Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a key leader in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Both his father and his mother’s father were Baptist ministers. When King became a minister, he used his position to fight racial inequality and inspire African Americans. He was a powerful […]
Deadly Attack on French Newspaper
Between January 7 and 9, two armed gunmen stormed the offices of the satirical publication called Charlie Hebdo, located in a high-traffic area of central Paris. Two days later, a third gunman took hostages in a grocery store, demanding the release of his associates. Seventeen people were killed in total, making it the deadliest terror […]
A Turkey of a Day
Dedicated btw fans know that we have posted about the history of the presidential turkey pardon in the past. But this year, let’s switch it up a bit and examine a different Thanksgiving history angle. (And no, it’s NOT going to be about Pilgrims, Native Americans, and what they might or might not have agreed […]
Turmoil in Ferguson
In August, btw provided an introduction to the shooting death of Michael Brown and tried to provide some historical context to violent protests in recent U.S. history. Darren Wilson was the Ferguson police officer who encountered Michael Brown and Dorian Johnson in August 2014 while Wilson was on patrol. Brown and Wilson were walking along […]
New Adventures in Outer Space!
The European Space Agency (ESA), Europe’s equivalent of our NASA, successfully landed the first probe ever on a comet on November 12. Mission control is located at the European Space Operations Centre located in Darmstadt, Germany. The Mission Ten years ago, ESA launched a robotic space probe called Rosetta into space. Its original target was […]
Stuff YOU Should Know: (Re)Introducing Election Central
As a Social Studies student, you are learning the importance of understanding how the roles and responsibilities of government and elected leaders affect our daily lives. You are also learning that your own role as educated citizens is important in the future of our nation as well. McGraw-Hill Education’s renewed Election Central Web site provides […]
NaNoWriMo: A Global Creative Writing Marathon
Do you like to write? If so, do you sometimes have trouble finding the motivation and inspiration necessary to get those words down on paper (or into your computer)? If so, you’re in luck; November is National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWritMo for the attention-challenged or social media conscious). Humble Beginnings to Viral Sensation In […]
Violent Acts Rock Canada
Last month, Canada, recently ranked the seventh “most peaceful nation” by the Institute for Economics & Peace, faced two unrelated but public acts of violence. What Happened? On October 20, in the city of Saint-Jean sue-Richelieu, Quebec, 25-year-old Martin Couture-Rouleau rammed his car into two Canadian Armed Forces soldiers in a mall parking lot, killing […]
The Government’s Latest Actions Against Ebola
The news and rumors and misunderstanding about the Ebola disease in the United States is continuing to change. The Obama administration has been working this past week to keep informed about the story and develop the guidelines that are needed to keep citizens and health care professionals safe. On the White House blog page, a […]
#Gamergate: Beyond Fun and Games
Do you play video games? If so, you may be aware of an ongoing controversy that goes by the name #Gamergate. (∗See explanatory note at the end of this article.∗) There has been a lot of coverage, and a lot of confusing accusations, flying around this story. So btw is going to try and break […]