Philadelphia established the first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, in the United States in 1751. Aided by Benjamin Franklin, Dr. Thomas Bond created the hospital where people received free medical care. Children can take a virtual tour of the old buildings at: Pennsylvania Hospital.
Flag of the Vatican
Vatican achieved its independence from Italy in 1929. While Vatican City had been separate from Rome for centuries, documents signed this day in 1929 made the Vatican a distinct government. According to the CIA World Factbook, the Vatican is about 0.7 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, DC. The smallest country in the world, the Vatican is home to around 850 people. More than four million people visit the Vatican each year.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in South Africa in 1990. He had been in prison for 27 years due to his anti-apartheid activities. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He was elected president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He died on December 5, 2013. Children can learn more at: Nelson Mandela.
Oglethorpe Day is celebrated in Georgia. In 1733 General James Oglethorpe and one hundred men set foot on what became Georgia. The colony was named after King George II. Eventually Oglethorpe became governor of Georgia. Oglethorpe wanted to create a colony where the poor could become successful farmers and landowners.
NEAR-Shoemaker in 2001 became the first spacecraft to land on a meteor. Launched on February 17, 1996, NEAR-Shoemaker landed on near-earth asteroid Eros and sent back data until February 28, 2001. The extreme cold on the asteroid probably prevented the return of more data. Older children can learn more at: http://science.nasa.gov/missions/near/.
Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill met in 2016 in Cuba. This meeting marked the first time in a thousand years that the Pope and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church had met. The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox split in the Great Schism in 1054. The two leaders met for three hours.
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow! Today would be a good day to finish those valentines, bake those special cookies, or make simple gifts for those we love. Children could read The Night Before Valentine’s Day by Natasha Wing. Children could play some great Valentine’s Day games at: Valentine Activities.
American Magazine, the first magazine to print in the United States, was published for the first time in 1741 by Andrew Bradford.
Moving picture projector was patented in 1895. Auguste and Louis Lumiere created the cinematograph, and the first film they recorded was of workers leaving their factory.
Madrid Codices, created by Leonardo da Vinci, were discovered in 1964 in the National Library of Spain by American researchers. Da Vinci died in 1608, and these works found their way to Spain by about 1623. They got lost in the library around 1712. The books contain information about science, geometry, and fortification. Children could learn more at: Madrid Codices.