Peter Stuyvesant became governor of New Amsterdam in 1647. A strongly opinionated individual, he served as governor until 1664 when England took over the colony and renamed it New York.
May 112026
celebrateandlearn
May 112026
John Hart
John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died in 1779 in Hopewell, New Jersey. He was born around 1711 in Stonington, Connecticut, but his exact date of birth is unknown. He represented New Jersey at the signing. When the British attacked New Jersey, they placed a bounty on Hart. He was forced to hide. When he was finally able to return to his farm, he found that his wife had died and that his children had moved. Children could learn more at: John Hart.
May 112026
Merrimack was destroyed by the Confederate Navy in 1862. Southern military leaders thought advancing Union troops might capture the ironclad, so Confederate officials sank the ship.
May 112026
MacDonald Lake in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park was established in 1910. Located in northwest Montana on the United States-Canada border, the park encompasses a million acres. Children could visit an Internet site at: http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm. They could also find out how glaciers and icebergs are formed at: Glaciers.
May 112026
Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Baline in Tyumen, Russia, 1888; died New York, New York, September 22, 1989) wrote approximately 1,250 songs. Two of his most famous works are God Bless America and White Christmas.
Sheila Burnford (born Scotland, 1918; died England, April 20, 1984) was an author. She is best remembered for her book The Incredible Journey.
Salvador Dali (born Figueras, Spain, 1904; died Figueras, Spain, January 23, 1989) was a surrealist painter.
Martha Graham (born Allegheny, Pennsylvania, 1894; died New York, New York, April 1, 1991) was a dancer and a choreographer.
Juanita Havill (born Evansville, Indiana, 1949) writes books for children. Her books include Jamaica’s Find and Eyes Like Willy’s.
Mike Lupica (born Oneida, New York, 1952) is a sports columnist and writer. His books for children include Heat and Travel Team. Young adults can learn more at: Mike Lupica.
Harriet Quimby
Harriet Quimby (born Arcadia Michigan, 1875; died Quincy, Massachusetts, July 1, 1912) was an early female aviator. She was the first American woman to obtain a pilot’s license. In 1912 she was the first woman to fly across the English Channel. She died in an airplane-related accident later that year.
Peter Sis (born Brno, Moravia, Czechoslovakia, 1949) writes and illustrates books for children. He has received many awards for his books. He has received three Caldecott Honor Awards: Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilee in 1997, Tibet Through the Red Box in 1999, and The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain in 2008. The last book also earned the Robert F. Sibert Medal for Informational Books. Sis has also earned the very prestigious Han Christian Andersen Award for Illustration in 2012.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder (born Lemoore, California, 1927; died San Francisco, California, October 8, 2014) wrote at least 46 books for children. She received three Newbery Honor 
Awards: The Egypt Game in 1968, The Headless Cupid in 1972, and The Witches of Worm in 1973.
May 122026
Limerick Day is today, honoring the birth of Edward Lear. Lear, an artist, musician, and writer, is particularly famous for his limericks. A limerick is a five-line poem. The first, second, and fifth lines rhyme and have three metrical feet. The third and fourth lines rhyme and each have two metrical feet. Limericks are often humorous and sometimes not child appropriate. Find more information about Lear in today’s Birthdays section.
Lear’s Limerick (four lines)
May 122026
Washington Monument reopened in 2014. Repairs to the monument due to the 5.8 magnitude east coast earthquake of August 23, 2011, were completed. About 150 cracks had to be repaired. The scaffolding that was necessary to repair the monument has been removed. Children can learn more at: http://www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm.
May 122026
Odometer was invented by William Clayton in 1847 while he was crossing the country in a wagon train. He called his invention the Roadometer. An odometer measures distance traveled. Children could research the different “-ometers,” for example, the speedometer, tachometer and odometer. Children could learn more about Clayton’s invention at: Odometer.
May 122026
Jennifer Armstrong (born Waltham, Massachusetts, 1961) has written at least 44 books for children. Her books include Once Upon a Banana and Becoming Mary Mehan.
Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra (born St. Louis, Missouri, 1925; died Montclair, New Jersey, September 22, 2015) was a baseball player and manager. He is well-known for his witty sayings, including “It’s de ja vu all over again.” Children can read more “yogi-isms” at: Yogi-isms.
Dorothy Hodgkin (born Cairo, Egypt, 1910; died England, July 29, 1994) was a British chemist. She used X-Ray crystallography to observe the structure of molecules. She received the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Children could learn more at: Dorothy Hodgkin.
Edward Lear (born Highgate, England, 1812; died San Remo, Italy, January 29, 1888) was a writer, artist, and ornithologist. He is famous for his limericks. Two of his works are A Book of Nonsense, printed in 1846, and Nonsense Songs, published in 1871. Children can read many of his poems at: Lear Poems. Idea: The children could write limericks. A limerick is a poem with five lines. The first, second and fifth lines rhyme and have three metrical feet. The third and fourth lines rhyme and have two metrical feet. Children can learn more at: Edward Lear.
Betsy Lewin (born Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 1937) illustrates books for children. She wrote and illustrated at least 11 books, some co-authored with her husband, Ted Lewin, who died in July of 2021 . She has illustrated at least 50 books written by other authors. She received a 2001 Caldecott Honor Award for Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type. Children can visit her website at: Betsy Lewin.
Mildred McAfee
Mildred McAfee (Parkville, Missouri, 1900; died Berlin, New Hampshire, September 2, 1994) was the first director of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). She was appointed by President Roosevelt in 1942. Within three years her group had trained over 85,000 women. She was also president of Wellesley College.
Farley Mowat (born Belleville, Ontario, Canada, 1921; died Port Hope, Canada, May 6, 2014) wrote about 45 books. One of his books is Owls in the Family, and another famous work is Never Cry Wolf. He sold around 17 million books.
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale (born Florence, Italy, 1820; died London, England, August 13, 1910) elevated the status of nurses. During the Crimean War, she worked tirelessly for the wounded. She was known as the “Lady with the Lamp.” She was the first woman to receive the British Order of Merit. Children could read Heart and Soul: The Story of Florence Nightingale, by Gina K. Gorrell. Young adults could also read books written by Nightingale at: Project Gutenberg.
May 132026
Mexican American War
United States declared war on Mexico in 1846. However, General Zachary Taylor had crossed the border and established a fort several months before. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war. Lands gained by the United States included California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. The Gadsden Purchase, finalized on December 30, 1853, bought more land from Mexico that is today Arizona and New Mexico.