Odd Origins of Idioms In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. The solution was a metal plate called a 'Monkey' with 16 round indentations. Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. U.S. History: Free streaming history videos and activities Mind42: Free online mind mapping software
America before Columbus History books traditionally depict the pre-Columbus Americas as a pristine wilderness where small native villages lived in harmony with nature. But scientific evidence tells a very different story: When Columbus stepped ashore in 1492, millions of people were already living there. America wasn't exactly a New World, but a very old one whose inhabitants had built a vast infrastructure of cities, orchards, canals and causeways. The English brought honeybees to the Americas for honey, but the bees pollinated orchards along the East Coast. Thanks to the feral honeybees, many of the plants the Europeans brought, like apples and peaches, proliferated. Some 12,000 years ago, North American mammoths, ancient horses, and other large mammals vanished. Settlers in the Americas told of rivers that had more fish than water. In 1491, more people lived in the Americas than in Europe. It’s believed that the domestication of the turkey began in pre-Columbian Mexico, and did not exist in Europe in 1491.
9 Totally NOT Boring History Movies for Kids Welcome back to the 2nd part of our Summer Movies for Kids series! Last week, we featured outstanding kids books that were made into movies -- this week, we're focusing on movies that make history FUN! When I was younger, I would complain to my Grandmother about my history homework all the time! I hated memorizing all those dates. I never understood why we had to know what happened in the past. It was all so boring to me. But there was a method to my madness -- you see, my Grandmother LOVED history! When I started complaining, she would tell me super interesting stories about the topic -- things they never taught in the classroom. And I quickly learned that was the key -- find a way to make learning about the past interesting! In addition to sharing some of our favorite history movies, we're also listing hands-on activities that will help kids to dig a little deeper and learn about some of the historic events and people introduced in each film. Now you might be thinking "How is Mr.