Like many thirteen-year-olds, J. Ernest Wilkins liked to attend parties with other kids his age. He also liked sports. He was even a whiz at table tennis, winning the State of Illinois boy’s championship in 1938. But Wilkins was also different from many of his friends. He studied difficult mathematics, like calculus and trigonometry. Instead of attending middle school, he was a student at the University …
The Dean of African American Music
American musician William Grant Still could boast of many firsts. In 1935, his Symphony No. 1 was the first symphony by an African American composer to be performed by a major American orchestra. Then in 1936, he conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, making him the first black man to conduct a major American orchestra. William Grant Still was …
Dangerous Driving in Thailand
A recent report says that the Asian country of Thailand is one of the most dangerous places to drive in the world. During the recent New Years holiday, 478 people were killed in accidents from December 29 to January 3, an increase of 26 percent over the same period the year before. In one accident alone, 25 people in an overcrowded van lost their lives …
Celebrating Colo
Animal lovers are mourning the loss of Colo, the first gorilla to ever be born in a zoo. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where Colo lived her entire life, announced on January 17 that she had died in her sleep. It was less than a month after Colo celebrated her 60th birthday. Colo—whose name is short for Columbus, Ohio, her …
Hamburg Celebrates New Concert Hall
Hamburg, Germany, celebrated the opening of its new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie, nicknamed the Elphi, with a concert on January 11. The 110-meter-tall building (about 360 feet) on the Elbe River is now the city’s tallest building. Germany’s President, Joachim Gauck, oversaw the celebration. Opening performers included the North German Radio (NDR) Symphony Orchestra, appearing under its new name, the NDR …
Hong Kong Chef Remakes an American Favorite
Chef May Chow has made a career out of combining the cuisines she ate as a girl living in the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong. The 32-year-old chef’s Hong Kong-based restaurant, Little Bao, offers what she calls “Chinese burgers.” Instead of American-style ground beef patties, her burgers use more traditional Chinese fillings. Instead of oven baked bread, Chow’s burgers are served on traditional Chinese …
Thomas Nast: Birth of a Holiday Icon, and More
A white beard. Rosy cheeks. A sack full of toys.
It can only be Santa Claus. . . .
A Victory at Standing Rock
Mni wiconi are words from the Native American Lakota language meaning water is life. They have been the rallying cry of protesters who have been assembled since August at the Oceti Sakowin camp in North Dakota. The protesters stood with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe members who were unhappy that an oil pipeline would be built so close to their reservation. On December 4, protesters shouted “Mni wiconi” in celebration when they learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not permit the pipeline to travel through their ancestral lands. . . .
Vegetable Makeover
Be sure to eat your vegetables!
Most of us have heard this from a parent, doctor, or teacher at some point. The reasons are clear. Vegetables contain nutrients that keep us healthy and can help prevent serious ailments like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Even with these known benefits, nutritionists say that many people don’t eat enough vegetables. . . .
Australia Is on the Move
Australia is moving. While people can’t really detect it without the help of complex tools, the Global Positioning System can. The Global Positioning System, or GPS for short, is a space-based system that uses satellites that orbit Earth to help people find places electronically. . . .