International Archaeology Day is today! The day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October. Created by the Archaeological Institute of America, the day promotes knowledge of our many archaeological sites. The National Park Service is one of the day’s sponsors. Children could learn more at: International Archaeology Day.
Hoffman’s Two-Toed Sloth
International Sloth Day is today! Celebrated on the third Saturday in October, the day raises awareness of sloths and their importance to the environment. Six types of sloth exist today; some species are three-toed and some are two-toed. All six types eat leaves of the group Cecropia. Two-toed sloths are omnivorous, eating fruits, carrion, and insects for example. Three-toed sloths are herbivorous. All living species of sloths today live in trees, but ancient, extinct ground-dwelling sloths could be the size of elephants. Interesting fact: about every eight days sloths slowly climb down their trees to pee and poop. Then they cover up their droppings and climb back up the trees.
United Nations Flag
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is sponsored by the United Nations. The event can be traced back to 1987 when a group met in Paris to see what could be done to eliminate poverty. This year’s theme is “Dignity for All in Practice.” Children can learn more at: End Poverty.
Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, hung Matisse’s Le Bateau upside down in 1961. The mistake was not discovered until December 3, 1961.
United States population exceeded 300 million in 2006. Children can view some fascinating facts about the United States population and the world population at: http://www.census.gov/popclock/.
Taipei 101
Photo by Peellden
Taipei 101 was topped with a pinnacle in 2003. It thus became the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was completed in 2010. Taipei 101 has 101 floors above ground and five stories below ground. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.
Jupiter Hammon (born probably Long Island, New York, 1711; died circa 1806) was the first African American to publish his poetry. Born into slavery, he learned to read. He published his first poem, “An Evening Thought,” in 1760. Children can read some of his works at: http://www.poemhunter.com/jupiter-hammon/.
Mae Jemison (born Decatur, Alabama, 1956) is a physician and retired astronaut. She is the first African American woman to travel into space. Children could view her TED talk at: Mae Jemison.
Arthur Miller (born New York, New York, 1915; died Roxbury, Connecticut, February 10, 2005) was a playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949. His works include Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.
Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley gained her freedom in 1773. Born around 1753 probably in Gambia or Senegal, she was sold into slavery when she was seven years old. Purchased by the Wheatley family, she was well-educated. She began writing poetry in 1767. She was emancipated after her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published on September 1, 1773. Children can read some of her works at: Project Gutenberg. Children can learn more about her life at: Phillis Wheatley.
Inner Workings of Transistor Radio
Transistor radio was sold for the first time in 1954. Texas Instruments created the small and portable radio. These radios allowed people to hear music wherever and whenever. Billions of transistor radios were sold during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for theorizing the double-helix structure of DNA. Children could learn more at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1962/summary/. Notice that Rosalind Franklin was not included in the Nobel Prize.