Press Release Details

 Access to Biographies, Quizzes and Teaching Tools Available at www.gale.com

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In recognition of Black History Month, Thomson Gale, part of the Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC), is launching a free Web site full of historical facts and figures, biographies, relevant Web links and teaching tools. This site, accessible at http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/, is designed to help students, teachers and families celebrate the month.

Quizzes and Weekly Prizes

Each week throughout February, Thomson Gale will post a new quiz to test knowledge of significant people and events in history as they relate to Black History Month. Weekly winners will receive Thomson Gale books for their library. Visit http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/quiz/ for questions similar to:

President Reagan signed the bill that established January 20 a federal holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. on November 2 of what year?

See below for the answer!

Activities

Visit http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/activities/index.htm to find challenging, informative activities for children of all ages. Taken from Thomson Gale's Black History Month Resource Book, these activities, including art projects and games, can make Black History Month more meaningful. The activities are arranged in general age categories, but many can be used for all age groups.

Biographies

Television talk show host Oprah Winfrey, civil rights icon Rosa Parks and Illinois state senator Barak Obama are just a few of the names included in the site's biographies section (http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/). Each entry gives detailed information on some of the world's most notable African Americans, including their birth date and location, details on their personal life and career, and resources for further information.

Featured Titles

Visit http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/featured_titles/ for a list of Thomson Gale titles that will help students gain a deeper appreciation for African-American heritage. Selected titles include:

    * Voices From the Civil War: Slaves (Blackbirch Press(R))
    * Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students (Charles Scrinbner's Sons(R))
    * African American Reference Library (Thomson Gale(TM))
    * People Who Made History: Malcolm X (Greenhaven Press(R))
    * Stars of Sport - Venus Williams (Kidhaven Press(TM))
    * History Makers - Leaders of Black Civil Rights (Lucent Books(R))
    * African American Atlas (Macmillan Reference USA(TM))
    * The Sabin Collection: Selected Americana from Sabin's Dictionary of
       Books Relating to America - Slavery (Primary Source Microfilm(TM))
    * Friend on Freedom River (Sleeping Bear Press (TM))
    * Any Way the Wind Blows, by E. Lynn Harris (Thorndike Press(R))
    * Critical Essays on American Literature Series - African-American
       Literary Criticism, 1773-2000 (Twayne Publishers(TM))

    Literature

Literature buffs can revel in excerpts pulled directly from the prestigious Schomburg Center Guide to Black Literature. Each entry provides a brief plot summary and explanation of the relevance of the work being discussed. View literature entries at http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/literature/.

Timeline

The timeline available at http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/timeline/ takes visitors through nearly 400 years of Black History, commemorating such milestones as Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery, the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, freeing slaves from slavery, and the naming of General Colin Powell as chair of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Links

Click on http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/links/ for links to African American resources, such as museums and relevant Web sites.

Additional Resources

More information pertaining to Black History Month also can be found in these Thomson Gale resources:

    * The African American Almanac
    * African American Firsts in Science and Technology
    * African American Reference Library
    * African Biography
    * Best Literature By and About Blacks
    * Black Firsts
    * Black Literature Criticism
    * Chronology of African American History
    * Contemporary Black Biography
    * Historical Statistics of Black America
    * Notable Black American Women
    * Notable Black American Men
    * Notable Black American Scientists
    * Who's Who Among African Americans

For more information or to view the above databases, contact Vanessa Birch at vanessa.birch@thomson.com.

* Answer to quiz question is 1983.

About The Thomson Corporation and Thomson Gale

The Thomson Corporation (www.thomson.com), with 2004 revenues of $8.10 billion, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers. Thomson provides value-added information, software tools and applications to more than 20 million users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate e-learning and assessment, scientific research and healthcare. With operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson has approximately 40,000 employees and provides services in approximately 130 countries. The Corporation's common shares are listed on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC). Thomson Gale (www.gale.com) serves the world's information and education needs through its vast and dynamic content pools, which are used by students and consumers in their libraries, schools and on the Internet. It is best known for the accuracy, breadth and convenience of its data, addressing all types of information needs -- from homework help to health questions to business profiles -- in a variety of formats -- books, Web-based solutions and microfilm.

SOURCE  Thomson Corporation
    -0-                             01/05/2006
    /CONTACT:  Media Contact - Vanessa Giancamilli Birch, Manager, Corporate
Communications, Thomson Gale, +1-248-699-4253, Ext. 8193,
vanessa.birch@thomson.com; For Thomson Information - Adam Gaber, Sr. Director,
Public Relations, Thomson Learning, +1-203-539-8663, adam.gaber@thomson.com /
    /Web site:  http://www.thomson.com
                http://www.gale.com /
    (TOC TOC.)

CO:  Thomson Corporation; Thomson Gale
ST:  Michigan
IN:  PUB MLM CPR EDU
SU:  BLK

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