Now, what do you think of when you hear the word “voyager”? A voyage is like a journey or long trip. When I think of “voyager,” I think of someone going into new and unknown places, exploring and learning. What “voyagers” do you know? The world is pretty big with lots of places to explore, but the biggest place to explore the unknown is Outer Space. It’s only been a little over 50 years since the first human, Neil Armstrong, walked on the Moon. There’s still so much we don’t know! In the late 1970s two space probes (kind of like a spaceship without people on it) were launched with the idea that they could explore more and go further than ever before. They are called Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. They have been on an incredible journey for decades and still have so much more to do!

As you may know, our solar system’s planets revolve around the sun. Every 175 years a very special event happens when the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune line up. The Voyager Program started in 1964 when a scientist named Gary Flandro discovered that this would be happening several years in the future and just one spacecraft would be able to fly by all of them! If they could send a spacecraft to see them all in one voyage this would save a lot of time and money. The project idea was called “The Grand Tour”. Sadly, it ended up being canceled in 1971 because it was going to cost $1 billion dollars.

Fortunately, the idea of a grand tour was reborn a few years later. The opportunity of the planets lining up for NASA was just too good to resist. The new project was estimated to cost $250 million dollars, much less than The Grand Tour project. This time, NASA was going to make two probes, and they were going to visit Jupiter, Saturn and one of Saturn’s moons, Titan. They made two probes so in case something happened to one, the other would be able to finish the mission and visit the two planets. But what everyone at NASA was really hoping for was that Voyager 1 would be successful and they would have Voyager 2 go and do the Grand Tour.

One of the most important parts of the Voyagers were their cameras. The purpose of the spacecraft would be to take pictures of the planets as they passed by. They also had to be able to send pictures back to earth using radio transmission. So the Voyagers were designed with very powerful cameras and radio devices for sending the images to Earth, so scientists could study the images and other data and learn more about the other planets in our solar system. 

Imagine you met someone who didn’t know anything about life on Earth.  What things would you want to teach them? What are the most important things about life on Earth that you’d want them to know? Scientists at NASA knew that the Voyagers had the potential to go very, very far. Even beyond our solar system. What if the Voyagers were discovered by alien life way out in the galaxy? They decided to put a message on each Voyager just in case it was ever discovered by intelligent life. They named the device the Golden Record. A record was a way to store information and listen to music back when your grandparents were younger. If you know what a CD or compact disc is, it’s like a very big CD. 

Scientist Carl Sagan was asked to decide what would be sent on the Voyagers. He and other scientists at NASA put 115 different pictures on the record, of what people look like at different ages, pictures of nature and animals. There were pictures of architecture from around the world and different people from around the world. The team put math equations, chemistry formulas, and pictures of the planets to show our understanding of science. Sagan also put a lot of different sounds on the record! Sounds like the ocean and birds, music from different cultures and time periods. They also included the spoken greetings of 55 languages. Finally instructions, and the equipment needed, were included to play the record and get all of the information off of it.

Here’s a question for you: what do the Voyagers and leftovers in your fridge have in common? They both use kitchen foil to protect them! A lot of design ideas for Voyager were taken from an earlier project named Pioneer 10. Space has very intense radiation and it is especially strong around Jupiter. Voyager had to be able to handle the intense radiation. Right before Voyager was launched, kitchen grade aluminum foil was wrapped around certain cables to give them even more protection! Another cool thing about Voyager is it weighs 1,704 pounds and 231 pounds of it are scientific instruments for gathering different types of data. There are cameras on board that took pictures when it was closer to earth and it has very special antennas that it still uses to communicate with NASA and tell us where it is.

After all of the preparations, Voyager 2 was finally launched in August 1977. Voyager 1 was launched the next month. Even though Voyager 1 was launched later, it was faster and got to Jupiter two years later! That gives you an idea of how big our solar system is. Voyager 2 got there 4 months later. Voyager 2 then reached Uranus at the beginning of 1986. The mission was a huge success! Both Voyagers were able to take pictures of the planets as they passed by and sent images back to Earth. Scientists were able to study these images and other data and learn more about these planets.

Finally, in 1990 when Voyager 1 was 6 billion miles from Earth, (that is very, very far) – it was turned around to take a picture of our solar system. That picture is now known as “Family Portrait”. In it you can see Jupiter, Earth, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the Sun. In the picture the Earth is a small blue dot. Scientist Carl Sagan later wrote a book about how seeing the Earth so small in the solar system made him see life in a whole new way. The book was called “Pale Blue Dot.” It’s kind of crazy to think that in the solar system we are so very small! This picture of our solar system is the last one that the Voyagers took. 

Remember the first question I asked? What is the furthest you have ever been from home? Can you imagine what the Voyagers answer would be!? As of now, they are very, very far from earth. So we have a sun, which is the center of our solar system, with planets orbiting around it. But what’s past that? While studying about the Voyagers I learned about the heliopause. The heliopause is the outer layer of the heliosphere, which is almost like a giant bubble that surrounds our sun and solar system and everything that orbits it. Once you pass through the heliosphere, you are in Deep Space! Outside of the solar system! Believe it or not, that is where both Voyagers are today! Deep space, out of the Solar System! It blows my mind to think about it. They’ve gone further than any man-made device before them. Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause in 2012 and Voyager 2 crossed in 2018. 

How far will the Voyagers continue to go? We aren’t completely sure. Being able to track them depends on how long their power is able to last. The electrical power of Voyager is from plutonium, the same material used to make nuclear weapons. Over time the plutonium decays and doesn’t put out as much energy. In October 2011, their power had dropped to almost half. As the power drops, Voyager won’t be able to take as many pictures or communicate back to earth. Scientists think that by 2032 there won’t be enough power for them to communicate. But for now, both are in contact with NASA through the Deep Space Network and we still get to enjoy seeing where they are! Voyager 1 is currently over 14 billion miles from Earth, and Voyager 2 isn’t far behind. Amazing, right?

As you think about how far Voyager has gone and all that it has done and seen, think about your own voyage (or journey) in life. What places do you want to see? Where do you want to go? It doesn’t have to be the solar system and deep space to be rewarding. But it’s great to make plans and work toward them just as the scientists at NASA did with the Voyagers.

The post History of the Voyager Program for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Two years tick by and P-22 and his siblings are thin and hungry.  The never-ending heat and drought have scorched the hills.  The prey has left.  They need to leave their territory in search of food and water.  To do so, they need to cross the busy freeway.  P-22 does not like the freeway.  It is noisy and hot and large boxy things race along it like speeding cougars.  In the past, any time he ventured close to the freeway, his mother roared and swiped at him with her mighty paws.  Now they are all inching down the hillside towards the freeway.  They stalk forward slowly, using the dry brush as cover.  If they don’t find food shorty, they will not survive.  Already, their ribs are showing through their sagging skin.

P-22 and his siblings stay close behind their mother as they reach the side of the freeway.  They crouch down in the dirt as the large boxy things blast by them at incredible speed.  In the distance, across the freeway, they see the dark ridges of far-off mountains.  On top of one mountain, P-22 can see lights like a bunch of stars fallen to Earth.  The stars are bright and much closer than those in the sky.  He feels as if he can race across the freeway and bound up to those stars.  P-22 wonders what a star tastes like.  Is it crunchy or sweet or meaty?  It looks like there are enough stars on that ridge to feed him and his whole family.  As if in reply, his stomach rumbles in anticipation.

Finally, his mother rises and slowly steps onto the freeway.  She looks left and right and twitches her tail.  She glances over her shoulder and growls to her offspring, then dashes onto the freeway.  Instantly, the young cougars bolt after her.  Suddenly, bright lights race out of the darkness and a loud horn shatters the night.  P-22 leaps ahead, racing for the opposite side of the road and the dark hills beyond.  He runs with all his might, losing track of his mother and siblings.  All he knows is that he must run to survive.  

When P-22 reaches the other side of the freeway, he cannot find his mother and siblings.  The big dark beasts continue to blast by with great gusts of wind, blowing fumes and ruffling his patchy fur.  He trots farther away from the smell and noise, seeking the shelter of trees up a nearby hill just like his mother taught him to do.  He hides in the bushes and settles down to wait, occasionally sending out a roar in hopes his family will hear him.  The hours tick by and he falls asleep, exhausted by his nighttime adventure.

He awakes alone.  He is hungry and thirsty.  Where is his family?  He does not know, but what he does know is that he needs to eat and drink.  He slowly creeps from his hiding place and slinks higher up the hillside in search of a jackrabbit, raccoon, or possum.  Anything to fill his rumbling belly.  Soon he reaches the top of the hill and stands overlooking the valley below.  The sun is rising and the boxy beasts continue to blast along the freeway. He looks for his family and emits a dry, croaky roar, but there is no reply.  He jogs off down the other side of the hill, farther away from the freeway and deeper into the trees in search of food.

And this is how P-22 fills his days, weeks, and months – searching for food at dawn and dusk, and resting in shade and hidden lairs during the days.  One day, he is out searching for food when he smells something strange on the wind, something he hasn’t encountered before. It smells salty and musky.  His ears and tail twitch nervously as he scans the nearby brush for a hidden predator.  Suddenly he feels a pinch of pain in his shoulder and a rustling of bushes behind him.  He turns to attack but his legs are growing heavy and his head is feeling dizzy.  As if in slow motion, he sinks down to the ground and rolls on his side.  In a few seconds, he is fast asleep.

He wakes hours later, groggy and confused.  The sun has shifted in the sky and is nearing the horizon.  It is almost dusk. He sits up and instantly feels something thick around his neck.  It emits a very low hum and occasional beeps.  This bothers him tremendously and he tries to scratch it off with his mighty back paws but it won’t budge. It feels like a snake around his neck and he wishes it would slink away, but it stays latched around his neck, never moving or biting, just beeping.  

Snake or no snake, he needs to eat and so P-22 roams the hillside and neighborhoods for food and water.  There is not much to eat in these new hills on the other side of the freeway.  There are lots of buildings and barking animals, hot streets and racing objects – nothing like the quiet hillsides of his first home.  There is much more noise over here and he has to hunt very carefully to get a good meal.  And he has discovered that the stars on this mountain ridge – the ones he saw years ago from the other side of the freeway – aren’t stars at all but blinking lights on large metal beams.  They are not food at all!  He doesn’t know what they are, but he likes to sit near them at night and scan the hillside.  Sometimes he gazes off into the distance, to the hills of his first home and loving family.  

Several years pass and soon these new hills are dry.  Rodents are scarce and water has evaporated from the canyons.  P-22 hasn’t eaten in days and is losing weight.  He needs to find something to eat.  Slowly, he creeps up a ridge towards a home perched above his lair.  He keeps his head and tail down, his powerful haunches inching him forward.  His large yellow eyes scan the hillside for any sign of movement. Closer and closer he prowls to the home.  And then he smells something – a mixture of sweet and savory.  He follows the scent and comes upon a small container of what smells like food.  Without thinking, he gulps it down in huge mouthfuls, finishing the meal in a matter of seconds.  Just then, a dog starts barking, alerted by the cougar’s presence.

P-22 dashes down the hillside and zig zags into the brush, coming to rest by his hidden lair.  He sits down and licks his paws before rubbing them across his whiskers.  A few minutes later, his stomach clenches and his insides rumble.  Something is not right.  The pain in his belly intensifies, turning into a fiery burn and P-22 rolls onto his side, letting out a low moan.  Soon he sinks into a fitful sleep.  In his dreams, he smells that salty-musky scent again and he feels himself floating on air.  He is moving – he can tell by the air brushing his whiskers – but his legs are not moving.  He hears strange sounds and senses light behind his heavy eyelids but he sinks silently back into a deep sleep.

When P-22 awakes from his dreams it is dawn and the air is cool.  He is inside his lair.  He does not know how much time has passed but he remembers feeling sick and then falling asleep.  He gets up slowly to start another round of hunting.

And so the years pass and P-22 sleeps, hunts, and lounges in the Hollywood Hills.  He is the apex predator on this small patch of turf high above the freeway next to the stars.  It has been years since he has seen another cougar and he wonders where they have all gone.  Is he the only one?

Then one winter night ten years later, P-22 is walking along a narrow road on the top of the mountain.  The evening is dark and quiet. Suddenly, he hears a roar and sees a flash of light.  He tries to jump out of the way but the roaring beast is too fast for him.  He feels a sharp pain and is thrown into the air, then tumbles down an embankment.  P-22 closes his eyes and fades into sleep.  The next day he wakes up sore and in pain.  It takes a long time to stand and make his way up the embankment.  He wanders aimlessly down the street, too tired and hurt to hunt.  His only option is to go towards the homes to find some food.  Shortly thereafter, he smells that salty-musky scent and this time sees several men standing across the street.  They aim a large stick at him.  He feels a familiar prick in his shoulder and a sudden heaviness.  He drops down on his haunches and rolls onto his side, quickly fading into sleep.  P-22 never opens his eyes again but in his dreams he is racing towards his mother and siblings.  He is finally home!  

This has been the story of P-22, a real mountain lion, or puma, who lived in the Santa Monica Mountains in California.   He was born in the western Santa Monica Mountain range around 2010.  His father was named P-001 but nothing is known about his mother.  At some point in his early life, he crossed two major freeways – the 405 and the 101 – ending up in the Eastern Santa Monica Mountains around Griffith Park and the Hollywood Hills.  His territory was very small – only 9 square miles – the smallest ever recorded for an adult mountain lion – and he found himself trapped alone in this populated area surrounded by busy freeways.  

During this time, local biologists had been studying mountain lions and in March 2012, they caught and sedated P-22, then attached a tracking monitor and collar on him.  They called him P-22 – the “P” meaning “Puma” and 22 meaning he was the 22^nd puma – or mountain lion – in their study.

P-22 became a minor celebrity as sightings of him roaming the Hollywood Hills were captured by photographers.  One man hid cameras around the hillsides and eventually captured a photo of P-22 near the famous Hollywood sign.  This iconic photo was then featured on the front of National Geographic Magazine.

In 2014 and 2015, P-22 was captured again by the biologists and treated for rat poisoning and mange.  He was released back into the Santa Monica Mountains where they continued to track him for the next seven years.  However, in December 2012, P-22 was hit by a car.  The biologists captured and evaluated him.  Due to the severity of his injuries, plus other life-threatening conditions including kidney failure, heart disease, and skin diseases, he was put to sleep.

In February 2023, a large blessing ceremony was held to “welcome P-22 back to his homeland.”  This event was attended by approximately 6,000 people, including celebrities, musicians, and politicians, as well as representatives from Native American tribes such as the Chumash and Shoshone.  Shortly thereafter, P-22 was laid to rest in a private location in the Santa Monica Mountains.

P-22 left behind an amazing legacy. He became an ambassador for animal conservation and the plight of California mountain lions.  He was dubbed the “Brad Pitt of mountain lions” and conservationists soon lobbied for the creation of a wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway.  This crossing would allow mountain lions and other wildlife to safely cross between the two mountain ranges, thus safeguarding these species and ensuring animal diversity among the two ranges.  This crossing broke ground in 2022 and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Additionally, P-22 has been the subject of books, TV shows, songs, and murals highlighting the Los Angeles lifestyle and the importance of wildlife conservation. His image is also being considered for a statute and a postage stamp.

Who could imagine that one mountain lion could impact California in such a large – and positive – way? 

What do you think of P-22 and his life in the Hollywood Hills?  Have you ever seen a mountain lion in the wild or at a zoo? 

The post P-22 The Hollywood Cougar appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Imagine you’re walking down a stone walkway through one of the most beautiful gardens you’ve ever seen. Beautiful trees stretch upward and flowers line the pathway. Ahead you see a sparkling pool of water with lilies and a bubbling fountain. Past the fountain is a grand building with arched doorways and windows. It’s one of the tallest ancient buildings you’ve ever seen with multiple floors and is bustling with people who are talking and hurrying to and fro. This is a House of Wisdom in the ancient city of Baghdad, Iraq. As you walk past the pools of water and enter the House of Wisdom, you are greeted by friendly faces and warm smiles. The first room you enter has walls lined with shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls, all filled with stories and secrets of ancient philosophers waiting to be discovered. Some in the room are busy translating older stores into their own language. The air is alive with excitement and curiosity.

In the next room, you come across mathematicians who love to solve puzzles and play with numbers. They show you how to add, subtract, and do amazing calculations with their knowledge of math. 

In the courtyard of the House of Wisdom, artists are painting beautiful pictures and crafting intricate designs. They use vibrant colors and delicate brushes to create stunning works of art. Others are weaving beautiful rugs that tell stories of their faith and Arabic history.

As you explore further, you stumble upon a room where poets and storytellers gather. They recite beautiful verses and weave enchanting tales that transport you to far-off lands and imaginary worlds. You listen with wide eyes and imagination dancing in your mind.

Finally, you climb stairs up two floors to the top of the House of Wisdom where you meet a group of astronomers who study the stars. They have built special telescopes that help them see far into the night sky. They tell you fascinating tales about the constellations and planets, sharing their knowledge about the wonders of the universe.

The House of Wisdom is a place where people from different cultures and backgrounds come together. They share their ideas and learn from each other. It’s a place of friendship, understanding, and respect for everyone’s unique perspectives.

As you leave the House of Wisdom, you feel like you have become a little wiser and more curious about the world. You realize that learning is an exciting adventure that never ends. With a heart full of knowledge and a mind ready to explore, you step back into the world, ready to make your own mark and share your own wisdom.

Houses of Wisdom

Between 700 and 1200 C.E., Houses of Wisdom like the one we visited together were an important place of study and progress for the people of the Islamic Empire or Caliphate that ruled much of what today is the Middle East and parts of Africa. After the prophet Muhammed founded the religion of Islam around 600 C.E., the leaders who ruled the Islamic religion and empire were called caliphs. The caliphate wanted their empire to be a place of learning and wisdom, since The Qu’ran, their holy book and scripture, taught the importance of gaining knowledge, The leader at the time was named Harun al-Rashid. The wealth of the empire was used to build many of these houses in cities like Iraq to bring together teachers and scholars and people of science, to help advance the arts and sciences of the empire. In what is now Baghdad, Iraq, one of the most important Houses of Wisdom was built. 

Translations & Diverse Influences

One of the most important goals of this House of Wisdom was to translate ancient books to their own language. The Greek civilization existed hundreds of years earlier and was known for their brilliant teachers, poets, scholars, and scientists, and advances in many areas of knowledge. Their writings had been recorded on scrolls in the Greek language. The scholars of the Arab world wanted to understand and preserve the ancient wisdom, so they set about the work of translation of thousands of these scrolls. Paper was a new technology at the time, so the leaders hired many people to make copies of all of the books they had translated. The House of Wisdom became a huge factory of translating and copying all of the Greek scrolls into Arabic books. They believed it was deeply important to have this ancient wisdom a part of their own empire, so they could learn from it and build on with their own insights. 

Interestingly, it wasn’t just Arabs who contributed to the translations and new knowledge of the Houses of Wisdom. Persians, Jews, Christians, Iranians and people of other ethnicities and religions were also involved and translations were sometimes made into multiple langauges.

With all of the knowledge coming together in the same place through translations and the Houses of Wisdom, as you can imagine, the smart people of this time were able to take everything they were learning and put it to good use! For this reason, many amazing things happened during this time such as scientific discoveries, new inventions, and works of art.

One example, is an early version of the Scientific Method used by Ibn al-Haytham. The Scientific Method is a series of steps used by scientists today to make scientific discoveries. It starts with asking a question, doing some basic research, and then making a hypothesis, which is like a guess. Finally, you test the hypothesis, analyze the data, and draw conclusions based on the data. Ibn al-Haytham is called the “world’s first true scientist” by some historians.  

There were also great advances in mathematics during the Islamic Golden Age. Algebra actually comes from a Arabic word which means the “reunion of broken parts.” Geometry, trigonometry, and calculus were also advanced during this time by scholars such as Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī, Omar Khayyam, and Sharaf al-Din al-Tusi.

The study of physics was also advanced by scientists like Alhazen and Al-Biruni who made discoveries about light and optics. Alchemy was the study of base metals and helped to form the foundation of what would later become chemistry. Al-Biruni also estimated the radius of the earth, which was the best estimate at that time in history.

The study of astronomy was also popular during the Islamic Golden Age. Using translations of the Greeks, Islamic scientists were able to build on their discoveries and improve upon the astrolabe. The astrolabe (astro-labe) was a device used to make calculate the position of stars, moons, and planets. It was used to calculate the time of religious festivals and for mariners during the Middle Ages and later during the Age of Discovery.

Gifted engineers during this time invented new and useful devices. The Banu Musa Brothers wrote The Book of Ingenious Devices which described an automatic flue player which may have been the first programmable machine. The flute sounds were produced through hot steam and the user could adjust the device to play different sounds. They also described an automatic crank, valves, and a siphon, and other useful tools. They worked out of one of Houses of Wisdom, their work paid for by the powerful ruling Abbasid Caliphate.

Taqi ad-Din Muhammad was one of the earliest engineers to propose the use of steam energy and its application in the use of a steam turbine.

Along with all of these discovering and inventions there were advances in farming, healthcare in the form of hospitals, medicine, and surgery, the law, theology, philosophy, and map-making. 

And we can’t forget the arts with beautiful works such as the folk tales of One Thousand and One Nights, which tales that you might be familiar with such as Aladdin, which was made Disney animated and live-action films, and Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves, and Sinbad the Sailer. If you get the chance, be sure to look up and read some of the stories from One Thousand and One Nights, which are full of colorful characters and adventure. Beautiful poetry was also written durign this time in the Arabic language by Rumi, Hafez, Saadi, and Omar Khayyam. Many of these poets lived and were supported at the Houses of Wisdom by the ruling class during the Islamic Golden Age. Gorgeous caligraphy, ceramics, paintings, architecture and music were also created and shared widely during this time.  

The advances and creativity that flowed from the Houses of Wisdom during this time spread to other parts of the world, but sadly this magnificent time was eventually cut short when Ghengis Khan and the Mongol Empire invaded the Islamic Empire during the 13th century. While Islamic Empire was powerful, they weren’t prepared to face off against the Mongols who conquered Baghdad along with the Houses of Wisdom. 

We’re fortunate today to benefit from many of the advances during the Islamic Golden Age. From algebra to the scientific method, timeless tales from One Thousand and One Nights, to the beautiful architecture and poetry that spread out from the empire – we have the kings, scholars, scientists, and artists to thank for a period of true enlightenment where advances in knowledge were held in the highest esteem.

Take a moment to imagine if you lived during the time of these Houses of Wisdom. What would you have studied or created if you were one of the scholars or artists supported by the kings? If you come up with an idea be sure to click on the Share Your Thoughts link in the show notes. We’d love to hear from you! 

The post Golden Age of Islam and Houses of Wisdom for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

This is the story of artist and archeologist Howard Carter, and his quest to discover the lost tomb of King Tut.

Howard Carter was born on May 9th, 1874 in Kensington, England. He was the youngest child to Samuel John Carter and Martha Joyce Carter. He had eleven older siblings! 

His father, Samuel, was an artist and illustrator who shared his drawing skills with Howard and the other children. With lots of practice, Howard proved to be a talented artist! One day he visited the huge mansion of a nearby family named the Amherst. As he toured the mansion, he walked into one of the halls to find a huge collection of Egyptian antiques. Antiques are objects from history. Howard was fascinated by the objects of this ancient civilization: statues, jewelry, and mummies. He wondered what it would be like to visit Egypt himself and learn more about this fascinating culture and civilization. Lady Amherst, who lived in the mansion and owned the antiques, noticed Howard’s interest. She also heard that he was an excellent artist. Lady Amherst asked Howard if he’d like to help draw antiques in Egypt. Of course, Howard was ecstatic and a few years later in 1891, when he was seventeen, Howard traveled to Egypt with a crew of archeologists. They were taking notes and making drawings of antiques from the Middle Kingdom at Beni Hasan. The team also explored Amenhotep’s city of Amarna, which we learned about in the last episode. Howard’s job was to draw the antiques and ancient ruins which could be studied by archeologists and Egyptian historians. An archeologist is someone who digs for and studies ancient people. Howard also sold some of his artwork to tourists. He lived in Egypt for seventeen years drawing artifacts! As you can imagine, he got very good and learned a lot about Egyptian culture. 

While in Egypt, Howard was fascinated by the pyramids and tombs. He hoped he’d find a tomb that hadn’t been looted by grave robbers yet. Sadly, most of them already had been. Even tourists were part of the grave robbing. They’d climb into tombs without permission and take objects and sometimes sell what they’d found including the mummies. Howard believed there had to be tombs that were still untouched by human hands and hoped he might find one. 

Howard and other archeologists knew there had been a king named Tutankhamen – but they didn’t know whether his tomb had been discovered yet. They had found small items, cups, a jar, a piece of cloth with his name on it, but that was all. An area of Egypt called The Valley of the Kings is where they believed he would have been buried, but most people thought that all of the tombs had been discovered there or been robbed. 

In 1917, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon decided to search The Valley of the Kings for Tut’s tomb. Lord Carnarvon was wealthy and British and was interested in Egyptian archeology just like Howard. He also had money to hire people to do the digging that was required to find a tomb. They started digging all over in the sand in the Valley of the Kings. They did this for many years with no discovery. Lord Carnarvon was ready to give up, but Howard asked for just a few more months. Three days into the search they dug into something that looked like a step. They kept digging and uncovering the steps and the sand around them until they found more steps leading down into the earth. After much more digging, they found a doorway with … the words Tutankhamun printed above it! They had found the lost tomb of King Tut!

When Howard crawled inside the tomb, using a candle to light the way, he was surprised to find a small room full of all of King Tut’s artifacts that had been sent with him to his burial for his afterlife – a couch, a bed, a chariot, games, a throne, statues, and the glinting of light, the reflection from many gold objects. All of these antiques were more than 3,000 years old!

Howard and the team spent the next several months removing the items and taking note of them. They realized that grave robbers had found the tomb many years ago but someone must have stopped them because all of the items had been placed back in the tomb and sealed up.

Of all of the discoveries, the greatest was the burial chamber. Inside the room was a large golden box that took up almost all of the space. Inside it was a stone sarcophagus, three other shrines, three golden coffins, and finally the body of Pharoah Tutankhamun, the mummy of King Tut. 

The team found two more rooms, one full of treasures and an annex that was filled with 2,000 items. For the next 10 years, the team continued to remove and made note of all of the items, which helped them learn much about Egypt and the life of King Tut. 

One reason King Tut’s tomb has become so popular is that it was the most preserved tomb ever found. This means it looked much like it did 3,000 years ago and most of the items were safe and hadn’t been stolen or damaged. 

After the items were removed, many of them were moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Later, some of the most beautiful items, including King Tut’s golden mask were put on a tour around the world for millions of people to see. Visitors looked through the glass cases in awe at the gold antiques and the beautiful mask of the boy king. When the treasures toured the United States in the 1920s, popular songs were written about Tutankhamun, and President Herbert Hoover even named his dog “King Tut” after the world-famous pharaoh. 

Today Tutankhamun’s body and many gold treasures rest in the Great Egyptian Museum in Cario. Would you like to see them someday? I know, I would! If you’d like to learn more about King Tut be sure to look up some videos about his life and his discovery by Howard Carter. We also did an episode about pyramids you’ll also have to check it out.        

Thanks to Howard’s curiosity, we are now able to appreciate the treasures of King Tut. Think about the importance of being curious and persevering. Perseverance means sticking with something even when it’s tough. Think about what would have happened if they had given up instead of trying just a few more months. Think about how you can stick with hard things in your own life just like Howard!

The post Howard Carter and the Discovery of King Tut for Kids appeared first on Bedtime History: Podcast and Videos For Kids.

Our story begins in the ancient land of Egypt, one of the earliest civilizations in world history. Egypt was located in the deserts of Africa and its cities flourished around the longest river in the world, The Nile, which stretched 4,000 miles long. The Nile was used to give life to the farmlands and drinking water for the people who lived there. Egypt started as small bands of tribes who eventually farmed together and then were ruled by powerful leaders, who helped organize the workers and farm the Nile Delta. When the Nile flooded every year it made the farmland rich in soil where the people planted vegetables and wheat. They also fished and ate birds that lived in and around the beautiful Nile. The people also domesticated sheep, pigs, goats, and other animals. Domesticated means they created fenced-off areas and used them for milk and meat and other materials that helped keep the Egyptians alive.

The Nile River was also used as transportation to move supplies and people up and down the river. Clay from the river was used to build homes, and the river was also used to transport stones to construct the huge temples, pyramids, and other buildings that made up Egypt’s growing empire. Cities such as Memphis and Thebes became huge metropolises and were home to millions of people. Egypt traded its many goods with nearby empires and was ruled by a pharaoh, which was their name for a king. The pharaoh was also a religious priest and the Egyptians worshipped him as a “god,” who joined the other gods after their death. 

Tutankhamun was born in 1343 B.C. but no one is sure of the exact day. Most think that his father was the powerful Pharaoh Amenhotep and his mother was one of his wives, Nefertiti. Tutankhamun, or we’ll call him Tut for short, grew up in the city of Amarna. His father had moved the family from Thebes to Amarna, so this is where he spent his childhood. There, he learned the new religion of his father, who had changed Egypt’s religion from believing in many gods to making the sun God, Amun-Ra, the one and only god. All of the new temples were made in honor of Amun-Ra and all were commanded to worship the sun god alone.

Tut spent most of his time in a palace designed for the pharaoh and his family in Amarna. The palace was made of solid brick and white plaster and decorated with colorful paints. Within the palace walls, servants took care of Tut and his family, bathing him and his siblings, and serving them meat, vegetables, and other luxury foods such as figs, dates, and pomegranates. His hair was cut in the traditional style which meant it was shaved with a braid on the side. Guards surrounded the palace and servants were always waiting and at ready to do whatever Tut and the royal family asked of them. 

Tut likely learned to read and write when he was young like other educated members of the upper class and royal family. He used a reed to write on papyrus, which was their version of a paper made of reeds from the Nile River. The writing was done not using an alphabet but hieroglyphs which were pictures instead of letters, and there were around 1,000 thousand of them to learn. Learning all of them would have a lot of memorization!

For entertainment, Tut and his family took boat rides on the Nile, went swimming, or chariot rides into the desert. They hunted wild animals and likely played a popular Egyptian board game called Senet. He and others likely learned musical instruments which were later found in his tomb.

Tut’s father, Amenhotep died when Tutenkhamen was only 10, so he became king of Egypt at a very young age. At this age, he wore the signature crown of a pharaoh, a decorative beard, and held a crook and a flail which represented his power as ruler of Egypt. Even though Tut was the ruler by name, he was too young to take full control, so his father’s Chief Minister, called a vizier, and his top general helped run the empire. We don’t know all of the details, but because Amenhotep had made many radical changes to Egypt’s religion by worshipping only one god, some historians believe that the other rulers of Egypt, such as his Chief Minister, weren’t happy with those changes and wanted to go back to the old way of worshipping many gods. 

Some suspect there was a plot to end King Tut’s rule early, so they could change the religion back to the old ways. We’ll never know for sure what happened but it is very suspicious that Tut died in his teenage years. Were the Chief Minister and the General behind his early death? Truly, it’s become one of the great mysteries of world history.

After Tut’s death, his body was prepared for burial, which was mummification for the pharoahs of Egypt. If you want to learn more about mummification, it’s interesting but also probably not the best for bedtime! After mummification, he was placed in a coffin and a group of family members and servants followed the procession, like a parade, to The Nile River. The parade of servants carried food, furniture, toys, and all of the other items that would be buried in Tut’s tomb to the river as well. At The Nile, Tut, the family, servants, and all of the items were moved onto a boat and floated down the river to the grand pyramids. There, he would lay to rest with the long line of pharaohs like his father who came before him. Interestingly, most of the biggest pyramids had been built 1,000 years before King Tut. This shows just how old the empire was. Egypt was powerful for a very long time. King Tut’s tomb was sealed to keep out robbers. Many of the pyramids even had traps built into them to keep out grave robbers. Yes, when you see traps in adventure movies, they actually existed in the pyramids of Egypt. 

So what did the Egyptians believe about life after death for the pharaohs such as King Tut? They believed after death, King Tut would go on a journey through the underworld, the land of the dead. During Tut’s lifetime, he was taught many spells from The Book of the Dead which would help him find his way to a better place in the afterlife. Egyptians believed the afterlife was much like this life but even better if they completed the journey safely and used all of the correct spells. There they would continue to eat, drink, play, and hunt. But, if they wanted nice things in the afterlife the catch was they had to bring them along… Which usually meant the simple people didn’t have as much nice stuff as King Tut and the other pharaohs. They believed that by placing objects in their tomb such as furniture, bowls, cups, gold, jewelry, bows and arrows, chariots, and other tools, those objects would continue with them in the afterlife. That’s why when they found King Tut’s tomb it was loaded with all kinds of great stuff. His favorite toys, clothes, hunting tools, and other things he would want to take with him and make the afterlife very fun and comfortable. Food was even found in the tomb for him to snack on in the next life. Very interesting, right?

As you can imagine, finding this tomb with so many ancient treasures in it would be quite the find for a modern-day archeologist! We hope you enjoyed learning about Egypt and King Tut. In next week’s episode, we’re going to learn all about the archeologist Howard Carter and his quest to find King Tut’s Tomb!

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The first thing you’ll notice is the massive stone walls that seem to blend perfectly with the natural landscape. Once you step inside the walls of the palace, you find yourself in a place that feels both ancient and mysterious. The city is made up of stone buildings and terraces that are carefully arranged in a way that makes you wonder how they were built without modern tools. The buildings have no roofs, which means you can look up and see the drizzly sky above you.

Everywhere you turn, there are stunning views. Lush mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, and you see the winding Urubamba River far down below. Next, you spot one of the most fascinating parts of Machu Picchu, the Intihuatana Stone, which is like a giant sundial. On one of the terraces you also see a pack of llamas. These adorable animals turn and look at you in a friendly, curious way. 

Truly, visiting Machu Picchu is like entering a real-life fairy tale. It’s a place that sparks your imagination and fills you with a sense of awe. The history, the stunning views, and the unique atmosphere have made it a truly unforgettable experience. 

If you listened to our episode last week, we learned all about the rise of the Inca Empire and the construction of Machu Picchu. Now let’s dive into how it was discovered and became the treasured tourist destination that it is today.

In 1831, a child named Hiram Bingham III was born to Clara Brewster and Hiram Bingham II in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Binghams were the children of Protestant missionaries who had journeyed to the islands to teach the native people their religion. Growing up, Hirma’s parents were very strict. He really struggled with this because his favorite stories were of adventure and troublesome kids like Huckleberry Finn. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was one of his favorite books and wished for a life of adventure like one of his heroes. He wanted to explore the world but felt like he was stuck on the island and with parents who wanted him to live a very traditional life and get a very traditional education.

When he was 12, Hiram and a friend hatched a plan to leave home and travel to Africa. He took $250 of his savings out of the bank and headed to the port to set sail to the United States. From there he’d travel to New York and then Africa! Unfortunately, the boat didn’t leave on time and Hiram’s father found out about the plan. As you can imagine, he was not happy! Hiram stayed in Hawaii until he was 16 until he got his chance to leave and study at Yale University and later Harvard. He eventually became a professor in Latin History and later married and continued to teach. But something inside Hiram still longed for the life of adventure he dreamed of as a child reading about his hero, Huck Finn. 

In 1908, Hiram Bingham traveled to Peru, South America to meet with other professors for work. There, someone told him a story about a lost Incan. Hiram was intrigued! He wondered if the story was about the lost city of Vilcambamba. During his trip, he did some exploring and took pictures of ruins, and started writing about his time in Peru, hoping that someday he could return and find this lost, mysterious city from the stories. 

By 1911, a few years later, Hiram Bingham had assembled a team of experts and enough money to make the return trip to Peru to find the lost city of Vilcambamba. He made great sacrifices, such as selling family property in Hawaii, to pay the $12,000 dollars for the trip, and leaving his family at a difficult time. But he was determined to make a great discovery that would put his name in the history books! 

Hiram and his crew sailed from New York to Lima, Peru, and got to work trying to figure out the location of the lost city. He interviewed people and studied maps and journals of Spanish priests and others who might have clues about the location of the city. From Lima, they traveled to the city of Cuzco, where in the last episode we learned about Pachacuti, the great king who once ruled the Inca Empire. In Cuzco, Hiram met a man named Melchor Arteaga, who said he knew the location of the lost city and could take Hiram and his team there. 

After a five-day journey through the jungle, Hiram, Melchor and his team arrived at a village at the base of the mountain. The weather was bad, making the mountain wet and slippery, but Hiram paid Melchor enough to convince him to take him up the mountain. They climbed up through the rain and mists and mud, sometimes on their hands and knees, and soon reached the mountaintop. The ruins were in view! There was something to the stories about this city. They found a family who were living and farming the terraces of the mountaintop. The family gave them water to drink before Hiram set about exploring the area further. Hiram hiked around and found more walls and more elaborate stone architecture. A temple, a palace, and aqueducts. Hiram didn’t know it yet but this was Machu Picchu, the ruins of Pichacuti’s mountaintop palace! He took pictures of the ruins and notes of everything he observed before climbing back down the mountain to his awaiting team. 

Hiram, still wanting to find the lost city of Vilcambamba, continued to explore the area – and did find a city of ruins overgrowing with vines and plants. He didn’t realize it at the time but it was Vilcambamba, but Machu Picchu was even more amazing and he was very excited to share his discoveries with the world! 

After returning home, Hiram wrote about his adventures in Peru. He quickly became known around the world for his discoveries and returned again the next year to explore the area deeper and take more pictures. The team also began to uncover more of the buildings. They dug and found pots and jewelry and gold and skeletons, which helped them better understand the life of Pachacuti and the Incas. Many of these artifacts were removed from Machu Picchu and taken to Bingham’s university to be put on display. One hundred years later, these artifacts were rightfully returned to Peru for its people to appreciate.

After Hiram’s later visits, National Geographic printed pictures of the Machu Picchu and people all across the world were able to appreciate the magnificent mountaintop palace. Since that time, Machu Picchu has become one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. In 1948, Peru built a road leading closer to the ruins and also made it a national park. This has helped it to become one of the most visited locations in the world. Since Hiram’s time, more archeologists and scientists have visited the mountaintop palace to learn about the people who lived there. And currently, around 2,000 tourists visit Machu Picchu every day!

The Story of Machi Picchu is one of the skilled, hardworking, and ingenious people who were able to engineer and construct such a magnificent site. Also, it’s a story of an intrepid professor, much like one of my favorite movie characters, Indiana Jones, who followed his childhood dreams and discovered an ancient city for the world to enjoy!

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During the 1400s the people of this area were under the threat of nearby tribes. The kind at the time decided to turn and run, but fortunately one of his sons, a bold leader, decided to face the enemy instead. His name was Pachacuti (Patch-a–KOO-tee) and he quickly went to work uniting the nearby tribes in a large army to face the invaders. Pachacuti led the Incas into battle and after fierce hand-to-hand combat, they won! After becoming king and providing safety for his people, Pachacuti went to work on the new kingdom of united tribes. He organized the building of roads and city centers to improve the economy, temples to worship their gods, and stone walls and buildings to keep the people safe. And instead of being on the defense, he instead attacked nearby tribes who he worried might threaten their safety. After defeating other tribes, he added their soldiers to his army, and their people to his growing empire. They helped build new roads and cities, temples, and defenses. But if he could avoid battle, he would do just that and instead offer them gifts, so they would join his empire instead. The conquered tribes then paid taxes and little by little the Inca Empire grew. Eventually, Pachacuti’s empire spread into six countries that we know today as Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. 

At the center of the empire was the capital city of Cuzco, in what is now known as Peru, with around 40,000 citizens and another 200,000 in surrounding areas at the time. The city was located high in the Andes Mountains and had a ruling class led by Pachacuti and a priestly class who organized the worship of their gods. The Incas were skilled farmers and artisans who mined gold, silver, copper, bronze, and other precious metals and used them to craft beautiful jewelry and bowls, and other tools. They also used these metals to decorate their buildings, many of which were covered in gold. They were also very advanced at designing fabrics and used them to make strong and colorful clothing. 

Skilled Inca engineers used advanced engineering to design their buildings. They were made of stone blocks and were often so perfectly measured that they didn’t need any kind of cement to keep them together. The rulers and priestly class used advanced math to keep track of the stars and other planetary bodies. They used astronomy to design their buildings, which meant different windows and features faced planets and stars according to the time of the year. The Incas worshipped the sun and build stone temples and in honor of the sun god, decorated their buildings with gold.

As Pachacuti conquered new tribes across South America, he got to work building palaces in all of the new lands. One of these new territories was high in the Andes Mountains and overlooking the Urubamba River Valley. Pachacuti decided this mountaintop would be the perfect place to build a palace for his family, so he could retreat there and enjoy some quiet away from busy cities like Cuzco. Basically, like a vacation home for a celebrity or the President in our day and age. From the top of the mountain, Pachacuti would also be able to view his empire in all directions and the tall peaks would keep him safe from his enemies. This is the palace that later became known as Machu Picchu which means “old peak.” 

Together with his engineers, Pachacuti figured out how to build a home in this very high, very steep place. Workers dug into the sides of the mountain and flattened it out into a series of large steps, known as terraces, where they could plant crops and build buildings. Peasants worked hard to clear and farm these terraces and planted maize (what we know as corn), beans, potatoes, and other crops on these wide steps or terraces. They also worked tirelessly to haul huge stones up the mountain to build walls and the palace itself. 

Of course, without water, the visitors to the palace wouldn’t survive, so the brilliant Inca engineers found a spring and designed aqueducts to move the water around the mountaintop and into fountains which the king, his family, and servants could use to drink and cook and bathe.

Once the construction project of Machu Picchu was complete, the king and his royal family often made the long trek from Cuzco to vacation there. Sometimes he had up to 100 family members and 500 servants living at the palace!

King Pachacuti loved nature and the stars, so when he designed Machu Picchu with his engineers, they included many works of art that reflected the beauty of the local nature and the animals of this region. They also designed a temple on the mountain and many of the buildings with the stars in mind, meaning certain windows faced certain stars or the sun and moon at different times of the year. Beautiful flowers and other plants were also cultivated on Machu Picchu to celebrate Pachacuti’s love of nature. 

During their time at the palace, the king and his family also spent time capturing and hunting animals. Some of these included deer, alpacas, and llamas. If you’ve ever seen a llama or alpaca they are a very funny-looking creature with a wooly body, long neck, and tall ears. They live and are able to climb and survive high in the mountains of Peru. The royal family feasted on the meat of deer and used the wool of llamas and alpacas for their beautiful clothing. But of course, Pachacuti wasn’t always at Machu Picchu. It was one of his many palaces and often he lived at Cuzco, the capital from which he ruled his growing empire.

As I mentioned earlier, people native to the Americas lived in North and South America for a VERY long time without anyone in the rest of the world, Europe or Asia, and beyond, even knowing they existed. This is what we sometimes call the New World, which the Old World didn’t know about. It wasn’t until Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492 that the knowledge of this new continent became really well known to Europeans. This was a time when the Incan Empire was thriving alongside major European empires like Spain, France, and England. 

After Columbus’s voyage, powerful empires like Spain decided they wanted in on the New World, too, so they immediately sent explorers to find out how to better their own situation. This era was called The Age of Discovery. The Spanish explorers who journeyed to the New World were called conquistadors and traveled there in search of new land, gold for their empires, and people with which to share their religion. 

The Conquistadors had heard about the Inca Empire and knew they had access to many mines. Especially mines containing their favorite precious metal, gold! They heard that the Incas had so much gold that they used it to decorate their temples, and other buildings, and to make beautiful jewelry. 

Francisco Pizzaro was one of the first conquistadors who wanted some of this gold to enrich himself and his beloved country of Spain. Upon landing, he declared the land of South America the property of Spain with no consideration for the people who already lived there – such as the Incas. And as you can imagine, the Inca Empire and its hoards of gold were immediately in his sights. 

At this time, Pachacuti was no longer the king of the Incas. Instead, they were ruled by a king named Atahuallpa (ah-ta-HUAL-pa), who had weakened the Incan Empire during a war with his brother. But Atahuallpa still had a very large army and seeing that Pizarro’s was very small, he assumed to defeat them very easily. He brought a small part of his army, 5,000, to the fight and didn’t even arm them. But what he didn’t know is that numbers aren’t the only important part of a battle. Technology made all the difference in this age, and he wasn’t prepared for Pizzaro’s more advanced weapons of war, such as guns, armor, and horses. 

Atahuallpa and the Inca soldiers had never seen a gun before. How did a device like this hurt someone from a distance? Why did it make such a loud, booming noise, and fire smoke and fire? For centuries, they’d only used spears and swords in battle. Needless to say, they were very unprepared to take on Pizzaro and his better-armed soldiers. When the Conquistadors started firing their weapons, the Incas were frightened and many were injured or died. Very quickly the battle was over and Atahuallpa had been taken captive by Francisco Pizzaro and the other conquistador soldiers. 

With Atahuallpa as his captive, Pizarro forced the Incas to bring him gold and they did for a very long time. The Spanish melted the beautiful gold jewelry and cups and bowls and other fine materials down into gold bars, which they sent back to Spain as a tribute to their own king. Pizarro took over the government in Peru and set up his own king, who followed his orders. Over time, the Incan Empire faded in power and glory. But back to the grand palace of Machu Picchu. By this time, the mountaintop vacation home had already started to lose its magnificence since no kings after Pachacuti lived there or took care of it as its creator did. Vines and moss grew over the stone walls, no one cultivated the terrace farms, and the beautiful buildings fell into disrepair and began to crumble with weather and age. Most Incas forgot it even existed, although the tales of this glorious mountaintop palace were still passed on, perhaps even treated as legend.

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The day slowly dawns and a thick mist covers a canopy of leafy trees.  The temperature is mild as animals, beasts, and birds shake off slumber and survey their surroundings.  Rays of sunlight poke through the mist, indicating a hot day ahead on the grassy plains of Wyoming.  Big Al, a teenage Allosaurus, tips his head back and then shakes it vigorously side-to-side.  He twitches his three claws on his small arms and takes a few steps on his mighty legs.  His long, thick tail sweeps the grass below him, scattering twigs in all directions.  He lets out a mighty roar – one of hunger and warning.  He is ready to run and eat and fill his growling belly.  

Big Al is the largest predator on these plains.  He is a meat eater and one with the strength, speed, teeth, and claws to take down many of the creatures that roam the plains around him – the spiky stegosaurus or the plant-eating sauropods with their long tasty necks and thick bellies.  He knows he can outrun them, but he also knows that he has to be careful.  The stegosaurus is a cranky beast.  His ferocious spikes and barbed tail are mighty weapons.  The sauropods are less aggressive but much bigger.  He must watch out for their massive tails and thundering feet.  He knows his best chance of finding a meal is to target the younger dinosaurs, the babies, and the juveniles.  Or he can hunt for a new carcass with scraps left over from a kill.  Big Al is big, but he is still a teenager.  He measures 26 feet long but can grow up to 40 feet, as long as a T-Rex.  His muscular legs are strong and fast.  His three claws twitch anxiously.

Slowly, he lumbers forward, his three clawed toes digging into the muddy earth.  His fourth claw, slightly higher on the back of his foot, isn’t needed now – but it will be shortly.  He picks up speed, from a slow trot to a thundering run, reaching a speed of 21 miles an hour, crashing through bushes and swaying ferns.  His head is pushed forward, almost horizontal with his body like a rugby player dashing into a scrimmage, his massive tail straight behind him.  He swings his head quickly from side to side, his large eyes under two horned brows searching for any movement, his nose sniffing the morning air.

Suddenly he hears the loud bellow of a plant eater ahead.  She has heard his crashing and is emitting a warning call.  Big Al leaps out of the brush and races onto the plain.  Ahead of him, he sees a group of sauropods thundering away.  Their gigantic feet pound the earth, sending shockwaves through the ground.  They bellow and screech, their young racing beside them.  Big Al slows his pace and stops.  There is no way he can take down one of these beasts.  There are too many of them and he does not have the element of surprise.  He must find a different meal.

Big Al turns and wanders along the edge of the tree line.  In the sky, Pterodactyls screech and soar, diving and swooping among far-off mountain ridges.  Big Al plods along, his stomach grumbling, his scaly body registering the rising heat.  He must find a meal before the heat and bugs become unbearable.  

About an hour later, he hears some crunching and rustling in a thicket of trees.  He steps forward slowly, his eyes and ears trained toward the sound.  He must be very quiet and stealthy.  Then he sees it.  A Stegosaurus – a young one.  Big Al’s mouth starts to water and his senses tingle.  The fight is near.  He must win and he must eat.  He ducks his head lower and steps forward slowly, step by step.  The Stegosaurus is so busy eating and crunching and grunting that he doesn’t hear Big Al approaching.  Suddenly, Big Al lunges out of the bushes and attacks the Stegosaurus, his massive jaws opening 92 degrees, much wider than a T-Rex.  He clamps down on the Stegosaurus’ neck with all his might, his sharp teeth slashing the leathery flesh.  His eight-inch claws dig into the beast’s sides, scraping and making long, nasty gouges.  The beast roars in surprise and fury.  He flings himself to one side, causing some of his flesh to rip off in Big Al’s jaws.  He swings his mighty tail and impales a spike into Big Al’s leg.  Big Al roars in pain and tries to attack once more.  The stegosaurus twists his body and swings his tail again, but misses.  Big Al dodges left and right, trying to place another attack on the beast’s neck, while trying to dodge the mighty tail.  He needs to weaken the beast by inflicting as much damage as possible.  But it is proving difficult.  

The stegosaurus charges and rams Big Al with his spiky head.  Big Al jumps and gouges the beast with his clawed feet.  He loses his balance and topples to one side.  The Stegosaurus charges, ramming his leg again.  Big Al roars and slashes with his claws while getting to his feet.  His leg and feet are injured, but the beast is also tiring.  Big Al lunges once again and chomps onto the beast’s neck as it tries to flee.  He clamps down hard and holds on with 70 razor-sharp teeth, avoiding the Stegosaurus’ tail and spiky spine.  The battle rages on for 10 more minutes.  Big Al holds on with all his might as the beast slows and tires.  Soon it is over.  The Stegosaurus crumbles to the ground and dies.  Big Al has won.  Or so it seems.

Big Al must eat quickly before the other predators arrive – like adult Allosauruses.  They have heard the crashing and roaring and can smell the kill.  Big Al takes a large bite and rips the flesh away with a backward yank of his neck, like a mighty raptor, rather than side-to-side like other meat eaters.  His claws clutch the skin.  He takes a few more bites and then hears it – the crash of thundering legs through the brush.  The predators are here!  Two large Allosauruses break through the foliage and roar with excitement – and warning.  Their message is clear: Leave now or you will be next!  They don’t care if he is one of them.  He is smaller and they will eat him just as easily as any other prey.  Big Al roars and backs away, making sure to keep his eyes on the adults.  His leg and feet are hurting, but he must not show it or they will consider him fair game for feasting.  

Big Al turns and dashes into the trees, trotting as fast as his legs will take him to the safety of home – a ridge of boulders in the near distance.  He reaches the rocky outcropping and stops to rest.  His heart is beating furiously in his chest and his strength is waning.  The running and the fighting have taken a toll on him even though he has fresh meat in his belly.  He settles down to rest, his leg and feet throbbing.  They feel worse than normal; he is more injured than he thought.  With every passing hour, the pain and swelling increase.  When he tries to stand, he can’t.  His skin is hot and burning below his scales and blood seeps out of his wounds.  Soon the insects descend and start to feast.  Big Al tries to rest but the heat and insects smother him.  Hour after hour, Big Al holds on.  Slowly the sun sets and the insects retreat.  Big Al is weak and tired and hurting.  He finally drifts off to sleep.  In the morning, he cannot rise.  Fever and pain rack his body.  He rests all day and another night.  This goes on for 5 more days and nights, with Big Al slowly fading away, unable to rise or eat or drink.  On the sixth day, Big Al does not wake.  He is gone and soon he will be a meal for another Allosaurus.  That is the circle of life on the Jurassic Plains.

Big Al’s bones lay on the plain for millions of years as dust and wind slowly bury him.  Then one day, millions of years later, in 1991, a group of archeologists start digging above his grave.  They dig and scrape away at the sand until one of them shouts.  They’ve found something!  They brush away the dirt and find a bone.  Big Al’s bone.  They continue to dig and scrape and brush until they uncover all of Big Al.  Once more, he is in the sun.  The scientists collect his bones and take him back to their laboratory.  They examine his wounds and take measurements.  They realize that the wound in his leg bone is the same size and shape as a Stegosaurus barb.  Then other scientists report they have found the remains of a stegosaurus nearby.  These second scientists measure the wounds on the stegosaurus’s neck bones and they match the size and width of Allosaurus teeth!  The connection is made and they realize there was a fierce battle between the two.  The stegosaurus bones show many bite marks, indicating it was a hearty meal for several predators.

The first scientists continue to study Big Al.  They determine he was a juvenile by his size at 26 feet long.  Adult Allosauruses can reach 40 feet long, as long as the T-Rex that will come along millions of years later.  They find that Big Al suffered injuries to his leg and feet bones, plus a painful infection from wounds, thus causing his death.  

They determine he is an Allosaurus, meaning “Different Lizard” or “Strange Reptile” in Latin because their small backbones are shaped like hourglasses, unlike other dinosaurs.  They are part of the theropod family, dinosaurs who run on two legs.  The scientists decide to call him Big Al.  They assemble his bones and put him on display in a museum.  

Unfortunately, Allosauruses have been relegated to obscurity with the arrival of T-Rex – the “Tyrant Lizard”- in our museums, books, and films.  The Allosaurus reigned during the Jurassic period and the T-Rex roamed during the Cretaceous period much later.  Although very similar, the Allosaurus is slightly smaller, with longer arms than the T-Rex.  Allosauruses weighed anywhere from 1.7-2.7 tons, whereas T-Rex was larger and heavier – weighing up to 8 tons.  The Allosaurus ripped his food up and backward with his jaws like raptors whereas T-Rex possibly yanked off flesh in a side-to-side fashion like crocodiles. 

The Allosaurus enjoyed a quick flash of celebrity in the 1925 film, “The Lost World.”  But they were pushed off their throne by T-Rex in the 1933 blockbuster “King Kong” and later “Jurassic Park” (which was actually the wrong period for the T-Rex). The poor Allosaurus once again played second fiddle to his larger, flashier successor.  Where once he reigned supreme throughout Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota in the US, plus Tanzania, Portugal, and Germany, now he resides in museums fighting for recognition among the towering T-Rexes.

So, what do you think of the Allosaurus?  Have you ever heard of them or seen them in a museum?  What is your favorite dinosaur?  Share your thoughts here.

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When I was a little kid, I took art class in school and one of my projects was to draw a picture of my family.  I was not a great artist so I did the basics: a square house and little stick figures for people. Perhaps you’ve done the same.  Well, imagine if your teacher put a rock on your desk and said, “Carve a picture of your mother out of this rock.”  That would seem impossible!

First of all, to carve a face out of stone, you need special tools, like chisels and hammers.  And you need to know how to carve the stone in the right places to make a nose, eyes, and lips.  It takes a lot of time and practice to get it right – and some really big rocks!  

Well, today, we’re going to talk about some gigantic rock portraits.  You might know some already, like Mt. Rushmore in the United States, The David statue in Italy, or the Terracotta Army in China.  Today we’re going to discover some other rock portraits – faces that look like a surprised Santa, a majestic lion, or a wailing devil!

The Great Sphinx of Giza

One of my favorite stone portraits is the Great Sphinx of Giza, near Cairo, Egypt.  It is a statue of a large, reclining lion with a human head.  It measures 240 feet (73 metres) long and 66 feet (20 metres) high and was carved around 2465 B.C.E.!  And to make it even more amazing, it was carved out of one mammoth piece of limestone!  Scientists estimate it took three years and 100 workers to carve this statue – and then they painted it! Eventually the paint chipped off from sun and heat exposure but it must have looked amazing when it was finished.

And whose face is on the Sphinx?  Well, they’re not sure.  It could be the ancient Pharaoh Khafre.  Others state that Khafre’s older brother had it built to honor their father, Pharoah Khufu.  Whoever it was built for, he must have been amazing.  Unfortunately, it has decayed over time and is now missing its nose.  One legend states that Napoleon ordered the nose blown off with a canon while battling there, but that’s not true – the nose came off long before then.  Others state that the nose was cut off in the 1300’s in protest to idolatry – meaning the worship of false Gods or famous people.  Whatever the truth may be, it is an amazing piece of artwork – and history – and I hope it will remain with us for centuries to come.

Olmec Heads in Mexico

Speaking of kingly faces, I think the Olmec Heads in Mexico are fascinating.  These heads are short and round and depict ancient Olmec rulers.  The smooth faces feature almond-shaped eyes, round noses, and full lips.  On their heads are small caps with simple designs.  These faces were carved out of volcanic rock around 1200-800 B.C., and range in height from 5 to 11 feet.  They weigh a whopping 20 tons.  Unfortunately, the Olmec people vanished from the Earth around 300 B.C. for unknown reasons – maybe war or disease – but these stone statues are a reminder that they were here and were memorialized – or honored – by their talented artists. 

 Nemrut Dag, Turkey

From 700-38 B.C., a king named Antiochus the First ruled in Turkey.  He ordered a sculptor to carve his statue high in the barren Taurus Mountains.  The sculptor carved the king sitting on a throne wearing a stern, majestic face and a tall headdress.  He then carved lions, falcons, and gods seated on either side of the king, protecting him from all enemies – mortal and spiritual.  These magnificent stone gods were depicted as three men and one woman on large thrones wearing pointed hats. A large burial site was built around these statues and contains other stone ancestors and treasures.  This site has decayed over time – possibly due to earthquakes, mudslides, and other weather – but was rediscovered in 1881 and turned into a protected historic site.  

Bayon Temple, Cambodia    

In Cambodia is an amazing Hindu and Buddhist temple called the Bayon Temple that displays over 200 carved faces!  This jaw-dropping temple – more like a vast, stone city – was built around the time of King Jayavarman VII’s reign from 1181 to 1218 and shows buildings with spiked towers, tall pillars and massive stone staircases leading into cavernous rooms.  Outside the temple, a large, smiling face is carved into a stone tower, supposedly of the king.  This king looks incredibly friendly, with full lips curved into a big smile and eyes looking downward, as if he is daydreaming.  His nose has fallen off, but he still wears a tall, royal headdress with a creature or bird on top.  To his left is another rock tower with four smiling king faces looking North, South, East, and West.  

Also in this temple are 200 additional faces, as well as scenes showing Cambodian life.  Statues of large Hindu gods sit on thrones lining the paths to the temple, looking mean and menacing, unlike the smiling king.  This site is truly fascinating – like something out of an Indiana Jones movie – and I would love to explore it one day.  What about you?

The Moai Heads of Easter Island

You may have seen the Moai Heads of Easter Island in the movie, “Night at the Museum.”  They were the large rock heads munching on gum and chanting “Yum, yum.”  The actual heads were discovered on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean near Chile around 1722.  Carved out of volcanic rock around 1250-1500 A.D., they measure anywhere from 13 feet to 40 feet and weigh 14 tons each.  These massive heads have big brows, long noses, and deep eye sockets that may have had coral for eyes.  Their mouths are carved in a straight line.  Through the years, many of these statues have toppled over – although we don’t know why.  Some say it happened due to earthquakes, others say they were pushed over during tribal battles, and some say that a woman on the island with magical powers struck them down in anger.  

And you may be wondering how 800 massive stone heads were moved across the island.  Archeologists believe this was done by loading the rocks on wooden sleds and rolling the sleds over large logs.  It is thought that the island was once covered with forest, but the trees were cut down to move the stones, which led to the destruction of the island.  The people were no longer able to build houses or make fires and many moved away. 

So, what do these heads mean?  Well, some think they are carvings of ancestors or gods, and have spiritual powers.  Some think they are protectors of the island because they face inland.  Seven are pointed out to sea, maybe to watch for invaders.

You and I may never get to Easter Island to see these amazing statues, but we can view them in museums around the world, including London; Washington, DC; France; New Zealand; Chile; and Belgium.  I would love to see them, but I think I would have a heart attack if they started chanting and chewing bubblegum!

The Devil Heads, Czech Republic 

In the lush green forests of the Czech Republic two ghoulish heads are carved into the side of a mountain, sometimes called the “Czech Mount Rushmore.”  But while Mount Rushmore shows four stately presidents, the Devil Heads show two freaky faces.  One looks like a surprised Santa with bushy eyebrows, a long flowing beard, and an open mouth.  Beside it is another head with a wailing face, furrowed brows, and crooked teeth in a gaping mouth.  It looks like a creature or devil howling in pain.  These faces were carved between 1841 and 1846 by a man who was working as a cook in a nearby castle.  Later, he carved other faces and creatures into nearby rocks, depicting characters from Czech fairytales. Well, even if these heads are a little scary, I think they are fascinating and very creative.  

Decebalus Rex, Romania

And finally, we head to Romania for a stone portrait started in 1993.  Created in honor of King Decebalus who lived around 105 A.D., this carving shows the elderly king’s face jutting out of a grey stone cliff on a wooded mountain.  He wears a bushy beard and mustache, and his mouth is set in a firm, straight line.   On top of his head are the jagged peaks of the mountain, looking like a tall Santa’s hat.  And while the faces on Mount Rushmore in the United States are an impressive 60 feet high, this king’s face is three times that large, or 180 feet, with a 23-foot nose and 14-foot eyes!  King Decebalus was said to have battled a great Roman emperor on this site many centuries ago and was ultimately defeated.  To honor the king’s courage, an Italian sculptor was hired to carve this special memorial.

So, what do you think of all these rocky portraits?  Have you seen any of them?  Some are so old it’s hard to imagine how they were created or how the artists knew how to carve faces on such a large scale.  It just shows that every civilization had its amazing architects, engineers, and artists!  If you could carve anyone to be remembered hundreds of years from now, who would it be?

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Have you ever planned something, only to have things turn out completely different in real life? Sometimes, you spend hours, days, or even weeks planning something– maybe a birthday party, a Halloween costume, or a trip– only to have things change at the last minute. Sometimes, this change is disappointing and frustrating. Other times, you realize there’s an even better way of doing things. Either way, we all have to make changes to our plans sometimes, and no one knew this better than the subject of today’s podcast: Rachel Carson.  Rachel made many plans in her life, and many of them changed unexpectedly, for better and for worse. But she learned how to make the best of these changes, staying true to herself and, in the end, making the world a better place too.

Rachel’s parents had moved to their land near the Allegheny River, in Springdale Pennsylvania with the intention of selling it off piece by piece. This was one of the first plans Rachel witnessed unraveling. Her father, Robert, wasn’t able to sell many plots, and the family struggled to make ends meet on his salary as an insurance salesman. But, it did leave the land open for other uses–some of which would have a bigger, more important impact than money ever could have. 

The Allegheny River valley was a perfect place for a child to go exploring: rolling hills and lush forests turn from vibrant green in the summer to yellow, orange, and red in the fall, cut through with the wide, winding Allegheny River. And Rachel, Robert’s youngest child by far, was just the child to discover its natural wonders. Being the youngest in her family came with its advantages though. While her older brother, Robert, and sister, Marian, were at school, Rachel’s mother, Maria, took her on walks around the property. 

Maria was curious and intelligent. As a young woman, she had been a schoolteacher and taught piano lessons. Like many women in the late 1800s, she gave up her job when she got married, but she kept her sense of wonder about nature. She and Rachel would ramble around their land for hours. Maria would teach Rachel about the different kinds of birds. Naturally enough, Rachel caught her mother’s love of nature. She felt connected to every bird, animal, and bug, and would give each one she spotted its own special name.

Rachel also loved books, especially stories about the sea. Even though she’d never seen it, she was drawn to the descriptions of its power, wildness, and majesty. She decided she wanted to be a writer when she grew up, and she didn’t wait to get started! She began to write, sending her stories to magazines when she was ten years old. Two of her stories won prizes, and were printed in a magazine! 

But as Rachel grew up, she started to notice changes in her town and the surrounding area. And to Rachel’s way of looking at things, these were not good changes. A glue factory opened nearby, and the air was filled with the terrible fumes it let off. Two power stations were built in town. The water in the Allegheny river became polluted. Rachel mourned the loss of the pristine natural beauty she had explored from childhood.

But Rachel didn’t want to stay in Springdale forever. She wanted to go to college. Her parents supported her, but they didn’t have the money to pay for it. Fortunately, she was a good student and the Pennsylvania College for Women, in Pittsburg, offered her a scholarship. Rachel launched herself into her studies head first, grateful that this was one plan she could keep. She wrote for the school’s student newspaper and magazine – stories inspired by World War I battles and the oceans she had still never seen. Even though she’d still never seen it, her story gave such detailed descriptions of the ocean that readers felt like they were there, the rushing sound of the waves and salty air all around them!

It seemed that Rachel was well on her way to becoming a writer, just like she’d planned. But, once more, things didn’t go according to plan. In order to graduate from college, Rachel had to take one science class. Rachel chose to take biology – the study of living things. For someone who loved nature and animals, this made sense, but Rachel had no idea that the decision would change her life forever.

Rachel’s teacher, Mary Scott Skinker, was inspiring and energetic–excited to share her passion for science. Rachel soon learned that there was so much more to nature than she had even realized: that animals and plants and their environment were all connected and worked together in a delicate, complex system. Because of that one class–with that one teacher–she decided to get her degree in Biology instead of English. 

After she graduated, Rachel finally had the chance to see the ocean…Not just see it, but work with it! Her teacher, Mary Scott Skinker, helped her get a summer job at the Marine Biological Institute at Woods Hole in Maryland, part of Johns Hopkins University. Rachel spent the summer studying ocean creatures. Most days she was on a boat or at the beach, collecting specimens to study. Rachel loved this time. Her coworkers were a group of smart and welcoming scientists, and she called it “a delightful place to biologize.”

Rachel continued on to study at Johns Hopkins and got a Master’s degree. But soon after, she had to change her plans yet again–and not because she wanted to this time. She had hoped to continue studying and get a Ph.D., but her family was having trouble with money. Her family–brother and sister included–had come to live with her in Maryland while she was in school, and they were very close-knit. Rachel decided she had to find a job so she could help them out.

She eventually found a job at the US Fisheries Bureau, writing radio shows about different types of fish. A radio show about fish might sound a little dry, but Rachel was just the right person to make a splash with it (get it?). She had studied fish for her Master’s degree and had the writing skills to make her subject vibrant and entertaining. She also started writing articles about nature and the environment for newspapers. She exposed problems with overfishing in the Chesapeake Bay and chronicled efforts to conserve nature. 

Even though it wasn’t what she had planned, Rachel suddenly found herself in a position to combine her talents as a writer and a scientist. Eventually, she wrote a book about the ocean that became very popular, allowing her to quit her job and move to a cottage on the coast of Maine. But even though Rachel didn’t like fame and attention, she wasn’t going to fade into a quiet, unbothered retirement. She cared too much about the world and its creatures to ignore the problems humans created for it. 

Starting during World War II, Rachel became concerned about a new pesticide that the government was using. I won’t make you listen to me trying to pronounce the full name, but it’s usually called DDT. DDT was first used to kill mosquitos, which spread diseases like malaria, during the war. But after the war, the government started spraying it all over the eastern United States to kill moths, and people began to notice things in the sprayed areas. Bad things.

Fish and birds were dying at an alarming rate, and bigger animals, like dogs, cats, and even humans, were getting sick. Rachel wanted to write about the problems caused by spraying, but almost no magazine wanted to print such a story. In fact, most were printing stories about how great DDT was! The companies that made the insecticide had a lot of money and power, and they made sure their perspective was heard. 

Rachel didn’t give up though. She decided to write a book instead. She scoured government reports and academic papers related to pesticides. She found out that the substance didn’t just kill birds, it also made their eggshells weaker, so fewer baby birds were born. She found out it was linked to cancer in humans. These were hard years for Rachel. Her favorite niece, then her mother passed away, and then she had her own cancer diagnosis a few years later. She kept researching and writing through it all though. She had to make sure people knew the truth.

Finally, in 1962, the book, Silent Spring, was ready. Instead of publishing it all at once, the magazine the New Yorker printed it as a series of four articles. Rachel’s research was solid and her writing was persuasive and eloquent. The companies that made the pesticides were furious and tried to convince people that Rachel was wrong. But many scientists read the book and wrote reviews saying she had gotten it right. Rachel went on television to be interviewed about her work. The government began paying attention and even released a report that backed up much of what Rachel had written. President Kennedy’s administration said they would change the government’s policy on spraying pesticides. By 1980, DDT had been banned in the United States.

Sadly though, Rachel didn’t live to see the full impact of her work. She died of a heart attack in 1964, before much had really changed. In the 10 years after Silent Spring came out, the government passed laws that would protect people from dangerous pesticides like DDT. One law said that companies had to prove chemicals in pesticides were safe to use around people. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, was set up and began testing for traces of dangerous chemicals in the environment – air, water, and land. 

But more than changing how people thought about pesticides, Rachel Carson and Silent Spring changed how people thought about everything in the environment. Through her writing, Rachel helped people see that everything in nature – trees, fish, birds, even humans – is connected to everything else. Pesticides on plants or in water make animals sick when they eat the plants or drink the water. People could get sick from eating animals exposed to toxins like DDT, or breathing it in as it wafted through the air after being sprayed. Nothing in nature just stays put where you leave it — it becomes part of a system. People began to realize that they needed to take care of this planet. Today, Rachel’s legacy lives on with climate change activists and other environmentalists. When everything is connected, you can’t pretend that your actions don’t make a difference. You have to pay attention to how things affect each other in that web of people, animals, and the planet. And sometimes, like Rachel Carson, you have to change your plans in order to make the difference you want to see in the world.

Sources

Hile, Lori. (2015) Rachel Carson: Environmental Pioneer. Heineman Library, Chicago. 

Shea, George. (2006) Rachel Carson: Founder of the Environmental Movement. Blackbirch Press, Farmington Hills, MI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson

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