explore the Atlantic coast as far south as
what is now Rhode Island.
A panther chameleon’s
V-shaped toes help it grasp tree
branches.
Samuel de Champlain
80 Champlain, Samuel de BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Champlain sailed to Canada again in
1608 and foundedQuebec as a trading
post on the Saint Lawrence River. It was
the first lasting French settlement in
North America. Champlain made friends
with theHuron people of the region. In
1609 he traveled south with theHuron
to fight the Iroquois in what is now New
York. There he came upon the lake that is
now called Lake Champlain. In 1615, on
yet another trip, he reached LakeHuron.
He was the first European known to
reach the Great Lakes.
In 1628 the English seized Quebec during
a war with the French. Champlain
was captured and taken to England.
After the war he returned to Quebec. He
died there on December 25, 1635.
..More to explore
Canada • Saint Lawrence River and
Seaway
Charlemagne
As leader of the kingdom of the Franks,
Charlemagne united many of the Christian
lands of western Europe during the
Middle Ages. He was declared the
emperor of this collection of states,
which eventually came to be called the
Holy Roman Empire. He was a great
warrior, but he also respected and preserved
learning. His name means
Charles the Great.
Early Life
Charles was born in about AD 742. He
was the elder son of Pippin III. Unlike
most people of his day, Charles learned
to read. He also formed a lifelong devotion
to the Christian church.
Charles’s father became king of the
Franks in 751. At that time Europe
consisted of many independent
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Charlemagne 81
kingdoms that had grown up after the
Roman Empire collapsed in the 400s.
The Franks occupied what is now France
and some surrounding regions. Pippin’s
army aided the pope, who was the head of
the church, in several campaigns against a
tribe called the Lombards. Young Charles
learned from his father’s efforts.
Conquests
Pippin died in 768 and Charlemagne’s
brother died in 771. After that, Charlemagne
ruled the Franks. He also began
to conquer the other tribes around him.
Charlemagne met defeat in northern
Spain against the Muslims in 778, but
he defeated the Lombards in Italy and
eventually the Saxons of central Germany.
Charlemagne made his capital in western
Germany at Aachen (known to the
French as Aix-la-Chapelle). On Christmas
day of 800, Pope Leo III crowned
him emperor of theWest. Charlemagne
then attempted to restore much of the
unity of the old Roman Empire.
Influence
Charlemagne was a great reformer. He
set up a money system to promote trade,
built roads and bridges, and encouraged
better farming methods. He invited
scholars to his court, collected books,
and founded a school.
Charlemagne died in 814 and was succeeded
by his son Louis. Louis died in
840 and his three sons split up the
empire. Even so, the Holy Roman
Empire survived—in one form or
another—for nearly 1,000 years.
#More to explore
Frank • Holy Roman Empire
Charles, Ray
Music lovers call Ray Charles the Genius.
Charles was a gifted singer and piano
player who also wrote music.He blended
gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz to
create a new form of music called soul.
A picture from the 1400s shows Emperor
Charlemagne.
Ray Charles
82 Charles, Ray BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Ray Charles Robinson was born on September
23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia.
(He later dropped his last name, Robinson.)
He grew up in Florida. Ray began
losing his sight at a young age. By age 7
he was blind. He studied music at the
School for the Deaf and Blind in Saint
Augustine, Florida.
In the late 1940s Charles played piano
for blues and jazz bands. In the 1950s he
started making records. His hit songs
included “What’d I Say”; “Georgia on
My Mind”; “Hit the Road, Jack”; and “I
Can’t Stop Loving You.” Beginning in
1955 Charles toured throughout the
United States and in other countries.
Charles won 13 Grammy awards for his
recordings. In 1986 he was voted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Charles
died on June 10, 2004, in Beverly Hills,
California.
..More to explore
Popular Music
Charleston
Population
(2000 census)
53,421; (2007
estimate)
50,478
Charleston is the capital of the U.S.
state ofWest Virginia. It is the state’s
largest city. Charleston lies on the
Kanawha River.
Charleston is the economic center of a
region rich in minerals. Coal, oil, and
natural gas are shipped out from the
city. Services, such as government and
health care, and manufacturing are
important to the economy.
A town was established at the site in the
late 1700s. The town grew because it
was on a popular river route to the Ohio
Valley. For many years Charleston was
an important center for salt mining. In
1862 Charleston was the site of a battle
during the American CivilWar. The
following yearWest Virginia became a
separate state from Virginia. In 1877
Charleston was named the permanent
capital ofWest Virginia.
..More to explore
West Virginia
Chavez, Cesar
As a child Cesar Chavez was a migrant
worker, moving from place to place to
work on farms. As an adult he helped
improve the lives of migrant farmwork-
