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Sir Reginald is mounted on his trusty steed, tensely facing his opponent. Each has a long and heavy lance in one hand and a shield in the other. They will soon be jousting, measuring their skill and courage against one another.

This is a tournament designed for the entertainment of royalty and that’s why it is full of pageantry. The horses are draped with luxurious fabrics and adorned with jeweled harnesses. The saddles are ornately tooled. All the events are announced with grand fanfare and Sir Reginald knows that if he wins he will be honored with riches and glory.

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Have you ever noticed how one knight in armor looks a lot like another knight in armor? How can you tell who’s who? A knight carried a shield that acted like a huge business card. It identified him and his family. The shield was decorated in strong colors and bold images so that it was easily recognized from across the battlefield. The images, called “charges”, were often real or mythical animals chosen for their ferocity or courage.

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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.’”

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There are many fascinating castles that have been built in the world. But few have the long and interesting history of the famous Tower of London in England. Built over 900 years ago in England, the Tower of London has housed, protected and imprisoned hundreds of people in its long history.

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An earlier article discussed interesting information about the origins of the first Olympic Games in Greece in 776 BC. The article concluded with the Romans gaining control of Greece and ultimately canceling the Olympic Games in 393 AD. The ancient Olympic Games actually lasted for 1170 years! But then…there was a long gap with no Olympic Games. In fact, there were no games held for over 1500 years.

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Pinch! This is what you might get if you are not wearing something green today! People from many different countries are putting on their green shirts, jackets, and hats and are going out to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Do you know in what country this holiday originated? This country is surrounded by water and is filled with beautiful green hills and valleys. Ireland is the place where St. Patrick’s Day began and where the most celebrating occurs on this day. There are many legends and superstitions that originated in Ireland and are thought to be associated with this holiday. Leprechauns and the history of the Blarney Stone both originated in Ireland, however, they have nothing to do with holiday of St. Patrick’s Day.

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The glory of game technology surrounds us, and it keeps on improving. Today, we enjoy the excitement of electronic video games that amaze us with their levels of difficulty and life like graphics. But what about the days before video games? What did people do for their gaming entertainment? One very popular activity was pinball. It may sound old fashioned, but if you’ve never played, you should try it. Pinball can be just as exciting to play as a video game.

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What are the first three rides you think of when you hear the words amusement park? Was rollercoaster one of those three? Chances are it was, because the rollercoaster is an attraction in itself that can draw thousands of people from all over the world every day. What’s fascinating about the rollercoaster is that it wasn’t always the speedy, safety conscious ride that it is today. In fact, rollercoasters were invented before electricity, so you can imagine how rough the ride was. Want to know more? Read on.

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Long before the airplane was ever invented, people had dreams of flying. Many people must have watched the birds soaring in the wind and wondered how they too could accomplish such an amazing feat. And a certain few of those people actually took the initiative to try and make it happen. If it weren’t for these talented, motivated and resourceful humans, you probably wouldn’t be able to travel from Massachusetts to California in 5 hours through the air. Thanks to the brilliant efforts of these people, we can now all fly like the birds, let’s see how it all started.

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This Sunday is Mother’s Day, so don’t forget to wish your mom a Happy Mother’s Day. In this edition, we’re going to explore how Mother’s Day began. Believe it or not, Mother’s Day celebrations date back to ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.

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