This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

2001: The Year in Pictures

Spanish Translation

It is hard to look back on a year so marked by tragedy. September 11, 2001. Future students of history will learn that awful date—a date that split the year into an innocent before and a wary after. But there are other things to remember about the first year of this new century. It was the year the son of a President became President. A year of triumphs—for a pair of polar adventurers, bicyclist Lance Armstrong and slugger Barry Bonds. In the world of entertainment, we lost rock legend George Harrison and race car driver Dale Earnhardt, but we gained Shrek, Monsters, Inc. and Harry Potter. Results of Census 2000 showed a nation that is diverse. Other events proved, in vivid red, white and blue, that it is strong and united.

January
After one of the closest elections ever, George W. Bush was sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20. The new President and First Lady Laura Bush celebrated at nine inaugural balls.

About 25,000 people died when a monster earthquake rocked Gujarat, India on January 26. Entire villages were wiped out as buildings crumbled to the ground.

February
On February 11, explorers Ann Bancroft of the U.S. and Liv Arnesen of Norway became the first women to cross the continent of Antarctica on skis. It took them 89 days to trek 1,688 miles. They braved -30°F temperatures and 200-mile-an-hour winds.

March
After 15 years in orbit, the Russian space station Mir was brought down to Earth in a "controlled fall." Mir plunged into the Pacific Ocean on March 23. During its lifetime, the first manned space station circled the Earth 86,331 times. More than 100 cosmonauts visited the station to conduct experiments; one stayed a record 438 days.

April
The 24-member crew of a U.S. Navy spy plane came home on April 12 after being held in China for 11 days. The plane had made an emergency landing there after colliding with a Chinese fighter jet. The crew was released after the U.S. issued a carefully worded statement, saying it was sorry the plane landed on Chinese soil without permission.

May
A grumpy green giant rescued the princess and went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the year. Shrek, a computer-animated fairy tale, broke box- office records when it hit theaters on May 18. A sequel is already in the works for the ogre-and-donkey duo.

June
Fossil hunters announced the discovery of a new dinosaur species, Paralititan stromeri. The 100-foot-long dinosaur weighed a whopping 65 tons! The fossil was found in Africa’s Sahara desert.

July
Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna, erupted on July 18. Towering 10,860 feet above Sicily, it spewed hot, glowing lava and ash for more than two weeks. Workers built embankments to direct the lava flow away from homes. No one was seriously hurt.

August
Danny Almonte’s powerful pitching led his Bronx, New York, team to the Little League World Series. There he made headlines by pitching a perfect game. But officials soon discovered that Danny was too old for Little League. They stripped Danny, 14, and his team, the Rolando Paulino All-Stars, of their records.

September
The morning of September 11 dawned bright and sunny on the East Coast. But violent terrorist attacks destroyed the calm. Hijacked planes crashed in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, destroying New York City’s World Trade Center and damaging the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. About 3,400 died in the attacks.

President Bush traveled to New York City on September 14 to encourage the firefighters, police officers and emergency teams who had been working nonstop.

Across the nation, people gathered to honor the victims and show their love for our country.

After U.S. investigators determined that a terrorist network based in Afghanistan was responsible for the attacks, U.S. aircraft carriers and troops headed to the area.

October
After Senator Tom Daschle received a letter containing anthrax bacteria, many Americans feared a new type of terrorist attack. Similar letters had been sent to members of the news media. Many people were tested for anthrax exposure. President Bush urged Americans to remain calm. By the end of the month, few cases of anthrax had been confirmed.

Barry Bonds broke baseball’s home run record, hitting his 71st homer. He ended the season with 73!

November
In a dazzling display of light, the Leonid meteor shower streaked across the early morning sky on November 18. Astronomers said it was the best light show seen on Earth since 1966. Thousands stayed up to the wee hours to watch. Another star-studded event also drew crowds that weekend: the premiere of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

December
By December, nearly 2,000 U.S. troops were on the ground in Afghanistan. The strict Taliban government, which had supported terrorism, was defeated. U.S. and Afghan forces gained control of the capital, Kabul, and other major cities. They continued to hunt for Osama bin Laden and others in his al-Qaeda terrorist group. Meanwhile, Afghan representatives formed a new government that hopes to take power on December 22.

Tennis ace Serena Williams was one of the first of more than 11,000 people who will carry the Olympic flame on its way to the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Next: A Chilling Tape of Osama bin Laden