Articles

World

Live from Kakuma

A tent is up. The stage is set. Speakers have polished their presentations. It’s all part of the preparation for TEDxKakumaCamp, which takes place Saturday, June 9, in a schoolyard at Kakuma refugee camp, in Kenya. The conference is the…

TFK Library

Jacob Riis

Jacob Riis (May 3, 1849—May 26, 1914) was a photojournalist who documented the lives of poor New Yorkers in the 1890s. He published the photographs in his book How the Other Half Lives. The pictures shocked Americans and inspired a…

TFK Library

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743–July 4, 1826) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He drafted the Declaration of Independence, served as the country’s first secretary of state, and was elected the third U.S. president. As president,…

Health

Bug Off

For many Americans, spring and summer mean more time outdoors­—and lots of bugs. In fact, diseases spread by insect bites have tripled in the United States in recent years. That’s according to a new report by the Centers for Disease…

Health

Wiping Out Trans Fats

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a plan to rid the world’s food supply of trans fats. These unhealthy substances have been linked to chronic illness. The WHO is a United Nations agency that works to promote good…

World

Preparing for Peace

The United States and North Korea are preparing for historic peace talks. The talks will take place next month in Singapore. President Donald Trump will meet with the North Korean leader. His name is Kim Jong-un. It will be the…

United States

A Plan for Parks

The National Park Service (NPS) has backed down from a controversial plan. It has decided not to double admission prices at 17 popular national parks. Instead, it will raise fees by $5 at 117 parks across the United States. In November, the NPS announced that it…

Arts

8 Questions for Amanda Gorman

In 2017, Amanda Gorman, then 19, was named the first National Youth Poet Laureate. She spoke with TFK’s Brian McGrath about how poetry can give voice to a new generation of leaders. Has poetry always been a part of your…

World

End of a Dynasty

For the first time in almost 60 years, Cubans will have a president who is not a member of the Castro family. President Raúl Castro (above, right) formally stepped down on April 19 and the Cuban government appointed Miguel Díaz-Canel…

Environment

Hope for the Wild

One of the last unspoiled areas of Amazon rain forest lies in a remote region of northeastern Peru called Yaguas. The lush land stretches along 125 miles of the Putumayo River. Amazon rain forests are so massive that they…

United States

Climate in Court

Levi Draheim lives in Satellite Beach, Florida. It’s warm year-round there, and Levi, 10, spends most of his time outside. He often walks from his house to the beach to go swimming and boogie boarding. But when Levi grows up,…

Time Off

A Victory in Space

On Christmas Eve 1968, NASA’s Apollo 8 became the first spaceship carrying astronauts to enter the moon’s orbit. Author JEFFREY KLUGER documents the remarkable journey in his new book, To the Moon! At the time of the launch, the…

Environment

A New Home

The National Aquarium, in Baltimore, Maryland, is home to nearly 20,000 animals. Among them are seven bottlenose dolphins: Jade, Spirit, Maya, Bayley, Chesapeake, Beau, and Foster. Bayley, the youngest, is 9. Chesapeake, the oldest, is 26. She is Bayley’s mom.…

World

Sports Style

Skeleton is a sport in which athletes lie facedown on a sled and zoom headfirst down an icy track. Helmets are worn for safety. But who says the headgear can’t be artistic? Check out just a few of the stylish…

United States

The Kid in Charge

Many kids have been bullied. Fifth grader Dom Peters decided to do something about it. He ran for office. On January 8, Dom, 11, was sworn in as Oregon’s first Kid Governor, at the State Capitol, in Salem. Fifth graders…

World

Countdown to Day Zero

Late into the night, people in Cape Town, South Africa, line up to collect water from a spring. They approach the spigot one by one, filling plastic bottles. On this day, each person can take up to 13 gallons. Security…

United States

TFK Explains: The Government Shutdown

On January 20, the United States government shut down for three days. Why? Here, TFK explains. What is a shutdown? A government shutdown happens when Congress cannot come together to approve a federal budget. Some functions of the U.S.…

Health

A Bad Flu Season

Flu season in the United States runs from October through March. And this year’s flu is especially bad, 
according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “We are currently in the midst of a very active flu…

Disaster's Cost

Monster hurricanes. Ferocious wildfires. They helped make 2017 the costliest year ever for weather 
disasters in the United States. Last year, the nation was hit by 16 disasters that each topped $1 billion in 
damages. The total cost came to…

United States

A Monumental Fight

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.…