Learn the Difference Between Mastodons and Mammoths

by Jeremiah Warren, age 12

Mammoths and mastodons were similar animals and today sometimes get confused with each other. Both animals had trunks and a tusk, similar to elephants today.

Until about 5,000 years ago, small populations of woolly mammoths lived on islands in the Arctic Ocean. Both mammoths and mastodons went extinct between 11,000 to 12,000 years ago.

When scientists find a skeleton, they look at the head to tell these animals apart. Mastodons had bigger heads than mammoths, while mammoths had a knob made out of bone on the top of their skulls. They both had long tusks, but mammoth tusks grew at a curve, with some even crossing in front of each other. Additionally, mastodons had much shorter and straighter tusks than mammoths. [read more]

Greatest Game in Football History? The 1967 Ice Bowl!

by Jacob Dunn, age 12

The “Ice Bowl” was a Green Bay Packers football game that forever left its imprint on NFL history. It is also one of the most important sporting events in Wisconsin history.

On Sunday, December 31, 1967 the Packers and Dallas Cowboys were set to play in the league championship game for the second year in a row. However, cold weather conditions came out of nowhere overnight. Temperatures fell quickly and by game time it was -16 degrees with cold and brutal winds.

The Saturday before the game, two television networks came to broadcast the game to national audiences. The city of Green Bay was packed with people who labeled the city “Titletown USA” because the Packers had won the previous two titles. Now they were looking for their third straight championship. [read more]

The Peshtigo Firestorm and Tornado

by Jeremiah Warren, age 11

The Peshtigo fire was a huge fire that destroyed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin on October 8, 1871. Although the fire is considered one of the deadliest fires in America history, somehow it is largely forgotten.

In the 1800s many fires were set on purpose. It was as a common practice to clear land for farming and for building railroads in 1871. On the day of the fire, a cold front moved west that brought very strong winds. This pushed the fire out of control, creating a big wildfire that headed towards the town of Peshtigo.

Another reason the Pestigo fire is forgotten is because a big in Chicago happened on the same day. The Great Chicago Fire also started October 8, 1871. [read more]

Gladys West Used Math and Science to Map Planet Earth

by Hiba Al-Quraishi, age 14

Gladys West was a splendid mathematician. She was an African-American woman who accomplished many things during her career. Glady West is best known for developing a Global Positioning System, which today we call GPS.

“When you’re working every day, you’re not thinking ‘What impact is this going to have on the world?’ You’re thinking, I’ve got to get this right.” said Gladys West.

Gladys West was born on October 27, 1930 on a farm in southern Virginia. She spent the majority of her childhood working on her family’s farm. In addition to farm labor, her mother worked at a tobacco factory and her father worked for the railroads. West viewed her parents as an inspiration for what she became. Early on in her life, Gladys decided that she did not want to work in farms or factories like her parents. She wanted an education. [read more]

Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter and Conductor on the Underground Railroad

by Ayelen Flores Ruiz, age 11

Harriet Tubman, a former slave, helped many African-American slaves reach freedom via the Underground Railroad. She also made significant contributions to the Union Army and was an important activist during the Civil War. She was known for being the first African American woman to assist the Union Army during the Civil War.

Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County in Maryland between 1820 and 1822. Tubman was born into slavery. She was one of nine siblings, born to Harriet Green and Benjamin Ross. When Harriet Tubman was young she got hit in the head for helping a man who was being beaten for trying to escape, causing her to have horrible headaches and narcolepsy.

Tubman escaped slavery by using the Underground Railroad. She then navigated people who were trying to escape to freedom by using the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was never caught and never lost a passenger while assisting people to freedom. Because of her success in escaping many slaves, Tubman had a $40,000 bounty on her head. [read more]

The Armistice Day Blizzard: Worst Winter Storm in Wisconsin History

by Theodore B. Morrison, age 14

Anyone who lives in the northern Midwest has experienced his or her fair share of snowstorms. These snowstorms though, do not compare to the Armistice Day Blizzard, one of the most devastating natural disasters in Wisconsin’s history.

The name originates from the storm which occurred on Armistice Day, now known as Veterans Day, a day that celebrated the end of World War I and a new period of peace. However, this blizzard was anything but peaceful.

The Armistice Day Blizzard on November 11 and 12, 1940 caused a drastic drop in temperature that resulted in more than 150 deaths in Wisconsin. The blizzard formed when cold northern air combined with warm moisture from the Gulf Coast, which created a sudden drop in air pressure. The storm generated winds up to 80 MPH, creating 20-foot snowdrifts, laying down a foot of snow, and conditions similar to those of a hurricane. [read more]

The Colosseum: Symbol of Roman Power

by Amalia Fung-Jenikins, age 12

The Colosseum is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome with millions of people visiting each year. Also known as the Flavian Amphitheater, it has a very rich history dating back to the early A.D. 70’s when it was built as a gift to the Roman people.

Following the opening, the Colosseum went through many changes. Ultimately, it reached almost four stories high with measurements of approximately 620 feet by 513 feet. In terms of the design, it had the capacity for 50,000 spectators and there were a total of eighty entrances: 76 for the attendants of the events, two for the event participants, and another two for emperors only. The emperors regularly attended the gladiatorial games held in the Colosseum. During the first opening, the emperor Titus held a 100-day celebration for the gladiatorial games. The emperor Commodus was especially famous for performing in the arena during the games. In addition to the games, the Colosseum also held dramas, reenactments and public executions.

Eventually the Roman people lost interest in the games. After a number of earthquakes, the condition of the Colosseum began to disintegrate around the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D. With almost two-thirds of the structure destroyed by the 20th century, restoration of the building began in the 1990’s. [read more]

Proposal to Rename 'Bloody Sunday' Civil Rights Landmark Garners a Half-Million Signatures

by Sandy Flores, age 14

Michael Starr Hopkins is currently circulating a petition he created to rename the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. To date, over 500,000 have signed the petition.

The newly proposed namesake, John Lewis, was an American politician and civil-rights leader who served in the United States House of Representatives from Georgia. He recently passed away on July 17, 2020. He was known as one of the “big six” leaders who organized the 1963 march on Washington during which Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Lewis fulfilled many key roles in the civil rights movement, which fought to end legalized racial segregation in the United States.

The Pettus bridge was the scene of the infamous “Bloody Sunday” march for Civil Rights. On that Sunday, March 7th, 1965, many brothers and sisters came together to march along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama to the state capitol of Montgomery. Many people were almost beaten to death while others suffered severe injuries. John Lewis had his skull fractured by police during the first of three scheduled marches from Selma to Montgomery. [read more]

The Last Pharaoh of Egypt: Cleopatra

by Jada Matson, age 13

Cleopatra VII ruled as co-regent of Egypt for almost three decades. She was the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, whose family ruled Egypt for 300 years. Cleopatra is best known for being the last pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Cleopatra was born in 69 BC to the Pharoah Ptolemy XII and an unknown mother. During her childhood, she was brought up in the palace of Alexandria in Egypt and received a Greek education, as her family was of Greek descent. But she knew quite a few different languages; some of them being, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Hebrew, and Arabic. Cleopatra's family can be traced back to the Macedonian house of the Ptolemies, who took the throne after the death of Alexander the Great.

When she was eighteen years old, Cleopatra's father passed away, leaving his throne to her and her youngest brother, Ptolemy XIII. Right away, Cleopatra and her ten-year-old brother were married and began to co-rule Egypt. Since Cleopatra was much older than her brother, she took control as the main ruler; but once Ptolemy XIII was older, he wanted more power. Soon, he kicked Cleopatra out of the palace and took over as Pharaoh. [read more]

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The Peshtigo fire was a huge fire that destroyed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin on October 8, 1871. Although the fire is considered one of the deadliest fires in America history, somehow it is largely forgotten. [read more...]
Anyone who lives in the northern Midwest has experienced his or her fair share of snowstorms. These snowstorms though, do not compare to the Armistice Day Blizzard, one of the most devastating natural disasters in Wisconsin’s history. [read more...]
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In the Black Hills of South Dakota, there is a curious looking mountain. [read more...]
The city of Petra is located in the Middle Eastern country of Jordan. Before the first temples and tombs were built in 300 B.C. E. thick layers of rock surrounded the area. The city is the namesake of this rocky terrain, petra meaning rock. [read more...]
Imagine standing at the foot of a huge Chichén Itzá pyramid in Mexico, as I did recently during a family trip. I took in the enormity of the pyramid and its vast desert-like surroundings. I felt speechless at the thought that many years ago the place where I was standing was the heart of the Mayan civilization. The Mayan civilization flourished for more than seven hundred years. [read more...]
The history of horses is a long and interesting story that started around 5000 B.C.E. Around 4500 B.C.E. farming communities sprung up starting in the southwest part of central Asia and the edges of Europe where conditions permitted. Early farmers spent their days growing crops and herding livestock. These early farmers were some of the first to domesticate horses. [read more...]
The early 20th century was a time in U.S. history when racism and discrimination was at its height. Because of the color of their skin, some people were treated like animals. Despite this culture, groups like the Tuskegee Airmen, worked tirelessly to break down barriers for African Americans. [read more...]
Wisconsin is often referred to as the “Badger State.” Most people think Wisconsin got its nickname because there are lots of badgers in the state, but this is not true. [read more...]
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. [read more...]
Many people call him the “Babe Ruth of the Negro Leagues.” His name was Joshua Gibson, and he was one of the most famous Negro League baseball players ever. Throughout his life, he got better and better at baseball. He started as a pitcher, a catcher, and a hitter. [read more...]
Remains from one of the world’s oldest cities date back to the year 6250 BC. These remains came from Catal Huyuk. During this time, the people in this city got into their houses through a hole in the roof instead of using a door. [read more...]