World Whale Day

 Events
Feb 182024
 

Southern Right Whale

World Whale Day is today. Celebrated on the third Sunday in February, the day was was started by a group in 1980 in Maui, Hawaii. They were concerned about the humpback whale, which is found in the waters off the island. Gregg Kauffman founded the Pacific Whale Foundation because he was concerned about the decline in whale populations. Whales are now protected by international laws. Prior to such laws whales were hunted. Even today bycatch and pollution threaten whale populations. Whales are the largest mammals. Two types of whale exist: baleen whales and toothed whales. Children could learn more at: Whales.

 

The Gambia Celebrates Independence Day

 Events
Feb 182024
 
Gambia The

Flag of The Gambia

The Gambia celebrates Independence Day. It gained its independence from Great Britain in 1965. Banjul is the capital of this small country, located on the northwestern coast of Africa. According to the CIA World Factbook, The Gambia is about twice the size of Delaware. Almost two million people live in The Gambia, and about 75 percent of its inhabitants are farmers. Children could learn more at: The Gambia.

Pluto Was Discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh

 Events
Feb 182024
 
Pluto

Pluto

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde W. Tombaugh. As far back as 1905, Percival Lowell felt that an unknown planet was influencing the orbits of Neptune and Uranus. However, he died without finding the planet. Tombaugh used Lowell’s work to predict the location and was successful in 1930. Pluto’s day is about six earth days, and its year is about 248 earth years. The average temperature is about -342 degrees to -369 degrees Fahrenheit. Pluto is named after the ancient god of the underworld. Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet on August 24, 2006, by the International Astronomical Union. Children can learn more at: Pluto.

Elm Farm Ollie in 1930 Was the First Cow to Be Milked While Flying in an Airplane

 Events
Feb 182024
 
Cow

A Cow but not Elm Farm Ollie

Elm Farm Ollie in 1930 was the first cow to be milked while flying in an airplane.  Born and raised in Bismarck, Missouri, Elm Farm Ollie, also known as Nellie Jay and Sky Queen, produced 24 quarts of milk during the 72-mile flight. The milk was placed into paper cartons, and the cartons were dropped by parachute over St. Louis, Missouri, to the spectators below. Elsworth W. Bunce became famous as the first person to milk a cow in a flying airplane. Idea: Children could write a newspaper account of this story, including the important WHY?.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Feb 182024
 

Count Alessandro Giuseppe Antonio Anastasio Volta (born Como, Italy, 1745; died Como, Italy, February 18, 1827) developed the voltaic pile, an early battery. The unit of electrical measurement, the volt, is named after him. Idea: Children could find out more about volts and electrical current. They could read more about Volta at: Volta.

Toni Morrison (born Lorain, Ohio, 1931; died New York, New York, August 5, 2019) was an author. Her books include The Bluest Eye and Beloved. She received the 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature and the 1998 Pulitzer Prize. Older children could learn more at: Toni Morrison.