What’s in a name? Well quite a lot if you’re the Washington Redskins football team. In 2013, former US President Barack Obama suggested the historic team should change theirs. He said it was offensive to the Native American community. The team defended the name as honoring … [Read more...]
Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers living with grizzly bears in remote Alaska. He loved them and gave them cute pet names like Mr. Chocolate. These wild animals were anything but cute. Weighing up to 1,700 pounds and standing up to 7 feet tall, these animals were dangerous. … [Read more...]
When the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, it took 1,517 women, men and children to a watery grave. Masabumi Hosono was not one of them. Masabumi was the only Japanese person to survive the Titanic's sinking. He was one of the lucky few who escaped on a … [Read more...]
A ten-year-old girl who fought off a bloodthirsty alligator with her bare hands claims they’re ‘misunderstood creatures.’ The Florida sun was fierce and high when ten-year-old Juliana Ossa went in Orlando’s Mary Jane Lake. Her attempts to cool off came to a sudden end when … [Read more...]
Bravery comes in many forms. For some, it’s found in the heat of battle. For others, it’s found in the courage to defy society and stay true to oneself. As a young man, World War 2 veteran Peter Davies showed immense bravery under enemy fire. Over 70 years later he needed a … [Read more...]
When Mitsutaka Uchikoshi got lost on a Japanese mountain, his chances of survival were slim. He had no food, water, or protection against the environment. Mitsutaka became separated from his climbing party on Mount Rokko. The last thing he remembers is lying down in a grassy … [Read more...]
Kjell Inge Roekke is a man of contradictions. The billionaire owner of an oil company sounds like an unlikely environmentalist, but he is determined to clean up the oceans. As a young man, Roekke was a high school dropout who moved to the US to become a humble fisherman. Now … [Read more...]
Shakespeare died over 400 years ago, but his words live on in everyday English conversations. Even native English speakers who don’t know his plays, use idioms the famous playwright coined over 400 years ago. Shakespeare had a unique insight into what makes us tick. We often … [Read more...]
Imagine you’re a stranger in a strange land far from home. You’re fleeing a brutal government responsible for the imprisonment, torture, and death of your family and friends. You’ve lost everything and traveled miles. You’ve risked it all to find a safe place. You’re in a new … [Read more...]
Lions are the kings of the jungle, but in Botswana a gang of lionesses are turning gender roles upside down in the name of female power. Scientists are confused about why five lionesses in Botswana have grown manes and are acting like males. These females are roaring like … [Read more...]
Genghis Khan was the most feared invader in history. His Mongol armies killed over 40 million people and wiped out entire civilizations. Yet, the Guardian newspaper says the bloodthirsty ruler was good for planet earth. The Mongol invasion lasted a century and a half and it … [Read more...]
Arthur MacMurrough Kavanagh stared in shock at the letter from his mother. She had written to say that she was cutting off his money. As he reread the page, the sensations of India intruded - a peacock's cry, the smell of spices, a gentle wind through palm leaves. An Irishman … [Read more...]
A company called Planetary Resources wants to mine asteroids that are close to Earth for water and precious metals. While Planetary Resources is looking at near-Earth asteroids, NASA has its eye on a bigger prize. The space agency is planning on sending a probe in 2023 to a … [Read more...]
For a person to save one life is rare, but to save four in eight years is a miracle. Just ask the footballers saved from the grim reaper by Togo footballer Francis Kone. Kone is known as a miracle man on the football pitch. Not because he can bend it like Beckham or pass it … [Read more...]
Khalid al-Assad lost his life protecting the history and culture of his country. This 83-year-old scholar was retired, but still an active expert at the museum that he used to run in Palmyra, Syria. On July 13th, 2016, ISIS demanded he tell them where all the cultural treasures … [Read more...]
Imagine the loneliness of speaking a language that only you can understand. Researchers have been studying a whale, who communicates in a language not recognizable by other whales. This whale has spent over two decades looking for a friend who will understand him. Whales are … [Read more...]
Learning English takes time and effort. For most of us, the payoff comes when we hit the road. And the best part is that our foreign language skills and the experiences we gain using those language skills require no extra baggage. These days airlines squeeze us for more … [Read more...]
This past New Year’s Eve, a 64-year-old Michigan man took a fall that almost cost him his life. At 10:30 pm, Bob took a break from watching football on TV and stepped outside. He was going to get wood for the fire when he slipped on some icy steps. As he lay in the snow, without … [Read more...]
While some people might say that a 40-year age gap between lovers is scandalous, Valda Rodrigues de Oliveira would disagree. The 106-year-old Brazilian woman has just become the oldest woman ever to get engaged. Doctors warned Valda and her 66-year-old boyfriend that they were … [Read more...]
On a cold winter night in 1888, Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear with a razor blade. He wrapped it in a cloth and brought it to a brothel. He gave the bloody ear as a token of love to a prostitute named Rachel, who fainted when she saw it. Van Gogh returned home and almost bled … [Read more...]
