When you hear the name George Washington, what comes to mind? If you are like most people, you think about his image on the one dollar bill. And it’s no wonder since 9 billion dollar bills are in circulation at all times. This image is so familiar we sometimes forget that Washington wasn’t always a 64-year-old man. He certainly wasn’t born with white hair and dentures! What did George Washington look like when he was a young man? The leadership of Mount Vernon, Washington’s home, decided to find out. They gathered a group of experts to do a forensic study of George Washington. Their goal was to create three wax figures that show him at the ages of 19, 45 and 57 years old. To make sure the wax figures would look like the real George Washington, the hair they used must be the right color. The experts didn’t have to guess what color his hair was. They looked at George Washington’s real hair. Many locks of his hair still exist today. Why? Because in the 18th century it was common to keep small locks of hair that belonged to someone you loved or admired. (Sometimes even strangers would ask Washington for a lock of his hair to keep as a token of their respect for him.) Can you guess what color Washington’s hair was when he was 19 years old? His natural hair was reddish brown (it wasn’t really red, and it wasn’t really brown—it was in between). Sometimes this color is described as “chestnut.” Once the experts knew Washington’s hair color, they ordered human hair from a “hair merchant” in London, England. (Real people sell their hair to them.) The cost was about $300.00 for the hair used on the figure of Washington at 19. Sue Day, an artist, used a needle-like tool to place one human hair at a time directly into the wax head. She consulted portraits of Washington to make sure the shape of his hairline was right. When the wax figure of young George Washington was finished, his long chestnut hair was pulled back into a queue (we would call it a ponytail). A large black silk bow was placed in his hair. Today visitors to Mount Vernon can see what George Washington really looked like at the age of 19. And he looks great. Carla McClafferty wrote a book on the subject of this Nonfiction Minute. For more information on THE MANY FACES OF GEORGE WASHINGTON: REMAKING A PRESIDENTIAL ICON (Carolrhoda, 2011) and for access to lesson plans and enrichment materials based on the award-winning book, click here. Carla Killough McClafferty is a member of iNK's Authors on Call and is available for classroom programs through Field Trip Zoom, a terrific technology that requires only a computer, wifi, and a webcam. Click here to find out more. MLA 8 Citation
McClafferty, Carla Killlough. "George Washington's Hair." Nonfiction Minute, iNK Think Tank, 22 Feb. 2018, www.nonfictionminute.org/the-nonfiction-minute/ george-washingtons-hair.
4 Comments
Absquatulate, means to: flee or escape Brabble: quarrel about unimportant matters Curglaff: the shock of suddenly plunging into cold water Deliciate: have fun Excogigate: make a plan Fuzzled: whoozy Groak: watch someone eat in hopes of being invited Hoddypeak: a fool Hugger-mugger: to be secretive Illicebrous: attractive Jargogle: jumble or confuse Jirble: pour messily Kenspeckle: something that’s noticeable Ludibrious: the flame or match used to light a fire Malagrugrous: dismal Nail: a measure 2 ¼” long Obambulate: wander Pismire: a small insect Quagswag: shake to and fro Resistentialism: the appearance of bad behavior or thoughts by an inanimate object, such as a statue of a person who looks mean Snoutfair: handsome Twitter-light: twilight Uliginous: slimy Verily: truly, certainly Widdendream: confusion Wonder-wrench: sweetheart Xylomancy: telling the future by using the wood found in your path Yex: hiccup Zappy: lively Usually, Cynthia writes “important” books for young readers about civil rights, social justice, and the Constitution, like this one, Fault Lines in the Constitution, which she wrote with her husband, Sanford Levinson, a law professor. Fault Lines shows the inequities in our constitution and the relationship between that document and issues arising today. But, she also has fun trying out circus tricks—and so do kids in her in-school and online visits. During the Middle Ages, “going to the bathroom” or “relieving oneself” meant using a privy. A privy typically consisted of a raised board with one or more openings cut in the middle where the users would sit. Their fecal matter would plop into large holes called cesspits beneath them. Over time, the cesspits would fill up and start overflowing. When that happened, gong farmers had to empty them. “Gong” came from a word that means “going.” And the farmers “harvested” the accumulation of months or even years of “going.” To make sure all the foul material was removed, the workers would hop down into the pits, where the feces came up their waists or even higher. Because of the relative ease of getting them in and out, small boys were often employed. The cesspool contents were dumped into carts and taken to larger dump sites on the edge of town, where more conventional farmers would use it as fertilizer. People in the Middle Ages rarely bathed. So gong farmers stunk. Really. Stunk. Because of their horrible stench, they were often restricted in where they could live. They were allowed to work only at night to spare their fellow citizens from seeing and smelling them. Besides the horrible smell and probable lack of friends, gong farmers encountered specific occupational hazards. Decaying fecal matter could produce poisonous gases. At least one gong farmer stumbled into a cesspool he was cleaning and drowned. Violators of the rules for collecting the refuse and disposing of it were submerged in barrels up to their necks and placed on public display for hours on end. On the other hand, gong farmers were well paid, often earning in a day what other workers might make in a week. They had another potential source of income as well. Careless crappers occasionally dropped rings or coins into the cesspits. Enterprising gong farmers combed through the mess with their bare hands in search of those treasures. The advent of better sanitary methods in the 19th century ended gong farmers in many countries. However, it is still practiced in some areas of the world. You can learn more about Jim Whiting with a visit to his website. He is an interesting fellow with an interest in music and sports and has written lots of books in both fields. MLA 8 Citation
Whiting, Jim. "Gong Farmers: Their Crop Was ...Crap." Nonfiction Minute, iNK Think Tank, 15 Dec. 2017, www.nonfictionminute.org/Gong-Farmers. The great Paris tower was underway. From each corner of a broad base the size of a football field, four spidery iron structures rose, curving inward in one majestic sweep toward the middle. The construction – a web of connecting girders – called for 300 workers to assemble some 15,000 pieces of iron and snap 2.5 million rivets into place. This would be the world’s tallest man-made structure, reaching a height of 300 meters (934 feet). A glorious demonstration of engineering, it was conceived by Gustave Eiffel, the most illustrious engineer of nineteenth-century France. The tower was to be the focal point of the International Exhibition of Paris in 1889, commemorating the 100th birthday of the French Revolution. After that, since it had no practical use, it was to be torn down. It took two years, two months, and three days to build the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel used wrought iron, which was a relatively new building material at the time, used primarily for bridges and aqueducts. As the tower rose, becoming the city’s most prominent feature, not everyone approved. “Useless and monstrous,” one newspaper called it. Another described it as an “odious column of bolted metal.” Called the Magician of Iron, Eiffel’s mathematical prowess and attention to detail was legendary. To put the tower project on paper took 30 draftsmen working full time for 18 months. Every rivet of the 2.5 million needed for the structure had its designated place, down to a fraction of a millimeter. The Tower became the hit of the International Exhibition, with nearly two million people visiting it. Still, not everyone loved this prodigious web of steel girders. A famous writer was once asked why he ate lunch there every day, since he was known to hate the sight of it. He replied, “Because it’s the only place in Paris where I can’t see the damn thing.” So why wasn’t the Eiffel Tower torn down? It almost was. What saved it was the radio broadcasting center and the weather station that Eiffel installed at the top. Now France’s most famous landmark, it is not the only national symbol that Eiffel was involved with. He also built the iron skeleton of a lady we’re all familiar with: The Statue of Liberty. As for the Eiffel Tower, “I ought to be jealous of that tower,” he once said. “She is more famous than I am.” The Eiffel Tower under construction highlights the intricacy of the design as well as the massive size of the project in relation to the city of Paris. Art by Roxie Munro Eiffel's most famous works are still major tourist attractions in the 21st century. The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world. An average of 25,000 people ascend the tower every day. Approximately four million people visit New York's Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island each year. Photo Benh Lieu Song viia Wikimedia Commons. Art by Roxie Munro One of Roxie's most recent, Masterpiece Mix, is a book about art. As an artist searches for inspiration, she explores thirty-seven paintings of different genres, and comes up with a grand finale, using all of them. The book has "smart, concise, marvelously amplifying backmatter" (Kirkus), a dedicated web page, and free downloads. MLA 8 Citation
Munro, Roxie. "The Magician of Iron." Nonfiction Minute, iNK Think Tank, 7 Mar. 2018, www.nonfictionminute.org/the-nonfiction-minute/The-Magician-of-Iron. Have you ever heard of the Tasmanian devil? It’s actually nothing like the cartoon version—the real devil is a black animal with white markings that’s smaller than a cocker spaniel, and it’s in trouble. The Tasmanian devil once lived on the continent of Australia but now survives in the wild only on the island state of Tasmania, just off Australia’s south coast. It’s the largest surviving marsupial carnivore in the world. A marsupial’s young develop in a pouch on their mother’s belly rather than in a uterus inside their mother’s body. Other than females with young, the devils are solitary, living in a burrow in the ground during the day and coming out at dusk to feed. Devils can hunt for prey but much of their diet consists of dead animals—carrion--such as road-killed wallabies and wombats. A disease spreading across the island since 1996 has decimated the devil population. Scientists and wildlife managers are working hard in an effort to study and protect this unique species. The killer, called Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD), is unusual. It’s not caused by a virus or by bacteria. It’s a form of cancer that began with a single devil, and it can spread from one animal to another. Devils will bite each other as they fight over carrion, and the cancer cells on the face of one devil can infect another as they fight. Normally, an animal’s body can recognize cells that aren’t its own and destroy them. But DFTD cells protect themselves from being “discovered,” as if wearing an invisibility cloak. They invade their victims’ bodies and eventually kill them. DFTD spread so fast and killed so many devils that the government and scientists feared that the Tasmanian devil would become extinct in the wild. They established disease-free colonies in captivity on the Australian mainland and on Tasmania and studied the cancer in laboratories. Now, the devil is making a comeback—there’s a vaccine that provides some protection to captive devils that have been released in the wild, and ecologists have found that some wild devils are able to fight the disease on their own. Meanwhile, another kind of facial tumor disease has appeared. It’s spreading more slowly, but biologists and the devils still have a lot to deal with. You can learn more from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program .
This is Dorothy's book, Saving the Tasmanian Devil, as part of the Scientists in the Field Series. Read Vicki Cobb's review of this wonderful book. |
*NEWS
|
For Vicki Cobb's BLOG (nonfiction book reviews, info on education, more), click here: Vicki's Blog
The NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Committee is pleased to inform you
that 30 People Who Changed the World has been selected for Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2018, a cooperative project of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) & the Children’s Book Council
Categories
All
Abolitionists
Adams Janus
Adaptation
Adaptations
Adkins Jan
Advertising
Aerodynamics
Africa
African American History
African Americans
Africa West
Agriculture
Aircraft
Air Pilots
Air Pressure
Air Travel
Albee Sarah
Alchemy
Alligators
Allusion
American History
American Icons
Amphibians
Amundsen Roald
Anatomy
Ancient
Ancient Cultures
Anderson Marian 1897-1993
Animal Behavior
Animal Experimentation
Animal Intelligence
Animals
Animation
Antarctica
Ants
Apache Indians
Apes
April Fool's Day
Architecture
Argument
Arithmetic
Art
Art Deco
Artists
Arts
Asia
Astronauts
Astronomy
Athletes
Atomic Theory
Audubon Societies
Authors
Autobiography
Automobiles
Aviation
Awards
Bacteria
Baseball
Battuta Ibn
Bears
Beatles
Beavers
Bees
Biodegradation
Biography
Biology
Biomes
Biomimicry
Biplanes
Birds
Black Death
Black History
Blindness
Blizzards
Bombs
Bonaparte Napoleon
Boone Daniel
Botany
Brazil
Bridges
Brill Marlene Targ
Brooklyn Bridge
Brown John
Buffaloes
Building Materials
Butterflies
Caesar
Caesar Julius
Caissons
Calculus
Calendars
Cannibal
Capitals
Caravaggio
Carbon Dioxide
Carnivores
Carson Mary Kay
Cartoons & Comics
Carving (Decorative Arts)
Cascade Range
Castaldo Nancy
Castles
Castrovilla Selene
Cathedrals
Cats
Caves
Celts
Cemeteries
Chemistry
Children's Authors
Child Welfare
China
Choctaw Indians
Christmas
Chronometers
Cicadas
Cinco De Mayo
Ciphers
Circle
Citizenship
Civil Rights
Civil Rights Movements
Civil War
Civil War - US
Climate
Climate Change
Clocks And Watches
Clouds
Cobb Vicki
COBOL (Computer Language)
Code And Cipher Stories
Collard III Sneed B.
Collectors And Collecting
Color
Commerce
Communication
Competition
Compilers
Composers
Computers
Congressional Gold Medal
Consitution
Contests
Contraltos
Coolidge Calvin
Cooling
Corms
Corn
Counterfeiters
Covid-19
Crocodiles
Cryptography
Culture
Darwin Charles
Declaration Of Independence
Decomposition
Decompression Sickness
Deep-sea Animals
Deer
De Medici Catherine
Design
Detectives
Dickens Charles
Disasters
Discrimination
Diseases
Disney Walt
DNA
Dogs
Dollar
Dolphins
Douglass Frederick 1818-1895
Droughts
Dr. Suess
Dunphy Madeleine
Ear
Earth
Earthquakes
Ecology
Economics
Ecosystem
Edison Thomas A
Education
Egypt
Eiffel-gustave-18321923
Eiffel-tower
Einstein-albert
Elephants
Elk
Emancipationproclamation
Endangered Species
Endangered-species
Energy
Engineering
England
Englishlanguage-arts
Entomology
Environmental-protection
Environmental-science
Equinox
Erie-canal
Etymology
Europe
European-history
Evolution
Experiments
Explorers
Explosions
Exports
Extinction
Extinction-biology
Eye
Fairs
Fawkes-guy
Federalgovernment
Film
Fires
Fishes
Flight
Floods
Flowers
Flute
Food
Food-chains
Foodpreservation
Foodsupply
Food-supply
Football
Forceandenergy
Force-and-energy
Forensicscienceandmedicine
Forensic Science And Medicine
Fossils
Foundlings
France
Francoprussian-war
Freedom
Freedomofspeech
French-revolution
Friction
Frogs
Frontier
Frontier-and-pioneer-life
Frozenfoods
Fugitiveslaves
Fultonrobert
Galapagos-islands
Galleys
Gametheory
Gaudi-antoni-18521926
Gender
Generals
Genes
Genetics
Geography
Geology
Geometry
Geysers
Ghosts
Giraffe
Glaciers
Glaucoma
Gliders-aeronautics
Global-warming
Gods-goddesses
Gold-mines-and-mining
Government
Grant-ulysses-s
Grasshoppers
Gravity
Great-britain
Great-depression
Greece
Greek-letters
Greenberg Jan
Hair
Halloween
Handel-george-frederic
Harness Cheryl
Harrison-john-16931776
Health-wellness
Hearing
Hearing-aids
Hearst-william-randolph
Henry-iv-king-of-england
Herbivores
Hip Hop
History
History-19th-century
History-france
History-world
Hitler-adolph
Hoaxes
Holidays
Hollihan Kerrie Logan
Homestead-law
Hopper-grace
Horses
Hot Air Balloons
Hot-air-balloons
Housing
Huguenots
Human Body
Hurricanes
Ice
Icebergs
Illustration
Imagery
Imhotep
Imperialism
Indian-code-talkers
Indonesia
Industrialization
Industrial-revolution
Inquisition
Insects
Insulation
Intelligence
Interstatecommerce
Interviewing
Inventions
Inventors
Irrational-numbers
Irrigation
Islands
Jacksonandrew
Jazz
Jeffersonthomas
Jefferson-thomas
Jemisonmae
Jenkins-steve
Jet-stream
Johnsonlyndonb
Jokes
Journalism
Keeling-charles-d
Kennedyjohnf
Kenya
Kidnapping
Kingmartinlutherjr19291968
Kingmartinlutherjr19291968d6528702d6
Kings-and-rulers
Kings Queens
Kings-queens
Koala
Labor
Labor Policy
Lafayette Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert Du Motier Marquis De 17571834
Landscapes
Languages-and-culture
Law-enforcement
Layfayette
Levers
Levinson Cynthia
Lewis And Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
Lewis Edmonia
Liberty
Lift (Aerodynamics)
Light
Lindbergh Charles
Liszt Franz
Literary Devices
Literature
Lizards
Longitude
Louis XIV King Of France
Lumber
Lunar Calendar
Lynching
Macaws
Madison-dolley
Madison-james
Madison-james
Mammals
Maneta-norman
Maneta-norman
Marathon-greece
Marine-biology
Marine-biology
Marines
Marsupials
Martial-arts
Marx-trish
Mass
Massachusetts-maritime-academy
Mass-media
Mastodons
Mathematics
May-day
Mcclafferty-carla-killough
Mcclafferty-carla-killough
Mckinley-william
Measurement
Mechanics
Media-literacy
Media-literacy
Medicine
Memoir
Memorial-day
Metaphor
Meteorology
Mexico
Mickey-mouse
Microscopy
Middle-west
Migration
Military
Miners
Mississippi
Molasses
Monarchy
Monsters
Montgomery
Montgomery-bus-boycott-19551956
Montgomery-heather-l
Monuments
Moon
Moran-thomas
Morsecode
Morsesamuel
Moss-marissa
Moss-marissa
Motion
Motion-pictures
Mummies
Munro-roxie
Munro-roxie
Musclestrength
Museums
Music
Muslims
Mythologygreek
Nanofibers
Nanotechnology
Nathan-amy
Nathan-amy
Nationalfootballleague
Nationalparksandreserves
Nativeamericans
Native-americans
Native-americans
Naturalhistory
Naturalists
Nature
Nauticalcharts
Nauticalinstruments
Navajoindians
Navigation
Navy
Ncaafootball
Nervoussystem
Newdeal19331939
Newman-aline
Newman-aline
Newton-isaac
New-york-city
Nobelprizewinners
Nomads
Nonfictionnarrative
Nutrition
Nylon
Nymphs-insects
Oaths Of Office
Occupations
Ocean
Ocean-liners
Olympics
Omnivores
Optics
Origami
Origin
Orphans
Ottomanempire
Painters
Painting
Paleontology
Pandemic
Paper-airplanes
Parksrosa19132005
Parrots
Passiveresistance
Patent Dorothy Hinshaw
Peerreview
Penguins
Persistence
Personalnarrative
Personification
Pets
Photography
Physics
Pi
Pigeons
Pilots
Pinkertonallan
Pirates
Plague
Plains
Plainsindians
Planets
Plantbreeding
Plants
Plastics
Poaching
Poetry
Poisons
Poland
Police
Political-parties
Pollen
Pollution
Polo-marco
Populism
Portraits
Predation
Predators
Presidentialmedaloffreedom
Presidents
Prey
Prey-predators
Prey-predators
Prime-meridian
Pringle Laurence
Prohibition
Proteins
Protestandsocialmovements
Protestants
Protestsongs
Punishment
Pyramids
Questioning
Radio
Railroad
Rainforests
Rappaport-doreen
Ratio
Reading
Realism
Recipes
Recycling
Refrigerators
Reich-susanna
Religion
Renaissance
Reproduction
Reptiles
Reservoirs
Rheumatoidarthritis
Rhythm-and-blues-music
Rice
Rivers
Roaringtwenties
Roosevelteleanor
Rooseveltfranklind
Roosevelt-franklin-d
Roosevelt-theodore
Running
Russia
Safety
Sanitation
Schwartz David M
Science
Scientificmethod
Scientists
Scottrobert
Sculpture
Sculpturegardens
Sea-level
Seals
Seals-animals
Secretariesofstate
Secretservice
Seeds
Segregation
Segregationineducation
Sensessensation
September11terroristattacks2001
Seuss
Sextant
Shackletonernest
Shawneeindians
Ships
Shortstories
Silkworms
Simple-machines
Singers
Siy Alexandra
Slavery
Smuggling
Snakes
Socialchange
Social-change
Socialjustice
Social-justice
Socialstudies
Social-studies
Social-studies
Sodhouses
Solarsystem
Sound
Southeast-asia
Soybean
Space Travelers
Spain
Speech
Speed
Spiders
Spies
Spiritualssongs
Sports
Sports-history
Sports-science
Spring
Squirrels
Statue-of-liberty
STEM
Storms
Strategy
Sugar
Sumatra
Summer
Superbowl
Surgery
Survival
Swanson-jennifer
Swinburne Stephen R.
Synthetic-drugs
Taiwan
Tardigrada
Tasmania
Tasmanian Devil
Tasmanian-devil
Technology
Tecumsehshawneechief
Telegraph-wireless
Temperature
Tennis
Terrorism
Thomas Peggy
Thompson Laurie Ann
Time
Titanic
Tombs
Tortoises
Towle Sarah
Transcontinental-flights
Transportation
Travel
Trees
Trung Sisters Rebellion
Tundra
Turnips
Turtles
Typhoons
Underground Railroad
Us-environmental-protection-agency
Us History
Us-history
Ushistoryrevolution
Us History Revolution
Us-history-war-of-1812
Us Presidents
Ussupremecourtlandmarkcases
Vacations
Vaccines
Vangoghvincent
Vegetables
Venom
Vietnam
Viruses
Visual-literacy
Volcanoes
Voting-rghts
War
Warne-kate
Warren Andrea
Washington-dc
Washington George
Water
Water-currents
Wax-figures
Weapons
Weather
Weatherford Carole Boston
Whiting Jim
Wildfires
Winds
Windsor-castle
Wolves
Woman In History
Women
Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women-airforce-service-pilots
Womeninhistory
Women In History
Women-in-science
Women's History
Womens-roles-through-history
Wonder
Woodson-carter-godwin-18751950
World-war-i
World War Ii
World-war-ii
Wright Brothers
Writing
Writing-skills
Wwi
Xrays
Yellowstone-national-park
Zaunders Bo
ArchivesMarch 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
September 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
March 2017
The NONFICTION MINUTE, Authors on Call, and. the iNK Books & Media Store are divisions of iNK THINK TANK INC.
a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit corporation. To return to the iNK Think Tank landing page click the icon or the link below. :
http://inkthinktank.org/
For more information or support, contact thoughts@inkthinktank.org
For Privacy Policy, go to
Privacy Policy
© COPYRIGHT the Nonfiction Minute 2020.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This site uses cookies to personalize your experience, analyze site usage, and offer tailored promotions. www.youronlinechoices.eu
Remind me later
Archives
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
September 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
October 2019
August 2019
July 2019
May 2019
April 2019
December 2018
September 2018
June 2018
May 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017