Ready to Read Level 3 - Pack of 9 History and Science of Fun Stuff

Cool Colors and Hot Hues

Did you ever wonder how Crayola crayons are made? Who chooses the cool colors and fascinating crayon names? Or how many crayons are produced in a single day?

How Airplanes Get from Here... to There!

Did you know that some aircraft are capable of traveling faster than the speed of sound? Or that the Wright brothers designed the first airplane after studying the wings of birds?

The Innings and Outs of Baseball

Did you know that every time you watch a baseball game, you are watching some great examples of physics in action? Why exactly does the amount of spin on a pitch determine how far a ball can be hit? And what's the scientific reason that using pine tar on the bat makes it easier to grip?

The Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks

Did you know that a roller coaster does not need an engine or power source of its own? Or that sugar has to be melted into a liquid to make cotton candy?

The Deep Dish on Pizza!

Did you know that two thousand years ago, the soldiers of Darius the Great used their shields to cook a pizza-like flatbread? Or that Americans eat approximately 350 slices of pizza per second? That adds up to more than 75 football fields of pizza each day!

The Explosive Story of Fireworks!

Did you know that the earliest firecrackers were made of roasted bamboo and were thought to ward off evil spirits? Or that pranks involving fireworks became such a problem in 1731 that public officials in Rhode Island were forced to ban them?

The High Score and Lowdown on Video Games!

Did you know that the first arcade video game to achieve widespread success was called Pong? Or that Pong was loosely based on the game of table tennis?

The average American spends 13 hours a week playing video games... that's 676 hours a year! How many hours do you spend playing video games?

The Stellar Story of Space Travel

Did you know that the Voyager space probe, launched in 1977, is now transmitting data from beyond our solar system in interstellar space?

This is the farthest away from Earth that a human-made object has ever traveled.

The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate!

Did you know that for thousands of years chocolate was only available as a drink and not a solid candy? Or that soldiers in the Revolutionary War were given rations of hot chocolate?