Learn

Welcome to San Francisco, one of the most beautiful and cultural cities in the world. But it wasn’t always that way. Imagine a time in the 1840’s when there were only a few hundred people that lived in what is now a metropolis. If you know about the gold rush, then you can probably guess why San Francisco became so important. Let’s take a look.

With the first words of gold came the most successful prospectors. These men, called the Forty-Niners, because of the year 1849, were able to gather gold at a rate of more than an ounce every hour.

Full Article »

“Spring Forward, Fall Back.” Most of you have probably heard that phrase before, but do you know what it really means or how it originated? The phrase serves as a reminder telling us in which direction we turn the clock on Daylight Savings Time. Do you know how and why this moving of the clock all started?

Benjamin Franklin was the first person to mention this idea in an essay he wrote in 1784. However, nothing was done with this idea until it was mentioned again by an Englishman named William Willett who in 1907 wrote about this issue in an essay titled “The Waste of Daylight”.

Full Article »

Each October we celebrate Black History Month as a tribute to the history of African Americans. What you might not realize is that the history of African Americans was not studied or recognized for a very long time. In fact, African Americans didn’t gain recognition in history books until the 20th century. We have a man named Dr. Carter G. Woodson to thank for bringing the history of African Americans into the classroom and to the world.

Full Article »

As we’ve always tried to promote in the Tribune, helping others is something that we all should do. Not only does it make someone else feel better, but it also makes you feel better as well. That’s exactly what President John F. Kennedy also believed when he proposed the idea of the Peace Corps (pronounced core). His vision was to encourage Americans to volunteer in “helping others help themselves.” He dreamt that young people in the U.S. would devote themselves to enhancing peace and development around the world. In his eyes, this was the best way for people to help one another and for all to feel good about it.

Full Article »

On the last Sunday of May, America will be celebrating one of our most patriotic holidays; Memorial Day. For many of us, this means attending parades and having Bar-B-Ques and spending time with family and friends. Do you know why we celebrate Memorial Day? Here is a brief history on this very patriotic holiday.

Full Article »

Chief Seattle was born in 1786 and became the chief of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes. During his life, he saw many of his people fight to keep their land, however, he and his father took a different approach to the inevitable moving in of the white man. They decided to become friends with the white man and try to resolve things in a peaceful manner. In an effort to keep peace, he signed the Port Elliott Treaty in 1855 by which the tribes in Washington were given a reservation. Reservations were plots of land given to the Native Americans so they could still live in their tribes away from the white man.

Full Article »

The Lakota people of South Dakota have believed in a story and prophecy for 2,000 years. The story told of the white buffalo calf woman begins two thousand years ago when two warriors were hunting buffalo. All of a sudden they saw a white buffalo calf come near them.

As it got closer, it turned into a beautiful young Indian girl.

Full Article »

The Hopi tribe comes from northern Arizona. As with all tribes, these people have certain traditions that they celebrate. One in particular that is of interest involves dolls called Kachina Dolls. Kachinas are spirit beings who the Hopi people believe are responsible for many of the forces of nature. They believe that these Kachinas often help them find the right way to live in the world. Though the numbers change, there are believed to be as many as 600 recognized Kachina spirits celebrated among the Hopi villages.

Full Article »

In the early 1840’s, California was a place that housed very few people and was not of much interest to people. One man, John Sutter, saw it as a land of opportunity, a place where he could build an agricultural empire. In 1847, Sutter sent some men down to the American River to build a sawmill which would provide lumber for his visionary farm. Things were going as planned, the sawmill was almost finished, when all of a sudden, one of the men James Marshall spotted something shiny. It was on this day, January 24, 1848, that the first gold of the gold rush was discovered.

Full Article »