People Who Made a Difference

By Mrs. Falk’s ClassMarch 2015

Helen KellerBy Aaliyah

Do you think a girl who was deaf and blind could go to college and graduate with honors? Helen Keller did this with the help of her teacher. Helen Keller won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During World War II, Helen went to the hospital to visit the soldiers. Then she gave speeches that helped them understand that they could live with a disability. Helen Keller died on June 1, 1968. She will be remembered for her courage and responsibility.

Florence NightingaleBy Adrianna

Could you imagine dedicating your life to improving medical care all over the world? Well, Florence Nightingale did. She was born in 1820. She was named for the city her parents were visiting Florence, Italy. Florence became a nurse and went on the battlefield with soldiers. At night, she would check on the soldiers that were her patients. They called her the “Lady with the Lamp.” Florence Nightingale died in 1910. The critical values she used were compassion and responsibility. She helped save people that would have died if she had not kept this clean and checked on her patients. Many of her ideas and discoveries are still in use today.

John ChapmanBy Austin

Do you know what being a settler was like? I think being a settler is hard because you have to grow your own food instead of just going to the store and buying it. John Chapman would travel around and plant apple orchards. He would give away his apple seeds to other settlers. He became known as Johnny Appleseed. There are many stories that are told about him. The critical value he is known for is compassion. He cared about all living things. Johnny Appleseed died in Fort Wayne, Indiana after helping many people settle a new land.

Alexander Graham BellBy Ayden

“Mr. Watson come here. I want you.” These were the first words Alexander spoke through his new invention called the “telephone”. Alexander Graham Bell was born in 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Alexander Graham Bell’s partner was Thomas Watson. He created the telephone, hydrofoil boat, iron lung, receiver, and the transmitter. The first telephone could let people speak to anyone 5 miles away. Alexander died in 1922 at his home. Alexander used the critical value of compassion because his inventions helped people.

Amelia EarhartBy Bianca

Do you know who was the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean ? The first lady was Amelia Earhart. Amelia Earhart was famous because there were no pilots that were women. Amelia graduated from Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 1915. She liked to do scary things. She wanted to fly an airplane by herself. She did this and more. She was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. Amelia’s last adventure was in 1937 when her plane became lost. Amelia Earhart used the critical values of responsibility and courage by challenging herself to do something no one else had done.

Margaret KnightBy Brittney

Do you know that a twelve year old girl could be an inventor? Margaret Knight made a shuttle so that people would not get hurt. She was also the queen of paper bags. You could probably ask a lot of questions and not get them right. She did not like that her mother told her to play with dolls and stop fussing with a kite. She made a small shuttle to see if it would work. Then she made plans on a piece of paper and her sister’s husband tried it and it worked. None of the men believed that a girl knew how to operate machines. Her adaption cut the number of accidents and the number the threads broken in cloth. She also made different house supplies like shoes and rubber car window sashes. Margaret Knight died without much money. She used the critical values of respect and responsibility by helping other and making machines safer.

Louis BrailleBy Brody

Would you be scared to be a blind teacher? Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in Copuvray, France. When Louis was a toddler, he was in his father’s shop playing. Louis was messing with an awl, it slipped into Louis’s eye and the eye got infected…soon he was blind in both eyes. Later in 1819, Louis went to a school for the blind. Louis was learning Sonography a night writing system code for the blind. It was used for the army. Louis decided to develop his own system of dots. This way worked so well that it is still used today. This alphabet of six dots changed how blind students read. Louis used the critical values of responsibility and respect. He worked hard to invent something that was useful for himself and his blind students. Another hero, Helen Keller, said that Louis Braille was hero with God-like courage.

Eleanor RooseveltBy Destany

Do you know someone who worked her entire life to help people? She gave speeches, taught kids in school, and she helped volunteers. What is a volunteer? A volunteer is a person who works for free. Not only she helped people she also was the First Lady of the United States. Eleanor Roosevelt and her husband Franklin Delano Roosevelt made a difference in our country. She worked for equal right for all people. She worked hard to start the United Nations. She was a smart and brave first lady.

Christopher ColumbusBy Edgar

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to be an explorer? Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492. He was looking for a short cut to the Indies. He saw an island southwest of Florida. In March 1493, Christopher Columbus sailed back to Spain with gold trinkets, parrots, and a few native Americans. Columbus traveled across the Atlantic Ocean three more times. Columbus used the critical value of responsibility because he was not afraid to do what needed to be done.

Louis PasteurBy Elijah

Louis Pasteur was a very important scientist. He was born in 1822. When he was a child, he liked drawing and painting. Later as a teenager, he liked science more than art. Louis went to school in Paris. In 1847, he earned a doctor of science degree. He experimented with salt crystals. He also did experiments and proved that germs were living things that came from other living things. Louis used this knowledge to investigate how drinks such as wine and milk were spoiled by bacteria and molds. He found that by heating up the liquids it would kill most of the germs. This process is called pasteurization and is still used today. He also did research on diseases. He developed a vaccine for rabies. Louis made LOTS of discoveries. He used the critical values of compassion by caring for others and responsibility by doing what he needed to do to help others.

Clara BartonBy Grace

Do you know who worked for better conditions for prisoners of war? She was called the “Angel of the Battlefield” because of her great service. Her name was Clara Barton. Her birthday was December 25, 1821. She founded the American Red Cross. She was born in Oxford, Massachusetts. She founded a school at age 15. Clara Barton used critical values. The critical value that she was best known for was compassion because she cared for others. Clara found missing soldiers and took care of them until that were well. Clara Barton was a nurse that changed how patients were cared for on the battlefield. The Red Cross that she started is still making a difference.

Abraham LincolnBy Harley

My hero helped end slavery in the United States. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president. He led our country during the Civil War. Abe Lincoln was honest.

Daniel BooneJohn S.

Daniel Boone was an explorer. He helped people settle new land in place called Kentucky. He was born in 1734. He died in 1820. He was respectful of people and animals. He is a hero because he helped settled land in America.

Thomas EdisonBy John P.

Do you know who had the knowledge to build a phonograph? Well, Thomas Edison did. He built a kinescope that is an old fashion way to view pictures. He also invented the light bulb. Thomas Edison worked hard for his family and his friends. But the important thing about Thomas Edison is that he cared about everyone and did not give up when he was working. Thomas Edison used the critical value of responsibility to do what need to be done to make the light bulb work.

Benjamin FranklinJustin

Do you know of an American that had great ideas? Benjamin Franklin was always thinking of ways to make life better. He started the first library in the U.S. He organized Philadelphia’s first fire department. He proved that lightning is electricity with his kite experiment. Ben Franklin was against unfair taxes and became a leader in the American Revolution. He helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence. He was always making life better with his inventions.

Anne FrankMia

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929. She died in 1945. She was only 15 years old. She was Jewish and wrote about her life. She escaped from her home and lived in a secret hideout. The Nazis were trying to kill all of the Jews. When she was found, she was sent to a camp that was filled with disease. Anne Frank died in the camp. Her father, found her diary after World War II and published her diary.

George Washington CarverBy Richie

Do you like peanuts? So did George Washington Carver. George Washington Carver was an scientist and he made stuff out of peanuts. George Washington Carver’s parents had been slaves. He worked hard to go to school and learn. He studies plants and how to help farmers. He invented over 300 different ways to use peanuts. He used the critical value of responsibility when he worked with people.

Susan B. AnthonyBy Savannah

Do you ever wonder how women got the right to vote? Susan B. Anthony worked for women to get this right. Susan met her best friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851. Susan and Elizabeth formed the National Women Association in 1869. They wanted an amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving women the right to vote. Susan voted in 1872 and was arrested for it. Susan died in 1906. In 1920, the 19th

Amendment gave women the right to vote. In Susan’s honor, the amendment was called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. Susan B. Anthony used the critical value of fairness because she wanted women to be treated to be equally.

Rosa ParksBy Shakira

Rosa Parks was a big part of the civil rights movement. In 1955, Rosa Parks got arrested and fined because she wouldn’t give up her seat on the bus to a white man. On the day of Rosa Parks trial black leaders planned a boycott of all the city buses. This action was a key event. Through this brave act, Rosa Parks helped start something that made our country better for all people. Rosa used the critical value of fair when she worked for people to be treated equally.

Marie CurieBy Sofia

Do you know about the first person to receive two Nobel prize for being a physicist? This scientist was Marie Curie. She was born 1867. She had the highest grades in her high school class. She went to study Physics and Mathematical Sciences at the Sorbonne. She discovered radium in 1898. Marie was the first person to make a sample of pure radium. Madam Curie died because she was exposed to this substance. She spent her life promoting the use of radium to help with suffering. She was a respectful and compassionate person to spend her life trying to help other people. She is the kind of person we should all try to be!

Mary McLeod BethuneBy Torrionna

Do you want to know information about Mary McLeod Bethune? She grew up in a poor family. Her parents had been slaves. She was born on July 10, 1875. Mary went to a school to learn to read and write that was built by missionaries. Mary dreamed of having her own school. She started her school in Florida. Mary McLeod Bethune’s school grew into what is now Bethune-Cookman College. Mary used the critical value of fair because she wanted everyone to be able to get an education.