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TopClicks
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Curiosities, Wonders & Interesting Facts
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Explorers and Exploring
1492 Exhibit - This Library of Congress display examines Columbus, the man and the myth. Why do we talk about the "discovery" of America when people were living there all along? What was life like in the America that Columbus encountered? What changes, immediate and long term, befell both the Europeans and the people of the Americas?
America's West - Development and History - Return with us now to the days of yesteryear--of gold rush and ghost town, the heyday of cowboy and gunslinger. At this site, you'll discover links to information on America's westward expansion, famous Western trails, pioneers, trappers, and biographies of Kit Carson, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Billy the Kid, Sitting Bull, Roy Rogers, and lots of famous folks in between. There are links to movies about the West as well as to Western theme parks and dude ranches. A caution to parents: Not all the outbound links have been reviewed.
Antartic Explorers - Soon after the North Pole was reached by Robert E. Peary in 1909, the race was on to see who could get to the South Pole first. This page looks at three explorers: Ernest Shackleton, Robert Scott, and Roald Amundsen. All three attempted to reach the South Pole in the early 1900s, but only Amundsen and Scott made it. Investigate their strategies and what went wrong, or right, in each case.
Archaeology's Dig - How's this for a fantastic factoid? In 1996, at a dig site in Sweden, archaeologists found what they think is the world's oldest piece of chewing gum! It was made of birch bark tar and might be over 6,500 years old. For some reason no one checked if it had lost its flavor. You'll really dig this kids' magazine on archaeology.
Bancroft Arnesen Expedition - Join Ann Bancroft (USA) and Liv Arnesen (Norway) in their quest to be the first women to ski and sail across Antarctica — 2400 miles, 100 days, 250 pound sleds, 30 degrees below zero. Track their progress and view images and stories about their historic trip.
BLM's Resource Explorers - It's 120 degrees outside, but inside New Mexico's Endless Cave it's cool and comfortable. Here in the "twilight" section of the cave--where sunlight filters in--we'll see mice, rattlesnakes, and even a few ringtail cats. Further into the cave, it's dark all the time, and most of the creatures we'll see are colorless and have no eyes. They don't need eyes because there is nothing to see--however, their other senses tell them what's going on nearby. Learn more about this cave and the people who explore it.
Coelacanth: The Fish Out of Time - In 1938, fishermen off the coast of South Africa found the first living coelacanth in recent history, and there was another reported find in 1952, off the Comoros Islands (to the northeast, in the Mozambique Channel). This isn't just another fish story, either. The coelacanth (pronounced "see-la-kanth") is a 400-million-year-old "living fossil" fish, once thought to have become extinct long ago. This account of its amazing discovery reads like a mystery novel.
Conquistadors - Join Michael Wood as he sails back half a millennium to a time when the Americas were "new" and Spain was a superpower, a nation of crusading adventurers whose quest for gold, land and souls destroyed ancient civilizations and created the modern globe.
Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark - In 1804, President Thomas Jefferson looked out the window and said, "Hmm, I wonder if there is a water route, maybe a river or something, that goes all the way across the continent and ends up at the Pacific Ocean? Something we could navigate with boats, so we could get supplies there, and settle, and eventually build theme parks." OK, so he didn't really say that. But he did want the West explored, and Lewis and Clark were just the guys to take on the task. Want to join their expedition and see what happens?
Forbidden Territory @ Nationalgeographic.com - "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Who said those famous words, and what were the circumstances? Between 1841 and 1873, a Scots missionary named David Livingstone made several journeys to Africa, at a time when the continent was largely unexplored. He was the first European to see many of Africa's sights, including Victoria Falls, which he named in honor of his sovereign, Queen Victoria. His writings about his exploits were always eagerly awaited back home. In 1866, Livingstone set off to discover the source of the Nile, the world's longest river. He was 53. No news came for years. Finally, in 1869, a reporter named Henry Morton Stanley was sent to look for Livingstone. According to this site, "On October 27, 1871, Stanley `discovered' Livingstone at the village of Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika, greeting him with the now-famous words: `Dr. Livingstone, I presume?'" What happened next? Visit this Web page to find out.
Global Online Adventure Learning Site - Magellan, de Soto, Columbus. You've already heard of these famous explorers from the past. Right now, all over the world, people are still exploring and having adventures! You can catch up with them and read their travel reports on the Net. For example, there's the Laffitte family, sailing the South Pacific for two years. You can read about their experiences, plus lots of other trips, here.
Journeys and Expeditions of Marquette, Drake, Columbus, Cortez, and DeSoto - You've heard good and bad things about Columbus, but how much do you know about these other explorers: de Soto, Cortez, Drake, and Marquette? At this site, each explorer tells of his life and exploits in his own words. Kids illustrated the stories with crayon drawings. This site was created by students for the ThinkQuest Junior competition.
National Geographic.com - Take a road trip with National Geographic as they take you on a series of adventures around the world. Tour the fantastic forest, discover dinosaur eggs, and even stop at the White House. These people are exploring professionals!
New South Polar Times - This site offers a dramatic account of man's touch on the Antarctic continent, from the earliest explorers, who went by dogsled, to modern scientists in airplanes. Fascinating stuff--the story is better than Saturday superhero cartoons, and it's all true! There are a lot of great stories on traveling to the South Pole, so plan on spending some time at this site.
Quia! Explorers of North America - If you need to learn your explorers and what regions they discovered, test yourself at this site. There are flash cards you can flip, a word search, Concentration, and matching games to make sure you know your de Soto from your Cartier.
Raising the Mammoth-Discovery Online - An expedition to raise an intact mammoth from the Siberian permafrost, complete with detailed material on the century-old search for mammoths.
Tales From the Peruvian Amazon - Have you ever dreamed about exploring the Amazon jungle? Ron Belliveau, Project Amazonas staff biologist, did more than dream--he packed his bags and did it! Ease your canoe into the water and join him as he tells his tale in words and pictures. Climb onto the river bank and into the dense rain forest that envelops you. You almost hear the songs and screeches of exotic Amazon birds. You almost feel one unlucky adventurer's shock of running his metal collection net into an electric eel! Whether you're looking at a photo of butterflies quietly sipping in a pool or the grin of a saber-toothed characin (enough to make a piranha envious), you'll hardly believe your eyes.
Terraquest - Tired of reading about all those musty old explorers from long ago? This site allows you to go along on some fantastic present-day journeys. You'll find pictures, virtual reality panoramas, audio, and text that document real expeditions with real people just like you! Try virtual Antarctica and discover the wonders of the South Pole. Or perhaps you'd like a sea voyage to the virtual Galapagos Islands--learn about how these remote islands' unique animals helped Charles Darwin formulate his theories of evolution. If that's not enough, tag along with blind mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer as he scales the 3,000-foot sheer wall of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Two Legends of Aviation - Read biographies of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, articles of the day concerning the fliers' exploits. Learn about air navigation and listen to live conversations between air traffic controllers and pilots at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport
Volcano Expedition - Come explore the volcanos of Costa Rica. You'll find lots of information, photos, movies and information in this close up look of volcanic activity. Spectacular photos throughout the site and daily journals from the research team really make this site spectacular to see.
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