After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union took control of Eastern Europe and installed Communist governments in many countries. In the decades that followed the people of these countries tried to escape Communist rule but were fought against by the Soviet government. In the ten years that followed the war, the Soviets […]
The 1960s were a decade of revolution and change in politics, music and society around the world. It started in the United States and the United Kingdom, and spread to continental Europe and other parts of the globe. The 1960s were an era of protest. In the civil rights movement blacks and whites protested against […]
The Balkans are made up of several countries in the south-eastern part of Europe. They stretch from Slovenia in the north to Greece and the European part of Turkey in the southeast. The region has been troubled by many conflicts and wars throughout the centuries. It has often been called the “Powder Keg of Europe” […]
The United States has had a major interest in Greenland for many years, not only because of its strategic location between North America and Europe, but also because the island has valuable natural resources. It holds large deposits of rare earth minerals, natural gas and oil. As climate change melts the ice, new shipping lanes […]
George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America’s greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years until his death in 1937 he wrote more than five hundred more songs. He also wrote an opera as well as music for piano and orchestra. Many of […]
John Glenn was one of NASA’s first astronauts and the first American to orbit the Earth. He belonged to the “Mercury 7”, a group of astronauts that would be sent into orbit at the beginning of the Space Race. Glenn was born in Ohio in 1921. In his early life he was a fighter pilot […]
The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the United States. It was set up by the founding fathers of the United States in the third article of the Constitution. The court is made up of nine members, called justices. There is one chief justice and eight associate justices. They are appointed by the […]
The Thames Barrier is a system that prevents London from being flooded by North Sea storms. It lies in the eastern part of London, about 15 km from the Houses of Parliament. The Thames Barrier was built in the 1970s and has been in operation since 1982. It cost over £500 million and is operated […]
Vaccines are substances that help the body fight off diseases and illnesses. In the past they have helped save millions of lives around the world. Diseases are often caused by bacteria or viruses that attack the human body. A vaccine is a dead or very weak form of such a virus. When you get a […]
The body is an amazing object; the more you ask of it, the more it can do. If you are inactive most of the time, your body will quickly become tired when it should be active. But if you are active many times each day or week, your body will get used to the hard […]