Social Studies for Kids

118 Countries Pledge to Triple Renewable Energy
December 8, 2023
A full 118 countries have signed on to a plan to triple the world's renewable energy capacity by 2030, said organizers at the COP28 summit in Dubai. Among those so pledging are some of the world's largest users of nonrenewable energy, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Representatives from a few of those countries appealed for the agreement to be included in the summit's final overall statement. Such a commitment would need to coincide with a drop in costs for the transition to renewable energy, something that the industry has struggled with in recent months. Accompanying that pledge was a declaration signed by nearly two dozen countries that aims to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050–all in a drive to decrease the dependence on coal and on other fuels that elicit greenhouse gas emissions that are warming global temperatures to what many say are worrying rates.

Teen Refurbishes LEGO Bricks, Sends Them to Needy Kids
December 4, 2023
Pass the Bricks Charlie Jeffers It's paying it forward, LEGO-style. Charlie Jeffers, a high school student in California, specializes in getting LEGO bricks into the hands of those who don't normally have access to them. Jeffers, who is a senior this year at Marin County's Redwood High School, is the founder of Pass the Bricks, a charity that has a goal of taking LEGO bricks, washing them and sorting them and creating new sets with them, and then getting those new sets to children who can't afford them or have no other way to buy them. And Pass the Bricks doesn't charge the recipients for the deliveries. It's not all standard issue, either. Jeffers is plugged in to the kids scene, having been one himself very recently. One of his signature sets is the Droid Escape Pod, a down-to-the-colors recreation of the spaceship used by R2-D2 in the first few minutes of the very first Star Wars film.

COLONIAL AMERICA

Patrick Henry: Voice of Freedom
Patrick Henry was one of the leading lights of the American Revolution, a voice that would not be silenced until Americans were free and could govern themselves.

Samuel Adams: Ringleader of the American Revolution
Described as a firebrand, a revolutionary, and a patriot, the young Adams was perhaps the most vocal of his generation to demand independence from Great Britain. He believed in the higher cause of independence, and he didn't often let laws that he thought unjust stand in his way.

Benjamin Franklin: America's Renaissance Man
Benjamin Franklin was one of the most famous people of his generation, his country, and his country’s history. He was as close as Colonial America came to having a Renaissance man.

John Hancock: The Money Behind the Revolution
John Hancock is perhaps best known for his very large signature on the Declaration of Independence. However, he was much more important to the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War as a businessman who had large sums of money at his disposal and used that money to support the American cause.

The Boston Tea Party
What caused Americans to get so upset about tea? Find out in this easy-to-read article.

IN DAYS GONE BY

The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Get the basic facts and figures in this easy-to-read article.

Pearl Harbor: An Eyewitness Account
See the attack and the events leading up to it through the eyes of young Army Private Joseph McDonald.

A Personal Journey to the USS Arizona Memorial
Join the Author on a recent trip to the memorial of the battleship that sunk in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, killing 1,178 on board.

The Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prize is a series of awards given each year to outstanding people in a number of varied fields of study and work. Named for famed inventor Alfred Nobel, the Prizes were first awarded on December 10, 1901. Every year, Swedish academies and institutes name winners in the following fields: Chemistry, Economics, Literature, Medicine or Physiology, and Physics. Also, the Norwegian Nobel Committee presents the Peace Prize. Each winner gets a diploma, a gold medal, and a large sum of money. The Economics Prize is not an original Nobel Prize, since it was established only in 1968, long after Nobel's death and the awarding of the first Nobel Prizes.

The Evolution of the Traffic Light
The first traffic lights came into being before automobiles did. An intersection in London, Bridge Street and George Streets (in front of the House of Commons), was the first to get a traffic light, on December 10, 1868. The invention of railway signal engineer J.P. Knight, the traffic light was a 22-foot-tall cast iron pillar that housed a revolving lantern that could show red or green lights

ECONOMICS

(For a description of these fun, illustrated, easy-to-read articles, click here.)

Making a Budget
One thing that every good money manager does is make a budget. Find out why and how.

Why All the Graphics in Economics?
Economics needs so many graphs because it tracks trends and other numerical information that other subjects in the social studies don't, at least not nearly as often. Take the mystery and difficulty out of charts, tables, and graphs!

The Importance of Trade
Trade is vital to the success of a civilization. Why? The civilization that can produce just enough of everything it and its people need to survive is rare indeed. Can you think of an example, today or in the long history of people? Keep thinking ...

GEOGRAPHY

Basic Geography: The Equator and the Prime Meridian
The earth is a globe, of course, and can be divided into lots of lines called latitude and longitude. Latitude lines run north and south; longitude lines run east and west. The lines measure distances in degrees. But where do you start? Where is 0 degrees? This illustrated article answers those questions and more in a fun, easy-to-read way.

Latitude and Longitude
Latitude and Longitude help us identify the location of places on a globe. These links give you a better understanding of these important concepts.

Unforgiving Places
Deserts, mountains, wastelands—these are some of the planet's Unforgiving Places. Learn more about these lonely yet intriguing destinations.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The European Union

The European Union is an international economic and political organization comprising most of the countries of Europe. It dates to 1992 but had its origins in the wake of World War II. The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) began as an attempt to forestall yet another military conflict between France and Germany. French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed a common market for coal and steel, an agreement that would unite those two countries (West Germany, since the post-World War II division) in an economic and political association aimed at cooperation and common benefit. It wasn't just France or West Germany onboard; also joining were Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. (All but Italy were already engaged in negotiations that would eventually create the Benelux Union.) The parliaments of all six nations voted in favor of creating and joining the ECSC and so it came into being, signed on April 18, 1951 and beginning operation on July 23, 1952. Eventually, 40 years later, the EU emerged.

The African Union
African Union emblem The African Union is a 55-member body that looks to address issues common to all African nations. Member states founded the African Union (AU) on May 26, 2001, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and its operations began the following year, on July 9, 2002, in Durban, South Africa. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was the first head of the African Union. The Ethiopian capital is the political center of the AU. Most of the body's important decisions are made as a result of a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state called the Assembly of the African Union, which meets once a year. A head of state from of the member states serves as the Chairperson of the AU for a year. The chairperson represents the AU at international meetings, including the G-8 and the G-20. The post rotates among the continent's five geographic regions: Central, Eastern, Northern, Southern, and Western.

The Gulf Cooperation Council
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political organization that works to serve the collective interests of its six members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The member nations founded the GCC in 1981, as a way to foster cooperation in economic, scientific, environmental, and social issues. The GCC has several political bodies. The Supreme Council is the highest decision-making body; the Council meets annually, and each member nation has one representative who has one vote. Presidency of the Council rotates annually. Substantive decisions of the Supreme Council must be unanimous; procedural matters can be approved by a majority. Foreign ministers make up the Ministerial Council, which meets every three months, and make policies and recommendations to the Ministerial Council. The GCC's executive branch, the Secretariat General, implements decisions made by the two Councils. The head of this apparatus is the Secretary-General, who serves a three-year term. Member nations have pursued collective economic efforts in recent years, forming a common market in 2008 and a monetary council the following year and then a customs union in 2015. A move to incorporate a common currency is ongoing.

THE HISTORY AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRIA

The Development of Austria Before Habsburg Rule
Like many other areas of Europe, what is now Austria has a past that includes Celtic and Roman influences. Other pre-Habsburg rulers included the Holy Roman Empire and a handful of Babenbergs.

Leopold the
Illustrious

Leopold I: Margrave of Austria
Leopold the Illustrious (left) was the first Margrave of Austria and the progenitor of the Babenberg dynasty that ruled over Austria for many decades.

Henry I: Margrave of Austria
Henry I was the second Margrave of Austria. He ruled in the last part of the 10th Century and into the early 11th Century.

Adalbert: Margrave of Austria
Adalbert followed in his father's and brother's footsteps by extending the borders of the realm.

Ernest: Margrave of Austria
Ernest was the fourth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for two decades in the 11th Century and both fought against and lent support to the Holy Roman Empire.

Leopold II: Margrave of Austria
Leopold II was the fifth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for two decades in the late 11th Century and continued his father's struggle against the Holy Roman Empire.

Leopold III: Margrave of Austria
Leopold III was the sixth Margrave of Austria. He ruled for more than four decades in the late 11th Century and early 12th Century. He is also known for establishing a number of monasteries.

Leopold IV: Margrave of Austria
Leopold III was the seventh Margrave of Austria. He ruled for just a few years and had a relatively peaceful reign.

Henry II: Margrave of Austria, Duke of Austria
Henry II was the eighth and last Margrave of Austria and the first Duke of Austria. He ruled in that capacity for 15 years and then served as Duke of Austria for 21 years after that. He also fought in the Second Crusade.

Leopold V: Duke of Austria
Leopold V was the second Duke of Austria. He reigned for nearly two decades near the end of the 12th Century. He also fought in the Third Crusade and later kidnapped England's King Richard I, an act that shaped the histories of England and France for generation.

Frederick I: Duke of Austria
Frederick I was the third Duke of Austria, ruling for three short years at the end of the 12th Century. He died on Crusade, in the Holy Land.

Leopold VI: Duke of Austria
Leopold VI was the fourth Duke of Austria, ruling for more than three decades at the beginning of the 13th Century. He fought in the Fifth Crusade

Frederick II: Duke of Austria
Frederick II was the fifth and last pre-Habsburg Duke of Austria, ruling for more than three decades in the first half of the 13th Century. One of his signal achievements was a victory over the feared Mongols.

The Babenberg Succession Conflict
In the ruling history of Austria, the bridge between the House of Babenberg and the House of Habsburg was a succession controversy.

Rudolf I
The King of Germany won a power struggle and then initiated Habsburg rule of Austria, cementing immediate succession by installing his sons as leaders of the largest provinces.

Albert I
Albert I was King of Germany and ruler of Austria for a decade on either side of the turn of the 14th Century. His reign came to a violent end.

Rudolf II
Rudolf II was King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor for a time in the late 16th Century and early 17th Century. He was born in Vienna and ruled Austria as well but only for a short time.

Frederick III: Duke of Austria
Frederick III was Duke of Austria and Styria for more than two decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with two of his brothers. He won selection as Holy Roman Emperor for a time but then lost it again, retiring to rule Austria in peace.

Albert II: Duke of Austria
Albert II was Duke of Austria and Styria for more than two decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with his brother Otto. With his mind on succession, Albert established the Albertinian House Rule, stipulating that the principle of primogeniture (the right of the firstborn child–and, ideally, son–to inherit his father's main estate, lands, and titles) should apply.

Rudolf IV: Duke of Austria
Rudolf IV was Duke of Austria and Styria for seven years in the mid-14th Century. Denied a role as an elector for choosing the Holy Roman Emperor, Rudolf issued the Privilegium maius, a series of "found" documents that elevated Austria to the status of an archduchy and, in the duke's minds, deserving of elector status.

Albert III: Duke of Austria
Albert III was Duke of Austria for three decades in the 14th Century, sharing power with his brother Leopold.

Albert IV: Duke of Austria
Albert IV was Duke of Austria for nine years on either side of the start of the 15th Century.

Albert V: Duke of Austria
Albert the Magnanimous was one of his handful of titles. He was also King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor. Among his prime achievements were the ending of private warfare and feuds and the division of Germany into administrative circles, from which his successors benefited much more than he did.

Ladislaus: Duke of Austria
Ladislaus was Duke of Austria and King of Bohemia, Croatia, and Hungary for many years in the 15th Century. He was the last Duke of Austria.

Austria was ruled for an extended period of time, and at various intervals, by a series of Holy Roman Emperors.

Maria Theresa: Empress of Austria
Maria Theresa (left) was Holy Roman Empress for four decades in the 18th Century, surviving a devastating war over her succession and ruling over a period of great reform.

Joseph II: Ruler of Austria
The second husband of Maria Theresa, he was Holy Roman Emperor in his own right after she died, becoming a proponent of enlightened absolutism.

Leopold II: Ruler of Austria
Succeeded his brother on the thrones of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire. His desire to reverse the enlightened policies of his predecessor led to deep discontent in the country and resulted in the enmity of revolutionary France.

Francis II: Ruler of Austria
Son of Leopold II, he was the last Holy Roman Emperor and the last Archduke of Austria. He took command of troops fighting in the coalition wars against France. In the middle of it all, he declared himself the first Emperor of Austria. His most famous advisor was Klemens von Metternich.

Ferdinand I: Emperor of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria for more than a dozen years in the 19th Century, giving way in the wake of the revolutionary fervor that swept many European countries in the middle of the century.

Franz Josef: Emperor of Austria
Franz Josef was Austrian emperor from 1848 to 1916. During that time, he presided over a large number of changes in his homeland, including the advent of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the devastation of World War I.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire
The Austro-Hungarian Empire was in existence for just more than 50 years.

Karl: Emperor of Austria-Hungary
Karl I was the last emperor of Austria-Hungary. He reigned for nearly two years, in the waning days of World War I.