Activity
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Transatlantic Souvenirs

For Students 9th - 10th
The Smithsonian's maritime collections contain many objects relating to the steamship Leviathan, the largest American passenger ship of the 1920s and 1930s. View these mementos originally preserved by passengers and crew to remember...
eBook
Other

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: The Energy Report: Coal [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Chapter 7 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at coal, its history, its uses, its economic impact in Texas, consumption, mining, and the transportation of coal. The process of generating electricity from coal is...
eBook
Other

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts: The Energy Report: Hydrogen [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Chapter 22 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at hydrogen as an energy source, its history, and uses. The economic impact of the hydrogen energy sector in Texas is described, the consumption of hydrogen, methods of...
Website
University of California

University of California: Robert B. Honeyman Jr. Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection at the University of California-Berkeley can now be accessed online through the Online Archive of California. It provides a vast collection of historically significant primary source images of early California and the...
Handout
TexasHistory.com

Texas history.com: Stagecoaching in the Guadalupe Mountains

For Students 9th - 10th
A description of the stagecoach trip through Texas by the Butterfield Overland Mail, a trip that took three weeks from Missouri to California.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: The Science of Cycling

For Students 3rd - 8th
Very informative site from The Exploratorium about the science of bicycling. You can learn about the development of the wheel, how gears work on a bike, even how brakes were developed. Perfect site for research on bikes.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Chicago, the Transit Metropolis

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the role of public transportation in Chicago, from the 1890s through the 1950s.
Handout
Other

Chicago L: The Original L Companies

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of a larger site, this article gives the history of the famous Chicago "L" and its development in the last part of the 19th century. Hyperlinks to photos, many of which are period photos.
Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: A Streetcar City: Washington, d.c. 1900

For Students 9th - 10th
American cities in the 19th century were walking cities-most residents worked and shopped close to where they lived. But as electric streetcar (trolley) systems were built in the 1880s, 1890s, and early 1900s, cities expanded. Many white...
Website
Other

Red River Carts

For Students 9th - 10th
Unique form of transportation to Manitoba is the Red River Cart named after the river that divides and shapes much of Winnipeg and Manitoba. Basic construction is described and additional links to articles about the cart and its role in...
Website
Energy for Sustainable Development

Esd Bulgaria: Kids & Energy: Energy Timelines

For Students 3rd - 8th
A collection of timelines showing the history of developments in the use of different fuels and methods of getting energy - wood, electricity, coal, oil, nuclear power, and fuels used in transportation.
Lesson Plan
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Stagecoaching in Texas [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 8th
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this lesson, they look at stagecoaches and how this mode of transportation compared to other...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: On the School Bus: Martinsburg, Indiana 1939

For Students 9th - 10th
It's an early winter morning in rural Indiana, and Russell Bishop is getting ready to drive his school bus route. His daughter Mary Lou is with him, and his double-deep orange school bus is parked outside the family farm's barn. An...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of American History: Themes: Pete's Postcard

For Students 9th - 10th
Journey through America's past with Pete as he hitchhikes across the country while viewing the postcards written to his then fiance Dot that highlight his adventures on the road.
Website
University of California

Ucla: Manas: British India

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the British presence in India, 1600-1947, from university professor Vinay Lal. Includes links to related topics, such as the British East India Company, and to biographical details of many key figures from this period in...
Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Lehigh Valley Tempo: Canal History

For Students 9th - 10th
The Lehigh Valley became a major part of the Industrial Revolution after coal was discovered in the area. In this short video, learn about the canal system that was built as a way to transport the coal from the local mines to New York...
Handout
State Library of North Carolina

N Cpedia: Canals

For Students 9th - 10th
Since the eighteenth century, canals and canal building have been an important part of Tidewater, North Carolina history. It was seen as the state's best hope for overcoming natural barriers to coastal navigation and mercantile trade....
Handout
Other

Montana History and Prehistory: Steamboating on the Missouri River

For Students 9th - 10th
Traveling West was never easy! Here is a good description of the many ways people traveled. Of particular note is the paragraph on the steamboat crews.
Activity
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Outline of American History: Booming 1920s

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief article addresses many of the issues facing the country after World War I. It provides an overview of the Republican policies which supported private business.
Website
Other

Alaska History and Cultural Studies: America's Territory

For Students 9th - 10th
The discovery of gold in Alaska set the stage for its later settlement by people from many places who came to seek their fortunes. Subsequent transportation of people and goods by water and overland are described, as well as the...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: The Iron Horse: Main Events of the Twentieth Century

For Students 9th - 10th
This last section of an extensive essay about the railroad in United States history discusses the role of the railroad in the 20th century.
Website
BBC

Bbc History: History Trails: Victorian Britain: Britain as Workshop of the World

For Students 9th - 10th
Articles about the era of industrialization, new products and new transportation are coupled with cartoons and an explanation on how to use this primary source. An activity and quiz are also available from the sidebar.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Nova: Secrets of the Parthenon: Scenes From a Marble Quarry

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the tools and technologies that Greek stonemasons used to cut and shape blocks of marble destined for the Parthenon. Also learn about how the stone was transported to the building site and set into place.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: 10 World Engineering Marvels

For Students 9th - 10th
These remarkable feats of design and construction transformed the ways that people travel, communicate and live. For thousands of years, mankind has engineered remarkable structures such as the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of...