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Have you ever heard of Pilates? Do you know who invented this exercise method? Well, you are about to find out!

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The First Inauguration

George Washington was the first person inaugurated President of the United States. He was sworn into office on April 30, 1798, following the Revolutionary War. Washington’s ceremony set the standard for Inauguration Ceremonies and began the tradition of the Inaugural Address, a speech given by the new President that often serves to inspire and reassure the American people. This ceremony happens every four years and marks the beginning of each new Presidential term.

Barack Obama’s Inauguration

On January 20, 2009 the United States will witness the 56th Presidential Inauguration. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, will take his Inaugural Oath and give his Inaugural Speech on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. This year’s Inauguration Theme commemorates the 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth with the title: “A New Birth of Freedom”.

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Quick Facts
DOB: June 30, 1985
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
Diet: 12,000 calories per day
Height: 6 foot 4 inches
Wingspan: 6 foot 7 inches
Weight: 195 pounds
Shoe size: 14

8 Gold Medals in the 2008 Olympics
Michael Phelps is officially the greatest swimmer in the world! Phelps had one ultimate goal in mind for the Beijing Olympic Games - to break the 7 gold medal record held by Mark Spitz since the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Although many people were skeptical that it could not be done, he proved them wrong. After winning his eighth gold medal in the 4×100 meter medley relay (his final swimming event in the 2008 Olympics) Phelps stated, “Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that’s something I learned and something that helped me.” Winning eight gold medals in a single Olympic games is only a portion of Phelps’ Olympic accomplishments. Phelps has won a total of 16 Olympic medals so far in his career, making him the second most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Phelps also holds 7 world swimming records and 6 U.S. swimming records.

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Louis Armstrong is a legend in the world of American Jazz music, and one of the most popular musicians of the 20th century. His influence has influenced and inspired several other popular musicians such as Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Marvin Gaye.

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Who is Bao Xishun, you ask? You might know him as the tallest living man in the world. Bao Xishun, a mongolian herdsman was recognized in 2005 by the Guiness World Records as “The world’s tallest man alive”. He was born in Mongolia, China in 1951 and stands a reported 7′9″ tall. His family is said to be descended from the offspring of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).

Bao Xishun claims to have been the same height as many kids while growing up. It wasn’t until the age of 16 when he experienced a sudden spurt of growth that shot him to his current height. Because of his abnormal height he developed rheumatism (painful conditions of muscles, tendons, joints, and bones) at a young age and is still undergoing daily medical treatments.

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Are you familiar with the amazing life of Helen Keller? At only 19 months old, Helen Keller was struck with a sudden illness that left her deaf and blind. For years, she lived in a world of darkness and silence without any way to express herself. With hopes of one day being able to communicate with their daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Keller enrolled Helen in the Perkins Institute for the Blind where she met her teacher Annie Sullivan.

Helen was very eager to learn how to communicate with people and Annie Sullivan, who was also blind, helped her accomplish this. Helen’s big breakthrough in communication came one day when she made a connection between the word water and water itself. This was accomplished when Annie poured water into the palm of Helen’s hand while spelling out ‘w-a-t-e-r’ in her other hand. It wasn’t too long after this initial breakthrough that Helen began reading raised letters and eventually Braille (raised dots). Eventually Helen was able to read Braille in 5 different languages (English, French, German, Greek and Latin). She even learned to speak using the Tadoma method (a way to interpret speech by touching the lips and throat of others as they speak).

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Marie Antoinette is one of the most famous and most controversial Queens of all time. She is often credited with saying the famous phrase “If they have no bread, then let them eat cake!” Oddly enough, there is no evidence that Marie Antoinette ever uttered those words.

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New entertainers come into the forefront of popular culture every year, some only lasting in the limelight for a couple of years, while others remain popular for many, many years.

These days, there are many pop singers that are very popular and well-known throughout the world. If you ask any of your peers, or even you parents, chances are that they’ve heard of Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera and can possibly even hum a line or two from their latest album. But these young entertainers are relatively new and were not around when your parents and grandparents were growing up. So who were the famous entertainers in the years before Britney Spears?

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I was born in 69 BC in Alexandria which was the capital of Egypt at the time. My father was the Pharaoh of Egypt when I was born and his name is Ptolemy XII. In 51 BC my father died and since I was the eldest child, I inherited the throne of Egypt with my brother Ptolemy XIII.

At age 18, I was the queen of Egypt which was not an easy job. The Romans were conquering city after city and they were even beginning to gain control over Egypt when I took the throne. Keeping the Romans from completely taking over my land was a struggle in itself. Along with that, I had enemies to contend with. People were jealous that I was so intelligent (I knew 9 languages) and that I was an independent ruler. I ruled for 3 years until I was overthrown by one of my father’s advisors. I was forced to leave Egypt and move to Syria while my younger brother became the sole ruler of Egypt. But I don’t give up so easily.

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What do you know about Benjamin Franklin? When you hear his name, you probably think about his famous kite experiment to conduct electricity. Or, you may remember him as one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. You may even know him to be a great scientist, inventor, philosopher and statesman.

But, did you know him to be a musician as well? Did you also know that he was the creator of a new instrument that enchanted some of the most musical men of his time like Mozart and Beethoven? What follows is not your regular history lesson and has all the makings of a great story. The best part is that the story is true!

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It is 1945 and at the age of 88 I can say I’ve had my share of failures and triumphs. All in all it’s been a good life and I hope I’ve left the world a little bit better than I found it.

I was born in a farmhouse in Derry Church, Pennsylvania, where my parents raised me to value hard work. We were poor and moved around a lot. I think I attended 6 different schools before I completed the 4th grade and started my first job as a printer’s apprentice. Truth be told, I wasn’t very good at it and you can imagine my delight when I found another job in Lancaster as an apprentice to a candy-maker! It was fun and by the time I was 18 I had learned enough, or so I thought, to open my own candy shop in Philadelphia.

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Garrett Augustus Morgan was an African American traffic engineer who invented the traffic signal. By the early 1920s there were enough cars to create chaos on the roads and put both drivers and pedestrians at risk. In 1923 Morgan received a patent for his new concept, a traffic signal to regulate the movement of cars in cities. He created GO and STOP signs that were attached to a pole (familiar idea?) and systematically raised and lowered at intersections.

His signals spread from America to England and Canada. Morgan’s invention brought order to traffic flow and safety to the traveling public. Eventually Morgan’s signal was replaced with the light signal we use today.

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