Patrick Henry: Voice of Freedom
Patrick Henry was one of the leading lights of the American Revolution, a voice that would not be silenced until Americans were free and could govern themselves.

Samuel Adams: Ringleader of the American Revolution
Described as a firebrand, a revolutionary, and a patriot, the young Adams was perhaps the most vocal of his generation to demand independence from Great Britain. He believed in the higher cause of independence, and he didn't often let laws that he thought unjust stand in his way.

Benjamin Franklin: America's Renaissance Man
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous people of his generation, his country, and his country’s history. He was as close as Colonial America came to having a Renaissance man.

John Hancock: The Money Behind the Revolution
John Hancock is perhaps best known for his very large signature on the Declaration of Independence. However, he was much more important to the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War as a businessman who had large sums of money at his disposal and used that money to support the American cause.

The Boston Tea Party
What caused Americans to get so upset about tea? Find out in this easy-to-read article.

The Courage of Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson was one of the most important African-Americans in the history of the country. He was the first of his race to play baseball in the Major Leagues, a pioneer for much more than other baseball players. His quiet resolve in the face of withering criticism and nearly daily death threats led many to respect him and even support him in his quest to help his country move toward equal rights for all Americans, not only in sports but also in other areas of life. He made his Major League debut on April 15, 1947.

The 1906 San Francisco Killer Earthquake

A powerful earthquake that hit Northern California on April 18, 1906, was one of the worst natural disasters in American history, killing about 3,000 people and destroying most of the city of San Francisco. The Richter scale was not in use at the time of this quake, but later estimates put the Richter scale-equivalent at a magnitude of 7.8. Decades of minor quakes led up to the huge earthquake, which occurred at 5:12 a.m. along the San Andreas Fault and lasted about a minute. The epicenter is thought to have been near Daly City, just south of San Francisco proper. Shaking of varying varieties was reported as far south as Los Angeles and well eastward into Nevada. The shaking uprooted trees and buildings, displaced railroad tracks, downed power lines, broke gas lines and water mains, and created huge amounts of rubble all over the city. In all, about 80 percent of the buildings fell. The huge amount of initial shaking resulted in nearly 400 deaths straight away. A much more deadly consequence of the earthquake, however, was a series of fires that devastated the city and resulted in the majority of the fatalities. Of the city’s pre-quake population of 400,000, more than half that were left homeless.

Lexington-Concord
The two major skirmishes that signaled the beginning of the Revolutionary War took place on April 19, 1775. It began with the famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and ended with a lesson in the importance of having the high ground. The result was a small lesson that would turn into a larger refrain, that the British occupation of the Eastern Seaboard was about to find its days numbered.

Basic Economics Want vs. Need Supply and Demand Scarcity and Choices Goods and Services Interdependence Who Needs Money? Inflation The Stock Market

(For a description of these fun, illustrated, easy-to-read articles, click here.)

Making a Budget
One thing that every good money manager does is make a budget. Find out why and how.

Why All the Graphics in Economics?
Economics needs so many graphs because it tracks trends and other numerical information that other subjects in the social studies don't, at least not nearly as often. Take the mystery and difficulty out of charts, tables, and graphs!

The Importance of Trade
Trade is vital to the success of a civilization. Why? The civilization that can produce just enough of everything it and its people need to survive is rare indeed. Can you think of an example, today or in the long history of people? Keep thinking ...

Basic Geography: The Equator and the Prime Meridian
The earth is a globe, of course, and can be divided into lots of lines called latitude and longitude. Latitude lines run north and south; longitude lines run east and west. The lines measure distances in degrees. But where do you start? Where is 0 degrees? This illustrated article answers those questions and more in a fun, easy-to-read way.

Latitude and Longitude
Latitude and Longitude help us identify the location of places on a globe. These links give you a better understanding of these important concepts.

Unforgiving Places
Deserts, mountains, wastelands—these are some of the planet's Unforgiving Places. Learn more about these lonely yet intriguing destinations.

ANCIENT ROME

The Roman civilization was full of famous people, places, and things. One of the giants of the ancient civilizations was Rome: the city, the republic, the empire, and much more.

Among the more well-known ancient Romans were Julius Caesar, Augustus (right), Pompey, Nero, Caligula.

An elaborate slave class powered the might of Rome, and perhaps no slave was more famous than Spartacus, who led a large-scale revolt in the year 73.

Rome had many enemies. Among the most well-known were Hannibal, Atilla the Hun, Alaric the Visigoth, the Etruscans, the Samnites, and the Parthians. It was the Roman legion that won the wars and kept the peace for a great many years. Rome also suffered through years of internal strife.

The Romans were great builders, of roads, aqueducts, baths, and temples. They built a system of laws that formed the basis for many a legal system to follow.

ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL MESOAMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA