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United States

The Road To Recovery

March 10, 2006

The citizens of New Orleans, Louisiana, love to party. Six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, partygoers celebrated Mardi Gras, as they do every year at this time. But even as costume-clad folks danced in the streets, evidence of…

History

The History of Fireworks

July 1, 2025

Fireworks may seem like a very American tradition, especially on the 4th of July. But fireworks go back many years before the first American Independence Day celebration, which took place in 1777, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The earliest fireworks can be…

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United States

Spring Ahead

March 2, 2023

On March 12, clocks in the United States and at least 60 other countries “spring forward” one hour for daylight saving time (DST). We lose an hour of sleep. But we get more daylight until November, when clocks “fall back”…

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Time Off

Let's Talk! With Lisa Yee

January 5, 2022

Maizy, the main character of Lisa Yee's Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, is a Chinese-American girl from Los Angeles. She and her mom are spending the summer in Last Chance, Minnesota, where Maizy’s grandparents own a restaurant. They are also the…

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United States

Crowd Control

September 3, 2021

Hugh Kim, of New York City, started planning his family’s summer vacation in March. One destination topped the list: Glacier National Park, in Montana. Kim reserved tickets online. He had to do it quickly. “There were around 4,000 tickets available…

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Science

Ocean Commotion

February 12, 2021

Sound pollution caused by humans is making oceans noisier than ever and harming marine life. That’s according to a new article published in the journal Science. Researchers looked at thousands of studies on ocean sound and its effects on wildlife.…

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Time Off

Let's Talk! With Kayla Miller

October 6, 2020

Author Kayla Miller talks with TFK Kid Reporter Jeremy Liew about voting, activism, and Miller’s graphic novel Act. 1. Tell me about the book. Act is a graphic novel about a sixth grader named Olive who finds out that one…

Audio

Opinion

Should Cars be Banned in Cities?

April 6, 2020

How do you travel around your town or city? Some people walk or ride a bike. Others take buses and trains. But most people get around by car. This might be convenient, but having too many cars on the road…

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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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