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The Harlem Globetrotters are a traveling team of skilled basketball players known for their flashy moves, entertaining shows, and for educating youth about health. They got their start in the 1920s, when Black players were excluded from playing professional basketball in the NBA. The original Globetrotters were five African American semi-pro players who traveled the midwest looking for other teams to play against. Eventually, they challenged the top team in the NBA, twice. Listen to hear the results of those widely watched games and learn how the Harlem Globetrotters helped transform the face of American basketball.
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Helen Keller was a pioneer in the disability rights movement. She was also a pacifist, advocate for workers’ rights, and supporter of women’s suffrage. Her life began with childhood struggles when she lost the ability to both see or hear. Thanks to her hard work and that of her teacher Anne Sullivan, Keller would learn to read, write, and communicate through sign language. Listen to learn about the life of Helen Keller, and how she overcame early challenges to become an accomplished author and reformer.
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Michael Jordan is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time. From 1982, when he helped North Carolina win the NCAA title, to his retirement in 2003, he dominated basketball and became a global phenomenon whose stardom transcended the game. Jordan was legendary for his competitiveness, work ethic, and high expectations of his teammates. Listen to learn the story of Michael Jordan, from his high school years to his rise to global stardom, and the qualities that helped him succeed.
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Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian sculptor, painter, engineer, and inventor who lived during the Renaissance period. Though he had many talents, da Vinci is perhaps best known for his marvelous pieces of art. After being commissioned to create a portrait of a silk merchant’s wife, he produced the Mona Lisa. The painting is currently located at the Louvre Museum in Paris, but it wasn’t always hanging behind bulletproof glass as part of the museum’s collection. Listen to hear the story of how the Mona Lisa was stolen, and learn why it eventually became the most popular painting in the world.
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