Amazon.com Did you know that two earthquakes， one in 1811 and the other in 1812， rerouted the flow of the Mississippi River? Or that it was once illegal to hitch a crocodile to a trading post in the state of Michigan? By the time you finish reading this 336-page kids' almanac， you'll know how to make an origami whale; how magnets react to other magnets; how to translate your name into binary code; how a bill becomes a law; and how hot the sun is (hint: very). This special millennial edition includes information on making a time capsule as well as "50 big events of the last 1000 years." You'll also find more typical topics like the metric system， celebrity birthdays (which reveal that Claire Danes and popular children's book author Beverly Cleary share an April 12 birthday)， the search for life beyond Earth， and how the human body works. Crammed with pop-culture tidbits--including brief biographies of Brandy and Adam Sandler and shots of preteen idols like Britney Spears and Prince William--this almanac takes the People magazine approach to imparting knowledge. If your favorite student makes an origami whale or two along the way， so much the better. (Ages 8 and older) --Claire Dederer From Publishers Weekly With an abundance of information on a wide range of topics， such as animals， computers， inventions， movies and TV， religion and sports， The World Almanac for Kids 2002， edited by Elaine Israel， covers loads of educational entertainment. In addition to the facts， the colorful and lively format， including photographs， illustrations and maps; the volume also offers puzzles， brainteasers and activities. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information， Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. See all Editorial Reviews