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.
Jan 122026
Jan 132026
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…
Jan 132026
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.
Jan 132026
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.
Jan 142026
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.
Jan 142026
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.
Jan 142026
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.
Jan 142026
Ford Assembly Line
Henry Ford pushed the button to start the first assembly-line production in 1914. Idea: Ford’s first assembly line made cars. Children could form an assembly line to make ice cream sundaes. One person could be in charge of dishes. Another could add one kind of ice cream. Another could add a different kind of ice cream. A fourth student could top the ice cream with chocolate. Another could spritz on some whipped cream. Still another could add a cherry. Then everyone could eat!
Jan 142026
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt in 1943 became the first President to fly in an airplane. He flew from Miami, Florida, to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill. He left Miami on January 11 and flew to the Caribbean, then along the coast of South America, and then across the Atlantic Ocean. The return trip took several days because he spent time with military troops.
Jan 142026
Saturn and its Rings
Huygens Probe landed on Saturn’s moon Titan in 2005. The successful landing indicated Titan’s surface is covered with a powdery substance. Scientists are still analyzing the data the probe sent back to earth. The Cassini-Huygens mission was a joint venture of the European Space Agency, the Italian Space Agency, and NASA. The mission left earth on October 15, 1997. The Cassini portion continued to send back data about Saturn and remained active until September 15, 2017 when its energy was depleted and it dove into Saturn’s atmosphere, returning data until it was no more. Children can review data and more at: Cassini-Huygens.