Charters of Freedom Hall, National Archives, Washington
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was created in 1934. It centralizes federal documents and makes them available to the public. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, houses originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. One of the four copies of the Magna Carta is also there. Children can visit the National Archives website at: http://www.nara.gov.
Garfield the Cat first appeared in 1978. Jim Davis created the comic strip character. It is the longest-running comic strip and is featured in over 2,500 newspapers.
That’s Lou Gehrig Sliding into Home Plate!
Lou Gehrig (born Henry Louis Gehrig in New York, New York, 1903; died New York, New York, June 2, 1941) was a baseball legend. He appeared in seven World Series. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has become known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Children could read Lou Gehrig: Iron Horse of Baseball by James Buckley, Jr.
Blaise Pascal
Pascal (born Clermont-Ferrand, France, 1623; died Paris, France, August 19, 1662) was a mathematician, a physicist, and a philosopher. At age sixteen he had developed Pascal’s Theorem. In 1642 he invented the first adding machine. Along with Pierre de Fermat, he developed the mathematics of probability.
Elvira Woodruff (born Raritan, New Jersey, 1951) has written at least 25 books for children. Her books include George Washington’s Socks and Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail. Children can visit her website: http://ewoodruff.com/.
West Virginia Flag
West Virginia became the thirty-fifth state of the United States in 1863. It seceded from Virginia in 1861. Its nickname is the Mountain State, and the capital is Charleston. The state ranks forty-first in area and thirty-fifth in population. Today much of its income comes from farming and coal mining. Children can visit a website at: West Virginia. Idea: Since Charleston is the capital, children could learn to dance the Charleston.
Great Seal
Congress adopted the Great Seal in 1782. The seal, housed with the State Department, is used to authenticate federal documents. Three committees contributed their ideas until the final choice was made. The seal has at least five symbols that have thirteen of that object. For example, the eagle holds thirteen arrows. Children can learn more at: Great Seal.
Last Great Buffalo Hunt occurred in 1882. At one time 60 million buffalo roamed the plains, but buffalo hunts reduced the number to only 541 animals. Today about 31,000 bison can be found in preserves or on ranches. Bison can weigh up to a ton and stand six feet high at their shoulders. Children could learn more at: American Bison. Children could also find out why that bird perches on the buffalo’s back.
Ice cream soda was invented in Philadelphia in 1874 by Robert M. Greene. It was created to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Franklin Institute. Idea: Children could make ice cream sodas.
Caroline Willard Baldwin became the first woman to obtain a doctor of science degree in 1895. She graduated from Cornell University. She wrote an article, A Photographic Study of Arc Spectra, for the Physical Review journal. She then taught physics at the California School of Mechanical Arts.
Annette Curtis Klause (born Bristol, England, 1953) writes books for young adults. Her works include The Silver Kiss and Blood and Chocolate.
First Day of Summer
Summer solstice is today. Today is the longest amount of light and the shortest amount of darkness in the northern hemisphere. Today is also the shortest amount of light and the longest amount of darkness (start of winter) in the southern hemisphere. Children can learn more at: Summer Solstice.