Flag of Mongolia
Mongolia celebrates Revolution Day. The people revolted against a feudal monarch in 1921. Mongolia is a bit smaller than Alaska, and the terrain is mostly desert. Natural resources include oil, copper, and coal. Over three million people live in this landlocked country. Ulaanbaatar is the capital.
James Smith, signer of the Declaration of Independence, died in 1806. He represented Pennsylvania. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he was born in Ireland around 1719. A fire in 1803 destroyed many documents by and about Smith, so little is known about him.
Skylab
Skylab in 1979 reentered the earth’s atmosphere and broke apart. The pieces fell into the Indian Ocean and onto parts of Australia. Skylab had been launched May 14, 1973.
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (born Braintree, Massachusetts, 1767; died Washington, DC, February 23, 1848) was the sixth president (1825-1829) of the United States. The first son of a president to become a president, he was a child during the Revolutionary War. He spoke at least seven languages. He was a senator before he beat Andrew Jackson for the presidency. After he was president, he served for 17 years as a congressperson from Massachusetts. Children can visit a website at: John Quincy Adams. Idea: Students could investigate the languages he spoke. They could learn a bit more about each of the languages.
Pierce Butler (born Ireland, 1744; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 15, 1822) represented South Carolina at the Constitutional Convention. In his early life he joined the British military at age eleven. He fought in the French and Indian War and decided to remain in America. A wealthy plantation owner, he served as a U.S. senator from South Carolina.
Lester Laminack (born Flint, Michigan, 1956) writes books for children. His works include Three Hens and a Peacock and Jake’s 100th Day of School. Children can learn more at: Lester Laminack.
Patricia Polacco (born Lansing, Michigan, 1944) has written and illustrated at least 60 books for children. One of her wonderful books is The Keeping Quilt. Children could visit her website, filled with fun activities, at: Patricia Polacco.
James Stevenson (born New York, New York, 1929; died Cos Cob, Connecticut, February 17, 2017) wrote and/or illustrated over 100 books for children and young adults. His works include the Mud Flat series and I Meant to Tell You. He illustrated books by other authors, including Judy Blume and Jack Prelutsky.
E. B. White (born Elwynn Brooks White in Mount Vernon, New York, 1899; died North Brooklyn, Maine, October 1, 1985) wrote for many audiences. He wrote, among other works, Charlotte’s Web (a 1953 Newbery Honor Book), Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. Since 2005 the American Booksellers for Children (ABC) have awarded the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award. Children could learn more about White and the E. B. White Read-Aloud Award from Children’s Book Award Handbook by Diana F. Marks.
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Principe celebrate Independence Day. They gained their freedom from Portugal in 1975. The area of this cluster of islands is about five times area of Washington, DC. Located off the coast of western Africa, this country experiences a tropical climate. Natural resources include fish and hydropower. Almost 200,000 people live there. The capital is Sao Tome.
Flag of Kiribati
Kiribati celebrates Independence Day. Formerly called the Gilbert Islands, this country became free of British rule in 1979. The 33 atolls, located in the Pacific Ocean, form a small country with an area about three times the size of Washington, DC. Over 100,000 people live on 21 inhabited atolls. Tarawa is the capital.
Joan Bauer (born River Forest, Illinois, 1951) writes books for children. Her book Hope Was Here received a 2001 Newbery Honor Award. Her other works include Close to Famous. Children can visit her website at: Joan Bauer.
George Eastman (born Waterville, New York, 1854; died 1932) founded Eastman Kodak. He invented the Kodak camera in 1888. The flexible film allowed anyone to take pictures. Idea: Children could find out how a camera works by visiting: Camera.
Buckminster Fuller (born Milton, Massachusetts, 1895; died Los Angeles, California, July 1, 1983) was an architect and an educator. He held more than 2,000 patents, and he wrote more than 25 books. One of his most well-known ideas is the geodesic dome.
Julius Caesar (born 102 B.C.; died March 15, 44 B.C.) was a Roman dictator. He conquered other territories. He is famous for the saying Veni, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered). He was assassinated by a group of aristocrats on the Ides of March. Children could learn more at: Julius Caesar.
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (born Concord, Massachusetts, 1817; died Concord, Massachusetts, May 6, 1862) was a writer and philosopher. His Civil Disobedience influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Andrew Wyeth (born Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, 1917; died Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, January 16, 2009) was an artist. His paintings often show isolated objects. His father, N. C. Wyeth, was a noted illustrator, and his son Jamie is also an artist. Idea: Wyeth often works in egg tempera. Children could try the medium and compare it to watercolors. Children can view some of his works at: Andrew Wyeth.
Herbert S. Zim (born New York, New York, 1909; died Plantation Key, Florida, December 5, 1994) wrote more than 100 scientific books and is most known for his Golden Guides series. His books include Rocks and Minerals and Codes and Secret Writing. Children could learn more at: Herbert Zim.
Flag of Montenegro
Montenegro celebrates National Day. In 1878 it was recognized as an independent country. Since then it has been a part of several countries. However, it became independent again in 2006. Slightly smaller than Connecticut, Montenegro borders the Adriatic Sea. Over 650,000 people live in Montenegro, and Podgorica is the capital.
Northwest Ordinance was created in 1787. It provided for the government of the territory north of the Ohio River. However, it was the foundation for all other American territorial governments. It established how the territory could eventually become a state, and it guaranteed basic freedoms for its inhabitants. States carved from the Northwest Territory include Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, and Minnesota. Idea: Older children could read a transcript of the document at: Northwest Ordinance. Children could find out how a territory became a state.
Lake Itasca
Source of Mississippi River Was Found by Henry Schoolcraft in 1832. He named the Minnesota body of water Lake Itasca. The Mississippi River flows south 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the world’s fourth longest river system (after the Nile River, the Amazon River, and the Yangtze River). Children could find some VERY INTERESTING FACTS at: http://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm.