Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the cause of tuberculosis in 1882. He found that tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This discovery has prompted today to be World Tuberculosis Day. He received the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work. Older children could learn more about the disease at: Tuberculosis.
Flag of Philippines
The Philippines celebrate Independence Day. In 1934 the United States granted the Philippines its independence. The treaty took effect in 1946. The Philippines had been sold to the United States in 1898 for twenty million dollars. Manila is the capital, and the country was named after Spain’s King Philip II. Over 7,100 islands comprise the country. Children can learn more at: Philippines.
Oil Clean Up after Valdez
Exxon Valdez in 1989 spilled about 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska. The spill damaged 1,300 miles of shoreline and killed huge numbers of fish, seabirds, and marine mammals. Some species are still recovering.
Bill Cleaver (born Hugo, Oklahoma, 1920; died 1981) and his wife Vera wrote sixteen books for children. Their books include Ellen Grae (a 1968 Newbery Honor Book) and Where the Lilies Bloom (a 1970 Newbery Honor Book). Children can learn more at: Bill Cleaver.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti (born Yonkers, New York, 1919; died San Francisco, California, February 22, 2021) was a poet, artist, and social activist. Children can read some of his work at: Ferlinghetti Poetry.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (born Budapest, Hungary, 1874; died Detroit, Michigan, October 31, 1926) was a magician and escape artist. Children could read Harry Houdini for Kids: His Life and Adventures with 21 Magic Tricks and Illusions by Laurie Carlson.
Rufus King (born Scarborough, Maine, 1755; died New York, New York, April 19, 1827) represented Massachusetts at the Constitutional Convention. He tried to write into the Constitution a section forbidding slavery. Later he became one of New York’s U.S. senators. Children could learn more at: Rufus King.
Andrew W. Mellon (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1855; died Southampton, New York, August 27, 1937) was a financier. He became very wealthy from investments made mostly in coal and oil. He was Secretary of the Treasury under three presidents. He donated his $25 million art collection and $15 million to a new museum, the National Gallery of Art. Children can visit a website about the National Gallery of Art at: http://nga.gov. They could also find out how he reduced the national debt when he was Secretary of the Treasury.
John Wesley Powell (born Mt. Morris, New York, 1834; died Haven, Maine, September 23, 1902) was the second director of the USGS. He lost most of his right arm at the Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. He is most famous for his 1869 expedition down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. He also made ethnological studies of the American Indians. Young adults could read his book Canyons of the Colorado at: Project Gutenberg. Younger children could read Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer by Deborah Kogan Ray.
Indian Peacock
National Peacock Day is today! Actually today should be called National Peafowl Day. The term peacock refers to the male peafowl. The term peahen refers to the female peafowl. And so cute – a peachick is a baby peafowl. Three species of peafowl exist: the blue or Indian peafowl, the green peafowl, and the Congo peafowl. Americans are most familiar with the Indian, or blue, peacock. The birds are omnivores, preferring to eat plants, seeds, insects, and even small reptiles and amphibians. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the blue peacock of least concern. The IUCN lists the green peacock as an endangered species. Children could learn more at: Peafowl.
Pecans
Pecan Day marks the day in 1775 when Thomas Jefferson gave George Washington several pecan trees from his own plantings. Some of Washington’s pecan trees are still alive. The pecan, packed with phytonutrients and protein, is the only nut native to North America. Children could learn more at: Pecan.
Flag of Greece
Greece celebrates Independence Day. It became free from Turkey’s rule in 1821. The country, composed of a mainland and many small islands, according to the CIA World Factbook, is a bit less than the size of Alabama. Almost 11 million people live in Greece. Athens is the capital. About 15 percent of the economy comes from tourism. Children can learn more at: Greece.
Maryland was colonized by Lord Baltimore’s group in 1634. Catholics and protestants arrived on two ships, the Ark and the Dove. Lord Baltimore wanted to establish a colony where Catholics would not be persecuted.
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
Civil Rights March started in Selma, Alabama, reached the destination of Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. Civil Rights marchers, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. began their journey on March 21. They camped overnight on three occasions, and the number of marchers swelled to 25,000. Two unsuccessful marches predated this march. President Johnson had to bring in soldiers and the National Guard to protect the marchers. Outcomes of the march included the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the voting registration of Blacks in unprecedented numbers. The road that the marchers used is now a National Historic Trail. Children could view a map of the march and learn more at: Civil Rights March.
Mount Rushmore
John de la Mothe Gutzon Borglum (born Bear Lake, Idaho, 1867; died Chicago, Illinois, March 6, 1941) was an artist. In 1916 he sculpted Stone Mountain in Georgia, a memorial to the Confederate Army. He began to sculpt Mount Rushmore in 1927, but he died before it was completed. Children could learn more at: Gutzon Borglun.
Kate DiCamillo (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1964) writes books for children. Her books include Because of Winn-Dixie (a 2001 Newbery Award winner) and The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread (2004 Newbery Medal book). She also writes the Mercy Watson series. Children can visit her website at: Kate DiCamillo.
Richard Dobbs Spaight (born New Bern, North Carolina, 1758; died in a duel near New Bern, North Carolina, September 5, 1802) represented North Carolina at the Constitutional Convention. Following the convention, he served as the state’s governor and then one of its U.S. representatives. He also served as a state senator. Children can learn more at: Richard Dobbs Spaight.
Linda Sue Park (born Urbana, Illinois, 1960) writes novels, picture books, and poetry for children. Her books include A Single Shard (2002 Newbery Medal book) and A Long Walk to Water (2011 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award). Children can view her website, including the fun (quizzes) section, at: Linda Sue Park.
Interesting fact…both Kate DiCamillo and Linda Sue Park wrote stories for The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales, based on Chris Van Allsburg’s book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick.
Arturo Toscanini (born Parma, Italy, 1867; died New York, New York, January 16, 1957) was a conductor.