Transcript Biographies: People Who Made a Difference

Helen Keller
By 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 Nightingale
By 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 Chapman
By 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 Bell
By 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 Earhart
By 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 Knight
By 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 Braille
By 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 Roosevelt
By 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 Columbus
By 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 Pasteur
By 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 Barton
By 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 Lincoln
By 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 Boone
John 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 Edison
By 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 Franklin
Justin
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 Frank
Mia
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 Carver
By 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. Anthony
By 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 Parks
By 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 Curie
By 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 Bethune
By 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.