NEAR-Shoemaker
NEAR-Shoemaker was launched in 1996. Almost five years later, on February 12, 2001, it became the first spacecraft to land on a meteor. NEAR-Shoemaker landed on near-earth asteroid Eros and sent back data until February 28, 2001. The extreme cold on the asteroid probably prevented the return of more data. Older children can learn more at: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/near/.
Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec (born Quimper, France, 1781; died Quimper, France, August 13, 1826) was a doctor. He also invented the stethoscope. Idea: Children could make stethoscopes by following the directions at: Stethoscope.
Andre Norton (born Cleveland, Ohio, 1912; died Murfreesboro, Tennessee, March 17, 2005) is sometimes called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy. She is best known for her Witch World series. Children can learn more at: Andre Norton.
Still Life with Cake
Raphaelle Peale
Brooklyn Museum
Raphaelle Peale (born Annapolis, Maryland, 1774; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 4, 1825) was an artist and a member of the famous Peale family. He is most known for his still life works. Children can view some of his works at: Raphaelle Peale.
Robert Newton Peck (born Vermont, 1928; died Longwood, Florida, June 23, 2020) was a children’s author. He wrote over 50 books. One of his books is A Day No Pigs Would Die. He was also the author of the Soup books. Children can visit a website devoted to him at: Robert Newtown Peck.
Virginia Sorensen (born Provo, Utah, 1912; died Hendersonville, North Carolina, December 24, 1991) wrote books for both adults and children. She received the 1957 Newbery Medal for Miracles on Maple Hill.
Aaron Montgomery Ward (born Chatham, New Jersey, 1844; died Chicago, Illinois, December 7, 1913) was one of the first people to sell mail order. He started Montgomery Ward in 1872 with George R. Thorne. Their first business was located in a loft of a livery stable.
Flag of The Gambia
The Gambia celebrates Independence Day. It gained its independence from Great Britain in 1965. Banjul is the capital of this small country, located on the northwestern coast of Africa. According to the CIA World Factbook, The Gambia is about twice the size of Delaware. Almost two million people live in The Gambia, and about 75 percent of its inhabitants are farmers.
The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come was published in 1678. Written by John Bunyan, the book has been translated into 200 languages. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Pluto
Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh. As far back as 1905, Percival Lowell felt that an unknown planet was influencing the orbits of Neptune and Uranus. However, he died without finding the planet. Tombaugh used Lowell’s work to predict the location and was successful in 1930. Pluto’s day is about six earth days, and its year is about 248 earth years. The average temperature is about -342 degrees to -369 degrees Fahrenheit. Pluto is named after the ancient god of the underworld. Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet on August 24, 2006, by the International Astronomical Union. Children can learn more at: Pluto.
Dairy Cow
Elm Farm Ollie in 1930 was the first cow to be milked while flying in an airplane. Born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, Elm Farm Ollie, also known as Nellie Jay and Sky Queen, produced 24 quarts of milk during the 72-mile flight. The milk was placed into paper cartons, and the cartons were dropped by parachute over St. Louis, Missouri, to the spectators below. Elsworth W. Bunce became famous as the first person to milk a cow in a flying airplane. Idea: Children could write a newspaper account of this story, including the important WHY?.
Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (born Como, Italy, 1745; died Como, Italy, February 18, 1827) developed the voltaic pile, an early battery. The unit of electrical measurement, the volt, is named after him. Idea: Children could find out more about volts and electrical current. They could read more about Volta at: Volta.
Toni Morrison (born Lorain, Ohio, 1931; died New York, New York, August 5, 2019) was an author. Her books include The Bluest Eye and Beloved. She received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature and the 1998 Pulitzer Prize. Older children could learn more at: Toni Morrison.
Tin-type camera was patented by Hamilton Smith of Gambier, Ohio, in 1856. Idea: Children could learn how the tin-type was different from other kinds of cameras.
Gramophone
Gramophone, later called the phonograph, was patented by Thomas Edison in 1878. He received patent number 200,521. Older children could learn more about the history of sound recording at: Gramophone.
President Roosevelt ordered the internment of about 110,000 Japanese-Americans in 1942. They were sent to concentration camps in western states. They lost their property, valued at about four hundred million dollars. Children could find out more about the reasons behind Roosevelt’s decision. What was life like in the concentration camps? They could learn more at: Japanese Relocation. Students might also read Farewell to Manzanar by Jeane W. Houston and James D. Houston.