was also chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the region.
    2. In PJC, he was also a member of the group of students who supervise various actions of school. This group was named Lancers.
    3. He was taken into custody by the police on January 25, 1938.
    4. He completed his graduation from PJC in 1939.
    5. In a team of football of 1939 UCLA Bruins football, Robinson was among 4 African-American players to play for this team.
    6. At UCLA College, he stood first as a sportsperson.
    7. He participated in a Long Jump in 1940, jumped as long as 7.58 meters and came first in the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship.
    8. He signed up for a job as assistant director in National Youth Administration (NYA). It was a governmental organization located in Californian city of Atascadero.
    9. In 1941, he traveled to Honolulu for playing football.
    10. Robinson joined US Army in 1942. He became second lieutenant in 1943.
    11. He was almost court-martialed by not following orders of a bus driver when he told Robinson to go back at the end of the seat. Since he was black, he was not probably allowed to sit at the front with white people but Robinson turned down his order.
    12. He was honorably discharged from military in November 1944.
    13. Robinson received an invitation on playing baseball from Kansas City Monarchs in 1945. The contract offered him 400 dollars per month, which amounts to more than 5,000 dollars of today. He accepted the offer.
    14. Brooklyn Dodgers was the first major league that enrolled black American (Jackie Robinson) for the first time after 1880.
    15. He was the first African-American who played in a minor league against a major league ever since 1880s.
    16. When he was 28 years old, he made a debut for Brooklyn Dodgers in a major league on April 15, 1947 at Ebbets Field.
    17. He was the first baseball player who broke baseball color line, which was drawn in 1880 because of racial segregation.
    18. While playing for Dodgers, Robinson had a batting average of about .297. He played 151 games in total.  He scored 125 runs in 175 hits.
    19. During a period of 9 years between 1947 and 1956, Robinson played 10 seasons for Brooklyn Dodgers.
    20. Major portion of his professional career was spent in playing as second baseman.
    21. Robinson took retirement from baseball on January 5, 1957. He was just 37 at the time.
    22. Robinson died at the age of 53 on October 24, 1972. He died at his own residence in Connecticut.
    23. There were 2,500 people on his funeral service.
    24. He is buried in Cypress Hills Cemetery in New York.

    More Jackie Robinson Facts For Kids

    1. His full name is Jack Roosevelt Robinson. The name ‘Roosevelt’ in the middle of his name was after President Roosevelt. Robinson was born after 25 days from the death of President Roosevelt.
    2. While he was studying at PJC, one of his brothers named Frank Robinson died in an accident when he was riding a bike.
    3. The jersey number of Robinson was 42. This number was withdrawn on April 15, 1997 in Major League Baseball (MLB).
    4. Major League Baseball celebrates April 15 of each year as the Jackie Robinson Day. On this day, all players of the teams put on jersey number 42.
    5. Pee Wee Reese was one of the supporters of Robinson who was against racial segregation. Both were teammates in Dodgers. Reese put his arm around Robinson’s when everybody was shouting against Robinson due to his black color.
    6. A statue was made in 2005 by William Behrends showing Reese putting his arm around Robinson. This statue is now in KeySpan Park.
  • Harriet Tubman Facts For Kids | A Slave Girl

    Harriet Tubman Facts For Kids | A Slave Girl

    She was an African-American woman. She worked as a spy for the Union in US Civil War. She was part of the movement that was launched to abolish slavery from the United States. Harriet Tubman was certainly a famous name for African-Americans when it comes to US Civil War. Now let’s explore further in Harriet Tubman Facts for kids.

    Harriet Tubman Facts For Kids

    Original Name: Araminta Ross

    Date of Birth: March 1822

    Place of Birth: Maryland, USA

    Date of Death: March 10, 1913

    Place of Death: New York, USA

    Age: 91

    Early Years of Harriet Tubman

    1. She was born in a slave family.
    2. The precise date of birth for Tubman is unknown. However, it is believed that she was born in early 1820s or perhaps in 1820.
    3. During her early years, Tubman was hammered quite badly by her master. She had a very serious injury on her head because her head was struck with a metal.
    4. While she was a kid, she was informed that she came from Ghana.
    5. When Tubman was a child of just about 6 years, she was made nursemaid to look after a baby for Miss Susan. Tubman used to get beaten up very badly every day in the morning.
    6. In her early years, Tubman used to work for James Cook in his residence. Cook was a planter.

    Family and Marriage

    1. The name of her mother was Harriet Green. She was known as ‘Rit’.
    2. The name of her father was Ben Ross.
    3. Ben and Rit got married in 1808.
    4. Ben and Rit had 9 kids.
    5. The master of her mother was Mary Pattison Brodess. Later on, Mary’s son named Edward Brodess became her master.
    6. Her father was owned by Anthony Thompson.
    7. When her father (Ben) reached 45 years, he was allowed to set free.Harriet Tubman picture - Harriet Tubman Facts For Kids
    8. In 1855, Tubman’s father Ben bought Rit (her mother) for just about $20. At the time, Rit was owned by Eliza Brodess.
    9. The name of her maternal grandmother was Modesty.
    10. There was a time when Tubman did not really know the actual status of her mother legally (whether she is a slave or not). So she gave $5 to one of the lawyers (a white man) to examine the case. Later on, it was stated that Rit would remain slave until she became 45 years old.
    11. Tubman got married to an African-American called John Tubman in 1844. He was not a slave.
    12. The original name of Tubman was Araminta. Following her marriage with John, she gave her new name called Harriet.

    Later Years and Death

    1. The last years of Tubman’s life were spent in Auburn.
    2. She also saved one of the veterans of US Civil War named Nelson Davis.
    3. Davis was just about 22 years older than Tubman. Tubman fell in love with him.
    4. Davis and Tubman got married on March 18, 1869. The wedding took place in Central Presbyterian Church.
    5. The marriage of Davis and Tubman continued for about 20 years.
    6. They took a baby as their daughter in 1874. They gave her name Gertie.
    7. She died in 1913. The cause of her death was pneumonia.
    8. Auburn is the resting place of Tubman. She is buried in Fort Hill Cemetery.

    More Harriet Tubman Facts For Kids

    1. Tubman was 5 feet tall.
    2. She was also known as ‘Moses’ and sometimes ‘Minty’.
    3. Tubman made 13 different tasks to release African-American families from slavery.
    4. She had set free 70 families from slavery with the help of a secret course which was called Underground Railroad. Among these were her 3 brothers namely Robert, Ben and Henry along with their kin.
    5. Three sisters of Tubman had been sold by Edward Brodess, who was the master of her mother.
    6. She was a practicing Christian and believed in God with all her heart.
    7. When Tubman was in poor health in 1849, Brodess wanted to put her up for sale. However, since she was very ill no one was willing to buy her.
    8. While Brodess was making an effort to sell her, Tubman prayed to God for his death. Soon afterwards, Brodess passed away and Tubman felt sorry for what she did.
    9. On September 17, 1849, Henry, Ben and Tubman ran away.
    10. After her escape with her brothers, Tubman worked for a planter named Dr. Anthony Thompson.
    11. She traveled for about 90 miles on her feet and entered Pennsylvania.
    12. John Tubman was murdered in 1867 after having a dispute with one of the white men called Robert Vincent. At the time, he had got married to Caroline.
    13. John Brown used to call her by the name of ‘General Tubman’. Brown was a white man and he was against slavery. He worked along with Tubman to set free black slaves. Brown wanted to free slaves but by fighting those who were in charge of slaves.
    14. John Brown attacked Harpers Ferry in Virginia on October 16, 1859. However, the attack was failed and Brown was executed because of disloyalty. Tubman was not there with Brown perhaps she was ill or somewhere else helping other slaves to set free.
    15. In the US Civil War, General David Hunter was commanding the forces of the Union. He cooperated with Tubman to abolish slavery.
    16. Tubman helped Col. James Montgomery to take hold of Jacksonville.

    Did you really find these Harriet Tubman facts for kids helpful? Is it what you’re looking for? Please comment and help us improving this article. Thanks for reading it!

  • Civil War Facts For Kids | Deadliest War In The US History

    Civil War Facts For Kids | Deadliest War In The US History

    The US Civil War is the most lethal war in the history of United States with maximum number of casualties. The war was started after Abraham Lincoln won the election and became 16th President of USA. The US was divided between states in the North and those in the South. In the South, there were more slaves and the whites were supporting slavery. While the North or Union wanted to abolish slavery. Thus when Republicans won the election, the Southern states seceded from the Union and formed Confederate States. Now let’s have a look at some more civil war facts for kids.

    A Quick Guide To Civil War Facts For Kids

    Date of Start: April 12, 1861

    Date of End: May 10, 1865

    Opponents: Union versus Confederate States

    Total Number of Soldiers for Union: 2,100,000

    Total Number of Soldiers for Confederate States: 1,064,000

    Result: Union won the war

    Basic Civil War Facts For Kids

    Introduction

    1. It is also known as ‘War Between the States.’
    2. The US Civil War began in April 12, 1861 when Confederate States attacked Fort Sumter. This battle was known as ‘Battle of Fort Sumter’.
    3. The number of soldiers killed in US civil war was almost 750,000.
    4. The war was fought for 4 years starting from 1861 till 1865.
    5. One of the major causes of American Civil War was slavery.

    Confederate States

    1. In the history of the US, America was divided among Slave states and Free states. Slave states were those states where slavery was permitted while in Free states slavery was illegal.
    2. The Confederate States were made on February 4, 1861.
    3. There were 7 states in the South that got separated. These states made an alliance known as Confederate States of America (CSA).
    4. Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States of America.
    5. Jefferson Davis took office of the President on February 18, 1861. His term was ended on May 10, 1865.
    6. After the assault on Fort Sumter, 4 more states joined the Confederate States. Now there were 11 states in the Confederacy. The names of these four states were North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas.
    7. The seven states were cotton-producing states. The names of these states were Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
    8. A total of 48.8 percent of slaves were there in the 6 southern states.
    9. The oldest general in the Confederate States Army was David E. Twiggs.
    10. The number of soldiers in the army of Confederate States varies from 750,000 to 1,000,000.
    11. The number of Confederate soldiers that were murdered was more or less 94,000 and almost 30,000 soldiers died in prison camps of Union.

    Armies of Confederate States

    1. The main military of Confederates was Army of Northern Virginia.
    2. The Army of Northern Virginia was led by General Robert E. Lee.
    3. Another major army of the Confederacy was Army of Tennessee.
    4. The Army of Tennessee was led by General Joseph E. Johnston.
    5. The Army of Northern Virginia gave up on April 12, 1865.
    6. The Army of Tennessee gave up on April 18, 1865.

    More Civil War Facts For Kids

    1. Those states that were not separated were known as ‘North’. They were also called ‘Union’. Union is the old name for United States of America.
    2. During 1860, Abraham Lincoln emerged as the new President of US. He was against slavery and was a republican.
    3. The Civil War was certainly one of the first wars that used heavy artillery and ships.
    4. Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election but he was lost from all the states in the south where slavery was widespread. The whites in the southern states seceded themselves as a result.
    5. There were 23 states that did not get separated and remained with the ‘Union’ till the very end.
    6. The Union Army took the President of the Confederates into custody on May 10, 1865.

    Learn more: Abraham Lincoln Facts

    Did you really find these civil war facts for kids helpful? Is it what you’re looking for? Please comment and help us improving this article. Thanks for reading it!

  • Alaska Facts For Kids | Land of the Midnight Sun

    Alaska Facts For Kids | Land of the Midnight Sun

    Alaska is the largest state of United States by Area. It ranks as the 4th least populated state of the country. Alaska shares its borders with Arctic Ocean to the north, British Columbia to the east, and Russia to the south-west. About half of the Alaskans live in the Anchorage metropolitan area. The state is rich in natural resources including oil and natural gas. These two resources run Alaska’s economy.

    Alaska Facts For Kids

    Introduction

    • Official Language: English
    • Capital City: Juneau
    • Ranking: Largest U.S. State
    • Nickname: The Last Frontier
    • Motto: North to the Future

    History

    1. Previously Russia occupied Alaska but on March 30, 1867, the U.S. purchased the state for 7.2 million dollars.
    2. On May 11, 1912, Alaska was organized as a territory.
    3. On January 3, 1959, Alaska had become the 49th U.S. State.
    4. Many indigenous people used to live in Alaska before the Europeans finally arrive.
    5. According to the Nikolai Daurkin’s statement (Nikolai was a geographer who traveled Alaska in 18th century); the Russian settlement in the state was as early as 17th century.
    6. On July 7, 1958 Congress approved the statehood of Alaska.
    7. On March 27 1964, Great Alaskan Earthquake struck on Good Friday killing 133 people. The earthquake lasted for about 4 minutes and 38 seconds. It has a magnitude of 9.2.

    Geography & Size

    1. Alaska has the total population of 735,132 as of 2013.
    2. Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. It is also the second largest city of United States by area.
    3. Anchorage is the largest city of Alaska with 298,610 numbers of residents.
    4. The total area of Alaska is 663,268 sq. miles. It is twice the size of Texas.
    5. Mount McKinley is the highest point of the state with the elevation measuring at 20,320 feet. It is also the highest peak all throughout the North America.
    6. Ocean is the lowest point of the state.
    7. South Central Alaska is the most populous region of the state.
    8. The largest region of Alaska is the interior part most of which is wilderness. The Denali National Park and Preserve is also located in the interior region.
    9. The southwest region of Alaska is 500 miles long. Kodiak Island is also located in the southwest area.
    10. Alaska has Aleutian Islands that are 1,200 miles long and they consist of 300 small volcanic islands.
    11. Mount Shishaldin is the most perfect volcano and it rises up to 10,000 feet.
    12. There are 3 million lakes and 100,000 glaciers in Alaska.
    13. The U.S. government own and manage 65% of Alaska.
    14. The largest wildlife refuge in the world is the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It covers an area of 16 million acres.

    Climate

    1. The warmest region of Alaska is the southeast which is also the wettest part of the state. It receives little rain throughout all year round. Juneau receives 50 inch rainfall on average while Ketchikan rainfall averages 150 inches.
    2. The south central part has a mild climate as compared to the other Alaskan parts because it is close to the seacoast. Although the south central part receives little rain yet the region experiences heavy snow. Anchorage generally receives 75 inch snow.
    3. The Bering Sea and the Gulf of Mexico largely determines the western Alaska’s climate.
    4. The Kobuk River valley is a desert which is why it receives no more than 10 inches of rainfall each year.
    5. Dillingham and Bethel has got the extreme climates in that they receive 100 inches of rainfall annually.
    6. Fort Yukon has the record lowest high temperature (of 100o F) in the U.S. it was recorded on June 27, 1915.
    7. Prospect Creek has got the lowest ever temperature of -80o F and it was recorded on January 23, 1971.
    8. Thompson Pass, near Valdez, had received the heaviest rainfall of 974.5 inches in the winter of 1952-53.

    People and Economy

    1. About 84% of Alaskans speak English while only 3.5% speak Spanish at home.
    2. The state generates more than 80% of its incomes from oil and gas resources.
    3. The area for each person in Alaska is about 0.9 square mile per person while in New York it is 0.003 square mile per person.
    4. The traditional farming of Alaska is grouped into Matanuska Valley and Tanana Valley.
    5. About 15 – 18 million acres in Alaska are arable but only 1% of the land (900,000) is used for farming.
    6. The market value of total agricultural products of Alaska was $53 million.
    7. In the Union, the Alaska is the most flying state. The only way to reach rural areas of Alaska is by airplane.

    Fauna and Flora

    1. Alaska is home to 222 species of wildlife including migratory and resident species. All these species are found in Alaska Peninsula Refuge.
    2. The state has 30 terrestrial mammals including 11 marine mammals.
    3. There are 35 fish species and 146 bird species.
    4. While some of the species occur on the islands off the Pacific Coast a few others are found on the Bristol Bay lowlands.
    5. Fish includes salmon, trout, pike, grayling, and burbot. Each year, almost 2 million fish are caught commercially.
    6. Almost 400,000 geese live in the Bering Sea.
    7. About 2,000 – 3,000 grizzly bears are found in the peninsula.

    Did You Know…? Alaska Facts For Kids

    1. Alaska is the second-largest producer of oil in the United States. It produces 400,000 barrels of oil every day.
    2. A small portion of economy relies on Agriculture including dairy products, vegetables, nursery stocks, and livestock.
    3. The median age of Alaskans is 33.4.
    4. The state has the 16th largest per capita personal income averaging $35,612 in 2005.
    5. Anchorage Daily is the largest newspaper with the circulation of 89,423 on Sundays.
    6. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is the most popular national park in Alaska. It is located in Skagway. It was visited by 888,255 people in 2005.
    7. The farthest-north city of Alaska is Barrow which is 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
    8. Anchorage’s Lake Hood is the world’s busiest seaplane base. It handles as much as 600 flights in peak summer day.
    9. Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is the longest highway of North America. It is located on the Portage Glacier Highway and it runs 2.5 miles.
    10. Wood-Tikchik State Park is the Alaska’s largest contiguous park. It covers 1.6 million acres of wilderness.
    11. About 5% of Alaska is covered with glaciers. These glaciers are 29,000 square miles.
  • Grand Canyon Facts For Kids | Ancient Landscape

    Grand Canyon Facts For Kids | Ancient Landscape

    Grand Canyon is one of the most wonderful landscapes in the world. The canyon is carved by Colorado River some 6 million years ago which according to geologists is quite young landscape. Nonetheless, geologists have found some rocks in the Grand Canyon that are billion years old which means that it tells us the entire history of life on earth.

    Grand Canon Facts For Kids

    History

    1. Native American Pueblo people were the first settlers in Grand Canyon.
    2. According to Archaeologists the Native Americans had lived around 1200 B.C.E. during the era of Basketmaker II.
    3. The Cohonina people had also found their way to the Grand Canyon in between 500 to 1200 CE.
    4. In September 1540, the group of Spanish soldiers traveled towards the Canyon.
    5. John Strong Newberry had become the first ever geologist to visit the Canyon in 1858.
    6. In 1869 the first expedition led by Major John Wesley Powell while he went out to walk through the Canyon and Colorado River.
    7. The old name of Grand Canyon was ‘Big Canyon’. It was John Wesley who gave the name of Grand Canyon.
    8. The Grand Canyon had become an official monument in 1908.
    9. It was also opened as a National Park in 1919.

    Geography

    1. The length of the Canyon measures around 277 miles (446 km) with the width measuring at 18 miles (29 km) and it is 6,000 miles deep.
    2. Some of the fossils in Grand Canyon suggest the age of rocks and the oldest rocks being found are 2.5 billion years old. Few others are 1.2 million years old.
    3. Fossils are classified into sea fossils and land fossils.
    4. Sea fossils tell us few impressions of dragonflies, spiders, reptiles, scorpions, and other small animals. Some other fossils that are as recent as 11,000 years old are also found.
    5. Humans lived for about 3,200 years
    6. Ancient Pueblo are thought to be the first people to have settled in the Canyon area. Geologists have discovered around 500 ancient sites including caves. Many Native Americans found their way in Canyon and few descendants of these people are still living in Canyon.

    1. Many beautiful birds including 355 bird species feel home in the Grand Canyon. The National Park has also 89 mammals, 17 fish species, and 56 reptile species.
    2. Vascular plants 1737 species; moss 64 species; and 195 lichen species are found in the Canyon.
    3. There was a time when Colorado River had eight native species of fish but as the new species were introduced they heavily preyed these native species. The river saw
      a significant change after the building of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.
    4. Around six rattlesnake species live in the Canyon. The most common species is the Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake. These snakes prey heavily on lizards in the Canyon.

    Did You Know?…Grand Canyon Facts For Kids

    1. John Wesley Powell was the first ever explorer to have traveled the entire Canyon in 1869 and indeed he gave the name to this landscape.
    2. The air of Grand Canyon is the cleanest air in the United States but it can get polluted sometimes when forests catch fire or during dust storms.
    3. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the major tourist attractions and it brings 4.2 million visitors each year.
    4. The weather at the Canyon is not homogenous; the forested rims are high and thus they are able to receive rainfall during winter while at the point of Colorado River the temperature is fairly high.
    5. The overall weather conditions are dry as they hardly receive precipitation more than twice a year.
    6. Average rainfall at the South is less than 35 cm but the North side experiences 59 cm of moisture.

    Read more here: Grand Canyon Facts For Kids

  • Texas Facts For Kids | The Lone Star State

    Texas Facts For Kids | The Lone Star State

    Texas is the second largest state and the largest producer of oil in the United States. It is home to many cowboys, freedom fighters, and outlaws. A state in which people of different cultures come close to each other and a place of friendly and welcoming people whose motto is ‘friendship’. Native American hunters and farmers were the first people to live in Texas. They used to grow squash, beans, and corns. Their cone-shaped homes were built of grass.

    Texas Facts For Kids

    Introduction

    • Official Language: No official Language
    • Capital City: Austin
    • Ranking: 2nd Largest City
    • Nickname: The Lone Star State
    • State Anthem: Texas, Our Texas
    • Motto: Friendship

    History

    1. According to Archaeologists three major cultures are thought to exist in Texas; the Pueblo, the Mississippi culture, and the civilizations of Mesoamerica.
    2. Alvar de Pineda, a Spanish explorer was the first ever European to set his foot in Texas in 1528.
    3. The start of 20th century was not at all good for Texas people as they experience a Galveston Hurricane—a deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history. It occurred in 1900.
    4. Spindletop was the first ever oil well discovered in Jan 10. 1901. under the Gulf of Mexico.
    5. The Great Depression had badly hit the State’s economy in 1933.
    6. On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was killed in Dallas, Texas.

     

    Geography & Size

    1. Texas is the second largest U.S. State—comes after Alaska.
    2. The total land area is measured at 268,820 square miles (696,200 km2).
    3. Texas is twice the size of Germany and Japan.
    4. Had it been an independent country, it would have stood the 40th largest country.
    5. The state stands in the south-central part of the United States.
    6. There are 3,700 streams and 15 big rivers in Texas. Rio Grande is the largest river in Texas.
    7. Texas is the biggest oil producer in the United States.
    8. Guadalupe Peak is the highest point of Texas.
    9. Gulf of Mexico is the lowest point.

    Population and People

    1. Texas is the second largest state in the United States by population. It has the total population of 26,448,193.
    2. Spanish is one of the most spoken languages—second to English only. According to an estimate of 2010, around 29.21% of people speak Spanish.
    3. One of the most familiar symbols of Texas is ‘The Alamo’.
    4. The oldest Art of Museum of Texas was founded in 1892 and was called ‘Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’.
    5. Texas has 730 airports in total with the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport being the largest airport.
    6. The minimum wage of Texans is 7.25 U.S. Dollars per hour.
    7. Texas has more farms and ranches than any other American state.

     

    Fauna and Flora

    1. Texas is home to many different animals and insects. It has 65 species of Mammals; 213 species of reptiles; 590 bird species which is perhaps the greatest variety throughout the United States.
    2. In the recent times, authorities have introduced 12 new species.
    3. Texas is one of those places where wasps present in huge numbers. In addition, bluebonnet is the state flower along with other wild flowers.
    4. Mexican Free-tailed bat is the only flying mammal in Texas.
    5. Armadillo, a small mammal is also native to Texas.
    6. Prickly pear cactus is the native plant of State.

    Climate | Interesting Texas Facts For Kids

    1. You will find a significant difference in the climate within Texas; as the western tip of the state receives relatively less rainfall of 8.7 inches (220 mm) whereas the southeast tip is high enough to enjoy 64 inches (1,600 mm) of rainfall.
    2. The North Texas and the western tip of the state are mountainous areas which mean that they receive snowfall at least twice a year.
    3. In the West Texas (mountainous regions) the maximum temperature in summer is 90o F while in the Rio Grande Valley the average maximum temperature is 100o F.
    4. The state had a long history of Hurricanes as in 1875 in Indianola the hurricane killed 400 people.
    5. The Galveston Hurricane in 1900 is the worst hurricane ever in the U.S. History it killed 8,000 people or more.
    6. The Hurricane Audrey occurred in 1957 and it claimed 600 lives.

    Cities and Counties of Texas

    1. Texas has 254 counties which is the greatest than any other American State.
    2. Houston is the largest city of Texas with the population of 2,099,451.
    3. Laredo is the smallest city with the population of only 236,091.
    4. Harris is the largest county by population of 4,092,459.
    5. The state has 115 national parks.
  • Mississippi River Facts For Kids | Third Largest Basin

    Mississippi River Facts For Kids | Third Largest Basin

    iveThe Mississippi river system is the largest drainage basin in the North America, draining 41% of the states of America. It flows through the heart of United States. The river is ranked as the third largest basin in the world—only after Amazon and Congo Basins. It starts from the Lake Itasca in Minnesota and runs almost 3,800 km south, while coming across dozens of tributaries on its way such as Red Rivers, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, finally ends up in the Gulf of Mexico.

    Mississippi River Facts For Kids

    Speed

    The speed of water is not same throughout the river. At the headquarters, the water hardly flows more than 1.2 miles per hour—just greater than the walking speed of humans. However, at the New Orleans it flows as fast as 3 miles per hour.

    Length

    The river runs as the tenth largest river in the world but the precise length is rather difficult to measure. The geologists at the source in Itasca State Park measures that the river is 2,552 miles long, however, according to the US Geological Survey the length is 2,300 miles (3,705 km).

    Width

    Like the water speed, the width of the river also varies significantly. At the source in Lake Itasca State, the width measures around 20 to 30 feet but the river channel continuously changes. At the Lake Onalaska, the Mississippi is 4 miles wide. Similarly, at some places like in LaCrosse Wisconsin, the water is seized by the dams and as it turns out the width increases.

    Depth and Water Discharge

    The Mississippi is only 3 feet deep at its headquarters but the deepest portion falls in between Algiers Point and Governor Nicholls Wharf where the water is as deep as 200 feet. During the rainy season, the Mississippi discharges the maximum water of 3,000,000 cubic feet per second while at the minimum side, it releases 159,000 cubic feet per second.

    Elevation

    At the Lake Itasca, the river is as high as 1,475 feet above sea level while at its mouth which is in the Gulf of Mexico the elevation drops to Zero above sea level. Most of the drop takes place within Minnesota.

    Fish and Animals

    The Mississippi River is home to 241 fish species alongside 292 bird species that flies across it. Around 57 mammals are found in the river along with 45 reptile species; 40 species of mussels; 45 species of amphibians, and a number of invertebrates.

    Did You Know…? Mississippi River Facts For Kids

    The river has 29 dams and locks built on it, but all are not numbered.

    Native Americans were the first settlers who establish themselves near the Mississippi River.

    The river runs through the states of Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Missouri.

    Lake Itasca is the source of the river while Gulf of Mexico is the mouth.

    Mississippi covers 1,151,000 sq. miles.

    It is divided into Upper, Middle, and Lower Mississippi rivers.

    Alonso Alverez de Pineda, a Spanish Explorer is thought to have discovered the mouth of Mississippi in 1519.

    It has 221 bridges that go across the river.

    The first bridge on the river was built in1856 and it connected the Davenport (Iowa) to Arsenal Island.

    The total population at the Mississippi Basis is 71 million out of which 58 percent lives in urban areas. There are 6 people per square kilometer.

    The river flows at its peak (66,400 m3 per second) in the months of March and May as a result of 1,800 mm of annual rainfall. However, August and October the flow is relatively low at 2,400 m3 per second.

    The river is located in Clearwater County, MN (Lake Itasca).

    ‘Makoce Cokaya Kin’ is the place where Mississippi River meets the Minnesota River.

    Learn more: Native American Facts

  • Florida Facts For Kids | The Sunshine State

    Florida Facts For Kids | The Sunshine State

    Florida may seem different to different people; for some it’s a paradise whereas for others the state is a place to enjoy sun-drenched breaches, mysterious swamps, deep forests, and warm water. It is an ideal place for people like to live in hot weather. Florida is a peninsula which means that it is circled by water.

    Paleo-Indians are thought to have inhabited the land of Florida some fourteen thousand years ago as they were also the first settlers of America. Ponce de Leon was the first European explorer to set his foot in Florida in 1513.

    Florida Facts For Kids

    The length of the Florida’s coast measures around 1,350 miles (2,172 kilometers).

    The nickname of Florida is ‘Sunshine State.’

    If you’re looking for hills and valleys, best visit Central Florida which is home to beautiful small lakes. Nearly all orange trees grow in Florida.

    Tallahassee is the capital city of Florida.

    Jacksonville is the largest city of Florida.

    The land area of Florida covers 65,758 square miles (170,313 square kilometers).

    Florida is ranked as the 22nd largest state.

    Britton Hill is the highest point while Atlantic Ocean is the lowest point.

    It is situated in between Alabama and Georgia.

    The world’s smallest police station is in telephone booth in Panhandle town, Florida.

    Jacksonville car wash was abandoned in November 1987 because it claimed to be America’s only ‘nude car wash’.

    The city of Tampa (Florida’s city) was once thought to have captured by pirates once a year.

    Pinellas is the most densely populated county of Florida as it serves 3,317 people per habitable square mile.

    Palm Beach County is the largest county of Florida by area. It covers the land of 2,578 sq. miles. The smallest county by area is Tiny Union County situated southwest of Jacksonville (North Florida) covering only 245 sq. miles.

    Flagler County is the only country that saw 163 percent population increase between 1980 and 1990.

    The Palm Beach is Florida’s wealthiest county with per capita income of 41,007.

    The Miami Canal is the longest canal of Florida as it runs 81 miles from Lake Okeechobee to Miami.

    Florida’s biggest springs are in Silver Springs (Marion County), with a flow averaging 823 cubic feet/second.

    Lake Okeechobee is the Florida’s largest freshwater lake covering 730 square miles (1,900 sq. kilometers). It is home to many water birds and fish.

    Four Seasons Hotel is the tallest building in Florida. The 70-story building is situated in downtown Miami.

    Bayshore Boulevard in Miami is the world’s longest sidewalk.

    The world’s longest conga line is at Miami’s Calle Ocho festival. It is a busy street with 119,986 people lined up dancing on March 1988. It made the Guinness Book of World Records.

    Sabal Palm is the Florida’s tallest tree with the height of 90 feet. The state tree is in Highland Hammocks State Park.

    The largest tiger shark ever recorded at 1,065 pounds was caught in 1981 near Miami Beach.

    Two divers in North Florida broke the world record of diving deep into the cave as the two descended 7,685 feet in the cave of Manatee Springs. The event took place in February 27, 1987.

    In Florida, the first phone exchange opened was in Jacksonville.

    The word ‘Beach’ is found in almost all the Florida city names.

    Manatee is the only county in Florida being named after animal.

    Miami International Airport is the Florida’s busiest airport.

    Florida is the third biggest state in the supply of cattle—home to two million cows.

    More Interesting Florida Facts For Kids

    The Vehicle Assembly Building is the world’s largest scientific building with the length measuring 716 feet, width 518 feet, with the height measuring 525 feet. The building has 4 bays each of which is 460 feet high. They claim to be the world’s largest doors. It is located in John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

    Tampa’s Columbia is the America’s largest and oldest Spanish restaurant.

    The Panama City Beach has the longest pier on the Gulf of Mexico with the length of 1,642 feet. The pier was built in 1978.

    Wekiva Falls’ “Big Well” is the world’s largest flowing well. It pumps 72 million gallons of water each day—enough for every Floridians to flush the toilet once.

    Wakulla Springs is one of the deepest wells in the world.

    The Panama City Beach claims to have the most beautiful beach in the world.

    The smallest post office of America is in Ochopee (western Everglades).

    Merritt Island is the Florida’s largest island encompassing 25,945 acres. The island is in Brevard County.

    The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest forest of Florida covering 557,000 acres or more than 870 sq. miles.

    Each year in April, a great many number of people gather around at Perdido Beach to throw mullets.

    When the visitors entered in Florida back in 1987, they came across an official state highway sign that said, ‘Welcome to Floirda”. No one took notice of wrong spellings until it was already up.

    The population of this land is 19,552,860 as of 2013.

    The coral reefs in the waters of Florida are as old as 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. The reefs are the primary source of supplying food and breeding areas to animals and plants dwelling there.

    Florida is home to many beautiful birds including vultures, jay, woodpeckers, crow, robin bird, geese, crows, and cardinals.

    The warm weather of Florida serves as an ideal place for animals fancy living in hot weather. These animals include snakes that bite such as rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. However, alligator once existed in large numbers in the 19th century has gone extinct in Florida.

    Did you know? | Florida Facts For Kids

    That Florida has 663 miles of beaches and more than 11,000 miles of rivers, streams and water ways and that the first widely used suntan cream was invented in Florida. Florida has got a long list of official state symbols, the main ones are:

    • State Flower – Orange blossom
    • State bird – Northern mockingbird
    • State tree – Sabal Palm

    Florida is the fourth most populous state, in the USA, after California, Texas and New York. Golfers love Florida. In fact, many professional golfers call Florida home. We have many golf courses in Florida than any other state in the country.

    Florida favorites

    When in Florida, you can swim with dolphins in the Discovery cove. If you want to play side by side with the sea, then Aquatica, Seaworld’s Waterpark is the place to be.  If you visit with the world class coasters and Serengeti safaris, then Busch Gardens Tampa will be your destination. There is also an adventure island water park in Tampa which I know you will love to visit, it is next to Busch Gardens.

    Florida the social studies project

    A visit to Florida is a giant social studies project – one filled with fun that you will greatly enjoy the place. There are no dinosaurs in Florida! When dinosaurs were on prawl, Florida was still underwater so they never invaded it. But Florida is where sharks originated. At Venice, Florida, also referred to us a shark tooth capital of the world, there are plenty of shark fossils. I know you will love them.

    Sports

    I bet you are a lover of sports. If you love baseball then I am sure you will enjoy being in Florida. Fifteen major league baseball teams do their spring training here.

    Scouting in Florida

    Are you a boy scout or a girl scout? Then its time to put those badges to use! Millions of people do camp in Florida every year. There are so many outdoor activities going on in Florida especially at the Adventure Camps at Seaworld and Busch Gardens – no gators in site. Am sure you are all smiles at this good news. 

    Orange Juice

    Orange juice is the official state beverage of Florida State. This is because Florida State produces an average of 135 million oranges every year. So if you happen to be an orange lover, this will be a haven for you.

    The Giant Adirondack chair

    This chair will serve you right in case during your vacation at Florida State, you happen to feel tired. Your whole family can have a quite time sitting on the giant Adirondack chair. It is such a giant chair, built in 2012 complete with steps so that you can climb onto its seat for photos. It is the world’s largest chair. Be the first one among your friends to sit on it. It stands next to Highway 98, in Mexico beach, Florida.

    Learn more: Florida Facts For Kids

  • New York Facts For Kids | Interesting Facts

    New York Facts For Kids | Interesting Facts

    People often misunderstand as to the fact that New York State and City are the same; time and again they will think of New York City. New York State has many cities amongst which the New York City is the most populous and probably the largest city in the United States. And if you would like more time to explore them – feel free to look for an essay writing service online to outsource your academic workload to.

    New York Facts For Kids

    New York State

    In New York State, three languages are commonly spoken with English (72%) predominant followed by Spanish (14%) and other languages comprises 14%.

    The inhabitants of New York State are known as New Yorker.

    Of all the ten cities, New York City is the largest city with the population of over 18 million.

    The total land area of the state covers 56,556 square miles (141,300 km2).

    The largest Metropolitan area of the United States is also in New York State.

    Glenn Falls is the smallest metropolitan area of the state.

    The total population of the State as of 2013 is 19,651,127.

    New York State is ranked as the third most populous county in the world.

    Mount Marcy is the highest point of the state.

    Atlantic Ocean is the lowest Point.

    The State is home to 22 national parks.

    Statue of Liberty is not only amongst the Seven Wonders of the World but it is also the symbol of United States for democracy, freedom, and opportunity.

    Utica is the smallest city with the population of only 62,239.

    It has the world’s largest stock market; New York Stock Market.

    (New York City)

    Busiest Subway System

    New York City has the longest subway system all throughout the United States. It runs 656 miles and is one of the most widespread transportation systems in the world. The subway has 468 stations in operations. Besides, the subway is also regarded as one of the oldest transit systems.

    Location

    New York is situated in the northeastern United States and it is bordered by New Jersey, Vermont, and Pennsylvania.

    Natural Resources

    Natural resources in the New York City include mine, gravel, gypsum, sand, emery, fertile soil, limestone and slate.

    First Settlers

    Amongst Europeans, Dutch were the first ones to settle in New York and they named their new home New Netherlands.

    Nickname

    People often call it ‘The Empire State’. The city has the most famous skyscraper Empire Building. People can view the entire New York City and Atlantic Ocean from this building.

    (Fast Facts)

    First Capital

    New York City was the first capital of United States.

    Largest Central Business

    Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business in the United States.

    World Trade Centers

    The two World Trade Centers which were hit by the aircrafts on September 11, 2001 were also in New York City.

    Flower Rose

    Capital Albany

    Animal Beaver

    Insect Ladybird

    Bird Bluebird

    Area 47,224 square miles

    Population 8,405,837

    Tree Sugar Maple

    Learn more: New York Facts For Kids

  • Facts About Alaska For Kids | The Largest State of USA

    Facts About Alaska For Kids | The Largest State of USA

    Alaska is situated at the northwest of Canada and is the largest U.S. state. Alaska has a diverse geography with wide-open spaces, mountains, lakes and forests. The flora and fauna if this state is very unique, abundant and amazing, which attracts thousands of tourists who seeks wildlife adventures. Here we have many facts about Alaska for kids to let you know all about this amazing state of USA.

    Facts About Alaska for Kids

    Ranking

    According to area, Alaska is by far the biggest US state.

    Alaska is the biggest exclave of the world (and naturally America’s as well). An exclave is the part of a country which is not connected to that country in geographical or physical terms.

    In terms of crude oil extraction, Alaska stands at the second position in USA.

    According to the Tax Foundation reports of 2008, Alaska stood at 4th position due to its relaxed business-oriented policies.

    Alaska stands at the 4th position among the least-inhabited states of America.

    Alaska stands at the 5th position among the highest number of millionaires per capita in the US.

    It ranks at the 10th position among the richest states of USA.

    According to per capita personal income of 2007, Alaska ranked 15th in USA.

    According to Gross Regional Product (GRP) of 2007, Alaska ranked 45th in USA.

    As per population in 2010, Alaska stood at the 47th position in USA.

    Alaska ranks 49th position among all other US States.

     

    Facts About The Cities of Alaska

    The biggest city of Alaska is Anchorage.

    The second biggest city after Anchorage is Fairbanks.

    Juneau is the third biggest city.

    The biggest city in ‘The Bush’ (rustic areas of Alaska) is Bethel.

    Anchorage is also the most heavily populated city of Alaska.

    The top four biggest cities of USA are found in Alaska.

    At the northernmost part of US, is an Alaska’s city named Barrow. It is also known as Top of the World due to its geographical location.

    There is no road that leads to Alaska’s capital Juneau and thus it is literally out-of-the-way city.

    Physical, Human and Economic Geography of Alaska

    Alaska’s Mount Mckinley is the biggest mountain of North America.

    With only 1.2 people per square mile, Alaska is certainly among the most thinly inhabited regions across the globe.

    Among all the states of America, Alaska is the only state where biggest percentage of Quaker inhabitants live.

    Unimak Island of Alaska is the biggest of the Aleutian Islands.

    Mount Shishaldin is a blazing volcano in Alaska. This volcanic cone is the most balanced and perfect across the globe.

    There are 3 million lakes in Alaska.

    About 50 percent of the world’s glaciers are found in Alaska (i.e. 100,000).

    With the daily production of 400,000 barrels, Prudhoe Bay oil field of Alaska is the largest in USA in terms of production.

    Alaska was struck with a deadly tremor in 1964 called ‘Great Alaskan Earthquake’ or ‘Good Friday Earthquake’. The duration of this earthquake was about 3 minutes with a magnitude of 9.2 on Richter scale. Even now it is the strongest earthquake in US history; third strongest and second biggest in the world too. The number of people perished amounted to 139.

    Over 80 percent of the Alaska’s economy derives its income from oil mining.

    Seafood (like crab and salmon) forms a large portion of the state’s export.

    Alaska pipeline or TAPS (Trans-Alaska Pipeline System) is among the biggest pipeline arrangements in the world. It travels in a zigzag fashion and extracts daily 2.1 million barrels of oil.

    Since there are quite a number of rivers in this state, Alaska has one of the greatest resources of hydropower in US.

    As compare to other nearby states, Alaska has a comparatively higher cost of living.

    When it comes to pilots per capita, Alaska again exceeds all other US states by having one pilot in every 78 persons and thus the only region with maximum pilots in all other states of US.

    The people of Alaska enjoy least tax amount to be paid as compare to other US states thanks to its proceeds from petroleum extraction.

    There are five US states that do not levy Sales Tax on their inhabitants and Alaska is one of them.

    There are seven US states that do not charge Income Tax on person’s income and Alaska is one of them.

    There are only two US states that do not charge either Sales Tax or Income Tax on its people and Alaska is clearly one of them.

    There are 34 recording districts in this state.

    According to per capita income, Halibut Cove is the most affluent area in this state.

    Alaska is home to over 12 educational institutions.

     

    Relative Size Of Alaska

    The seashore of Alaska is larger than the collective shorelines of the fifty US states.

    Alaska is two times bigger than Texas, which stands at the second position among the biggest states of America.

    It is bigger than eighteen autonomous countries of the world.

    The collective area of 22 smallest American states is less than the area of Alaska.

    Alaska’s ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) is the biggest wildlife sanctuary of the world.

    An Alaska’s tunnel known as Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel has a length of about 2.5 miles and is North America’s biggest road-rail arrangement.

    Located on the south central area of this state is a region called Anchorage metropolitan area, where nearly 50 percent of local people are inhabited.

    Unlike many of the other American states, Alaska comprises of boroughs (sixteen of them) instead of counties.

    Politics of Alaska

    When it comes to elections for US Presidents, Alaska has always been in Republican’s camp. That’s why Barack Obama lost here both in 2008 elections as well as in 2012’s because he was a Democrat.

    Though he was routed in 2012 elections but by clinching 40 percent votes from Alaska, Barack Obama became the first Democrat ever since 1968 to have achieved such high percentage of Alaskan votes.

    Due to lower population in Alaska compared to the rest of the states, the United States House of Representatives comprises of only 1 Alaskan member.

    More Facts About Alaska

    This state was previously under the supremacy of Russia.

    America had acquired it on 30th March, 1867 at the cost of 7.2 million dollars.

    Alaska’s at-large Congressional District is the biggest US congressional district.

    St. Gabriel is believed to be the very first ship from Europe that arrived in Alaska back in August 1732.

    When Alaska was under the control of Russia, Sitka used to be the capital of this state.

    It was in 1912 that Alaska was declared as a planned territory.

    Cessna 208 Caravan is a famous Alaska’s nine-seat airliner.

    Lake Hood Seaplane Base of Alaska is the busiest base in the world.

    Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (which is a dog team race held in winter) is a well-known amusement in Alaska.

    Alaska’s Stikine River is 610 km long and receives the biggest number of Bald Eagles that are united in one place.

    • The song of this state is called Alaska’s Flag.
    • It was included on January 03, 1959.
    • Other name of Alaska is: The Last Frontier
    • Juneau is the capital of Alaska.
    • The motto of this state is North to the Future.
    • Willow Ptarmigan is the bird of this state.
    • Four-spot skimmer dragonfly is Alaska’s hallmark insect.
    • Alaskan Malamute is the dog of this state.
    • Moose is the land mammal of this state while Bowhead Whale is its maritime mammal.
    • A gigantic Woolly Mammoth is the fossil present in this state.
    • Chinook salmon is the fish of Alaska.
    • Forget-me-not is the flower of this state.
    • Dogteam racing is the sport of Alaska.
    • Jade is the precious stone that is found here.
    • Gold is the mineral of this state.
    • Sitkta spruce is the tree of Alaska.
  • Mount Rushmore Facts For Kids | The Biggest Work of Art in the World

    Mount Rushmore Facts For Kids | The Biggest Work of Art in the World

    There couldn’t be a better way to pay a mark of respect to those who changed the course of history than by building a monument that was to become a hallmark for the entire country. Located on the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is certainly one such feat that stands out in terms of design and skillfulness involved in its construction. What’s more, the presence of illustrious figures makes it even more enticing for the visitors which is why nearly three million people flock toward this very site every year and thus realizing the goal for which it was primarily intended. The mastermind behind its making was Doane Robinson, a state historian. But the one who gave real life to his plan was an ingenious sculptor named Gutzon Borglum who built something with no precedent in its making. No wonder during the first 150 years of the country’s history, four US Presidents that demand higher respect than others are Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Borglum rightly picked out these four for his carving. Well, it’s just a tip of the iceberg! To find out more in Mount Rushmore facts for kids, let’s explore it in detail.

    Mount Rushmore Facts for Kids | A Brief History

    It all began in 1923 when Robinson came up with an idea of turning one of the South Dakota’s hills into something that has never been attempted before. He therefore sought the help of Peter Norbeck (a US Senator) who liked his idea so much that he told him to find a sculptor that would turn his dream into reality. In 1924, Robinson sent a proposal to Gutzon Borglum. Borglum agreed to his proposal right away. After passing through few bumpy rides on its way due to lack of appropriate funding as well as environmentalists’ fear, the bill was eventually passed by Federal legislature in 1925 sanctioning its construction. However the project was accelerated by the arrival of President Calvin Coolidge in 1927, when he stretched his 3-week short tour into a 90-day voyage and formally announced Mount Rushmore as a “National Shrine”.

    Fascinating Mount Rushmore Facts for Kids

    The carving of this mountain is indeed the biggest artistic work across the globe so far.

    The mountain was named in 1885 after Charles E. Rushmore, a New York attorney.

    The four Presidents on Mount Rushmore are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

    The entire project took 14 long years to complete.

    Nearly 400 laborers were involved in its making.

    Luckily, no worker passed away during construction.

    Borglum was 60 years old when he started carving Mount Rushmore.

    These workers were so talented that almost 90 percent of Mount Rushmore was carved by means of dynamite.

    450,000 tons of hard granite was actually taken out from the hill.

    Other Mount Rushmore Facts For Kids

    One of the reasons why Borglum chose Mount Rushmore is the fact that the hill is positioned in such a way that it receives maximum sunlight and thus illuminating Presidents’ faces for most of the daytime.

    The granite of Mount Rushmore is really smooth and also resistant to erosion so much so that even after 10,000 years it is estimated to wear away by only one inch. That’s why Borglum chose this very site.

    Initially Borglum modeled all four US Presidents on a scale of inches such that one inch on the model correspond to one foot on the mountain. In this way, it was quite easy for the workers to carve out faces with utmost precision simply by following the model.

    George Washington rightly earned the first place in Mount Rushmore (he was the first to be carved out) as he represents the birth of our nation by liberating us from the supremacy of England.

    With an aim of saving records of Mount Rushmore in a vault, Borglum started making a cave on a stony hill in 1938. This vault is situated right at the back of Mount Rushmore and is named as ‘Hall of Records’. However it couldn’t be completed because Borglum had died and also the Second World War was started afterwards.

    Borglum died during construction in March 1941 and his son, Lincoln took over the ongoing work of his father.

    Lincoln spent only seven months on the project and ended it on October 31, 1941.

    The project had to be called off due to lack of funds since it was time of Great Depression.

    Had the project was carried out according to the original plan (which included the face as well as body and down to the toes); the height of each President would’ve been 465 feet high.

    At the foot of Mount Rushmore lie flags of 56 states.

    Today National Park Service is in charge of this historical monument.

    Quick Guide To Mount Rushmore Facts for Kids

    Name of sculptor: Gutzon Borglum

    Person who conceived the idea: Doane Robinson

    Starting date of construction: October 4, 1927

    Ending date of construction: October 31, 1941

    Total cost of project: $989,992.32 (or nearly $1 million)

    Height of Mount Rushmore: 5,725 feet

    Height of each face: 60 feet

    Length of each nose: 20 feet

    Width of each mouth: 18 feet

    Span of each eye: 11 feet

    Formal years to announce dedication to four Presidents:

    George Washington: 1930

    Thomas Jefferson: 1936

    Abraham Lincoln: 1937

    Theodore Roosevelt: 1939