Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

were unhappy with British

rule. When a crowd gathered on March

5 to challenge British troops, Attucks

quickly came to the front of the group.

As the Americans waved their weapons

and shouted, the British opened fire.

Attucks was shot twice. He was the first

to die, but four others were also killed

and six were injured.

Attucks was immediately recognized as

a hero. It is said that 10,000 people

joined his funeral procession. In 1888

Attucks was honored with a monument

in Boston.

..More to explore

American Revolution • Boston

Augusta

Population

(2000 census)

18,560; (2007

estimate)

18,367

Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of

Maine. The city lies along both banks of

the Kennebec River. Ships travel on the

Crispus Attucks

Buildings of Augusta, Maine, look out onto

the Kennebec River.

226 Augusta BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

river from Augusta to the Atlantic

Ocean, about 40 miles (65 kilometers)

away.

Some of Augusta’s factories process foods.

Others make paper products, computer

products, steel, and shoes.Many people

in Augusta work for the state government

or in education or tourism.

Traders first came to the area in the

1600s. They established a trading post

on the site because of its location on the

river. In 1754 a company built Fort

Western to protect the site from Indian

attacks. A village soon grew up around

the fort. In 1797 the village was named

Augusta. Augusta was chosen as the

capital of Maine in 1827.

#More to explore

Maine

Augustus

The first emperor of Rome was Augustus.

During his long reign the Roman

world entered an era of wealth, peace,

and cultural achievement that became

known as the Augustan Age.

Augustus was born on September 23, 63

BC. His original name was Gaius

Octavius. He was related to Julius Caesar,

the Roman leader who was murdered

in 44 BC. After Caesar’s death he

found out that Caesar had chosen him

to be the next leader. From then on he

was called Octavian.

Other leaders challenged Octavian for

power. He finally defeated the last of

these—Mark Antony—in 31 BC.

According to historians, Octavian’s victory

over Antony marked the beginning

of the Roman Empire. Octavian then

controlled the whole Roman world. In

27 BC the Senate gave him the title

Augustus (the exalted or sacred one).

Augustus’ armies conquered more territory

for the Roman Empire until the

Germans stopped them in AD 9. Augustus

then focused on improving Rome.

He founded cities, built roads, encouraged

agriculture, and promoted the arts.

Augustus died on August 19, AD 14.

Tiberius, his adopted son, then took

over as emperor.

#More to explore

Caesar, Julius • Rome, Ancient

Aurora

Auroras are dazzling displays of colored

light that sometimes appear in the night

sky. They occur in Earth’s far northern

and far southern regions. In the Northern

Hemisphere such a display is known

as aurora borealis, or the northern lights.

An aurora lights up the sky over Churchill,

Manitoba, a city in northern Canada.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Aurora 227

 

In the Southern Hemisphere it is called

aurora australis, or the southern lights.

Auroras take many shapes and forms,

with arcs and rays of colored light being

the most common. The light may also

look like shimmering curtains, bands,

waves, or clouds. An aurora constantly

changes shape as the light moves across

the sky. The light also may brighten and

fade.

Auroras are caused by the sun. The sun

sends out a stream of electrically charged

particles called the solar wind. The solar

wind travels from the sun toward Earth

at great speed.

Earth is a huge magnet surrounded by a

magnetic field. Earth’s magnetic field

forces the charged particles in the solar

wind toward the planet’s northern and

southern polar regions. The particles

move downward through Earth’s upper

atmosphere. As they do, they crash into

atoms and molecules of gases such as

oxygen and nitrogen. These collisions

cause the atoms and molecules to give

off light. This light is an aurora.

An aurora’s colors are determined by the

different gases that give off the light.

They also depend on the height of the

gases. An aurora usually begins as white

light. Then the light turns yellowish

green. This color is produced by oxygen.

Higher up, oxygen gives off red light.

Nitrogen produces blue or violet light.

..More to explore

Atmosphere • Light • Sun

Austin

Population

(2000 census),

city, 656,562;

(2007 estimate)

743,074

Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of

Texas. The city is located on the Colorado

River.

Companies that make computers and

other high-technology products are

important to Austin’s economy. Other

companies in Austin provide business

services. Many city residents work in

government offices or in health care or

education.

Austin began as the village ofWaterloo

in the 1830s. In 1839 the village became

the capital of the Republic of Texas. It

was then renamed in honor of Stephen

Austin, who started early settlements in

Texas. In 1845 Texas became a U.S.

state, with Austin as its capital.

The first railroad service to Austin began

in 1871. That helped the city grow as a

trading center for ranchers and farmers.

In the early 1900s people started building