|
|
 |
| Home>>Collection>>Your
Page>>Archives>>Your
Question (Jun-Aug, 2001) |
| |
2003
| Apr-Dec,
2002
| Jan-Mar,
2002
| Sep-Dec,
2001
| Jun-Aug, 2001 | Feb-May,
2001
|
| |
August 27, 2001:
 Q:
What is the Louisiana Purchase?
(Simon from Des Moines)
A: In
1803, Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United
States, bought a huge tract of land west of the
Mississippi River from France's Emperor Napoleon
which doubled the size of the then-United States.
This is known as the Louisiana Purchase. The next
year, Jefferson sent the famous explorers, Lewis
and Clark, to map the new land, called the Louisiana
Territory. Sacagawea was a guide and interpreter
for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Read
more in Report #4.
Photo:
Abe, Robert E., Ulysses,
and Sacagawea on a
bluff overlooking the Mississippi
River at the start of
their adventures on the Great River Road. Read
more in Report #6.
Top
of Page
|
|
August 20, 2001:
 Q:
When was the Lincoln Memorial built?
(Jeff W.)
A: The
ground breaking for the Lincoln
Memorial was on February
12, 1914, the 105th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.
After eight years of construction, the Lincoln Memorial
was dedicated on Memorial Day, 1922, to honor the
16th President of the United States. Two of Abraham
Lincoln's speeches -- the Gettysburg Address and
his Second Inaugural Address -- are carved inside
the Memorial. Did you know
the Lincoln Memorial is surrounded by thirty-six
columns, one for every state in the reunited Union
at the time of Lincoln's death? Read
more about Abe Lincoln.
Photo: Abe
in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,
D.C.
Top
of Page
|
|
August 13, 2001:
  Q:
Did Mozart influence Beethoven or did Beethoven
influence Mozart?
(Carmen from Wisconsin)
A:
Mozart influenced Beethoven's music. Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart
lived from 1756 to 1791, and Ludwig van Beethoven
lived from 1770 to 1827. Wolfgang's music influenced
many composers. He affected the later works of Joseph
Haydn and the next generation of composers, including
Ludwig van Beethoven. Read a book about
Wolfgang A. Mozart
or Ludwig
van Beethoven.
Photos: Wolfgang
A. Mozart (left) and Ludwig
van Beethoven (right).
Top
of Page
|
|
August 6, 2001:
 Q:
When was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A:
The Declaration
of Independence was signed
by all the delegates of the Second Continental Congress
on August 2, 1776.
The United States, however, celebrates its Independence
on July 4 because that is the day the Declaration
of Independence was adopted by all the colonies.
Here are some important dates regarding the signing
of the Declaration of Independence:
July 2, 1776:
The text of the Declaration of Independence was
approved
July
4, 1776: The Declaration of Independence
was adopted by all the colonies
July
8, 1776: The Declaration of Independence
was read publicly in the State House Yard in Philadelphia
and the Liberty Bell was rung.
August 2, 1776:
The Declaration of Independence was signed by all
the delegates of the Second Continental Congress
Read
more about the birth of the United States.
Read
a book about the American Revolution.
Photo: Thomas
Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin drafting
the Declaration of Independence.
Top
of Page
|
|
July 30, 2001:
Q:
Was Ben Franklin born in Philadelphia or Boston?
A: Boston.
Ben
Franklin was born on January 17, 1706,
in Boston, Massachusetts, to Josiah and Abiah Franklin.
He came from a big family -- he had 16 brothers
and sisters! His father was a candle and soap maker.
At age 10, Ben helped his father. Ben's older brother,
James, published the newspaper, The New England
Courant. At age 12, Ben was an apprentice for
James. When Ben was 17 years old, he left Boston
and moved to Philadelphia. Soon, Ben started his
own print shop, met his wife Deborah, and went on
to accomplish so much more. Read
a book about Ben Franklin
and Read
more about the times in which he lived.
Top
of Page
|
|
July 23, 2001:
 Q:
How did William Shakespeare get the nickname "The
Bard of Avon?"
A: William
Shakespeare's nickname
is "The Bard of Avon." A bard is another word for
poet, and William is one of the greatest poets in
the world. Therefore, he is known as "The Bard."
"Of Avon" is added to this name because William
was born in Stratford-upon-Avon. When the two names
are put together, William's nickname becomes "The
Bard of Avon." Read
a book about William Shakespeare.
Photo: William
Shakespeare
Top
of Page
|
|
July 16, 2001:
 Q:
What is the difference between the Mercury, Gemini,
and Apollo missions?
A: When
President John F. Kennedy stated on May 25, 1961,
"I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving
the goal, before this decade is out, of landing
a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth,"
NASA responded with Projects Mercury, Gemini, and
Apollo. Project
Mercury was the United
States' first man-in-space program, and it had been
underway since 1958. The spacecraft was designed
for one person. On May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard,
Jr. became the first American in space aboard Freedom
7; it was a suborbital flight lasting 15 minutes,
28 seconds. Project
Gemini, announced
in January, 1962, was the second U.S. manned space
program. It was designed for a two-man crew and
named after the constellation Gemini (composed of
twin stars). Gemini consisted of 12 flights, including
10 manned flights. In June, 1965, aboard Gemini
4, Ed White performed the first American "space
walk," lasting 22 minutes. And finally Project
Apollo consisted of
11 manned flights, including Apollo 11 which in
July, 1969, landed a man on the Moon and returned
him safely to Earth, just as President Kennedy had
envisioned.
Photo: Astronaut
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr., the second human
to walk on the moon, July 20-21, 1969.
Top
of Page
|
|
July 9, 2001:
 Q:
Was Yosemite National Park the first national park?
A: No,
the first National Park was Yellowstone
National Park established
on March 1, 1872. Yosemite
National Park was established
on October 1, 1890. Yosemite contains 747,956 acres
or 1,169 square miles. Did
you know Yosemite is about the size of
Rhode Island? The park ranges from 2,000 feet above
sea level to more than 13,000 feet. Did
you know Mt. Lyell (13,114 feet) is the
highest point in the park? Yosemite has beautiful
waterfalls including Yosemite Falls (2,424 feet),
Bridalveil Fall (620 feet), Nevada Fall (594 feet),
and Vernal Fall (317 feet). These waterfalls reach
their maximum flow in May and June.
Photo: Bridalveil
Fall and the Merced River.
Top
of Page
|
|
July 2, 2001:
Q:
When was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A:
The Declaration
of Independence was signed
by all the delegates of the Second Continental Congress
on August 2, 1776.
The United States, however, celebrates its Independence
on July 4 because that is the day the Declaration
of Independence was adopted by all the colonies.
Here are some important dates regarding the signing
of the Declaration of Independence:
July 2, 1776:
The text of the Declaration of Independence was
approved
July
4, 1776: The Declaration of Independence
was adopted by all the colonies
July
8, 1776: The Declaration of Independence
was read publicly in the State House Yard in Philadelphia
and the Liberty Bell was rung.
August 2, 1776:
The Declaration of Independence was signed by all
the delegates of the Second Continental Congress
Read more about the birth of the United States.
Read
a book about the American Revolution.
Photo: Thomas
Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin drafting
the Declaration of Independence.
Top
of Page
|
|
June 25, 2001:
 Q:
What does the Tudor Rose on the King Hal Bear represent?
A:
A little history
of the War
of the Roses is needed
to understand what the Tudor Rose represents. The
War of the Roses (1455-1485) was fought between
the House of York (represented by a white rose)
and the House of Lancaster (represented by a red
rose) for control of the throne of England. The
War of the Roses came to an end when Henry VII (representing
the Lancaster family) and Elizabeth of York (representing
the York family) were married. The families were
united, and Henry VII became the first Tudor King
of England. The Tudor family is represented by the
Tudor Rose - a rose which combines both a red and
a white rose as a symbol of unification of the Lancaster
and York families. The union of the two families
was reaffirmed when the son of Henry VII and Elizabeth
of York became King. This King was Henry
VIII. Read
a book about King Hal.
Photo: Tudor
Rose
Top
of Page
|
|
June 18, 2001:
Q:
What is so important about the summer solstice?
(Valerie from Chicago)
A:
The summer solstice is on June 21. It is the first
day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and is
the longest day of the year. This occurs because
of the tilt of the earth in relation to the sun.
In the summer, the North Pole is tilted toward the
sun which means the sun is higher in the sky, the
weather is warmer, and the days are longer. Did
you know the seasons are opposite in
the Southern Hemisphere? If the North Pole is titled
toward the sun, then the South Pole is titled away
from the sun. This means it is winter in the Southern
Hemisphere which brings colder weather and shorter
days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice
is December 21. It is the first day of winter and
is the shortest day of the year. Did
you know there is little temperature
changes between seasons for areas near the equator?
Read
a book about the sun.
Top
of Page
|
|
June 11, 2001:
 Q:
Why did the Emancipation Proclamation only free
slaves in areas controlled by the Confederacy?
(Mia
W.)
A: The
Emancipation Proclamation was signed by Abraham
Lincoln
on January 1, 1863, and freed the 4 million African-Americans
held as slaves in the Confederate States of America.
For political and military reasons, the Emancipation
Proclamation did not free the slaves in the border
states: Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware.
These states, located between the North and the
South, were the only slaves states still in the
Union. To win the war, the Union needed the support
from the border states. If slavery were banned in
all states, the border states may have seceded and
joined the Confederacy which may have given the
Confederacy enough momentum to defeat the Union
on the battlefield and become its own country. If
the Confederacy had won the war, slavery would have
continued in the border states and the southern
states. Read
a book about Abraham Lincoln.
Photo: Abraham
Lincoln.
Top
of Page
|
|
June 4, 2001:
 Q:
Why did the King and Queen of Spain finance Christopher
Columbus' voyage to the Americas if Columbus was
Italian? (Peter)
A: Christopher
Columbus wanted to find a new trade route
from Europe to the Far East by sailing west. This
was considered a dangerous voyage in the 1400's,
and it took him many years to acquire a financial
backing for his adventure. Many people denied Christopher's
request, including John II of Portugal, Charles
VIII of France, and Henry VII of England. In 1486,
Christopher asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
of Spain to finance his voyage. At this time, Spain
was fighting a war with the Moors, and the royal
treasury did not have any money to spare. Finally
Spain won the war, and in January, 1492, Ferdinand
and Isabella agreed to finance Christopher's voyage.
Christopher was given 90 men and 3 ships (Niña,
Pinta, and Santa María). Read
a book about Christopher.
Photo: Christopher
Columbus
Top
of Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
