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Tegla Loroupe is an olympic long distance runner from Kenya. Born on May 9th of 1973, Loroupe grew up supervising 24 younger brothers and sisters.  At the start, her father objected to her running at all. Despite her father’s complaints, Loroupe continued running and later won multiple important marathons, such as the New York and  Berlin marathons. In Kenya and other north African countries, tribes disagree over  several issues. Loroupe’s mission was to stop the constant fighting between tribes and achieve peace. As an olympic long distance runner, Tegla Loroupe changed her main life focus from her athletic career to an advocate for peace through sports, later becoming a part of multiple groups and organizations that seek peace for all.

Although Tegla Loroupe is now a well known peace activist and athlete, she had a relatively uneventful childhood. As a young girl in Kenya, Loroupe did not spend much time training for an athletic career or doing many sports at all. Loroupe’s father had 4 wives, as is acceptable in Kenya, and Loroupe herself had 24 brothers and sisters. Her childhood -instead of playing sports or training for her future career- was spent watching over her siblings, as well as doing field work almost all day. When she started running, her father objected to the idea. Despite her father’s objections, Loroupe continued her training in her athletic career. (Lewis)

Loroupe’s athletic background supports her in her new peace-seeking activism, later helping her to establish peace through sports. As an Olympic long distance runner, Loroupe had some experience with sports. She had been focusing on her Olympic goals, then changed her focus to a career of attempting to maintain peace among the people and tribes of Northern Africa, specifically Kenya. Tribes in Kenya and other countries had been fighting over disagreements, and the fights had started to get a little concerning and dangerous. Loroupe’s hope was to stop these fights by bringing them together with sports. Her idea had been to create a peaceful yet fun environment to create and maintain peace between tribes. She later founded the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation in 2003 (Ng’oriarita, 84). Loroupe also helped encourage women in Kenya to pursue a career in athletics (Ng’oriarita, 84).

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In 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg, and the boat sank, killing over 1500 people.

There were so many mistakes that lead to many people dying, but there were also many people that tried to do the right thing. One of those people was Molly Brown.  She was a hero to these people. She gave up her spot on boats to let other people survive, she helped people after the disaster, and she tried to reunite people with friends and family. The sinking of the Titanic was a disaster, but if it weren’t for Molly Brown, that day many more people would have lost friends, family, valuables, and even their lives. She is remembered for her act of bravery and kindness to put others lives before her own. She tried to get everyone the help that they needed until the very end of it all.

Molly Brown’s childhood was nothing you would expect from a hero. Her Father was widowed. He later met Johanna Collins and had 4 kids, Molly was the 3rd born. She grew up in a Cottage and went to a school run by her Aunt Mary O’Leary. As a teenager, she worked by collecting tobacco leaves in Hannibal. It wasn’t until Molly turned 18 that her life got interesting for her. Molly’s older sister moved to Colorado to work as a blacksmith. Molly decided that she wanted to live with her and followed her. There she met Jame Joseph Brown, who worked as a miner, and married him. They had 2 children.And Jame found gold and they both became millionaires. Since they had so much money, her and her daughter Helen went on a trip. They started to get attention because they were traveling all around Europe. And then they heard of the Titanic sailing on its maiden voyage. Molly booked it for the 2 of them right away, but Helen bailed out at the last minute to go on the trip.

Molly brown was a courageous person and even in the toughest times knew what was right. When the Titanic struck an iceberg, she did not panic. Instead of when all of this lifeboat chaos was going on, she helped get people into lifeboats. Even though she could possibly die herself. Molly was brave though and did it anyways. Later she was forced onto lifeboat 6 and ended up surviving. And when the Carpathia came to pick them up, she continued to help people out the best she could.

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Currently anyone can go outside and know they are not going to be separated from others just for the color of their skin. If you rewind back 60 years it was much different. Racism was a horrible belief that deeply affected many people’s lives. Many people wanted a change, but very few citizens had a say, until one who risked his life, that is Nelson Mandela. He fought for freedom and fairness for South Africans and himself. Mandela is highly known for his courageous actions when risking his life for change in  ruling national parties in his country of South Africa (“NobelPrize.org.”).

Nelson Mandela had an extremely successful adulthood but he had a rough childhood. Mandela was born July 18th, 1918, in a village called Mvezo. His father was a tribal chief who eventually lost his title and currency which forced Nelson and his mother to move to Qunu, a village north of Mvezo. The family lived in huts and could afford little food. Nelson liked to play games and act out scenarios using sticks and clay (“Nelson Mandela Biography”).When Nelson was 9 years old his father died of lung disease. He was later adopted into another family whose father was the new chief. Mandela later moved to the town of Mqhekezweni to start a new life. He  started school there and learned languages, history, and geography. Mandela succeeded in school and eventually enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, a very good college in the town of Alice only 3 hours away (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). There he learned much more about the world and met many new role models that inspired him. Mandela was later elected into The Student Representative Council. Boycotts suddenly erupted from the students due to unfairness in rules and he later resigned from the position which made the university expel Mandela for the rest of the year (“Nelson Mandela Biography”). When he finally returned home his father surprised him with a  planned out formal marriage for him. Mandela didn't accept it and ran away from home and settled in Johannesburg. There he enrolled in a new college called the University of the Witwatersrand to study law (“Nelson Mandela Biography”).

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Women were taught and treated curcialy and had poorly paying jobs. Clara Lemlich fought against how women should get treated. People like her went on strike, till they got their attention to give them rights. In 1909, in New York City, a woman named Clara Lemlich Shavelson stood up for what's right in the middle of the Cooper Union meeting. Women stopped working, due to how crowded it was, the restrictions noise, and lint filled air and when their bosses would cut their wedges they had enough. Men were gathering panting about if they did not start working, their business would go down.                  Although Clara had a normal childhood, she was more determined than others. She was particularly known for her strike in 1909, also called the “Uprising of 2000.” Clara was supporting over 20,000 striking workers, she was so exhausted that she was forced to go to the country to recover her health. It lasted 14 weeks!Women would work long hours and in dangerous conditions with no protection. She joined the International Ladies’ Garment Worker Union in 1906. Then became part of the local executive board. She was known for being an agitator and organizer for speaking her mind and physical safety. She went on strike at two different places, Weissen & Goldstein Factory and the Leiserson Factory. The public story of Clara Lemlich Shavelson ends when the strike does.

Obviously the end of the strike wasn’t the end of her life, but after she started organizing for the Wage Earners Suffrage League. In 1912 she found herself marrying Joe Shavelson, moved to Brooklyn  and had 3 kids. Left garment work and decided to engage women in her neighborhood with consumer activism such as food boycotts and rent strikes. She joined the Communist Party and found people who think and were as committed to revolutionary thinking as she was. Once, she said to her daughter, Martha, “the great majority of workers merely believe you have to get a little more pay. A Communist wants more than that. You joined for a higher life.”(Orleck, Common Sense & a Little Fire, 223.)

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Sojourner Truth: [subtitle about the person]

Slavery was a huge issue that lasted for hundreds of years and impacted thousands. But some have the courage to stand up to it. Slavery has been going on since the 16th century. Slaves were more commonly African-American or people of color being born into slavery which was unfair, giving many lives no hope of success. Until “one of the seven who made American slavery impossible” (W. E. B. Du Bois) came. She thought not only for the freedom from slavery but also for women’s rights. Because of the brave person that started the abolition, and the woman suffrage movement, Sojourner Truth made it so more people wouldn’t have to suffer through slavery and sexism.

Sojourner Truth had a difficult childhood, but that didn't stop her from accomplishing many great things. Born in 17997 in New york. Her parents were fairly religious although she could not get an education they taught her that “she could always talk to God when there was no one else to turn to” (QUOTATIONS). While Truth was a child she was moved around and sold from master to master. At the young age of nine she was sold to owners the Neelys. Later she was sold to the Schryvers. While she was with them both her mother and her father died. Next she was sold to the Dumonts where she worked in the kitchen and the fields. While she was a slave for the Dumonts she fell in love with a neighboring slave by the name of Robert. Robert’s master did not approve of Truth so he made Robert marry another slave. Truths master did the same, she married a slave called Tom, who she had 5 children with. In 1827 Dumont promised freedom to her and her husband Tom so Truth worked extra hard to try to keep the deal valid. By the time the year ended Dumont decided not to keep the deal because he knew he could not live without them. Truth was fed up and escaped the farm, which angered the Dumonts who illegally sold her son Peter out of state. Truth made Quaker friends who helped her with a place to stay and eventually sued for her son. After getting the law and court involved she finally got her son back, which inspired her first uprising to free slaves like her.

Truth had to fight for freedom and equality and her courageous acts impacted the U.S. greatly. After she got her son Peter back, she worked as a maid until 1843 to become an abolitionist against slavery and promote human rights. While she moved from house to house she lectured about women's rights. She used religious and logical reasons to prove herself right and changed many lives as people started to realize more and more that she was right. While she talked about women’s rights she also lectured about freeing slaves. She explained how slaves should be equal to others and the rich and wealthy shouldn’t have slaves.

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Jim Abbott:

Athletes are expected to look a certain way.Most people wouldn’t expect an amputee with a missing hand to play a sport that involves that hand.1989 A man named Jim Abbott changed that. Abbott encouraged amputees to play sports.Abbott inspired many people that anyone can overcome a challenge.Abbott was a very good pitcher despite missing a hand.Abbott showed everyone that they can overcome a challenge.Abbott was made a hall of famer he was good at baseball and he’s a good example that it’s possible to follow your dreams.

Despite Abbott’s future Abbott’s childhood was not very exciting.

Abbott’s parents had him at a young age. When Abbott was five he got his first artificial limb,but at the age of six he stopped wearing it.When Abbott was eleven he started little league baseball,despite missing his right hand Abbott was a good pitcher.He threw with his left and tightened the glove around his right wrist.In Abbott’s first game he threw a no hitter.Abbott wore a mechanical hand made of fiberglass and metal, but some of Abbott’s classmates were scared of it so he stopped wearing it to school.Abbotts senior year he won ten games and lost three.(Swaine)

Abbott did a lot of things when he played baseball. He inspired people,proved people wrong,and set records. Abbott had a ninety five mph fast pitch,had an 87-108 and even encouraged businesses to hire more people with disabilities.Abbott became a motivational speaker.Abbott helped a five year old boy In his exact situation, his parents had a ton of questions but Abbott told them not to worry.Abbott also was a guest pitcher and coached a basketball team. Abbott was very inspirational,determined and so brave to become a professional pitcher.

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Millions of Jewish people were killed in the Holocaust, ranging from children to adults. A German businessman named Oskar Schindler was one of the few, known people who had helped and saved the Jews during the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler had a great effect on the Holocaust, saving the lives of over a thousand Jews. Because of his act of courage many Jews got to live a normal life. He has been remembered as a hero to many people this day, for risking his life to help the Jewish people. (go.gale.com)

In spite of living a courageous life, Oskar Schindler had a regular early life. Schindler was born in 1908 into a wealthy German catholic family. He attended trade school for several courses, leaving the school in 1924. In 1928 Schindler got married to Emilie Pelzl. He then began working for his father’s farm machinery factory. Schindler opened an enamelware factory in 1939 to be used for the Jews.(go.gale.com)

Oskar Schindler begins his act to help the Jews. Seeing that Schindler owned factories, he used them as a safe house for the Jewish people. Placing them into his factories to be used as workers so they wouldn’t be sent to concentration camps. Schindler would make sure to feed the Jews and keep them safe, even going as far to pay the SS (Schutzstaffle) to overlook the Jews.

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7                                     People today are giving up things they love because of difficulties they may be going through. They think that they should be expected to give up on something when they can’t do it. Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with Polio at a very young age. Though this affected her leg it did not stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming an Olympic runner. She was able to set a goal for herself and achieve it. She left a legacy that we will always remember. To always work your hardest even at the most difficult times.    When Wilma was born she was diagnosed with polio which left her with a bad left leg. Everyone said that because of this she may neve of walked again. When she was 13 she got involved with playing basketball at her school, her basketball coach told her that she should get involved with track. She started running and was winning all her races. She was invited by coach Ed Temple to a training camp at Tennessee State University. (My hero)    this paragraph is paragraph #3    Wilma had a very strong impact on many people. She showed us that anything is possible even in the most difficult of times. Though she suffered from polio she still pursued her dream and when she was just a sophomore she made it to the Olympics. In 1960 she set a world record in the 200 meter dash. Soon after that in the Olympic Games in Rome, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals. (My hero) 

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7                                     People today are giving up things they love because of difficulties they may be going through. They think that they should be expected to give up on something when they can’t do it. Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with Polio at a very young age. Though this affected her leg it did not stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming an Olympic runner. She was able to set a goal for herself and achieve it. She left a legacy that we will always remember. To always work your hardest even at the most difficult times.    When Wilma was born she was diagnosed with polio which left her with a bad left leg. Everyone said that because of this she may neve of walked again. When she was 13 she got involved with playing basketball at her school, her basketball coach told her that she should get involved with track. She started running and was winning all her races. She was invited by coach Ed Temple to a training camp at Tennessee State University. (My hero)    this paragraph is paragraph #3    Wilma had a very strong impact on many people. She showed us that anything is possible even in the most difficult of times. Though she suffered from polio she still pursued her dream and when she was just a sophomore she made it to the Olympics. In 1960 she set a world record in the 200 meter dash. Soon after that in the Olympic Games in Rome, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals. (My hero) 

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Joan of Arc: liberator of orléons

Lots of people enjoy reading stories about knights in shining armor saving princesses and slaying dragons. But this knight Joan of Arc did something even better. Joan of Arc was a girl who helped force the English out of France during the Hundred Years’ War. She is and will be remembered for the heroism and bravery she displayed despite the sexism that women can’t fight in wars.

Although Joan of Arc was a warrior in her later life she had a fairly normal childhood.

Joan of Arc was born in 1337 in Domrémy France. She wasn't born with the name Joan of Arc, her original was Jeanne d'Arc.(Scholastic GO) When Joan turned 13 she began hearing the voices of saint Michael who is an Archangel. (Learn Religions) Saint Michael told Joan to bring peace to France. During this time a war was going on called the hundred years war. During the war the English controlled most of northern france. Saint Michael inspired Joan to join the French army to force the English out.(Scholastic GO).

Joan of Arc was a very brave person who fought for her country and for god.

Joan of Arc was determined to join the french army to do what god said through saint Michael. So she went to a French commander and told her what her voices said to do. The commander was reluctant to let her go but he gave in. (UXL Biographies) Saint Michael also told Joan to take Charles the future king of France to be crowned at the city of Reims. Joan of Arc was given a horse and some troops to go to orléons

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Doing the unlikely things is not very common, especially surfing with one arm. In 2003 there was only one thing that could happen at sea. Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a shark. She was courageous by staying calm and thinking about the right things she could do to stay alive. After this incident she was also courageous because people made fun of her calling her a one armed freak For having one arm but Bethany showed no emotion to this bullying.Also Bethany was courageous because she acted like she was not different from anyone else.(Priar 3)  To this day Bethany Hamilton is remembered as a brave, Courageous soul surfer.

Although Bethany Hamilton is living through her trouble’s with one arm, Bethany had a rough childhood. Bethany was Born into a family of surfers on February 8, 1990, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.(Becco 4) Bethany started surfing at a young age of 5. At the age of eight, Bethany entered her first surf competition, the Rell Sunn Menehune event on Oahu, where she won both the short and lengthy board divisions. This sparked a love for surf opposition inside her spirit.(Priar 2) At the age of thirteen, on October 31, 2003, Bethany was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while browsing off Kauai’s North Shore. She said “It felt like my arm was tugged by something”.(Hamilton 2) When Bethany looked to where she felt the pulling she saw that her left arm was bitten off almost to her shoulder. Bethany acted quickly and she stayed calm to stay afloat.(Becco 1) Her friend Alana Blanchard and Alana’s father and brother were with her out surfing with her and when they heard her cries for help they acted quickly by pulling Bethany back to shore safely and quickly.  When they got to shore she was rushed to the hospital 45 dreadful minutes away.(Priar 3) Her dad tom at the time was having surgery on his knee. Bethany's mom Cheri and two older brothers Noah and Timmy rushed to the hospital after Receiving the horrifying news of Bethany getting attacked by a shark.  After dropping over 60% of her blood, and making it through numerous surgeries without infection,  Bethany became on her way to recuperation.(Hanna 4) Miraculously, just one month after the assault, Bethany returned to the water.(Becco 3)

After the fact she lost one of her limbs, she never discouraged herself on what she could do. After getting  home from the hospital bethany says “What would have happened if i didn't go surfing that day, will i ever go surfing again, will it still be the same surfing with one arm”(Hamilton 8 ) When bethany returned to the water she said “It's like a brand new start for me” (Hamilton 9) Eventually Bethany build up the Courage and went back to school and she got lots of attention and bullying.  Some People would say she was a one armed freak and she was teased about how she could not do things as well as everyone else could. Bethany tried to look on the bright side of things and she tried not to feel like she was different from anyone else.(Priar 5) After the incident when Bethany first returned to surfing she was very afraid of sharks. But she knew that the attack was a very rare occurrence so she would have to fight that fear get in the water and focus on catching the waves and refuse to dwell on the what- if‘s(Becco 6).

Although Bethany was courageous, the incident had a big impact on her. When Bethany first saw her parents and brothers after the incident Bethany said something unusual. She said “I’m glad the shark attacked me so then people would finally listen to me about my beliefs in religion and Jesus Christ”.(Hamilton 7) Bethany also made promises to herself that she would never wallow or walk around moaning. She did not want people to make fun of her or be like “oh are you alright”. (Hamilton 11) One of the most beautiful things that came from the accident is how Bethany could overcome difficult things”.“It taught her that She has the ability to overcome her fear in scary situations.”She also finds joy in being an example for other young amputees — and for girls in general. “There aren’t that many great role models for young girls,” says the creator of the charitable organization Friends of Bethany, a nonprofit that donates money to child amputees around the world. “It’s really special to be a role model for girls who are going through so much — hormones, body changes, adjusting to how they look in the mirror — no matter what has happened to them,”said Bethany. (Hamilton 6) Her Family was worried of her surfing again because even though the accident that happened was a rare occurrence they were still frightened on what happened on October 31, 2003.

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In Arthur Ashe’s childhood, he played tennis from a young age. He  was born on July 10, 1943. His father took a post at Brook Field, so Arthur could play tennis almost all the time.

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Greta Thunberg: leading climate change activist

Global warming and climate change are issues that consume the globe, and now everyone knows about these crises. Greta Thunberg learned about global warming and climate change at the early age of eight. The native Swede was disgusted, confused and outraged with adults, who were doing nothing about this lethal, fast approaching crisis. Through her now international school strikes, Swedish 18 year old Greta Thunberg has brought determination and hope to the imposing threat and doom of climate change and global warming.

Despite her eventful late teenage years, Greta Thunberg had a fairly uneventful childhood that started on January 3rd, 2003 in Scherzinger, Sweden (Gupta, Pritish).  At an early age, Greta and her sister Beata were diagnosed with autism and ADHD/ADD (Murray, Sofia). After learning about global warming at eight, she and her family went vegan, stopped air travel (along with mum’s career as world-renowned opera singer) and got an electric car. During this, at age eleven, she was diagnosed with serious depression. While contemplating the chances of her having a future because no one was doing anything about the growing danger of climate change, she began losing the will to live (Gupta, Pritish). Due to her depression, Greta stopped going to school and eating. Many doctors visited and said she would soon die from starvation, which almost happened. However, she was taken to a hospital where she was given berries, and antidepressants. Greta slowly stopped losing weight and began eating again, though very slowly. When she returned home she discussed her worries of pollution, global warming and climate change with her parents who were caring for her. Though they reassured her that everything would be alright, they began listening to what she was saying when she used photos, graphs and articles.

Thankfully, climate change was there to help her.

Greta Thunberg’s climate strikes encourage many. In August of 2018 in her hometown of Stockholm, Sweden, skipping school

"Skolstrejk for Klimatet"- "School strike for Climate" - Greta's sign w/ her outside Swedish Parliament- Riksdag @ 16 (yrs. old), climate strike,

Strike; gained press attention ONLY after COP24 conference (24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Dec. (20)18

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People usually put themselves before others. Not only was he an Antarctic explorer, he was also a savior. Because of his courageous acts that led him to saving twenty-seven other men, Sir Ernest Henry Shakleton is remembered for venturing for weeks with little food and harsh climate to find help for his men that couldn’t do it themselves which makes Shakleton stand out for doing right and not wrong.

Although Shakleton made great accomplishments and goals, he didn’t have the best childhood, but he didn’t have the worst either. Shakleton was born on February 15th, 1874, in Kilkea, Ireland. He was one of ten children and was the second oldest. As a child, his family moved to London. He got his education at Dulwich College, but at the age of 16, he had to serve as a merchant marine for ten years. After being a merchant marine for 10 years, he became an Antarctic explorer(biography.com).

During his years as an Antarctic explorer, he did many courageous acts. From 1901 to 1903, he served on an expedition to Antarctica led by Robert Falcon Scott. A couple years later, from 1907 to 1909, he led his own expedition of twenty-eight men, including himself. In his 1914 to 1917 expedition, his ship got stuck in ice in the Weddell Sea near the coast of Antarctica. Ten months after being on the ship, on November 21st, 1915, they had to abandon it and stay on ice because it sank due to the ice crushing it, leaving them to stay on ice in the freezing cold. After being on the ice for several months, they knew they had to find other humans for help. Twenty-two of the men went to Elephant Island, an ice covered mountain island that’s near the coast of Antarctica, and the other six, including Shakleton, went on a journey of sailing eight-hundred miles in a small boat, and then   ice covered mountain island that’s near the coast of Antarctica, and the other six, including Shakleton, went on a journey of sailing eight-hundred miles in a small boat, and then pushing through thirty-six hours of mountains to finally find human presence. After finding help, they sent people to get the other men on Elephant Island and every single person was saved. Not a single person died during the many months of being away from land. Not many people back then and today would not do this due to the chance of them dying, but he did it to save everyone else(worldbookonline.com).

Shakleton made a big impact on the people back then, and still to the people this day. He has helped save himself and twenty-seven other men by traveling through harsh, cold weather, and other obstacles. On his journeys to Antarctica, he gathered information on the way. Being an explorer and saving many people wasn’t the only way he made an impact. He was a marine when he was sixteen and when eighteen, became a masters marine. He also fought for the British towards the end of World War I. The impacts Shakleton made were huge and that inspires people to do acts like he did(britannica.com).

People usually put themselves before others, but Shakleton was a different story. He risked his life to save twenty-seven other men when their ship got crushed and sank. He is remembered for doing something great that almost no one else would do, and he did it to save other people, not himself.

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Barriers are things that are hard to get past, but if you try hard, they can be broken. Whether someone is being racist or sexist to people, they should ignore it and not let it get to them. When people who work their hardest and are different, it can be inspiring. One example of this could be, Mae Carol Jemison. Because of the actions that led to her to become the first African-American woman in space, Mae Carol Jemison had an impact on how women are treated and she continues to inspire women as the first African-American woman to go into space.

Mae Carol Jemison had an excellent career in many of her professions, it is possible that it may have transpired from her good childhood and her great education. At a very young age, Mae had moved to Chicago because of her mother going back to school, where Chicago has many places full of information on astronomy. In third grade, she joined a science fair and ended up studying in the library for how the Earth changed over time.Growing up Mae was always an excellent student, in fact she actually skipped seventh grade and was twelve years old when she actually started high school.

Mae being smart as a child developed into her excellent career and becoming the first African-American female to go into space. Mae was most likely the victim of sexism  and racism because of being a minority and a woman which was not treated as being equal to a man, and it’s still true in some places. She was a physician, scientist, dancer, actor, teacher, activist, and an entrepreneur. Mae also received nine honorary doctorates. One more strange thing, most of the astronauts at nasa were predominantly white and were men.

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Hellen Keller; [first blind/deaf woman to earn bachlors]

Many children in the blind and deaf community now have Braille and other educational resources they can succeed in many ways today. In the early 1900’s most blind and deaf people could not be successful in their life, because they needed better education for the blind and deaf. In that time period most states would not allow Braille. Helen Keller made that change, and she helped children. She changed the United States law for better recourses, and more Braille books for the blind/deaf, so they can be just as successful as her.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27th 1880 in Tuscumbia Al. She was a very passionate woman and wanted to learn even if she was blind and deaf. She also had a long path to learning. Helen Keller was diagnosed with an unknown disease.  Her doctors said that it was possibly meningitis or scarlet fever. But that did not stop her from succeeding.  Despite all the illnesses she had Helen and her mother were both happy and wanted Helen to learn. It all started at age 6 when she went to Anne sulvain. She was Helen’s teacher until her own death until October 1936 (“The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica 1”). Sulvain was from the Perkins school for the blind in Boston. Keller went to Perkins in Boston to learn Braille. Then at age 14 she enrolled at the Wright-Humason school for the deaf in NYC. After that she entered the Cambridge school for ladies in Massachusetts and won an admission to Radcliffe college in 1900. She finally graduated in 1904.

After that, she became the first person that was blind/deaf to earn a bachelor's degree. Her courageous actions led to the blind/deaf Keller was very interested in helping the community. She gave lectures, and wrote many books about the blind and deaf. Then, she started the Helen Keller Endowment fund. She asked wealthy people for money, so she can raise it for the blind and deaf. Lastly, Keller won many awards for distinctions.  Keller was very passionate about helping the blind and deaf she is still remembered for those actions today.

All of her actions were very inspirational and she is a big impact to the blind and deaf community today.

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Gabrielle Dee Giffords: [Former U.S. congressional representative]

Being in a violent shooting is a horrifying experience but some people are able to survive and live their life as an inspiration. One person with this kind of courage is Gabrielle Dee Giffords. Many people would agree that her story can motivate others to take action on their beliefs. On January 8, 2011 an assassantion attempt was made on Gabby Giffords’ life; after recovering she still fights for gun control and continues to improve our country’s gun laws.

Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan and this is exactly what happened to Giffords. She was born on June 8, 1970 in Tucson Arizona. Her parents are Spencer j. and Gloria Kay Frazer Giffords. Once she completed her education, she was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives (Cameron). Giffords had hosted an event called Congress on Your Corner, and while there she met with her supporters. She was 40 years old at the time and the event was being held in a parking lot outside of a shopping center. Jared Lee Loughner shot Gabby Giffords in the head at close range. After shooting her he then pointed his gun at the small crowd and began shooting. Six others were murdered and many people in the crowd were seriously injured. If it weren’t for an intern who had received nursing training, Giffords chances of surviving would have been very low. The intern applied pressure to her wound to stop her from choking on her blood. She had trauma surgery and amazingly recovered. At the end of January Giffords began physical therapy (Historic U.S. Events).

As Gabby Giffords recovered from her injury she still fought against the people who disagreed with her beliefs. In July Gabby Giffords left her recovery bed and came back to the House of Representatives to vote on a bill. Giffords voted against the government borrowing more money. On January 22, 2012 Gabby Giffords announced that she would be stepping down from office. She decided to move her attention to her health and not her career. This took bravery to leave the job she loved.

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Terry Fox: [Attempted a run across canada to raise money for cancer research]

Terry Fox was one of the most courageous people to ever run on the earth. His past filled with cancer inspired him to attempt a run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Due to his actions, his legacy lives on inspiring young athletes to embark on similar journeys to raise awareness.

Terry Fox’s time in the cancer wards inspired him to pursue his run. Terry Fox was born on July 28, 1958 in Winnipeg, Canada. At the age of 18, Fox discovered he had bone cancer in his right leg, in 1977 Fox's legs was amputated above his knee. While he was recovering from the amputation, Fox read about an amputee who ran a marathon in New York. This inspired him to make his run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. (Leslie Scrivener)

Although Terry Fox had a lot of challenges he faced, he was determined to raise money for cancer and inspire others to do the same. Leading up to his run Fox trained for 15 months with his prosthetic leg! During April of 1980, Fox started his run he called the “Marathon of Hope,” in St. John’s, Newfoundland. As he traveled across Canada, Fox experienced harsh weather conditions such as snow, hail, and intense heat. On September 1st, in Thunder Bay, Ontario Fox was forced to stop after learning that his cancer had spread to his lungs. Fox ran about 26 miles a day with a total of 3,339 miles in a span of 143 days before he was hospitalized. The Marathon of Hope raised about $25 million for cancer research. (Leslie Scrivener)

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Rachel Carson: Environmentalist for life

People have been using pesticides for years, and they still use them today, to eliminate weeds, to control pests, and more. But these “garden helpers” are just as harmful, if not more, than they are helpful. The use of pesticides has impacted many aspects of earth’s environment. For example, one such pesticide has harmed many species of fish, as well as nearly caused the extinction of the Bald Eagle! and it would have, if not for their savior. Rachel Carson’s arguments and articles against the use of DDT has not only banned DDT and created a national holiday, but also raised awareness and saved a beloved species of bird. And not only that, her actions and writings also inform society of the incredible fact that what we do affects the environment.

Rachel Carson's Background was no normal person’s life, just like her actions were not from any normal person. Rachel Carson was born on May 27 1907 in Springdale PA. By the age of ten, she was already writing articles for children’s magazines (Gale In Context). As a youth, her ambition was to become a writer, but she later learned the dangers of pesticides and chose to become an environmentalist (iseek). Rachel Carson studied at PA College for Women (now known as Chatham University in Pittsburg). She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980 as well as named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by TIME Magazine (Gale in Context). Rachel Carson died of a heart attack at age 56 on April 14 1964.

Rachel Carson’s brave actions and writings against the use of pesticides still change the world today. Rachel Carson stood up against society and argued that The negatives of pesticides far outweigh the benefits. For example, she claimed that the constant use of pesticides can and does poison and kill many birds and fish. She also warned that these chemicals could contaminate our food supply

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Louis Zamperini: [World War 2 veteran, Olympic Runner, and japanese prisoner during war.]

People throughout their lives will face bad times or something that scares them. Most will try to avoid what has happened because they may be afraid that it will occur again. But some people may face their fears and try to overcome them. On July 13, 1943, Louis Zamperini was captured, tortured and almost killed by the Japanese by fighting in World War 2. Years after he was let go from the camps, he returned to japan as a missionary. He didn't let his fear from the past stop him from moving on in the future. He continues to inspire people to show bravery and strength while facing their fears.

Louis Zamperini overcame many obstacles in life as an adult and as a child going through hard times. On January 26, 1917 Louis Zamperini was born in Olean New York. When he turned 3 his family moved to Torrance California for his father's new job.  For Louis, this meant a new school and new friends. Since the Zamperini family only spoke Italien at home, Louis had to learn english in school and was often bullied for it. (Louis Zamperini World Biography Online.) As a result of others being mean, he got into bad habits by the age of 5 such as smoking and drinking. (Louis Zamperini Biography Gale.) His brother recommended that he should join Track and Field as a distraction from doing bad things. In highschool, Louis started to set many highschool records in Track and Field and was known as the Torrance Tornado. Louis later joined the Olympic team.

Louis Zamperini went through multiple harsh and scary experiences, but he didn't let that stop him in the future. Louis was about to race in the olympics when it was cancelled for World War 2. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a bombarder. (world book; Louis Zamperini) on May 22, he was the pilot in the aircraft Green Hornet. The plane crashed and went into the sea. Louis survived on a lifeboat for 47 days before being rescued by the Japanese. they captured him and tortured him to where he almost died. (Louis Zamperini Biography Gale). Years after the war ended, Louis returned to Japan as a missionary. He didn't let the fear of what happened during World War 11 affect him for what he wanted to do later in life.

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Anthony Robles: [ Professional Wrestler and Motivational speaker]

Many people in our world see people with disabilities as people who cannot achieve important things. In 2006 it was hard to believe that any person with a disability could achieve great things but one man would join college wrestling and change everything that those people thought. Because of his courageous actions people believe that people with disabilities can live lives just as great as theirs and that they can accomplish great things as well.  Anthony Robles had a huge effect on people and is remembered today as a brave person who stood out but made the best of his features.

Anthony Robles accomplished many things in his life so far but his childhood was filled with many hardships. Anthony Robles was born to a teen mom on July 20th 1988. He was a healthy baby but something major was wrong. He was missing his right leg ( Robles).  Growing up Anthony Robles stood out compared to everyone else. His mom always told him that “god had made him this way for a reason” ( Robles). He could not do things that other people could do. He always needed to walk in crutches to get around. When he was 14 years old he found his purpose in wrestling. His first year was bad. He was the smallest kid and had the most losses on the team (Robles).  For the average person it was hard to believe that a kid with one leg would be able to excel at wrestling or even wrestle at all. But in highschool everything changed for Anthony Robles and his wrestling forever. He was getting better and better finishing off with a record of 96-0 and being a 2 time Arizona state champion. He wanted to join college wrestling but few programs believed in him. Even with all of the disbelief he wanted his dreams to happen so he kept going and striving until they did happen (Robles).

Although people did not believe that Anthony Robles would go into college wrestling he listened to himself and family and joined anyway. People were astonished that a one legged wrestler had joined the college team but he did not care now that he accomplished his dreams he would be unstoppable (Frandsen). People all over the world started to look up to him and more and more people recognized his determination. While wrestling for college people started to think that his one leg gave him an advantage. A wrestling opponent of Anthony’s named Matt Snyder stated “He completely dominated me I was like this isn’t fair” (Merrill).  Even after mastering the sport of wrestling Anthony announced that he would retire wrestling to become a motivational speaker to motivate young people and to make his impact even greater (Merrill).