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Science

Moon Mission

September 7, 2018

People first set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped from the Apollo 11 spacecraft and planted an American flag on the moon’s rocky surface. Six NASA lunar missions followed over the…

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Benjamin Franklin

TFK Library

Benjamin Franklin

June 14, 2018

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706—April 17, 1790) was a scientist, an inventor, a writer, and a statesman. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin was born January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. At the…

Technology

Google Searches for Its Voice

November 13, 2017

A small group of writers is huddled around a whiteboard that is covered with scrawled ideas. It’s August, but the team is grappling with what users might ask Google Assistant on Halloween. One idea stands out to Ryan Germick. “People…

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United States

The Next President

November 18, 2016

Donald Trump is elected the 45th president of the United States. In a stunning upset, voters elected Republican candidate Donald J. Trump the 45th president of the United States. They had to wait until the early hours of November 9…

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Environment

Early Blossoms

April 5, 2024

Cities such as Tokyo, Japan, and Washington, D.C., get millions of tourists every spring during cherry blossom season. The blooms mark the return of warm weather. But the trees are blooming earlier and earlier. This is an indication of increasing…

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Technology

Going Solar

January 3, 2024

One night in May, a group of people gathered around a computer monitor on a rooftop. They were scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The monitor was linked to equipment that could receive transmissions from a satellite. The…

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United States

The History of Memorial Day

May 29, 2023

This story was originally published on May 25, 2018. It was updated on May 29, 2023. Technically, summer doesn’t start until June 21. But many people consider Memorial Day to be the unofficial start of the season. This year, we…

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Environment

Safe Haven

April 6, 2023

In the middle of the night, a baby chimpanzee is having nightmares. Chantal, his caretaker, tries to soothe him back to sleep. She works at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, in the Republic of the Congo, in Africa. The chimp’s…

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United States

Can You Spell Victory?

July 9, 2021

Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde of Harvey, Louisiana, has won the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. She’s the first Black American to win the event, which has been running annually since 1925. Zaila's winning word: Murraya. That’s a type of tropical tree…

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United States

Olympic Climber

June 23, 2021

Kyra Condie is a 24-year-old sport climber from Saint Paul, Minnesota. She started climbing at a birthday party when she was 10. This summer, she’ll be one of four athletes representing Team U.S.A. in the first-ever Olympic sport-climbing competition. TFK…

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Community

TFK Kid Reporters: Meet Afton

September 1, 2020

Meet Afton Campbell, one of the 10 outstanding kids selected to be a TFK Kid Reporter this school year. Afton is 12 years old and lives in Surprise, Arizona. She loves to cook and play the piano. Afton also enjoys…

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World

Empty Stadiums

May 6, 2020

Professional baseball players in South Korea returned to the field on May 5. For weeks, the season had been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. So this opening day was unusual. That’s because no fans were allowed into the stadiums.…

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Time Off

The Best Toys of 2019

November 22, 2019

The best toys of 2019 can hatch, tumble, light up, battle, and more. Some of the toys, such as Kano’s coding kits or Lego’s Hidden Side play sets, let users create or discover new worlds. Others, like Pictionary Air or…

Time Off

Test Your Knowledge

August 29, 2019

Do you know what year William Shakespeare was born? Or the name of the first woman to fly across the Pacific Ocean? What was Thomas Edison’s first invention? If you can answer these questions, you might be ready for the…

Science

A Mammoth Find

June 2, 2020

Archaeologists have uncovered the bones of 60 mammoths near Mexico City, Mexico. The fossils were found under an airport that’s under construction. In October, Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History began digging at the site. Since then, archaeologists have…

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United States

California Fires

October 18, 2019

A wildfire that began on October 10 forced more than 100,000 people in Southern California to evacuate their homes. The Saddleridge Fire tore across more than 12 square miles of land around Los Angeles. It damaged at least 58 buildings.…

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Arts

Tony First

June 11, 2019

Actress Ali Stroker made history at the 2019 Tony Awards on Sunday. She became the first actor in a wheelchair to win the award. Stroker won Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Oklahoma! The Tony Awards…

United States

A Monumental Fight

January 16, 2018

In December, President Donald Trump traveled to Utah. Supporters greeted him at the airport. But protesters waited for him at the state capitol. The purpose of the trip was to announce that two of Utah’s national monuments would be shrunk.…

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Arts

For the Love of Reading

August 21, 2017

Andrew Clements achieved success as an author in 1996, when his first children’s novel, Frindle, was published. Since then, the book has sold more than 6 million copies and won more than 20 awards. Clements has written dozens of additional…

United States

Outdoor Adventure

April 15, 2016

A praying mantis, an abandoned baby bird, blooming daffodils. Students and teachers at Glenwood Landing Elementary, in Glen Head, New York, never know what will turn up in the school’s outdoor classroom. The discoveries lead to engaging lessons. “They allow…