Flag of Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau celebrates Independence Day. It gained its freedom from Portugal in 1973. Guinea-Bissau, about three times the size of Connecticut, is located at the far western edge of Africa. About 1.6 million people live in the country, and Bissau is the capital.
Second Official Flag of New Caledonia
New Caledonia celebrates New Caledonia Day, the day in 1853 when the islands were made a French overseas territory. Still a territorial collectivity of France, the islands lie in Oceania. About the size of New Jersey, the country is home to about 270,000 people. New Caledonia has about 25% of the world’s nickel reserves. Nouméa is the capital.
Office of Attorney General was created by Congress in 1789. The attorney general heads the department of justice, which acts as the chief legal department for the country. Children can learn more at: http://www.justice.gov/.
Devils Tower
NPS Photo
Devils Tower was proclaimed America’s first national monument in 1906. Theodore Roosevelt decided the approximately 1,347 acre region located in Wyoming had to be preserved. Most geologists believe Devils Tower is an igneous intrusion where the sedimentary rock around it has eroded away. Children can learn more at: Devils Tower.
National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016. Located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the building houses about 33,000 artifacts. The Smithsonian Institute began construction of the building in 2003. Children can learn more at: https://nmaahc.si.edu/.
L. Leslie Brooke (born Birkenhead, England, 1862; died England, 1940) wrote and illustrated books for children. His works include Johnny Crow’s Garden and Oranges and Lemons. Children could learn more at: L. Leslie Brooke. They can read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Jane Louise Curry (born East Liverpool, Ohio, 1932) writes books for young adults. Her works include The Egyptian Box and The Black Canary. Young adults can visit her website at: Jane Louise Curry.
Jane Cutler (born Bronx, New York, 1936) writes books for children. Her works include The Cello of Mr. O and My Wartime Summers. Children can visit her website at: Jane Cutler.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (born St. Paul, Minnesota, 1896; died Hollywood, California, December 21, 1940) was a writer. One of his most famous works was The Great Gatsby. Young adults can read several of his books (but not The Great Gatsby) at: Project Gutenberg.
Howard Florey (born Adelaide, Australia, 1898; died Oxford, United Kingdom, February 21, 1968) was a scientist. He and Ernst Boris Chain received the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They discovered a method to mass produce penicillin and thus saved millions of lives.
Jim Henson (born Greenville, Mississippi, 1936; died New York, New York, May 16, 1990) created the Muppets. He was very active in the production of Sesame Street. He also created several movies. Idea: Children could create puppets and produce their own plays.
John Marshall
John Marshall (born Germantown, Virginia, 1755; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 6, 1835) was a member of the House of Representatives and was John Adams’s secretary of state. However, he is most remembered as the Supreme Court Chief Justice who really defined the court. He also made the Supreme Court an important role within the framework of the Constitution. Children could read John Marshall (Supreme Court Justices) by Jim Corrigan.
Wilson Rawls (born Scraper, Oklahoma, 1913; died Cornell, Wisconsin, December 16, 1984) was a children’s author. He wrote Where the Red Fern Grows and Summer of the Monkeys. Children could learn more at: Wilson Rawls.
Christopher Columbus started his second voyage to the New World in 1493. This time he had seventeen ships and close to 1,500 men. He discovered land on November 3, 1493. In all he made four voyages to the new world.
Vasco Nunez de Balboa claimed the Pacific Ocean and “all shores washed by it” for Spain in 1513. Idea: Children could find out just how big a territory Balboa really did claim.
First United States Congress met in 1789. One of their first acts was to start the process to adopt the Bill of Rights. Congress told George Washington to submit copies of the Bill of Rights to all the states so that each state could begin its ratification process. New Jersey on November 20, 1789, became the first state to ratify the document. The Bill of Rights was finally adopted on December 15, 1791 when Virginia ratified the amendment. Older children can find out more at: Bill of Rights.
Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution was adopted in 1804. Prior to the amendment, the presidential candidate with the most votes became president. The one with the next amount of votes became vice-president. This system did not always work well. The amendment changed the process so that the president and vice president were a team.