One of the minor gods was Helios, who was the sun. In the myth, Helios rides a flaming chariot with four horses from his palace in the east. He rides across the sky every single day. He was so bright that people could only see a big ball of fire rising in the east and setting in the west. When he got to the west, Helios landed in the ocean and put out the fire. Then it would be nighttime. Helios would sail on a boat to his palace in the east so that he could ride again the next morning. This is how the Ancient Greeks explained why the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. They didn't know that the earth was round and that the earth rotates to make day and night.
*The Ancient Greeks were the first to have a government that was a democracy. That was 2,500 years ago! A democracy is when all the citizens have a vote to choose their government and the laws. Our country has a democratic government. The men who wanted independence from Britain and started our country got the idea of a democracy from the Ancient Greeks!!
*The idea of the Olympics was started in Ancient Greece almost 2,800 years ago. Back then, the Olympics were held in Olympia to honor Zeus. It was held every four years just like the Olympics today. Back then, only men competed and watched the Olympics. The only events were boxing, sprinting and other footraces, long jump, horse racing, wrestling, racing in armor, chariot racing, javelin and discus. The winners only got a crown of olive branches or a laurel wreath. The Ancient Greeks would stop all their wars and fighting so they could have the Olympics.
*The Ancient Greeks started having drama festivals where they would do plays. They built really big outdoor theaters for the plays. People today still perform plays that the Ancient Greeks did.
Hurricanes start out as a bunch of storms in the warm waters of the Atlantic ocean. If the storms come together and the winds are 40 to 75 miles per hour then it is called a tropical storm and it is given a name. If the winds go higher than 75 mph it is called a hurricane. Hurricanes can move toward land where they can cause destruction. There can be big floods from the rain and also from big waves from the ocean. The winds can tear roofs off houses!
There have been four hurricanes and tropical storms that have hit Cuba and the Gulf Coast of the U.S.A. in September. People have gotten ready for the storm and other people have been evacuated. Hurricane Isidore crashed through Cuba destroying many homes. In parts of the U.S. it rained 20 inches!
Hurricane season lasts until the end of November. I hope that people stay safe the rest of hurricane season.
How many miles would Hurricane Lili travel in 5 hours?
Answer will be in next month's newsletter.