National Cookie Day is today! In 1987 Matt Nader of the San Francisco Blue Chip Cookie Company decided cookies needed their own holiday. Idea: Children could certainly make their own cookies today. They could also poll friends and family members as to everyone’s favorite type of cookie.
First Thanksgiving in North America was held in 1619 when 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish (England) reached the New World in Virginia and prayed, thanking God for a safe voyage.
George Washington said goodbye to his officers at the Fraunces Tavern in New York City in 1783. Fraunces Tavern is now part museum and part restaurant. Children can read the text of his speech at: Farewell Speech.
Mary Celeste was found abandoned in 1872. The ship had left New York on November 5, 1872. The crew of another ship, the Dei Gratia, observed that she was floating aimlessly near the coast of Portugal. Members of the Dei Gratia crew boarded her on December 4 and found no people and no sign of violence. The captain and his family, the crew, and a lifeboat and navigation instruments were missing, but the ship and cargo were in excellent shape. The mystery of the Mary Celeste has yet to be solved. Children could read The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple. Older children could read more at: Mary Celeste.
United Nations Flag
World Soil Day is today! The day reminds us of the importance of healthy soil and its role in promoting a healthy earth. It was initiated by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations on December 5, 2013. This year’s theme is Soil and Water: A Source of Life. Idea: Children could dig up some soil and look for plant remains and animals. They could also investigate how to compost.
United Nations Flag
United Nations declares today as International Volunteer Day. This year’s theme is Volunteering Is Empathy in Action. Children could volunteer to help around the community. They could consider picking up litter or building bird feeders. Children could learn more at: Volunteer.
Amendment Twenty-One to the Constitution was adopted in 1933, repealing Amendment Eighteen and ending Prohibition.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Montgomery Bus Boycott began in 1955. Following Rosa Parks’s arrest on December 1, 1955, African Americans boycotted buses until December 20, 1956. A Supreme Court ruling forced the integration of the bus system. Children could learn more at: Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Pathfinder was launched toward Mars in 1996. The craft traveled for 211 days and 309 million miles to reach the surface of Mars on July 4, 1997. A small rover named Sojourner (named after Sojourner Truth) traveled about the surface and analyzed rocks and the surface of the planet. The two vehicles (both significantly outliving scientific estimates) sent back 2.3 billion bits of data before transmissions stopped on September 27, 1997. Children can view some of the images of Mars at: Pathfinder.
Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated by children in Central and Northern Europe. Dutch children fill their shoes with hay the night before. Treats can be found in the shoes the next day.