Kids News - Social Studies for Kids

Fossils found by a father-daughter team has led to the discovery of a new, massive species of ichthyosaur. The marine reptiles dominated the seas during the Triassic and Jurassic periods (251 to 145 million years ago). Often referred to as "fish-lizards," they shared physical similarities with dolphins and whales but were, in fact, members of the reptile family....

At around 1:30 a.m. ET on March 26, 2024, a massive container ship struck a crucial support column of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The impact of the 95,000-ton ship, called Dali, caused a large section of the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River, plunging several cars into the water. The collision also shut down one of the busiest ports in the United States....

After being removed from the curriculum for over 14 years, cursive writing is making a comeback in some US public schools. For those unfamiliar with the term, it is the elegant form of penmanship where letters or characters are joined together in a flowing manner, generally to make writing faster....

Researchers have always suspected that the Amazonian rainforests were once home to ancient cities. However, looking for remains of urban structures in the thick, remote forests was a difficult endeavor. But the use of Light Detection and Ranging, or Lidar, has been a game changer. The remote sensing technology uses laser light to help identify human-made features on the ground, such as walls, roads, or buildings. It has led to several exciting discoveries. The latest to be revealed is a network of 15 ancient settlements in the Upano Valley of eastern Ecuador in South America....

An international team of archeologists examining boulders in Larache, Morocco, in June 2022 stumbled upon an exciting find — 85 ancient human footprints pressed on the beach. The two trails of intact prints are estimated to be around 90,000 years old. They are the first such tracks found in North Africa. They are also among the oldest ones attributed to modern humans. The details of the fascinating discovery were published in the journal Nature in January 2024....

On February 10, 2024, over two billion people worldwide will celebrate the first day of the Chinese New Year. Also called Lunar or Spring New Year, it is one of China's most important holidays....

Black History Month, observed every February, celebrates the contributions and central role of African Americans throughout US history. President Gerald Ford was the first to officially recognize what is also called African American Month in 1976. However, the idea was the brainchild of American historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson....

Archeologists in China have unearthed what they believe is an ancient "celestial calendar." The 23 rectangular wooden pieces were found inside a 2,200-year-old tomb in China's Wulong District. They are etched with Chinese characters connected to an astronomical calendar known as Tiangan Dizhi. It was established during the Shang dynasty, which ruled from 1600 BC to about 1050 BC. This is the first time written slips linked to the ancient calendar have been found in a tomb....

Dr. Ivan Šprajc has spent the past 30 years looking for Maya cities in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. In 2013, the archeologist and his team found one dating back to the 8th century in the Chactún rainforest. A year later, they unearthed two more cities abandoned over 1,200 years ago. But a massive ancient settlement found deep inside Mexico's Balamkú Ecological Conservation Zone, is the team's most exciting discovery yet....