First glider flight in the United States occurred in 1893. John Joseph Montgomery flew his glider near Otay, California.
Mar 172026
Mar 172026
First submarine was launched in 1898. John Phillip Holland, owner of the John P. Holland Torpedo Boat Company, created the Holland Submarine. It submerged for about 100 minutes in a shipyard in Elizabethtown, New Jersey.
Mar 172026
Campfire Girls of America was created in 1910. In 1975 the group decided to admit boys and changed the name to Campfire Girls and Boys of America. In 2001 the group changed its name to Camp Fire USA, and in 2012 another name change produced Camp Fire. Children could learn more at: Camp Fire.
Mar 172026
National Gallery of Art opened in 1941 in Washington, DC. President Franklin Roosevelt officiated at the opening. The museum was created in 1937 when a number of wealthy art collectors donated many of their acquisitions to become the core of the exhibits. It has a fine collection of artwork, ranging from the medieval period to the present. Children could visit the Internet site, especially the online tours, at: http://www.nga.gov. They could also pretend to be curators for the National Gallery of Art and decide which works of art to add to the collection. They could also view the amazing children’s portion of the website at: NGA Kids.
Mar 182026
Global Recycling Day is today! Did you know that 52 million tons of paper are recycled every year? Enough plastic is discarded each year to circle the world four times, but most of that could be recycled. Idea: Children could host a recycling event. Children could also learn more at: Global Recycling Day.
Mar 182026
Flag of Aruba
Aruba celebrates Flag Day, a national holiday. Claimed by Spain in 1499, Aruba became a Dutch colony in 1636. Still a Dutch possession, Aruba is a bit larger than Washington, DC. Oranjestad is the capital. Because it is located in the Caribbean Sea, the island has a tropical climate. However, it lies outside the hurricane belt and is seldom threatened. Slightly over 100,000 people live on the island, and many of them depend on the 1.5 million tourists who visit the vacation destination.
Mar 182026
Staple Bend Tunnel
First railroad tunnel in the United States was completed in 1834. Slightly over 900 feet in length, the Staple Bend Tunnel, located in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is rock-bored and lined in stone. Engineers needed three years to dig the tunnel. Today it is a National Historic Landmark. Children can learn more at: Staple Bend Tunnel.
Mar 182026
Aleksei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first person to walk in space in 1965. His space walk lasted a bit over twelve minutes, and he was connected to his spacecraft by a tether.
Mar 192026
Ptolemy in AD 72 made the first recorded reference to a lunar eclipse. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth passes between the sun and the moon. At that time the earth’s shadow falls on the moon, causing the eclipse. Lunar eclipses occur between four and seven times a year. Children can learn more about lunar eclipses at: Lunar Eclipse.
Mar 192026
American Cliff Swallow
Swallows return to San Juan Capistrano, California. The American cliff swallows arrive after wintering in Argentina. They stay until October 23 when they fly 6,000 miles back to Goya, Argentina. Children could visit a website at: Swallows. They could also read Leo Politi’s classic, Song of the Swallows.