The Mysteriously Missing Colony
By Houston
15 September 2017

In 1565, Spain diligently established the first successful settlement in the New World, which was St. Augustine, Florida. By 1587, about 120 Englishmen endeavored to the New World, sailing to Roanoke Island, located off what is now the North Carolina coast. They became perilously low on supplies, so John White, who was the governor of the colony, ventured back to England and asked for help.

When White returned, he was appalled to find the colony gone. The only clue to the colonists’ whereabouts was a word quickly scribbled on a tree: “Croatan,” the name of an island. Because the people mysteriously disappeared and were presumed forever missing, today this settlement is known as the Lost Colony.

Planes and Prosperity
By Houston
17 July 2018

The perseverance of the Wright brothers forever altered the landscape of our country’s prosperity and communications. Orville and Wilbur Wright were famous for building and flying the first airplane.

Still in their 20s, they began to rent and sell bikes. Soon, they even manufactured them. In 1900 and 1901, these inventors experimented with gliders, but their prototypes failed.

Having found the perfect wing shape for the glider, they took it to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, to test it. The dunes surrounded the enormous field of sand. Salt lingered in the air as did excitement.

Amazingly, the wind swept in from the nearby ocean, carrying the craft through the blue sky. Orville went 120 feet on the first flight, and Wilbur made the longest flight, going 852 feet. In 1903, the brave brothers audaciously added a motor to the craft, which they named “The Wright Flyer I.”

The diligently determined duo continued to improve their invention, and by 1915, the plane could fly 24 miles. Although the creative entrepreneurs’ invention unwittingly fostered the development of globalization, airplanes have resulted in positive ways for today’s world, as well.

Bloody Boston: Foreshadowing Revolution
By Houston
2 October 2017

On one dull, dark day in 1770, there were two British soldiers, whose names were John and Hugh. Shaking and uneasy, they were anxious because they knew the colonists known as the Sons of Liberty resented them. While standing guard in Boston, the colonists started violently provoking them. These Americas were hostile toward King George’s wrathful laws and taxes.

The indignant Sons kept stirring up trouble until the soldiers had had enough. One Brit whacked a colonist with the butt of his gun, which caused a large mob to form. A commander named Captain Preston tried to restore order, but this only made the mob more furious and the situation more perilous. Soon the Americans started brutally throwing chunks of ice, sticks, and clubs at the soldiers and yelling, “Kill them!”

Animosity grew and the mob became more vicious until a club struck a soldier, who
reacted by strongly firing his musket at the mob as they got closer. The British shot again, hitting and killing a sum of five Sons before the rest of the colonists ran way. Even though the violence subsided, more trouble was sure to follow this bloody and gruesome event. This “Boston Massacre” foreshadowed the revolution to come.