John Jeffries
National Weatherperson’s Day honors the birthday of John Jeffries, one of America’s first meteorologists. An avid balloonist, he recorded daily weather observations from 1774 until 1816. Children could read Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons.
Roger Williams landed in America in 1631. He came for religious freedom, but he found the Massachusetts colony restrictive. Banished by Massachusetts leaders in early 1636, he founded the colony of Rhode Island and the city of Providence. Children can learn more at: Roger Williams.
Hermitage Museum opened to the public in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1852. Catherine the Great created the museum in 1764. One of the oldest museums in the world, the Hermitage houses nearly three million artifacts. Children can participate in a virtual tour or see virtual exhibits at the museum’s very interesting website at: Hermitage Museum.
Welcome Stranger Gold Nugget was discovered at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia, in 1869. The largest alluvial gold nugget ever found, the Welcome Stranger weighed almost 2,284 ounces. It measured 24 inches by 12 inches. The nugget was melted down and formed into ingots that were sent to the Bank of England.
Bear in Big Bend National Park
National Wildlife Federation was established in 1936. The group’s mission statement is: Inspiring Americans to Protect Wildlife for Our Children’s Future.
The four-million-member group has three powerful goals:
• Finding solutions to the climate crisis
• Turning inside kids out
• Safeguarding America’s wildlife and wild places.
Children could visit the group’s website for children at: http://www.nwf.org/kids.aspx.
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Hank Aaron
Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron (born Mobile, Alabama, 1932; died Atlanta, Georgia, January 22, 2021) was a Baseball Hall of Famer. He broke Babe Ruth’s home run record of 714, hitting 715 home runs on April 8, 1974. He concluded his career with 755 homeruns. Children could read Hank Aaron’s Dream by Matt Tavares. They could also learn more at: Hank Aaron.
John Jeffries (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1745; died Boston, Massachusetts, September 16, 1819) was a scientist and physician. He and Jean Pierre Blanchard, on January 4, 1785, were the first to cross the English Channel in a hot air balloon, a dangerous adventure. He is perhaps best known for his meteorological observations, resulting in today’s National Weatherperson’s Day.
Patricia Lauber (born New York, New York, 1924; died New Canaan, Connecticut, March 12, 2010) wrote over 125 books for children. She received a Newbery Honor Award in 1986 for Volcano: Eruption and Healing of Mount Saint Helens. Children can learn more about her at: Patricia Lauber.
David Wiesner (born Bridgewater, New Jersey, 1957) is a children’s book author and illustrator. He has received three Caldecott Medals: Tuesday in 1992, The Three Pigs in 2002, and Flotsam in 2007. He has also earned three Caldecott Honor Awards: Free Fall in 1989, Sector 7 in 2000, and Mr. Wuffles! in 2014. Children can visit his site at: David Wiesner.
John Witherspoon (born near Edinburgh, Scotland, 1723; died Princeton, New Jersey, November 15, 1794) signed the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War, he served on over 100 committees. Representing New Jersey, he attended the second Continental Congress. He signed the Articles of Confederation and favored the Constitution. A clergyman, he was president of the College of New Jersey, known today as Princeton University. His students included James Madison and William Bradford. Older children can learn more at: John Witherspoon.