Tiny living things called bacteria cause
scarlet fever. The kind of bacteria that
causes the disease also causes strep
throat. The bacteria produce poisons
that cause the red rash. The bacteria
easily spread between people through
contact. Hand washing helps to prevent
the bacteria from spreading.
People with signs of scarlet fever should
go to a doctor. Doctors treat scarlet fever
with a type of drug called an antibiotic.
Rest also helps. Cold foods can ease
throat pain.
#More to explore
Disease, Human • Strep Throat
Schulz, Charles
Charles Schulz was the creator of the
long-running “Peanuts” comic strip.
Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the other
“Peanuts” characters made Schulz
famous all over the world.
Early Life
Charles Monroe Schulz was born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November
26, 1922. He loved to draw as a child.
His first published cartoon was a drawing
of his small black-and-white dog,
Spike. This drawing appeared in a newspaper
in 1937. Spike later was the model
for Snoopy of “Peanuts.”
Schulz joined the Army after leaving
high school. He served in Europe during
WorldWar II (1939–45).
“Peanuts”
In 1947 Schulz began drawing a comic
strip called “Li’l Folks.” “Li’l Folks” ran
in a newspaper and a magazine. In 1950
Schulz sold “Li’l Folks” to a company
that sells comic strips to newspapers.
The company renamed the strip “Peanuts,”
even though Schulz did not like
the name.
“Peanuts” appeared in seven U.S. newspapers
in 1950. By 1958 “Peanuts”
appeared in 355 U.S. newspapers and
40 newspapers in other countries. “Peanuts”
eventually ran in about 2,600
newspapers in 75 countries. Some 355
million people around the world read
the comic strip.
Schulz’s characters later appeared in
several animated television specials. The
first of these was A Charlie Brown
Christmas in 1965. In 1967 the stage
musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown opened in New York City. It
Charles Schulz became a favorite with audiences.
48 Schulz, Charles BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Retirement and Death
Schulz announced his retirement from
drawing “Peanuts” in December 1999.
He died in his sleep on February 12,
2000, the night before the final “Peanuts”
strip appeared in newspapers.
#More to explore
Animation • Cartoon
Science
Science is a huge field of study. It deals
with the search for knowledge about the
universe and all that is in it. People who
work in science are called scientists.
Branches of Science
Science includes a wide range of subjects.
These subjects can be grouped into
three branches: the physical sciences, the
life sciences, and the social sciences.
Physical Sciences
The physical sciences deal with nonliving
things—from the tiny particles that
make up an atom to the universe itself.
Physics is the study of matter and the
forces that act on it. Chemistry is the
study of substances. Astronomy is the
study of stars, planets, and other objects
in outer space. The Earth sciences are
the study of Earth’s features. Mathematics,
the study of numbers, is a physical
science, too. It is also a tool used in
almost every other area of science.
Life Sciences
The life sciences deal with living things
and their surroundings. Biology is the
study of the natural world and everything
that lives in it. Botany, the study
of plants, and zoology, the study of animals,
are fields within biology. Medicine
is the science of health.
Social Sciences
The social sciences deal with human life
and culture. Sociology is the study of
societies, or the groups that people form.
Psychology is the study of the human
mind and emotions. Geography is the
study of Earth’s surface. Anthropology is
the study of humans through history.
Economics is the study of wealth.
The Scientific Method
Scientists believe there is a natural explanation
for most things. For any problem
they see, they try to understand the
cause so they can come up with a solution.
By learning what causes a disease,
for example, scientists can work to control
its spread.
The process that scientists use to solve
problems is called the scientific method.
Scientists start by finding out as much as
possible about a problem. They usually
Medical researchers work in a laboratory in
Ghana.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Science 49
read articles and books. They want to
discover what other scientists have
learned about it. Then they make a
hypothesis, or an educated guess, to
explain it. They test the hypothesis with
an experiment. If the hypothesis fails to
explain the problem, the scientists revise
the hypothesis and test it again.
If the hypothesis is correct, other scientists
repeat the experiment. They want
to make sure that they get the same
results. If they do, the hypothesis is
accepted as a theory, or an explanation
for why something happens. A theory
may later need to be changed if scientists
discover new information about the subject.
#More to explore
Anthropology • Astronomy • Biology
• Botany • Chemistry • Economics
• Geography • Mathematics • Medicine
• Physics • Psychology • Sociology
• Zoology
Science Fiction
Science fiction is a special type of fiction,
or story. Humans have long wondered
what life on another planet might
