Articles with Over 800 Words

While achievements as the first African American major league baseball player are well documented, very few people know about Ila Borders - the first female pitcher in integrated men's professional baseball and the first woman to win a men's professional game in the independent leagues. Nor do they know about the 17 girls that have played in the 68-year history of the Little League World Series. But thanks to 13-year-old pitching phenom Mo'ne Davis, that has all changed....

Land animals are not the only ones being affected by the loss of habitat and climate change. The issues are taking their toll on birds too. Experts estimate that since the 1500's, over 190 bird species have become extinct. Of these, at least 12 were endemic to North America....

Mention koalas and the image that comes to mind is that of a cuddly animal snoozing, whilst clinging on to a tree trunk for dear life - and rightfully so, given that the animals sleep for up to 20 hours a day! However, while the fact that their sedentary lifestyle is caused by their unusually small brains and the limited nutritional content of the eucalyptus leaves they consume is well-known, what was never questioned was their penchant for tree trunks. Turns out that the smart koalas have figured out that staying close to trees is the best way to beat the heat, during the hot Australian summers....

Soccer, or 'football' as it is referred to in most parts of the world, has been played for over 150 years. While the rules of the game have remained fairly constant since the sport was conceived, the technology on and off the field is becoming increasingly sophisticated....

Earth Day was born on April 22nd, 1970, when 20 million people across the United States took to the streets to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Today, it has transformed into a global movement, one that is observed by billions of people around the world who annually pledge to undertake a 'green' initiative set by the Earth Day Network (a consortium of 22,000 partners across 192 countries), to help our planet....

On Sunday, March 2nd, 69 Mushers and their team of 12-16 experienced sled dogs set off from Willow, Alaska, ready to tackle the below freezing temperatures, mounds of snow and ice, as well as, the dangerous terrain that they normally encounter in the Iditarod - an annual 1,000-mile sledge dog race from Anchorage to Nome. What they were not prepared for however, was spring-like temperatures which had transformed the normally snow-packed trail into a minefield of rocks and ice....

When one thinks of nature's most fierce predators, the images that come to mind are those of lions and sharks. While they are certainly dangerous there are other unlikely ones, that are even more so. Among them are the Tasmanian devil, the honey badger and . . . the mantis shrimp?...

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of America's beloved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy or as he was affectionately called, JFK. The November 22nd, 1963, tragedy that occurred as the 35th leader of the United States of America and his elegant wife Jacqueline, were riding in an open motorcade through downtown Dallas, is regarded as a defining moment in American history, one that many will never forget....

The residents of Philippines are no strangers to typhoons - After all, an average of 19 storms brush by each year with at least 6 or 7 making landfall. However, super-typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda as the locals are calling it, that landed around 4 am local time on Friday, November 8th, 2013, was no ordinary storm. With estimated sustained winds of 200 mph and gusts rising as high as 235 mph, experts believe that it may have been the biggest typhoon to ever make landfall....