two or more rows of seeds on each spike.
People grind rye seeds to make flour.
Rye flour is used to make bread and
crackers. It is often mixed with wheat
flour.
Farmers feed rye to livestock. They also
use rye plants to make tough straw. Rye
straw is used as bedding for farm animals.
It is used in mattresses, hats, and
paper, too.
A poisonous fungus called ergot sometimes
attacks rye plants. Ergot forms
hard, black masses on rye plants that
may look like grains. People or animals
may become ill or even die after eating
rye with ergot in it. Ergot poisoning can
cause hallucinations (seeing things that
are not there), vomiting, and shaking.
Many people throughout history have
observed the effects of ergot on humans
and animals. Some experts think that
the people accused of being witches during
the Salem witch trials of 1692 may
have had ergot poisoning. Today, foods
made with rye that are sold in stores
rarely contain ergot. Scientists have even
found a way to use chemicals in ergot to
make certain medicines.
#More to explore
Grain • Grass • SalemWitch Trials
• Wheat
Rye grows in colder regions than
most other grasses that are used
for food.
Women in Albania cut and thresh, or
remove the seeds from, rye plants.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Rye 111
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eBook edition January, 2010
Sacagawea was a member of
the Shoshone Native American
group.
(See Sacagawea.)
The scientific method is the
process that scientists use to
solve problems.
(See Science.)
The shamrock is a symbol of
Ireland.
(See Shamrock.)
The Chinese began making silk
more than 4,500 years ago.
(See Silk.)
Skateboarding first became
popular in the early 1960s.
(See Skateboarding.)
Events at the Winter Olympics
include the types of skiing
called Nordic, Alpine, and
freestyle.
(See Skiing.)
Ss
Sacagawea
Sacagawea was a member of the Shoshone
Native American tribe. She
helped Meriwether Lewis andWilliam
Clark explore parts of the western
United States from 1804 to 1806. She
traveled thousands of miles in the wilderness
on the group’s journey to the
Pacific Ocean.
Early Life
Sacagawea was born in about 1786 in
what is now Idaho or Montana. When
Sacagawea was about 10 or 12 years old,
a group of Hidatsa Native Americans
captured her. They took her to what is
now North Dakota. In about 1804 Sacagawea
became the wife of a French
Canadian fur trapper named Toussaint
Charbonneau.
Expedition
In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson
organized an expedition to explore the
territory between the Missouri River and
the Pacific Ocean. Meriwether Lewis
andWilliam Clark headed the expedition.
They arrived near what is now Bismarck,
North Dakota, in the fall of
1804. They spent the winter among the
Mandan tribe of Native Americans.
During this time Lewis and Clark hired
Charbonneau as a guide. Sacagawea
joined the expedition as well. On February
11, 1805, Sacagawea gave birth to a
baby boy, Jean-Baptiste. When the expedition
set out on April 7, Sacagawea
carried her infant son on her back.
Sacagawea identified plants for the
explorers. She also searched for fruits
and vegetables that they could eat. In
addition, her presence showed other
Native Americans that the group came
in peace. Many tribes believed that a
woman with an infant would travel only
with a peaceful group.
In August 1805 the expedition met
some Shoshone in what is now Montana.
The chief of these Shoshone was
Sacagawea’s brother, Cameahwait. He
gave the expedition horses and guides to
help them on their journey.
Charbonneau and Sacagawea went all
the way to the Pacific coast with the
expedition. Sacagawea may have died
several years after the return journey, in
1812. But some stories say that she
rejoined the Shoshone inWyoming and
lived until 1884.
#More to explore
Lewis and Clark Expedition • Shoshone
Sacagawea guided Lewis and Clark on
their expedition of 1804–06.
The U.S.
golden dollar
coin, introduced
in
2000, features
an image of
Sacagawea
carrying her
infant son on
her back.
4 Sacagawea BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Sacramento
Population
(2000 census)
407,018;
(2007 estimate)
460,242
Sacramento is the capital of the U.S.
state of California. The city was the center
of activity during a gold rush in the
mid-1800s. It lies where the American
and Sacramento rivers meet. A shipping
canal links Sacramento to the San Francisco
Bay.
Many people in Sacramento work for
