Terrorist Truck Attack in New York City
On Halloween (October 31), a man named Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov drove a rented pickup truck into pedestrians and bicyclists on the Hudson River Park bike path in Lower Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring twelve others. It was the worst attack in New York City since the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers on September […]
Kennedy Assassination Files Released
Last Thursday, the federal government conducted a scheduled release of 2,800 secret documents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. While the new documents don’t answer the question of who killed the former president, they do reveal a lot of interesting information. Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald is the […]
California Battles Deadly Wildfires
Firefighters are still struggling to contain wildfires that are raging across Northern California. So far, nearly 6,000 homes and businesses have been destroyed, and 41 people killed, in what is being called the deadliest wildfire outbreak in the state’s history. How It Started The fires began over a week ago, on the night of Sunday, […]
Las Vegas Tragedy
Last Sunday night, a lone gunman opened fire during a country music concert on the Las Vegas strip, causing the most deadly mass shooting in modern American history. At least 59 people were killed and more than 527 injured (as of Monday evening). Festival Turns Deadly About 22,000 people had gathered on the strip for […]
Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall
As Houston and south Texas struggled to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey just two weeks ago, a second and more powerful hurricane, Irma, crashed into the Caribbean on Thursday on its way to South Florida and the Florida Keys. Irma, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, left behind […]
Conflict in Charlottesville
Last weekend, in Charlottesville, Virginia, a protest rally turned deadly. Here, btw takes a look at the events that unfolded, what caused the violence, and the aftermath–including how President Trump responded to the turmoil. “Unite the Right” When the town of Charlottesville decided to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, a group […]
Happy 150th Birthday Canada!
Last weekend, our neighbor to the north turned 150, celebrating with huge parades and festivals all over the country. Here, btw takes a brief look at the history of Canada. Origins Like the United States, Canada was once populated by tribes of Aboriginal people who were eventually displaced by European explorers. In 1534, French explorer […]
British Election Upset
On June 8, the United Kingdom held a general election, with surprising results. Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party lost 12 seats in the UK’s Parliament, which means they also lost their majority. The Labour Party, on the other hand, gained nearly 30 seats. So what does this mean for Britain, especially with Brexit looming? […]
Photo Essay: Women’s March on Washington
The day after President Trump’s inauguration, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children came to march in the streets of Washington, D.C. (as well as in other cities in the United States and around the world). Called the Women’s March on Washington, the public protest was designed as a way to speak out against […]
Election Central: Inauguration Day
Today on the Election Central Web site there is information on the big Inauguration Event happening in Washington, D.C. Today, Donald J. Trump officially becomes the 45th president of the United States. There are many things happening in the nation’s capital city today–much ceremony and important speeches given. Even if you are in class–and your social studies […]