It's Your Life:  1997 - 2005
                             2006 - 2015

EResources and Databases History, Biography, Music, Pop culture - all covered here.  Built-in tools, too.

Infoplease Timelines   Key in the year you are researching. From Pearson Education.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications   Take a look under Collection and under Exhibition.

National Museum of American History   "Devoted to the scientific, cultural, social, technological,
and political development of the United States."  Check the collection.

National Women's History Museum   "... integrating women's distinctive history into the culture and
history of the United States."

Pop Culture: 1990   Explore the events of the 1990s as you take a look into pop culture. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, but U.S.-led forces liberated Kuwait in 1991. Also in 1991, McDonalds opened a restaurant in Moscow, a first in the Soviet Union. In 1993, the Waco siege lasted 51 days as agents tried to take David Koresh into custody. In 1998, John Glenn went to space once again when he was 77 years old. Princess Diana died. Learn about bestselling books and best actors, albums, and movies.
Topic: (1990s) Nineteen nineties   Language: English   Lexile: 950      http://www.census.gov

Timeline: War in the Gulf  The historical event in 1990 that led to the Gulf War is presented in a timeline format
at the BBC News web site. The timeline begins with the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq on August 2, 1990. Watch a news clip of a report from that day. Scroll through the timeline to find out when Operation Desert Storm was launched. Significant dates and events are listed and corresponding news reports are available throughout the timeline. Country profiles of Kuwait and Iraq are included.
Topic: Kuwait--History--1990, Iraqi Invasion     Lexile: 1150    News Source   http://news.bbc.co.uk

The People History - 1990s  Do you know how much the price of gasoline has risen in the past few years? What about the past 80 years? In 1930, gas averaged 10 cents a gallon; in 2012 it averaged $3.80. The average wage back then was $1,970; today it’s over $44,000. This interesting website chronicles historical events and everything about our culture (clothes, prices of things, toys, furniture, sports, appliances, homes, etc.) by day, year, and decades. The ‘Shopping Basket’ shows how our cost of living has increased over the past five years—45%! Search by topic or date, or simply peruse the pages.Topic: Inflation (Finance), Material culture, Consumer price indexes   Language: English Lexile: 2500 

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com  

Timeline: History of Health Reform Efforts in the U.S.  Travel this exceptional timeline to understand the history
of health reform efforts in the United States from 1912 to 2009. The timeline begins with the early 1990s and Teddy Roosevelt's endorsement of social insurance as part of his platform. Look at National Health Insurance in the 1930s
and 1940s and find out about the establishment of government programs such as the Social Security Act, Department of Heath and Human Services and Medicaid and Medicare. Also discussed are the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Topic: Health insurance, Health care reform   Language: English   Lexile: 1110   http://healthreform.kff.org

The 90s     The nineteen nineties are often referred to as the Information Age due to the general public's wide use of technology. The Cold War Museum provides you with articles that define this particular decade from a political point of view. The opening page provides you with an interactive list of articles to browse. You can gain access to information on Nelson Mandela, the reunification of Germany, Boris Yeltsin, the fall of the Soviet Union, and President Clinton.
Topic: (1990s) Nineteen nineties   Language: English    Lexile: 1310        http://www.coldwar.org

The Mideast: A Century of Conflict  A century of conflict has engulfed the Middle East. Learn about the chapter
of Palestinian history that included the first Intifada. After living under Israeli occupation for two decades, Palestin-
ians were tired of watching helplessly as Israeli settlements sprang up on their land. They were tired of identity checks, searches, and abuse. Discover how and why the intifada swayed world opinion about the events in Gaza and the West Bank. Investigate how Israeli leadership divided over how to deal with the uprising. Read about the Oslo peace agreement and leaders like Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin.
Topic: Intifada, 1987-1992, Middle East Peace Accord (Oslo), 1993   Lexile: 1210  Audio   http://www.npr.org

The People History - the Millenium

Facebook   The New York Times reports on the history of Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. In this article the evolution of this social networking web site is described as well as the controversies that have followed. It not only provides background information, but also provides insight as to how Facebook functions. This article is followed by links to additional article headlines that are all related to Facebook. There is also a blog from the editors, a video of the founder, and a list of resources.
Topic: Facebook   Language: English    Lexile: BR     News Source    http://topics.nytimes.com

Social Networking Statistics   Although only 11% of the people on Earth use Facebook, more than half of those in
this survey have a Facebook profile. Facebook has 1.2 billion users, and the average user spends more than 15 hours
a month on Facebook. More than 90 billion YouTube pages are viewed every month by 490 million unique users. Five billion pictures are found on Flickr, and 190 million tweets are sent on Twitter on an average day. Surprisingly, there are ten countries where people spend more time using online social networking than in the U.S.
Topic: Online social networks, Facebook   Language: English   Lexile: 750    http://www.statisticbrain.com

Instagram Still Lags Twitter as the Fifth Biggest Social Network   In late 2014, Instagram said it had overtaken Twitter, but it ended up they were counting millions of spam accounts. When they were removed, the numbers looked quite different. Facebook is still overwhelmingly in the lead with 81% of adults aged 16-64 saying they have an account, and 42% are active users. Three social networks are vying for second position: YouTube, Google+ and Twitter, and their rankings fluctuate between markets. Google+ performs best in fast-growth countries and YouTube does best in mature ones. All of these are ahead of Instagram. 
Topic: Instagram   Language: English   Lexile: 1330    http://www.globalwebindex.net

Peanut Allergy   Peanut allergies are on the rise among children in the U.S. with the number tripling between 1997 and 2008. Eighty percent of children with peanut allergy will have it for the rest of their lives. Even casual contact can cause a severe reaction. Highly refined peanut oil has had the proteins removed, which is what triggers the allergy, so the FDA exempts this type from being labeled as an allergen. But any foods containing extruded, cold-pressed or expelled peanut oil could still have peanut protein. Foods to avoid, foods that may contain peanuts, and unexpected sources of peanuts are listed.    Topic: Peanut oil, Food allergy   Language: English   Lexile: 1250     http://www.foodallergy.org    

Bill Gates: Mosquitos, Malaria and Education  Half a century ago, twenty million children under the age of five
died each year. By the early 21st century, vaccines and medicines cut the early childhood deaths to less than ten million. Most of the deaths that still occur are due to malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia. Malaria has been eliminated from the rich countries in the temperate zones, but remains in the poor countries near the equator. Learn about the challenges of funding efforts in poor countries, when most research money is used to benefit the rich. Examine whey the Bill Gates Foundation invests in health care and education.
Topic: Philanthropists, Gates, Bill,--1955-   Language: English   Lexile: 1220  Video   http://www.ted.com

In Depth: Hurricane Katrina  Hurricane Katrina has left a legacy of hardship on several southern states, as people and cities began to rebuild from catastrophic flooding. Fewer than half of the former residents had returned a year after the disaster, leaving the streets eerily empty as formerly thriving neighborhoods are uninhabitable. Read about the psychological challenges, the frail infrastructure, the difficulties of living in trailers or families being separated, and trying to rebuild without flood insurance. Watch an animation of the path of the storm.
Topic: Hurricane Katrina, 2005   Language: English Lexile: BR  Animation   News Source  http://news.bbc.co.uk

Kyoto Protocol    An international climate agreement, the Kyoto Protocol was developed as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Counties that sign the agreement commit to reaching certain targets in reducing emissions. Adopted in 1997, it became effective in 2005. New amendments were added in Qatar in 2012. Dozens of industrialized countries initially committed to reduce emissions by 5%. The second phase of emissions reduction is currently in progress, with a goal of reducing emissions by 18% below 1990 levels. Developed countries are held to a higher standard due to their past emissions contributions.  http://unfccc.int
Topic: Kyoto Protocol, Climate change--International cooperation   Language: English   Lexile: 1500  

HBS Cases: Lady Gaga  The Harvard Business School web site explains how the singer known as Lady Gaga has become one of the world's most recognized brands. Find out which two spots that Lady Gaga holds in the Guinness Book of World Records and learn how she rose from being an unknown back-up singer to being world famous in only three years. This article describes the strategic marketing decisions that have helped make Lady Gaga a star. Her use of social media is also discussed.
Topic: Marketing, Singers   Language: English    Lexile: 1450        http://hbswk.hbs.edu

Afghanistan   Many barriers to democracy exist in Afghanistan. This country faces social, political, and economic challenges as it seeks stability. The Afghan parliament and president agreed that the ministers of defense and interior should be dismissed, partly because security forces seem unable to deal with shelling from Pakistan and partly to show the government's commitment to dealing with corruption. These dismissals may also reflect corruption in parliament. Any way that the war in Afghanistan turns out could be bad news for Pakistan. NATO plans to withdraw from Afghanistan, but there are doubts about the readiness of Afghan troops.
Topic: Afghanistan, Afghanistan--Politics and government   Lexile: 1180     http://www.carnegieendowment.org

Can DNA Demand a Verdict?   DNA profiling can help acquit or convict a suspect in a crime. Use this web site from the University of Utah to see how DNA can be used to identify an individual. Learn how DNA is found at a crime scene and how forensic DNA is analyzed. Find out about the possibility of human error and discover if DNA alone is enough to convict or acquit someone. The site also discusses if DNA analysis is used appropriately for justice. A graphic shows the steps of forensic DNA analysis.
Topic: DNA fingerprinting   Language: English    Lexile: 1240  Interactive    http://learn.genetics.utah.edu

Al-Aqsa Intifada Timeline   Look at the events that preceded and followed the second Palestinian intifada in 2000 at this timeline from BBC News. Learn where the violence began and why frustrations led to violence. The key events are listed beginning with September 28, 2000 and the visit to Temple Mount by Ariel Sharon. There are details about numerous attacks and the many casualties caused by the violence. The timeline continues into 2003. Links are provided to additional articles about Israel and the Palestinians.   http://news.bbc.co.uk
Topic: Israel--History--1993-, Palestinian uprising, 2000 -   Language: English   Lexile: 1510    News Source    

Bush v. Gore   In the case of Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court ruled that the State of Florida's mandatory recount of votes in the 2000 presidential election was unconstitutional. This case came about at the climax of the presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore. The outcome of this election was based upon the votes of the State of Florida. Because the margin between votes was so small, Florida law dictates that a manual recount must be implemented.   Topic: Bush v. Gore (2000)   Language: English   Lexile: 1770     http://www.pbs.org

Fact Monster 2000s U.S.  So much here and well-organized, too.

InfoPlease 2000s  Another site with loads of information.

The Most Popular Feature Films Released 2000 to 2009  

Cyberwar: CyberCaliphate Targets U.S. Military Spouses; Anonymous hits ISIS   The U.S. Central Command (CentCom) had its Twitter and YouTube accounts hacked by a group called CyberCalifate that claims to be an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) sympathizer. CentCom took its account down, especially after names and addresses of military families were published, as well as threats against some members of another group called Military Spouses of Strength. This is part of a cyberwar that involves ISIS and hacking groups like Anonymous who are battling each other online. The article includes a two-minute video on the topic.
Topic: Internet--Security breaches   Language: English   Lexile: 1190  Video      http://www.cnn.com

MSU Professor Gives a Primer on ISIS, Yezidis and America's Options in Iraq   Dr. David Romano, the Thomas G. Strong Professor of Middle East Politics at Missouri State University, author of the Kurdish Nationalist Movement, gives some background on the Yezidis in Iraq in a radio interview. The militant group ISIS overran the city, Sinjar, where 200,000 Yezidis were living. He says it is a threat of ethno-genocide. He speaks about the beliefs of the Yezidi, their isolated lives as they are forbidden to marry outside their group and there are no converts allowed, and the Kurds who are struggling to protect them from the militants. Click on Listen to hear the interview.
Topic: Islamic State (IS), Yezidis   Language: English   Lexile: 1160  Audio      http://ksmu.org