most common are orange. There are also
white, yellow, and purple carrots. Most
carrots are long. They are usually wide at
the top and smaller at the end. Carrots
are firm and crisp. The skin is mostly
smooth, but it may have wrinkles that
go from side to side.
Carrots grow where the temperature is
cool to warm. Sometimes carrots push
up above the ground. When this happens,
the sun can turn them green. They
will also taste bitter. To prevent this,
farmers make sure carrots are completely
covered with soil.
Leaves on long stalks grow out of the
top of the carrot. On the ends of the
stalks are flowers. They form an
umbrella of tiny white or pinkish
blooms. Small fruits grow from the flowers.
Each fruit holds two seeds.
Carrots are eaten both fresh and cooked.
They are used in many dishes, including
salads, stews, soups, sauces, and cakes.
The juice of the carrot can also be a
sweet drink. Orange carrots are a good
source of a substance called carotene.
The human body converts carotene into
vitamin A.
Carson, Kit
The U.S. frontiersman Kit Carson
helped make history as a fur trapper,
guide, Indian agent, and soldier in the
OldWest. Nevada’s capital, Carson
City, was named for him.
Christopher Carson, nicknamed Kit,
was born in Kentucky on December 24,
1809. When he was 1 year old his family
moved west to Missouri. As a boy Kit
fished, hunted, and trapped animals.
When he was 15 his mother sent him
off to learn how to make saddles. He
soon decided that indoor work was not
for him.
Carrots are a popular garden vegetable.
The main part of the carrot that people eat
is the root of the plant.
Kit Carson
44 Carson, Kit BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
In 1826 Carson ran away to New
Mexico. There, at age 19, he joined
some hardy fur trappers—called mountain
men—on a trip to California. He
took part in several fights with Native
Americans.
In 1842 the explorer John Charles Fremont
hired Carson as a guide for his trip
to map the Oregon Trail. In 1846, on a
trip to California with Fremont, Carson
helped U.S. forces capture Los Angeles
in the MexicanWar.
In 1854 Carson became a government
agent who dealt with the Ute people.
During the American CivilWar (1861–
65) he organized and led a Union Army
unit that fought Confederates and
Native Americans in the Southwest. In
1868 Carson was put in charge of
Indian affairs for Colorado Territory. He
died in Colorado on May 23, 1868.
..More to explore
Fremont, John Charles • MexicanWar
Carson City
Population
(2000 census)
52,457; (2007
estimate)
54,939
Carson City is the capital of the U.S.
state of Nevada. The city is important as
a center of government and tourism. It
is also a trade center for the area’s mines,
ranches, and farms.
The site of Carson City was on a route
for pioneers traveling west to California.
A trading post was established in 1851.
The city was founded in 1858. In 1859
a large deposit of silver, known as the
Comstock Lode, was discovered nearby.
Carson City soon became crowded with
miners. In 1869 the U.S. government
opened a mint, or coin factory, in the
city. The Carson City mint closed in
1893. However, the mint building later
became a museum.
Carson City became the capital of the
Nevada Territory in 1861. Nevada
became a U.S. state in 1864 with Carson
City as its capital.
..More to explore
Nevada
The state Capitol in Carson City,
Nevada, is surrounded by gardens.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Carson City 45
Carter, Jimmy
Jimmy Carter became the 39th president
of the United States in January
1977. Many people thought that he was
an unsuccessful president. However,
Carter later won the 2002 Nobel prize
for peace.
Early Life
James Earl Carter, Jr., was born on
October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia.
His father, Earl, was a businessman. His
mother, Lillian, was a nurse. Jimmy was
the first member of his family to
complete high school. He went on to
attend Georgia Southwestern College
and the Georgia Institute of
Technology. In 1946 he graduated from
the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.
That year he married Rosalynn Smith.
The couple had three sons and a
daughter. After his father’s death in
1953, Carter returned to Georgia to
manage the family peanut farm.
Political Career
Carter soon became involved in local
politics. He was elected as a Democrat
to the Georgia Senate in 1962 and
1964. In 1966 Carter ran for governor
of Georgia but lost. Feeling depressed,
he turned to Baptist Christianity. Carter
ran again for governor in 1970. This
time he won. In his inaugural address he
called for an end to racial discrimina-
October 1,
1924 1970 1976 1978 1979 1980 2002
Carter is born
in Plains,
Georgia.
Carter is
elected
governor of
Georgia.
Carter is
elected
president.
Carter helps
the leaders of
Egypt and
Israel agree to
peace.
Iranian students
take hostages
at the U.S.
embassy in
Iran.
Carter loses the
presidential
election to
Ronald
Reagan.
Carter wins the
Nobel peace
prize.
T I M E L I N E
Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the
United States.
46 Carter, Jimmy BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
tion. He appointed African Americans
and women to government offices.
Presidency
Carter next decided to run for president.
