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Amelia Earhart Facts:

• She was born in Atchison, Kansas.
• She learned to fly at the age of 24.
• She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
• She set out to fly around the world in 1937.

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Christopher Columbus Facts:

• He was born in Genoa, Italy.
• He took his first sea voyage when he was 14 years old.
• He knew the Spanish king and queen.
• He set out by sea with three ships to find China in 1492.

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It is always inspiring to learn about fascinating people in history who rose up against adversity and had the courage to follow their dreams. It is even more inspiring to learn how these ordinary people changed the way we look at something./p>

One of these amazing and truly heroic individuals was a woman named Florence Nightingale. She was in her time a reformer, pioneer and most importantly a humanitarian. She made significant improvements to the field of nursing and reformed the sanitation conditions in hospitals.

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“Soon after that she had a little daughter, who was as white as snow, and as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony, and she was therefore called little Snow White.”

“Once there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he had to go and speak to the king, and in order to make himself appear important he said to him, ‘I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold.’”

Do these sound familiar to you? Both of these stories have been retold by thousands of people in hundreds of different languages. The first is line is from the famous story that was made into a movie by Walt Disney called Snow White. The second is from a less familiar but still widely read story called Rumpelstilzchen (try to spell that word without looking at this page!)

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We’ve talked about the history of the airplane and how a few men gave their intelligent contributions to advance travel in the air. However, where do women fit into the picture of early aircraft travel? Well, one woman stands out as one of the most famous pilots of all time, and what makes this so great is that she was doing it during a time that women didn’t have many rights. They had just been given the right to vote in 1920, and by 1926, Amelia Earhart was flying planes and encouraging other women to do the same.

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If you heard the word “Muppet” would you know what it meant? If you heard the name “Kermit,” who would you think of? Do you associate these two words with cute puppets and a green frog? Most people do. Kermit and the whole Muppet gang have been a part of American culture since the 1950’s when their creator, Jim Henson, was given a chance to perform with his puppets in high school.

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“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Do you recognize this line? This is just one line from one of William Shakespeare’s many plays. This particular line is from the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliette. William Shakespeare, who is arguably the most famous and well-respected playwright in history, was born in April, 1564 in England. As was the case for many 16th century births, his exact birthdate was never recorded. Although we are not sure if this was his actual birthday, we celebrate his life and his birthday on April 23.

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Most of us know that we have a president who runs the United States of America. But do you know who the very first President was? In February we will commemorate his birth and remember the accomplishments of his life.

Actually, this holiday is to honor all of the past Presidents of the United States. It was started in 1971 when President Nixon declared that the third Monday of February would be a federal public holiday to remember the achievements of all the Presidents. But, this country started with one President who was a strong military commander and an astute political leader who is affectionately known as “the father of our country”.

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I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why do we honor Martin Luther King Jr. with a holiday? Because he was one of the world’s leaders of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents taught him to treat all people with respect, and that the color of a person’s skin should not matter.

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Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells.” — Dr. Seuss

Like his quote says, Dr. Seuss seemed like a very nonsensical kind of man. His books have made a lasting impression on every generation since he began publishing them in 1937. His name is as common as a household appliance throughout the United States. But where did he get his ideas? How did he start writing? His life is as fascinating as his wonderful books.

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If you heard the word “Muppet” would you know what it meant? If you heard the name “Kermit,” who would you think of? Do you associate these two words with cute puppets and a green frog? Most people do. Kermit and the whole Muppet gang have been a part of American culture since the 1950’s when their creator, Jim Henson, was given a chance to perform with his puppets in high school.

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Stevie Wonder is considered to be one of the greatest musical talents of this century. Now, you might not know who he is, or you might not have heard any of his music, but after you read about him, you’ll probaby want to go pick up one of his CD’s. He’s funky, has soul, and makes you want to dance. But, why did we put him in our “Superstition” issue of the Tribune? For the simple reason that he wrote a body shakin’ tune called Superstition. Let’s explore the life of this extremely interesting living legend.

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