Bighorn Sheep
Sprague Lake
Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915. The 265,000-acre park, located in Colorado, straddles part of the Continental Divide. About one-third of the park supports an alpine tundra ecosystem. Visitors can hike over 300 miles of trails, and scientists come here to study bighorn sheep. To view some excellent multimedia presentations and to tap some webcams, children could visit: http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm.
Senate Portrait of Hattie Caraway
Hattie Caraway became the first woman to be elected a United States Senator in 1932. She represented the state of Arkansas. Her husband was one of the state’s senators when he died. As was custom then, she completed his term. She surprised the powers to be when she decided to run for the office and won! She served in the Senate until 1945. Children could calculate the number of male and female senators by visiting: Women Senators. They could find out if the number of female senators has risen in recent years.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore was established in 1953. Located along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the national seashore is 70 miles long. Once called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” the park hosts many species of birds. Sea turtles also nest along the shore. Children can learn more at: https://www.nps.gov/caha/index.htm.
Haiti experienced a 7.0 earthquake in 2010. Three million people were affected, and many buildings were partially or totally destroyed. Haiti today is still trying to rebuild.
National Geographic Society was created in Washington, DC, in 1888. Around 33 founding members met at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, to sign the charter. Visit a website at: National Geographic. Children enjoy perusing the National Geographic site for kids at: National Geographic Kids. Do you want an easy activity that combines geography and good, hard thinking? Create a geography ABC: write the letters of the alphabet down on paper. Next to each letter children can write down places that begin with that letter. For example, “A” could list Albania, Alabama, Andes Mountains, Arno River…
Radio show was broadcasted for the first time in 1910. Lee Deforest arranged for Enrico Caruso and other celebrities to perform the opera Cavellaria rusticana at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Only a few people owned the necessary equipment to receive the performance, but it did mark the beginning of radio communication.
Robert C. Weaver
Robert C. Weaver became the first African American appointed to a presidential cabinet. President Lyndon Baines Johnson made Weaver Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1966. Children can view the list of current Cabinet members at: Presidential Cabinet.
World Logic Day is today! Sponsored by UNESCO and the Logic Universalis Association, the day was first celebrated in 2019. Idea: Children could learn about the different types of logic at: KeepEmThinking.
Ratification Day marks the day in 1784 when the Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris, the peace agreement with Britain. The United States officially became an independent country. Thomas Jefferson, chairman of the ratification committee, went through difficult circumstances to get the necessary signatures on the ratification. He needed approvals from nine of the thirteen colonies. However, that winter was extremely brutal, and many delegates struggled to get to Maryland to sign the document. Finally, on January 14th two more delegates arrived, and the minimum nine signatures made the document a real treaty. Three copies of the document were sent on three different ships back to England. Even the journeys to the ships were challenging, and the ocean voyages were unusually difficult.
Clarinet was invented in Nurnberg, Germany, in 1690. Idea: The music teacher or a child studying the clarinet could perhaps show how the clarinet works. The children could look at other woodwind instruments.