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The Country That Used to be Two
In the 15th century, nearly all books were printed by hand which made them very rare and very expensive. A man named Johannes Gutenberg decided to make metal squares with the letters of the alphabet on them. He made enough squares to make many words and put them all into a wooden frame. After putting ink on the squares, paper was pressed on it and the words were now on the paper! Gutenberg printed the first book, a bible, in this way in 1496. Today there are still 47 copies of the Gutenberg Bible. |
Did
you know that Germany used to be two countries? In 1990 West Germany
and East Germany united to become the Federal Republic of Germany. Many
people remember a time, before the country was split in two, when the
US fought Germany during WWI and WWII. But Germany's history has also
included great music, stories and festivals. 
Germany
has given the world not only some of its best musicians but also some
of its most recognizable cars. In 1876 a German engineer created the
first modern engine. That invention led to the making of such famous
automobiles as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and Volkswagen.. You can drive
these cars on Germany's superhighway called the Autobahn. There is no
speed limit on the Autobahn and cars have been known to drive 125 miles
per hour, something you definitely don't want to try at home! 
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