1925: Dog Sleds Deliver Medicine, Inspiring Iditarod

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  Educator Family PreK

  On February 2, 1925, a dog sled team delivered medicine to the town of Nome, Alaska. The team delivered a crucial supply of diphtheria antitoxin, preventing an epidemic of the deadly disease in the isolated Arctic town.

   

  The first leg of the relay, involving 20 mushers and more than 100 sled dogs, had begun five days earlier in Nenana, Alaska, about 1,046 kilometers (650 miles) east of Nome. The mushers raced across frozen tundra, icy rivers, forbidding mountain ranges, and shifting sea ice. Dogs and mushers also had to endure blizzards and avoid other animals, such as moose, bears, and reindeer herds.

   

  The athleticism and dedication displayed by the dogs and mushers inspired one of the most famous and intimidating races in the world—the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Every year, hundreds of athletes (both human and canine) compete in a grueling test of physical and psychological endurance from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nome.

• Term	Part of Speech	Definition	Encyclopedic Entry
  Arctic	Noun	region at Earth's extreme north, encompassed by the Arctic Circle.	Encyclopedic Entry: Arctic
  athlete	Noun	person who participates or competes in sporting events.
  blizzard	Noun	storm with high winds, intense cold, heavy snow, and little rain.
  crucial	Adjective	very important.
  endure	Verb	to survive.
  epidemic	Noun	outbreak of an infectious disease able to spread rapidly.
  forbid	Verb	to disallow or prohibit.
  grueling	Adjective	physically difficult.
  inspire	Verb	to influence to act.
  isolate	Verb	to set one thing or organism apart from others.
  medicine	Noun	substance used for treating illness or disease.
  musher	Noun	driver of a team of sled dogs.
  psychological	Adjective	having to do with mental facilities and awareness.
  relay	adjective, noun	type of team racing where athletes compete in sequence. Also called a relay race.
  toxin	Noun	poisonous substance, usually one produced by a living organism.
  tundra	Noun	cold, treeless region in Arctic and Antarctic climates.