Question 1
Question:
481 years between this site's completion(in 1430) and its official "discovery" by an
American explorer (1911). But note that Western accounts of the spot have been found
dating back to 1847.
name:
from:
confirm:
location: Sacramento,CA
area: Geography
reason: study for test
school: Yes
sources_consulted: askjeeves/askjeves
Answer:
Greetings from the Internet Public Library!
Thank you for your question about a site that was completed in 1430 and “discovered”
by an American explorer in 1911. I had fun researching this interesting question. I
found several websites that I hope will be useful to you.
1) The BBC News website has an article dated June 6, 2008, “Machu Picchu ruin
‘found earlier’”, that discusses the 1911discovery of the Peruvian site Machu Picchu by
American explorer Hiram Bingham and speculation that the site was actually previously
known to Westerners. The article also notes that Machu Picchu was completed around
1450:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7439397.stm
I found this website by using the Google search engine with the search terms “discover
ruins 1911” (without the quotation marks):
http://www.google.com/
2) The website of the British newspaper The Independent has an article entitled “So,
was the ‘lost’ city of Machu Picchu ever lost?” dated December 9, 2008, that discusses
competing claims to the discovery of Machu Picchu, noting that evidence exists of
Western knowledge of the site dating back to the 1860’s:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/so-was-the-lost-city-of-machupicchu-ever-lost-1058004.html
This link is quite long and could break so here is a shortened link to the same page for
your convenience:
http://tinyurl.com/6jl28v
I found this web site using the Google search engine (see link above) with the search
terms “ Machu Picchu discovery” (withoutthe quotation marks). I found the web site
“Machu Picchu on the Web” which cites an article on Hiram Bingham from The
Independent newspaper website. That link is broken and I was unable to find the cited
article but I found the article I have cited for you by searching the newspaper website for
“Hiram Bingham.”
Machu Picchu on the Web:
http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/machu/2.html
3) The website for the Minnesota State University at Mankato eMuseum has a “Machu
Picchu” page that confirms the 1911 date of the “discovery” by Hiram Bingham and the
completion date of around 1460 – 1470 for Machu Picchu:
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/latinamerica/south/sites/machu_picchu.html
Again, this is a long link and may break, so here is a shortened link to the same page
for your convenience:
http://tinyurl.com/v0po
I found this web site using the Google search engine (see link above) with the search
terms “ Machu Picchu” (without the quotation marks).
I hope that the resources I’ve provided are helpful for your studies. If you would like
further assistance, or have any other questions, please write back to us at the IPL. It’s
been a pleasure to assist you. Thanks for visiting the IPL!
Question 2
Question:
When Eleanor Roosevelt died, there was a popular editorial cartoon that circulated- it
depicted some cherubs peeking behind clouds, and looking down and saying "It's her..."
I think that the cartoonist was Herblock (Herbert Block), but I can't find anything to
substantiate that. Additionally, I can't find the actual cartoon anywhere- only people
describing it, and they give different accounts of what the cherubs are saying (It's her,
She's here, etc). Could you tell me how to find this cartoon, or at least who the
cartoonist was and what it really said?
I would appreciate any help you can offer.
name:
from:
confirm:
location: St Louis, Missouri
area: Other
reason: Someone asked me, and I had no idea. I just want to get back to that person.
school: No
sources_consulted: Wikipedia, general google searching, Historic NYT, Eleanor
Roosevelt: a Personal and Public Life by J William T. Youngs, LOC Herblock exhibit
Answer:
Greetings from the Internet Public Library!
Thank you for your question about an editorial cartoon published after Eleanor
Roosevelt’s death, depicting cherubs and saying “It’s her . . .” This was an interesting
question to research and I think that I’ve found some useful information for you.
Page 77 of The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia, by Henry R. Beasley and Holly
Cowan Shulman, (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001), references a cartoon by Bill
Maudlin, published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on November 13, 1962, depicting
three cherubs looking at an approaching angel and saying “It’s her”:
http://books.google.com/books?id=5p9GIzyk0XgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=%22the+el
anor+roosevelt+Encyclopedia%22&ei=o8OiSt3QL4GWyQTfk8iWCA#v=onepage&q=ma
udlin&f=false
This link is very long and could break so here is a shortened link to the same page for
your convenience:
http://tinyurl.com/lmatjm
Please note that while the book refers to Bill “Maudlin”, the cartoonist’s real name is Bill
Mauldin, famous for his cartoons about World War II. Information about Bill Mauldin and
his long career can be found at the “Bill Mauldin: Beyond Willie and Joe” page at the
web site of the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/mauldin/
I was unable to find an online image of the cartoon for you. Unfortunately, the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch online archive dates back only to 1988, and do not contain pictures or
drawings. I also searched the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Online Catalog, which contains many Mauldin cartoons, but apparently not the one that
you are interested in. Additionally, I searched using Google and other search engines
with various search terms, with no luck.
If you are interested in searching for this image, you may want to consult books about
Bill Mauldin. The Library of Congress web page I listed above has a “Read More About
Bill Mauldin” page that lists several books by and about Bill Mauldin:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/mauldin/mauldin-read.html
Additionally, I found a reference at the Encyclopedia.com web site to the fact that after
Mauldin’s move from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to the Chicago Sun-Times in June
1962, his work was syndicated in over 250 newspapers, so it’s possible that the
cartoon you seek was published in newspapers other than the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404704285.html
If you would like to search for newspaper archives that go back to 1962, you can try the
“U.S. News Archives on the Web” web site:
http://www.ibiblio.org/slanews/internet/archives.html
I found The Eleanor Roosevelt Encyclopedia reference using the Google search engine
with the search terms <“Eleanor Roosevelt” cartoon cherubs> (with the quotation
marks). I found the Library of Congress web page about the career of Bill Mauldin and
the Encyclopedia.com web page by using Google with the search terms <"Bill Mauldin"
cartoon St. Louis Dispatch 1962> (with the quotation marks). I have the “U.S. News
Archives on the Web” web page bookmarked, because the IPL gets a lot of questions
involving old newspaper articles.
http://www.google.com/
I hope that these resources answer your question to your satisfaction. If you would like
further assistance, or have any other questions, please write back to us at the IPL. It’s
been a pleasure to assist you.
Thanks for visiting the IPL!
Question 3
Question:
I'm looking for information on 19th century American architecture. I'm looking for
sources that can help me identify different types of architecture, as well as a hands-on
guide to historical preservation. I work at a mansion that was built around 1890 and I
need basic information on preservation construction methods.
name:
from:
confirm:
location: New Jersey
area: General Reference
reason: Work project.
school: No
sources_consulted: Internet
Answer:
Greetings from the Internet Public Library! Thank you for your question about resources
to help identify 19th century American architectural styles, and hands-on guides to
historic preservation. This was an interesting area to research and I was able to find
several sources that I hope will be of assistance to you.
Let’s start with resources to help identify 19th century American architectural styles.
The Internet directory site About.com has a page on Victorian Architecture: 1840 –
1900:
http://architecture.about.com/cs/timeline/a/victorianstyles.htm
with images and extensive descriptions of distinguishing characteristics of various
architectural styles of the late 19th century. The author also suggests several books to
be used for research on architectural styles of private homes. The book list can be
reached by clicking on the “House Styles” link on the Victorian Architecture: 1840 –
1900 page, and then the “House Style Books” link under “Suggested Reading”:
http://architecture.about.com/od/housestyles/tp/styleguide.htm
We encourage you to check your local library for the availability of these and other
reference books on American architectural styles. To find a library near you, a good
resource to try is LibWeb, found online at:
http://lists.webjunction.org/libweb/
I found the About.com page on Victorian Architecture 1840 – 1900 by browsing the
Librarian’s Internet Index (LII). There is a link to the LII at the top right of the Internet
Public Library (IPL) homepage. Once at the LII homepage, I clicked on the following
links, in order: Arts & Humanities > Architecture > Victorian.
The About.com website is maintained or edited by a community of users. Because
membership in this community may include non-experts, information taken from this
source should normally be verified using other, more reliable sources. However, the
Victorian Architecture 1840 - 1900 page on About.com has been prescreened for
reliability and authority by the librarians at the Librarian’s Internet Index.
The Boston College Digital Archive of American Architecture website may also be
helpful. This site contains a collection of images of various styles and era of buildings.
The page for 19th Century Houses – 1850 – 1900 can be found at:
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/19house2.html
I found the Digital Archive of American Architecture at the IPL website. I entered the
term “architecture” (without the quotes) into the “Search the IPL” box and clicked the
Search button. I scrolled down to see the listing for the Digital Archive of American
Architecture.
Next let’s turn to hands-on guides to historical preservation construction methods.
The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Preservation Briefs provide
detailed guidance on methods for preserving, rehabilitating, and restoring historic
buildings. They can be found online at:
http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/briefs/presbhom.htm
This page also provides information on how to order print copies of the Preservation
Briefs.
I found the National Park Service Preservation Briefs at the Librarian’s Internet Index
(LII). There is a link to the LII at the top right of the IPL homepage. Once at the LII
homepage, I clicked on the following links, in order: Arts & Humanities > Architecture >
Historic Buildings. Scroll down to see the listing for the National Park Service:
Preservation Briefs.
The United States General Services Administration (GSA) has developed technical
procedures to be used in preservation, maintenance, and repair of historical properties.
These standards can be found at the GSA Historic Preservation Technical
Procedures page:
http://w3.gsa.gov/web/p/hptp.nsf
I found this site by using the Google search engine:
http://www.google.com
using the search terms “historic house (preservation or construction or repair or
maintenance) and methods” (without the quotation marks).
I hope that these resources answer your questions to your satisfaction. If you have any
further questions on this topic, or any other, please write back to us at the IPL. It was a
pleasure to assist you.
Thank you for visiting the IPL!
Question 4
Question:
What are the best sources on the web for finding statistics
name:
from:
confirm:
area: General Reference
reason: for research
school: No
Answer:
Greetings from the Internet Public Library!
Thank you for your question on the best websites for finding statistics. There are a lot of
great websites for statistical information and I am happy to recommend some for your
use. You did not specify a particular subject area, so I will provide general reference
sources for statistics.
Fedstats is a United States government site that provides free access to statistical
information from federal agencies reporting expenditures of at least $500,000 per year
on statistical activities:
http://www.fedstats.gov/
Fedstats is particularly useful because it provides multiple ways to browse and search.
Users can search by keyword or phrase, geographical area, Congressional district, or
federal or state judicial district, or browse the alphabetical topic list, agency name list, or
statistical program subject area list. The most current statistical information is available
in press releases that can be browsed through a list or searched for on the database.
The database is updated daily.
Another U.S. government website that covers a wide range of economic and
demographic statistics from both government and private sources is the 2009 Statistical
Abstract of the United States, compiled by the Bureau of the Census:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
The website can be searched by keyword, or browsed by Section Headings or by the
alphabetical Subject Index. You can also browse the Guide to Sources of Statistics:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/guide_to_sources.html
The Guide to Sources of Statistics contains an extensive list of primary sources of
statistical information. The list includes the source name, website URL when available,
and a list of statistical reports published by each source, including a notation as to
whether each report is available on the Internet.
Earlier editions of the Statistical Abstracts can be found on the Past Editions page:
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/past_years.html
The University of Michigan maintains an extensive directory of Statistical Resources on
the Web:
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
which can be browsed by category.
I was familiar with both Fedstats and the Statistical Abstract of the United States from
previous research. I found the University of Michigan’s directory of Statistical Resources
on the Web by searching the Librarian’s Internet Index (LII) using the search term
“statistics” (without the quotes):
http://lii.org/
The LII has an extensive list of Internet sites that have been prescreened by trained
librarians for authority and reliability. If you are looking for further sources for statistics
on a particular topic, the LII is a great place to start your search.
I hope that the resources I’ve provided answer your question to your satisfaction. If you
would like further assistance, or have any other questions, please write back to us at the
IPL! It’s been a pleasure to assist you.
Thanks for visiting the IPL!
Question 5
Question:
I want to find more information in Gifted and talented education
name:
from:
confirm:
location: Camden, NJ
area: Education
reason: for me to understand more
school: No
Answer:
Greetings from the ipl2!
Thank you for your interesting question about gifted and talented education. This is a
topic that I have a lot of interest in and have researched extensively. There are lots of
great web sites that you can use to learn more about this topic.
You listed your location as Camden, New Jersey. A good place to start learning about
gifted and talented education in New Jersey is the web site of the State of New Jersey
Department of Education. The “Curriculum and Instruction – Gifted and Talented
Requirements” page gives a summary of the legal requirements for gifted and talented
education in New Jersey.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/aps/cccs/g_and_t_req.htm
The “Curriculum and Instruction – Frequently Asked Questions Gifted and Talented
Services” page is also very helpful. It provides clear answers to commonly asked
questions about gifted and talented education in New Jersey, including how gifted
students are to be identified, what educational services must be provided to gifted
students, and the process for parents to follow if they are dissatisfied with the education
their gifted child is receiving.
http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/faq/faq_gandt.htm
The web site of the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC) is another
great place to look for information about gifted education. The main page of this web
site has links to information about New Jersey laws and policy, resources on the web
about gifted children, awards and scholarships, upcoming events that include
enrichment activities for gifted children and their parents, and other information:
http://njagc.org/index.php
There is also a National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Their web site has a
wealth of information about gifted and talented education, including information
designed for parents, teachers, and school administrators. The “Information and
Resources” page is a particularly good place to start your research - it was designed as
an organized and easily accessible location to learn about gifted education.
NAGC web site home page:
http://www.nagc.org/
NAGC Information and Resources page:
http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=33
The web site of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented presents the
results of the Center’s research on “what works in gifted education.” The National
Research Center on the Gifted and Talented is a federally-funded research project
based at the University of Connecticut.
http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/NRCGT.html
Finally, Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page is one of the oldest, most comprehensive, and
well-known web sites about gifted education, although it can be hard to navigate:
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/
I keep all of these resources bookmarked for my own research, but a Google search
using search strings like “gifted education” or “gifted resources” (with the quotation
marks so that the words are searched as a phrase instead of as separate words) will
bring up these and many other resources.
http://www.google.com/
I hope that the resources I’ve provided are helpful. If you have any other questions,
please write back to us at the ipl2.
Question 6
Question:
I need to know, which US military leader & politician had a
half-brother nicknamed Austin & what was Austin's real name
name:
from:
confirm:
location: calif, USA
area: History
reason: to prove my point
school: No
sources_consulted: alot of the internet
Answer:
Greetings from ipl2!
Thank you for your question about a U.S. military leader and politician whose halfbrother was nicknamed Austin. This was an interesting question to research.
Several archived pages of the National Park Service’s “George Washington Birthplace”
web site reference the fact that George Washington had a half-brother named
Augustine Washington Jr., commonly referred to as “Austin.”
“Augustine Washington Jr. (Austin), his descendants and his half-brother George
Washington, 1720- 1813”
http://www.nps.gov/archive/gewa/austin&his.htm
“Augustine Washington and his son George Washington, 1694 to 1743” (see fourth
paragraph)
http://www.nps.gov/archive/gewa/Gus&history.htm
“George Washington Birthplace National Monument – Popes Creek Plantation” (see
second paragraph)
http://www.nps.gov/archive/gewa/Page21home.html
I found the first page using the Google search engine with the search string “military
half-brother Austin” (without the question marks).
http://www.google.com/
I found the next two pages by starting at the home page of the National Park Service’s
“George Washington Birthplace” web site, typing “Austin” (without the quotation marks)
into the text box at the upper left-hand corner of the page, selecting the “Search
this park” radio button and clicking on the “Go” button. These pages are the only items
found with that search.
Home page of the National Park Service George Washington Birthplace web site:
http://www.nps.gov/gewa/index.htm
The Biography.com web site “George Washington Biography” page also notes that
George Washington’s half-brother Augustine was called Austin (see the second
paragraph of the “Childhood and youth” section).
http://www.biography.com/articles/George-Washington-9524786&part=0#24504
This is a long link and could break, so here is a shortened link to the same page for your
convenience:
http://tinyurl.com/2942zwv
I found the Biography.com “George Washington Biography’ page using the Google
search engine (see link above) with the search string “George Washington’s halfbrother” (without the quotation marks).
I hope that I’ve answered your question to your satisfaction. If you would like further
assistance, or have any other questions, please write back to us at ipl2. It’s been a
pleasure to assist you.
Thanks for visiting ipl2!