The Mackinac Bridge is a long suspension bridge located in the United States that connects the Lower Peninsula (city of St. Ignace) and the Upper Peninsula (village of Mackinaw City) of Michigan. The bridge is the third longest suspension bridge by total suspension in the world, and is 8,038 m (26,372 ft) long in total with the largest span being 1,158 m (3,800 ft) long (12 largest in the world). The idea for the bridge was raised in the 1880’s as the region continued to be popular for tourism and trade. However, the first attempt at creating a regular crossing was the opening of a ferry service. The ferries were used to transport people and vehicles between the peninsulas. This was not ideal because traffic would sometimes back-up more than 26 km (16 mi) waiting for the ferry and ferry travel during the winter months was sometimes impossible due to ice. The calls for a bridge became stronger and in 1934 the Michigan Legislature created an Authority to explore the possibilities. The route for the bridge was selected by 1940 and plans for the bridge began not long after. Let’s find out who designed and built this impressive bridge.
Alligators are large reptiles that are related to the crocodile. They share many of the same features, characteristics and behavior, which sometimes causes confusion regarding their identification. There are two species of alligators: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. The American alligator is the largest of the two and can reach 4 m (13ft) long and weigh up to 360 kg (800 lbs). The Chinese alligator is much smaller and doesn’t usually grow past 2 m (6.5 ft) in length. Like some species of crocodiles, alligators are often considered to be a danger to humans. However, alligators are far less aggressive than the big crocodile species and any attacks on humans are usually due to mistaken identity in cloudy water. Let’s find out where alligators live.
Football is the name given to a number of similar sports played throughout the world. The most well known are association football (soccer), American football (gridiron), rugby football and Australian rules football. The balls used in these sports all have slight differences in size, shape and construction. The two general shapes for a football are a sphere and prolate spheroid (oval). Let’s find out what footballs are made from and how they are constructed.
Hepatitis C is an infectious viral disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). This disease often presents without symptoms, but a long lasting infection can cause liver damage, disease and cancer. The risk of developing liver disease is estimated between 5-15% of those infected and women are at less risk than men. Hepatitis C is commonly spread via blood-to-blood contact, such as during blood transfusions or injecting drugs, and via unprotected sexual contact. It is estimated that 350,000 people die each year from complications related to the disease. About 2% of the population in the United States have the disease and there are up to 185,000 new cases each year. Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine for this disease. Let’s find out how it is treated.
Lions are members of the big four cats and are the second largest living cat in the world. They are best known for being apex predators and have even been known to prey on humans. The male lion is best known by the mane and this unique characteristic makes them a very popular animal for tourists and wildlife lovers alike. Lions are found in Africa and Asia, although they are only found in relatively small pockets compared to their original distribution. The lion population is in decline, approximately 40% loss over the last 20 years, and it is officially listed as a a threatened species. Some subspecies are officially listed as critically endangered. Let’s find out why this species is considered to be endangered.
Reading is the ability to decode and acquire meaning from printed symbols. This process is common to most cultures and is considered to be an essential part of learning and development in many of these cultures. Parents often wonder when their children will begin to read, but are usually surprised to know that the development of reading begins long before a child can actually read. Let’s take a look at the process of learning to read and when this occurs for most children.
The safety pin is a pin which also includes a clasp and spring. The clasp protects the person using the pin from being pricked by the sharp pin and it also closes the pin to provide a strong fastening. These pins were traditionally used for cloth baby diapers (nappies) because the baby is protected from the pin, but are also used for fastening fabrics/clothing or attaching accessories to clothing. The earliest similar invention was the fibula, an ancient type of brooch that dates back thousands of years, but this invention was eventually forgotten. Compared to the fibula, the modern safety pin is a very recent invention. Let’s take a look at the story behind the safety pin.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, affectionately known by his initials FDR, was the 32nd U.S. President and one of the most important politicians during the mid 20th century. His first term as President came in 1933 and he set about improving conditions caused by the Great Depression. His second term began in 1937 after a landslide election win the year before. World War II became a major focus of this term and the United States remained neutral for much of this term, although support was provided to China and Great Britain. In an unprecedented move he ran for a consecutive third term in office. At the time it was an unwritten rule that two-terms was the maximum term that could be served. Despite, this he won the election in 1940 and set about providing stronger support to the Allies in the war. The United States was fully drawn into the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and he announced war on Germany and Japan the next day. He worked closely with the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin, to help bring about an allied victory and end to the war. His policies are also credited by many with the successful economic recovery after the Great Depression and World War II. Amazingly, he was re-elected for a fourth term in office in 1944, but his failing health meant that he didn’t end up seeing out the full term. Let’s take a look at the last years of his life.
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional football team that compete in the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League. The Cardinals were established in Chicago in 1898 and were an original member of the NFL in 1920. This makes the club the oldest continually run professional football team in the United States. The team was moved to St. Louis in 1960 until 1988 when they began playing in Arizona. The Cardinals won 2 NFL Championships while in Chicago (1925 and 1947), but have been much less successful since this time. The team has only made the Super Bowl on one occasion, in 2008 when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s find out where the Cardinals play their home games.
Maggie Smith is one of the most renowned female actresses of her time. She began her acting career in the 1950’s at the Oxford Playhouse. Her film debut came in 1956 with the movie “Child in the House.” She became an important member of the Royal National Theatre in the 1960’s and it was the film version of the production Othello in 1965 that landed her the first of six Academy Award nominations. In 1970 she won her first of two Academy Awards (the other was in 1979) and by this time was a genuine star. She has performed in more than fifty films, fifty theatre roles and a number of television series. Despite being almost 80 years of age she still finds time for occasional film and television appearances. The following is a list of movies that Maggie Smith has acted in during her long and distinguished career.