World Book Blog

Tennis anyone?

2018-07-12T10:14:00-05:00

That’s a happy cry that announces the weather is warm and it’s time to play some tennis at a local park or school. Tennis is an activity for all ages and all skills. Children as young as four years old can play the game. Boys and girls can play equally, against each other in singles matches or as two-player doubles teams.

Tennis is a fun form of recreation. Players can take as much time as they want to complete a match, and because there is no physical contact, tennis is one of the safest sports. It’s also inexpensive. All that is required is a racket and a can of tennis balls. There are no uniforms or other equipment to buy. And every child already owns at least one pair of sneakers, appropriately called tennis shoes.

Tennis is an exciting spectator sport as well. One of the summer’s international sports highlights is the All-England Championships, better known as Wimbledon. The tournament is named for the London suburb where it’s been held since 1877 for the men’s competition and since 1884 for the women’s. Wimbledon attracts hundreds of professional players from throughout the world and thousands of fans who gather to watch them on Wimbledon’s grass courts. Millions more watch the competition on television. Many of today’s champions fell in love with the sport just as today’s children do—by playing with friends on a hot summer day on a neighborhood court.

Physical Fitness and Sports Month

2018-05-01T13:07:00-05:00

Kids need 20 to 30 minutes of vigorous exercise every day! May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, so it’s a good time to find out what kids need to do to stay active. Fitness energizes and challenges people, and it helps resist diseases associated with inactivity. Physical fitness also enables people to do well in sports and other activities.

What counts as exercise? Try these: playing at recess, riding your bike around the neighborhood, dancing, tennis, and even walking your dog. Kids exercise in their school's physical education class. Schools also offer team sports and yearly performance tests to measure students' progress in physical fitness. Sports are a great way to get active! Try basketball, volleyball, track, and cross-country until you find what you like best. Exercise is a proven way to help people feel better. Some forms of exercise, such as yoga, for example, help you de-stress.

Some others are team sports with competition, such as soccer. Regular exercise improves concentration and memory, which means you'll do better in school. Working with your teammates and coaches also improves teamwork and goal setting. Practicing and improving your skills also builds self-confidence. You can make friends and feel good about yourself. Every time you exercise, your mood is boosted.

There are two kinds of fitness: performance and health. People might have physically demanding jobs or hobbies for which a higher level of performance-related fitness is required. Someone with a desk job who runs marathons needs a strong lung capacity. A factory worker who lifts inventory needs more strength. For health, there's a threshold everyone must meet to feel good and resist disease.

Sports combine all the factors of performance fitness. A gymnast needs to have muscular strength to jump and flip across the mat. Flexibility provides a large range of motion to twist the body in the air. Aerobic power takes oxygen into the body and produces energy. This builds endurance so the gymnast can perform for long periods. Anaerobic power combines speed and strength for the sprint and jump into a rotation, and its capacity is going all out for 30 seconds.

Health fitness is something everyone should have. For a flexible spine, you should be able to sit, legs extended, and reach within about 4 inches (10 centimeters) of your toes. For abdominal strength, you should be able to do 20 bent-knee sit-ups.

Being physically fit includes exercise, a balanced diet and of course exercising your brain. Learn more about how your body stays active with the book My Body from World Book’s Learning Ladders 1.

Image: © Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

NHL 100 Years

2017-11-30T09:43:00-06:00

The National Hockey League (NHL) was formed 100 years ago on Nov. 26, 1917, in Montreal, Quebec. The four original teams (reorganized from the National Hockey Association) were the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Arenas (later the Maple Leafs). The first games were played on December 19 as the Canadiens downed the Senators 7-4 and the Wanderers outscored Toronto 10-9. The Arenas won that first NHL season, and the team advanced to a best-of-five championship series against the Vancouver Millionaires of the rival Pacific Coast Hockey Association. Toronto defeated Vancouver 3 games to 2 to take home the 1918 Stanley Cup.

In 1924, the Boston Bruins became the first United States team to join the NHL. In 1926, the New York Rangers, Chicago Black Hawks (later shortened to Blackhawks), and Detroit Cougars (later the Red Wings) joined the league. By 1942, the NHL consisted of Boston, Chicago, Detroit, the Canadiens, New York, and Toronto. This membership, known as the Original Six, remained unchanged until 1967. That year, the NHL doubled to 12 teams. All six new teams were in the United States. The NHL has since expanded several times, and there are currently 31 teams: 7 in Canada and 24 in the United States.

On Jan. 1, 2017, the puck dropped on centenary events with the NHL Centennial Classic, a frigid outdoor game between the Red Wings and Maple Leafs at BMO Field in Toronto. The next day, the NHL sponsored a float called “A Century of Greatness (1917-2017)” in the Rose Parade in a much-warmer Pasadena, California. Also in January, a mobile exhibition called the NHL Centennial Fan Arena began its year-long tour of NHL cities. The exhibition included the venerated Stanley Cup trophy, a pop-up hockey rink, a virtual reality Zamboni® experience, and numerous items from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. A special NHL Centennial Exhibit also ran at the Hockey Hall of Fame throughout the year. Special centennial events also took place at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game in late January and at the NHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November. The NHL100 Classic, an outdoor game between the Canadiens and Senators, will wrap up the league’s centennial celebrations at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Park on December 16.

To further mark the anniversary, the league named the all-time 100 Greatest NHL Players. In a diplomatic move, the players were not presented in order of supposed greatness, but rather as a whole listed alphabetically. Naturally, the list included such ice legends as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, and Bobby Orr, as well as such current stars as Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, and Alex Ovechkin. The league also named the Greatest NHL Team of all time, a somewhat less diplomatic process voted on by hockey fans. The vote began with every NHL Stanley Cup champion team, from the Arenas all the way up to last season’s Pittsburgh Penguins, and was cut down to 10 finalists. Fans then gave the NHL Greatest Team honor to the 1984-1985 Edmonton Oilers. The Gretzky-led Oilers beat the Philadelphia Flyers to win the Stanley Cup that season. The second and third greatest NHL teams were named as the 1991-1992 Penguins and 1976-1977 Canadiens.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Image: This 1918 Toronto Arenas team composite shows the players and staff (and earned hardware) of the first NHL Stanley Cup champion team. Credit: Public Domain

The Hockey Hall of Fame

2017-11-14T09:34:00-06:00

Yesterday, November 13, Finnish right wing Teemu Selanne headlined the high-scoring class inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Ontario. Selanne, in his first year of eligibility, was joined by left wingers Dave Andreychuk and Paul Kariya and right wing Mark Recchi. Former women’s star Danielle Goyette, Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, and college coach Clare Drake were also enshrined in the hall.

Selanne set a National Hockey League (NHL) rookie record with 76 goals for the Winnipeg Jets during the 1992-1993 season. He went on to tally 684 goals (11th all time) and 773 assists over 21 seasons spent mostly with the Anaheim Ducks. Andreychuk scored 640 career goals and led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the team’s only Stanley Cup (NHL championship) in 2004. Kariya had 402 goals and 587 assists over 15 seasons with Anaheim, the Colorado Avalanche, the Nashville Predators, and the St. Louis Blues. Recchi won Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991), Carolina Hurricanes (2006), and Bruins (2011), and racked up 577 goals and 956 assists over his 22-year NHL career.

Goyette won three Olympic medals—two gold (2002 and 2006) and one silver (1998)—playing for Canada’s women’s national team. Jacobs has owned the Bruins since 1975 and has been chairman of the NHL Board of Governors since 2007. Drake won six Canadian championships over 28 seasons as head coach at the University of Alberta. He also coached professionally with Winnipeg and the Edmonton Oilers.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Image: Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto, Canada. Credit: © Shutterstock

Basketball Kings Without a Throne

2017-10-17T09:35:00-05:00

The National Basketball Association (NBA) season begins tonight, October 17, as the Houston Rockets visit the defending champion Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California. Both teams are stocked with superstars, and the Warriors are odds-on favorites to win their third title in the last four years. After the game, the Rockets will take a short ride up Interstate 80 to Sacramento for the Kings’ season opener on Wednesday. The Kings, perennial also-rans and polar opposites of the Warriors, have the worst odds in the league—1 chance in 1,000—to win the championship, making the team all but a sure bet to extend its NBA-longest title drought of 66 years.

Technically, the Kings have never sat upon the NBA throne. It was the team’s ancestors, the Rochester (New York) Royals, who last won an NBA title in 1951. The Royals were a founding member of the NBA in 1949, and they took down the New York Knicks in the 1951 NBA Finals. The Royals were led by two future Basketball Hall of Famers, center Arnie “Stilts” Risen and Bob Davies, one of the greatest guards in NBA history. In 1957, the Royals moved to Cincinnati, where they won 55 games over an 80 game schedule during the 1963-1964 season (only to lose to the Boston Celtics in the playoffs). The biggest star of the Cincinnati team was guard Oscar Robertson, a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest all-around players in NBA history.

The team moved to Kansas City, Missouri, for the 1972-1973 season, but also played games in Omaha, Nebraska. The team became known as the Kansas City-Omaha Kings (the baseball Royals already played in Kansas City). The biggest star of the early 1970's was high-scoring guard Nate Archibald. The team soon dropped “Omaha” from its name and played primarily in Kansas City starting with the 1975-1976 season. The late ’70's Kings were led by guards Otis Birdsong and Phil Ford, forward Scott Wedman, and center Sam Lacey.

In 1983, the team was purchased by a Sacramento business group. The team began play in Sacramento in the 1985-1986 season. The Kings made the playoffs their first season in Sacramento, but lean years followed. The 2000-2001 team advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 20 years before losing to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers. The next season, the Kings won a franchise record 61 games over an 82 game schedule, but bowed out to the Lakers again, this time in an intense conference final. The Kings of that era featured such stars as guard Mike Bibby, center Vlade Divac, and forwards Chris Webber and Predrag Stojakovic. Since finishing 44-38 in 2005-2006, the Kings have not had a winning season.

The Kings are not lonely at the bottom of the lopsided NBA. Of the league’s 30 teams, 12 have never won a title, 11 have droughts of 40 years or more, and 7 have never even reached the finals. The next-longest NBA title drought belongs to the Atlanta Hawks, who last won a title (as the St. Louis Hawks) in 1958.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Image: On April 18, 1951, Rochester Royals star Arnie Risen (third from left in blue) nabs a rebound from Harry Gallatin (11, in white) of the New York Knicks in game six of the NBA Finals at New York City’s 69th Regiment Armory. The Royals, ancestors of the modern day Sacramento Kings, defeated the Knicks for the only NBA title in franchise history. Credit: © Marty Zimmerman, AP/REX/Shutterstock

Toronto’s Long Hockey Wait

2017-10-12T09:36:00-05:00

Last week, on October 4, the puck dropped on the National Hockey League (NHL) season as the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins began their title defense with a 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups since joining the NHL for the 1967-1968 season. The Blues, who also joined the league that year, have yet to win their first championship. The Blues’ title drought is a long one—49 years—but it is not the longest in the NHL. That dubious honor belongs to one of hockey’s signature franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs, winners of 13 Stanley Cups, have not fared well since their last trophy was hoisted 50 years ago at the end of the 1966-67 season.

Toronto is one of the NHL’s oldest and most storied clubs. The team was one of the four original members of the NHL when it was established in 1917 (the other three were the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, and the Ottawa Senators). Toronto, then known as the Arenas, won the first NHL Stanley Cup in 1918. The team nickname was changed to the St. Patricks in 1919 and finally to the Maple Leafs in 1927.

The Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup again in 1922 and 1932, but the team’s greatest years came from 1942 to 1967. During that period, Toronto won an impressive 10 Stanley Cups, and many Leafs stars from those teams were later elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame (which is also in Toronto). Toronto’s success ended with the expansion era, however, as six new teams (all in the United States) entered the NHL for the 1967-1968 season. Toronto struggled through turbulent years in the early 1970's, but the team managed to reach the NHL semifinals in 1978. The Leafs’ troubles resumed, however, and lasted until 1993, when the team roared back to prosperity before losing a tough conference finals to the Los Angeles Kings. Toronto returned to the conference finals in 1994, 1999, and 2002, but failed each time to reach the coveted ice of the Stanley Cup Final.

There is hope on the northwest shore of Lake Ontario, however. Last season, Toronto—led by budding superstar center Auston Matthews—finished tied for third in the NHL’s Atlantic Division before bowing out in the first round of the playoffs. Matthews, barely 19 years old when he debuted a year ago, won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most outstanding rookie player. Maple Leafs fans hope that a strong offense led by Matthews and fellow young forwards Mitch Marner and William Nylander can help end Toronto’s long wait for a Stanley Cup championship.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Image: Toronto Maple Leafs players rejoice during their Stanley Cup Final victory over the Detroit Red Wings in 1942. The Leafs have won 13 Stanley Cups, but none since 1967. Credit: Archives of Ontario

Baseball’s Midsummer Classic

2017-07-13T11:05:00-05:00

^The Major League Baseball All-Star Game matches up the best players of the American and National leagues each year at roughly the midpoint in the season. In this photo, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly over Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, prior to the start of the 2014 All-Star Game. Credit: Master Sgt. Stan Parker, U.S. Air Force

On Tuesday night, July 11, the American League (AL) edged the National League (NL) 2-1 to win the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. It was the fifth consecutive win for the AL, which took the game with a 10th inning home run by Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Canó. The All-Star Game features the best MLB players as a midseason interleague exhibition. Canó, an eight-time All-Star and native of the Dominican Republic, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

As is often the case, pitching dominated the Midsummer Classic. Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer opened the game for the NL with a scoreless first, and AL starter Chris Sale did the same. Sale, who also shut down the NL in the second, made his second-straight start for the AL. The last pitcher to repeat as AL All-Star starter was Dave Stieb of the Toronto Blue Jays in 1983 and 1984. Sale, who plays for the Boston Red Sox, became the first pitcher with back-to-back starts with different teams (he pitched last year for the Chicago White Sox).

The revolving door then set in on the pitcher’s mound as each team ran out a new arm nearly every inning (the St. Louis Cardinals’Carlos Martínez was the only pitcher besides Sale to throw two frames). The AL pushed a run across in the 5th, and the NL answered with a run in the 6th. The 9th inning ended with the score tied 1-1, but fears of a lengthy extra-inning game were quickly erased by Canó’s blast to right field off Chicago Cubs pitcher Wade Davis. Cleveland Indians pitcher Andrew Miller blanked the NL in the bottom of the 10th to clinch the AL victory.

The AL squad was led by Indians bench coach Brad Mills, who filled in for ailing manager Terry Francona. Francona underwent a heart procedure the week before the game and was unable to manage the AL All-Stars–his right by leading his Indians to the AL pennant in 2016. Joe Maddon, manager of the NL and World Series champion Cubs, led the National Leaguers. Pregame ceremonies, always elaborate at All-Star Games, celebrated Miami’s Hispanic community by honoring Latin American-born MLB Hall of Famers.

For the first time since 2002, the All-Star Game did not determine which league would have home field advantage in the World Series. Instead, home field advantage in the World Series returned to its previous annual rotation of alternating between league champions. This year’s AL victory evened the all-time series between the leagues. Since the first All-Star Game in 1933, the AL and NL squads have each won 43 times (along with 2 ties). Each league has also scored the same number of runs in All-Star play (361). There was no All-Star Game in 1945 because of World War II travel restrictions, and from 1959 through 1962, there were two All-Star games each year.

In other All-Star festivities, New York Yankees rookie slugger Aaron Judge outpaced hometown Marlins’ favorites Giancarlo Stanton and Justin Bour to win the Home Run Derby on Monday night. On Sunday afternoon, the best of Minor League Baseball squared off in the All-Star Futures Game. The United States future stars downed the World Team, 7-6.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

A New Champ in Indianapolis

2017-05-30T09:52:00-05:00

Takuma Sato of Japan celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the 101st running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 28, 2017. Credit: © Jamie Squire, Getty Images

On Sunday, May 28, 40-year-old Takuma Sato became the first Japanese race car driver to win the Indianapolis 500, the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Sato, a Tokyo-born veteran Formula One driver, took the checkered flag just 0.2011 seconds—faster than the blink of an eye—ahead of three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Hélio Castroneves, who made repeated attempts to pass Sato in the race’s closing laps. Castroneves, from Brazil, finished second and British rookie driver Ed Jones finished third. The Indianapolis 500 is the premier event of the Indy Racing League (IRL) and one of the world’s most famous and prestigious auto races.

Sato first raced at Indianapolis in 2010 and nearly won in 2012, when he crashed in the race’s final lap while trying to pass that year’s winner, Dario Franchitti (also a three-time champion). After winning on Sunday, Sato pulled into Victory Lane and stood overjoyed in the cockpit of his Honda race car. Looped in a wreath of flowers, Sato drank and drenched himself with the traditional bottle of milk. After posing with the giant Borg-Warner Trophy that will soon bear his likeness, Sato climbed down to reverently kiss the strip of bricks at the start/ finish line (a holdover from the track’s original surface). “It’s beautiful,” he beamed. “I dreamed of something like this since I was 12.”

The Indianapolis 500 (often shortened to Indy 500) takes place on the 2^½-mile (4.02-kilometer) oval track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. There are 33 starting positions. Drivers with the highest average speeds in four qualifying laps earn the chance to race. The first driver to complete 200 laps around the track—a distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers)—wins the race.

Sato had good qualifying runs and began the race in the fourth position. New Zealander Scott Dixon (the 2008 Indy 500 champion) won the race’s coveted pole (first) position but was wiped out in a spectacular crash on lap 53. Dixon’s car was reduced to a scorched cockpit, but he walked away with only the jitters.

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Super Bowl: Patriots Stun Falcons to Win NFL Title

2017-02-07T10:21:00-06:00

On Sunday, February 5, the New England Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in Super Bowl LI (51), the championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The Patriots trailed 28-3 before rattling off 31 unanswered points to complete the largest comeback in Super Bowl history, winning in overtime at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. It was the fifth Super Bowl victory for the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady, who won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award for a record fourth time.

The game began rather quietly as neither team scored in the first quarter. The Falcons exploded for three touchdowns in the second quarter, however, taking a dominating 21-3 lead into halftime. No team had ever come back to win from more than 10 points down in a Super Bowl, and many Falcons fans began celebrating early.

After a vivacious halftime musical performance by Lady Gaga, Atlanta resumed the romp, adding a touchdown to make the score 28-3 with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter. New England refused to quit, however, notching their first touchdown (but missing the extra point) for a 28-9 score at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth quarter, a Patriots field goal put the game at 28-12 with 9:44 to play. At that point, statisticians had Atlanta’s win probability at over 99 percent—but no one told Tom Brady and the Patriots, who turned a Falcons fumble into a quick touchdown. A 2-point conversion put the score at 28-20. The Falcons drove downfield on their next possession, getting within field goal range. But a Patriots sack of Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and a holding penalty put the Falcons in reverse and they were forced to punt.

Brady, already one of the most storied quarterbacks in the history of American football, then decided to add to his legacy. He led New England on a 10-play, 91-yard drive that culminated with a 1-yard touchdown run by running back James White as the clocked ticked under 1 minute to play. A 2-point conversion was still needed to tie the game, so that’s what Brady delivered. He tossed the ball into the hands of receiver Danny Amendola, who pushed the ball over the goal line: 28-28. The final seconds of the fourth quarter ticked away uneventfully and, for the first time in Super Bowl history, the game went into overtime.

The Patriots won the coin toss, allowing them to take the ball first in overtime. With momentum—and, seemingly, fate—firmly on their side, Brady again led New England downfield. The Patriots marched 75 yards on 8 plays, winning the game on a 2-yard White run into the end zone: New England 34, Atlanta 28. The Patriots erupted in jubilation as a clearly stunned and disbelieving Atlanta team shuffled slowly off the field.

Learn about what football was like 100 years ago!

##SHAREDCONTENT[WBOL]##

Top image: A 2-point conversion by New England Patriots receiver Danny Amendola ties the score at 28-28 late in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2017. The Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime. Credit: © Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

Dakar Rally 2017

2017-01-17T12:40:00-06:00

^Top image: An off-road racer climbs the desert dunes near Ica, Peru, during the 2013 Dakar Rally. Credit: © Christian Vinces, Shutterstock

On Saturday, January 14, weary and filthy racers from all over the world pulled their off-road vehicles onto the streets of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, completing the final stage of the Dakar Rally. The racers entered the city and crossed the finish line after 12 grueling days of gritty cross-country racing, covering 5,457 miles (8,782 kilometers) of dirt, rock, and sand. The race began in Asunción, Paraguay, on January 2, running north into Bolivia before winding back south to Argentina.

The Dakar Rally, once known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, is an annual cross-country endurance race. The rally includes five different vehicle categories: cars, motorcycles, quads (all-terrain vehicles, or ATV’s), trucks, and—new this year—utility task vehicles, or UTV’s (a two-seater style of ATV). The first Dakar Rally began on Dec. 26, 1978, as 182 motorcycles and cars revved their engines on the Place du Trocadéro in Paris, France, preparing for the 6,200-mile (10,000-kilometre) journey to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Covering more than 500 miles (800 kilometers) per day, the winning racers crossed the Dakar finish line on Jan. 14, 1979 (just 74 vehicles completed the race). The racers followed a route from Paris to Marseille, where boats carried them across the Mediterranean Sea to Algeria. From there, the route continued through the dunes and dust of Niger, Mali, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso), and, finally, Senegal.

The Dakar Rally continued annually and gained popularity, reaching a peak of 688 racers in 2005. In 2008, security threats in Mauritania (Mali’s neighbor to the west) shut down the race, and it was moved to the deserts and scrubland of South America. The 2017 Dakar Rally began with 566 racers. The winning drivers came from Brazil, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom.

To compensate for negative impacts of the race on the environment, Dakar Rally sponsors donate large sums to the Madre de Dios project that works to protect the Amazon rain forest and other natural habitats of South America. Race routes avoid sensitive archaeological or paleontological sites, and strict cleanup and recycling rules ensure the integrity of the stunning natural landscapes that define the spectacle of the rally.

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

The Wonderful World Series

2016-10-25T13:24:00-05:00

^Top image: The venerable lions guarding the Art Institute of Chicago received their first Cubs hats on Oct. 24, 2016, the day before the Cubs first World Series appearance since 1945. Credit: Art Institute of Chicago

Tonight, October 25, the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series begins in Cleveland, Ohio. The World Series determines the MLB champion each autumn, but the teams involved in this year’s series make it a little extra special. The teams—the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians—have the two longest World Series droughts in baseball. A drought is a long period of dry weather, and when applied to baseball, it means a team hasn’t won a championship in a very long time.

How long are we talking about? Well, the Indians last won the World Series in 1948 (68 years ago), and the Cubs’ last title was in 1908—yes, 108 years ago. Do the math, and you have 176 years of combined futility. But with just two teams left—the two hungriest teams in baseball—something has to give. Somebody has to win. One team will end their title drought and elate generations of frustrated fans. But somebody has to lose, too. For one team’s fans, the disappointment will continue, and the ball club will have to “wait ‘til next year.” Again.

On Saturday night, the Cubs won the best-of-seven National LeagueChampionship Series (NLCS) by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 2. The Cubs won it in their home ballpark, Wrigley Field, which was built in 1914—six years after the Cubs last World Series win. The Cubs haven’t even played in a World Series since 1945, when they lost to the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs have been close, however—painfully close. In 2003, the team blew a 3-games-to-1 lead in the NLCS, losing to the Florida (now Miami) Marlins in seven games. In 1984, the Cubs squandered a 2-games-to-0 lead in the NLCS (it was then best-of-5), dropping the series to the San Diego Padres.

^The Cleveland Indians hope to win their first World Series title since 1948. Credit: Erik Drost (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Last week, the Indians took the American League pennant by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 4 games to 1. The Indians’ title drought is long, too, but their last World Series appearance was a bit more recent. In 1997, Cleveland dropped a heartbreaking seventh game of the World Series in extra innings to the Marlins. The Indians also reached the World Series in 1995, but lost to the Atlanta Braves 4 games to 2.

Several MLB teams have yet to win a World Series, but none of them even existed the last time the Indians won one or the Cubs competed in one. For the cities of Chicago and Cleveland, the World Series is more than just a sporting event. It is a cultural happening, an all-consuming thing that is the point of all conversation. The teams represent an identity, a history, and a common connection. And for the team that wins this year’s wonderful World Series, it will be their fans’ dream come true.

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

Olympic August: Christ the Redeemer

2016-08-05T10:33:00-05:00

Christ the Redeemer surveys the teeming city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the blue waters of Guanabara Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Credit: © Marchello74, Shutterstock

Tonight, the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Millions of people around the world will tune in to watch the pomp and circumstance of the parade of the national teams as they enter Rio’s famous Maracanã Stadium. More than 11,000 athletes from 206 nations will carry flags, sport the latest fashions, and wave to the cameras and the roughly 80,000 people watching from the stands. (If you’re counting, there are 196 independent countries in the world, but some dependencies such as Bermuda and Puerto Rico have their own teams.) To the rhythms of bossa nova (a Brazilian mix ofsamba and jazz), people will dance and fireworks will boom, but there will be one presence quite literally above all others: Christ the Redeemer. The famous statue, which portrays Jesus Christ with arms outstretched, stands atop Mount Corcovado, 2,330 feet (710 meters) above the city and the sparkling blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Guanabara Bay. Pay attention, and you’ll probably see the statue, oh, 30 or 40 times. And that will be in just the first few minutes.

Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor in Portuguese) deserves attention. It stands 100 feet (30 meters) tall atop a 25-foot (7.5-meter) base. The distance between the figure’s fingertips is about 92 feet (28 meters). The sculpture is made of reinforced concrete with an exterior made of soapstone. Christ the Redeemer is one of the major tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro. Views from the statue (you can take escalators, elevators, or 222 stairs to the top of the base) are nothing short of magnificent.

The idea of erecting a statue on Mount Corcovado dates back to 1859. In 1921, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro began a campaign to build the monument. French sculptor Paul Landowski designed the statue. Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa supervised the project. Work on the statue began in 1927, and the monument was officially inaugurated on Oct. 12, 1931.

Christ the Redeemer may be the most famous statue of Jesus Christ in the world, but it is not the largest. Christ of Peace (Cristo de la Concordia) atop San Pedro Hill near Cochabamba, Bolivia, is taller at 112 feet (34 meters) with a 20-foot (6-meter) pedestal. Christ the King(Pomnik Chrystusa Król) in Swiebodzin, Poland, reaches higher than the rest, however, if you count the 108-foot (33-meter) tall figure, its 10-foot (3-meter) crown, and a mound that stands some 60 feet (18 meters) high.

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

Olympic August: Jesse Owens

2016-08-03T13:11:00-05:00

Photo: Jesse Owens races in a preliminary heat of the 200-meter dash at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
Credit: © AP Photo

On Aug. 3, 1936—80 years ago today—African American track and field star Jesse Owens won the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. It was the first of four gold medals that Owens would win over the next week—a remarkable performance by a remarkable athlete. Owens’s accomplishment transcended the sports world, however, and took on a much greater importance. The Nazis controlled Germany in 1936, and German Chancellor Adolf Hitler hoped the Olympics would help prove—athletically, anyway—his theory of Aryan racial superiority. Aryanwas a term the Nazis used for Germans and certain other white peoples of northern Europe. Owens (and his American teammates) disappointed Hitler, but he won the admiration of the crowds watching in Berlin. Owens’s Olympic performance made him one of the most famous athletes in sports history.

In the 100-meter dash, Owens edged out his African American teammate Ralph Metcalf by 1/10^th of a second to win gold. German runner Erich Borchmeyer finished a “distant” fifth (4/10^th of a second behind Owens). The next day, August 4, Owens set an Olympic record in the broad jump (now called the long jump), winning gold over German jumper Luz Long. On August 5, Owens set a world record in the 200-meter dash, nosing out another African American teammate, Mack Robinson (older brother of baseball legend Jackie Robinson). Four days later, Owens and Metcalfe joined American teammates Foy Draper and Frank Wykoff in the 400-meter relay, setting a world record and winning gold over the second-place Italian team and third-place Germans.

Owens was born in Oakville, Alabama, near Danville, on Sept. 12, 1913. His given and family name was James Cleveland Owens. His nickname, Jesse, came from his initials, J. C. Owens was the son of a sharecropper. At the age of 9, he moved with his family to Cleveland, Ohio. Owens excelled in track and field while attending Ohio State University from 1933 to 1936. At a college meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1935, he broke three world records and tied a fourth within 45 minutes. Owens set seven world records during his career.

Owens eventually went into the public relations business. He worked in community service, especially youth work. He traveled widely, giving many speeches that supported clean living, fair play, and patriotism. Owens believed that athletic competition could help solve racial and political problems. He died on March 31, 1980. Owens’s many honors include the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. In Berlin, a street near the Olympiastadion (Olympic Satdium) is named for Owens, as is a nearby school.

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

Tears of Joy in Cooperstown

2016-07-26T10:30:00-05:00

Top photo information:Ken Griffey, Jr., springs from the batter’s box on April 27, 2000, during his first season with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit 40 home runs that year with 118 runs batted in. Credit: © Ezra Shaw, Allsport/Getty Images

On Sunday, July 24, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Mike Piazza became the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown,New York. At a ceremony attended by previous Hall of Fame members and some 50,000 fans, both players paid tribute to supportive parents and—with baseball-sized lumps in their throats—they each broke down in tears. Griffey, a graceful outfielder with a legendary swing, dedicated his inauguration “to my dad, who taught me how to play this game and to my mom, the strongest woman I know.” Piazza, one of the game’s all-time great catchers, was grateful for the freedom and opportunity to play baseball: “Dad always dreamed of playing in the major leagues. He could not follow that dream because of the realities of life. My father’s faith in me, often greater than my own, is the single most important factor of me being inducted into this Hall of Fame.” Griffey is the highest draft pick—number 1 overall in 1987—ever to enter the Hall of Fame. Conversely, Piazza was drafted in 1988 in the 62^nd round at number 1,390—the lowest draft pick to end up in Cooperstown. The Major League Baseball (MLB) draft was first held in 1965 and is now limited to 40 rounds.

Griffey played 22 seasons in his MLB career, split mainly between theSeattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. He hit 630 home runs (sixth all time), drove in 1,836 runs, made 13 All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves in center field, and was the 1997 American League Most Valuable Player. Griffey is the first Mariners player enshrined in Cooperstown. In Hall of Fame voting (cast by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America), he was named on 437 of 440 ballots. His vote percentage of 99.3 was the highest since Hall of Fame voting began in 1936.

Mike Piazza steps to the plate in a 2005 Spring Training game in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was Piazza’s last year with the New York Mets.
Credit: © Aspen Photo/Shutterstock

Piazza played 16 years in the big leagues, primarily as a catcher. He spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. Piazza retired with a .308 career batting average and 427 home runs, including an MLB record 396 as a catcher. He was selected to 12 All-Star teams. He is the second Mets player (after Tom Seaver) to enter the Hall of Fame. Piazza received 83 percent of the Hall of Fame vote. No other players reached the minimum of 75 percent.

Other World Book articles:

Baseball (1997) – A Back in Time article
Baseball (2008) – A Back in Time articl

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

Pokémon Goes!

2016-07-21T10:41:00-05:00

Millions of players are taking to the streets to play Pokémon Go, a mobile gaming sensation released by the software developer Niantic on July 6, 2016. The game builds on the Pokémon game franchise, which first peaked in popularity in the late 1990’s. In Pokémon games, players take on the role of trainers, who capture, collect, and train fantastic monsters called Pokémon. The monsters then fight each other in duels. Each Pokémon has unique abilities and a clever name, such as Pikachu (whose “static” ability can paralyze), Charmander (whose “blaze” ability can burn), and Squirtle (whose “torrent” ability makes him a fast swimmer). When the creatures are not fighting, they are kept in pocket-sized balls. The term Pokémon is short for pocket monsters.

Pokémon Go ushers the franchise into the world of augmented reality games. Augmented reality games are electronic games in which computer-generated elements are superimposed over the real world.Pokémon Go players use their mobile phones to search for and capture Pokémon hidden in their surroundings. As the player walks around in the real world, the player’s game avatar moves along a map using GPS. When a Pokémon is close enough to capture, it pops up on the player’s phone screen. Many real world locations such as parks, churches, and coffee shops figure into the game, holding in-game equipment or serving as “gyms,” where players from Pokémon Go’s different teams can compete for control of a particular landmark.

Exploring the real world is an important element of Pokémon Go, and the game’s release stimulated a surge in pedestrian traffic, particularly in locations stocked with virtual equipment or marked as gyms. Fans of the game were pleased to note that it encouraged exploration, exercise, and social interaction among gamers. Many people, however, expressed safety concerns, with reports of pedestrians and drivers being distracted by the game and of gamers trespassing or entering dangerous areas to find Pokémon items

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

View more Behind the Headline stories in World Book Online!

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now

AL All-Stars Top NL

2016-07-13T11:36:00-05:00

Tuesday night, July 12, the powerful All-Star bats of the American League (AL) triumphed over the National League (NL) 4-2 at the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game at PETCO Park in San Diego, California. The annual "Midsummer Classic" features the best MLB players and determines which league will have home field advantage in that year's World Series.

The NL jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning as Chicago Cubs star Kris Bryant homered off the AL starting pitcher and crosstown rival, Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox. The AL quickly rallied in the second, however, as Kansas City Royals teammates Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez each hit home runs off NL starter Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants for a 3-1 lead. Hosmer drilled a run-scoring single in the third inning, as well, and the NL added a run in the fourth, but the pitching took over after that and no more All-Stars crossed home plate. The only hold-your-breath moment came in the eighth when the NL loaded the bases with two outs. Houston Astros closer Will Harris fanned St. Louis Cardinals rookie Aledmys Diaz on a 3-2 pitch to end the NL threat. Hosmer was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

Much fanfare surrounded the final All-Star Game of Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who has announced he will retire at season's end. Ortiz is having a superb season, capping a career that began in 1997 with the Minnesota Twins but really took off once he reached Boston in 2003. Ortiz has over 500 career home runs and 1,700 runs batted in--stats that get most players into the Hall of Fame. Ortiz started the All-Star Game at designated hitter and left for a pinch-runner in the third inning after drawing a walk.

In other All-Star festivities, Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton pounded a record 61 home runs to win the Home Run Derby on Monday. On Sunday, the best of Minor League Baseball squared off in the All-Star Futures Game. The World Team downed the United States side 11-3.

The first MLB All-Star Game was played on July 6, 1933, at Comiskey Park on Chicago's south side. That first game, which featured legendary players Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, and other Hall of Famers, was expected to be a one-time event and was thus called the "Game of the Century." The AL beat the NL 4-2 in that game, too.

Can't view the linked articles? Buy World Book Online today!

Learn more about baseball in World Book Online! With databases appropriate for every age level and interest, there is something for everyone.

When you need fast, reliable information for homework, reports, or just a lingering question, World Book Online is the place to go.

A colorful, approachable look and feel, designed for kids, and articles written at your student's level
Easy access on smartphones and tablets
Five complete databases for multiple research levels
Illustrations, maps, audio files, videos, eBooks, primary source documents, and more

Learn More | Buy Now