Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

time. She and Serena won the gold

medal for doubles at the 2000 Olympics.

In 2001 Venus won bothWimbledon

and the U.S. Open again.

In 2002 Serena beat her sister at the

French Open,Wimbledon, and the U.S.

Open. She became the number-one

player in the world. In 2003 Serena beat

Venus atWimbledon and the Australian

Open. The Australian Open victory gave

her wins in all four of the major tournaments.

Both sisters won many more

titles after that. They won their second

doubles gold medal at the 2008 Olympic

Games.

..More to explore

Tennis

Willow

The name willow applies to a wide variety

of shrubs and trees. There are more

than 300 species, or types, of willow.

One of the most familiar is the weeping

willow. This large tree has drooping

branches and twigs. The pussy willow is

another member of the willow family. It

is a bush that has silvery white, furry

buds on its branches in the spring.

Willows grow in North and South

America, Europe, and Asia in generally

cool areas. Most grow near rivers, lakes,

or swamps.Willow trees have tough,

deep roots. They help to keep the soil of

the coastline from washing away.

Serena (left) and Venus Williams show the

trophies they won at the 2001 U.S. Open

tennis tournament.

The furry buds

of a

pussy willow

are called

catkins.

Catkins are

clusters of tiny

flowers. All

willows grow

catkins.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Willow 45

 

Willows vary greatly in size and shape.

They may be low shrubs that grow just

a few inches above the soil. Some are

large trees that reach more than 100

feet (30 meters) in height. The bark

may be gray, brown, or nearly black.

The leaves are narrow and green. On

some trees the twigs are bright yellow,

orange, or red.

Willow wood is used to make products

such as tool handles, baseball bats, and

furniture. A substance in some willow

bark is also used to make pain medicine.

#More to explore

Tree

Wilson,

Woodrow

Elected in 1912,WoodrowWilson was

the 28th president of the United States.

He led the country throughWorldWar

I. Afterward he helped create the League

of Nations, an international peace organization.

Early Life and Career

ThomasWoodrowWilson was born on

December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia.

His parents were Joseph Ruggles

Wilson, a Presbyterian minister, and

JanetWoodrow. TheWilsons moved to

Augusta, Georgia, after their son’s birth.

Wilson graduated from Princeton University

in 1879. In 1886 he earned an

advanced degree in government and

history from Johns Hopkins University.

Four years laterWilson returned to Princeton

as a professor. In 1902 he became

president of Princeton.

In 1885Wilson married Ellen Louise

Axson. They had three daughters. Ellen

died in 1914.Wilson married Edith

Bolling Galt in 1915.

The weeping willow tree is usually found

near water.

Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of

the United States.

46 Wilson, Woodrow BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

Political Career

In 1910Wilson was elected governor of

New Jersey. In 1912 the Democratic

Party chose him to run for president.

Wilson faced two opponents in the election:

PresidentWilliam Howard Taft

and former president Theodore

Roosevelt.Wilson won the election.

Presidency

Wilson successfully pushed Congress to

pass a number of laws. One law introduced

an income tax. Another law created

the Federal Reserve System, a

powerful economic agency. Other laws

regulated business and stopped child

labor.

In foreign affairs, revolution in Mexico

caused problems forWilson. In 1916

the Mexican rebel Pancho Villa crossed

the border and killed about 17 people in

New Mexico.Wilson sent U.S. forces

into Mexico, but they failed to catch

Villa.

WorldWar I

In 1914WorldWar I began in Europe.

Wilson kept the United States neutral,

meaning it did not take sides. After winning

reelection in 1916,Wilson tried to

end the war through peace talks. In early

1917, however, German submarines

began attacking neutral ships. In April

Wilson asked Congress to declare war.

In May 1917 Congress passed the Selective

Service Act, which gave the government

the right to order U.S. citizens to

join the military. The 2 million U.S.

soldiers sent to France helped defeat the

Germans. The war ended on November

11, 1918.

Making Peace

Wilson attended the peace conference in

Paris, France, after the war. He hoped to

include his Fourteen Points, or 14 ideas

for peace, in the agreement. The Treaty

of Versailles, signed in 1919, left out

many ofWilson’s ideas. However, it

December 28, February 3,

1856 1910 1912 1917 1918 1921 1924

Wilson is born

in Staunton,

Virginia.

Wilson is

elected

governor of

New Jersey.

Wilson is

elected

president.

The United

States enters

World War I.

World War I

ends.

Wilson retires

from office.

Wilson dies

in Washington,

D.C.

T I M E L I N E

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Wilson, Woodrow 47

 

included the League of Nations, an

organization to maintain world peace.

When Wilson presented the treaty to

Congress, Republicans rejected it. They

especially opposed the League of

Nations. The league held its first

meeting in 1920 without the United

States.

Later Years

Working on the treaty leftWilson

exhausted. He had a medical emergency

called a stroke in October 1919, but he