Abraham Lincoln and his son Tad
Today is Father’s Day! Father’s Day is the third Sunday in June. Mrs. John B. Dodd proposed the idea of Father’s Day in 1910. President Calvin Coolidge approved the holiday in 1924, but it did not become an official Presidential Proclamation until 1966. Public Law 92-278 made it an official holiday in 1972. Children can learn more at: Father’s Day.
Green Sea Turtle
World Sea Turtle Day is today. The day draws attention to the plight of sea turtles. The day also honors Dr. Archie Carr, called the “father of sea turtle biology.” Dr. Carr’s birthday is today. Seven species of sea turtle exist, and six of them are either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. The Kemp’s Ridley and the Hawksbill are critically endangered. The Green Sea Turtle is endangered. The Loggerhead, the Olive Ridley, and the Leatherback are vulnerable. The Flatback Sea Turtle is data deficient. Children can learn more at: NOAA.
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams in 1838 began a three-week speech against the annexation of Texas. John Quincy Adams was president from 1825 to 1829. After his presidency he was elected to the House of Representatives and served from 1831 until his death in 1848. Texas was ultimately added to the United States in 1845.
A helicopter but not the 1922 helicopter
First helicopter flight took place in 1922. Henry Berliner demonstrated the craft, built by his father Emile Berliner, to the United States Bureau of Aeronautics. Children can find out how helicopters work by watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJBhWVDArLo.
Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman, a Soviet cosmonaut, to travel in space in 1963. She was on the Soviet Vostok VI. She circled the earth 48 times during the 70-hour flight. Born in 1937, she was chosen from a field of 400 candidates.
Archie Carr (born Mobile, Alabama, 1909; died Micanopy, Florida, May 21, 1987) was a conservationist, professor, and herpetologist best known for his research regarding sea turtles. He revealed that sea turtles were dropping in population because their habitats were being destroyed. He also pointed out that humans were harvesting sea turtles and sea turtle eggs to the point where the numbers were in danger. He wrote nine books sharing his knowledge. Children can learn more at: Archie Carr National Refuge.
Jennifer L. Holm (born California, 1968) writes books for children. She has received three Newbery Honor Awards: in 2000 for Our Only May Amelia, in 2007 for Penny from Heaven, and in 2011 for Turtle in Paradise. She also writes graphic novels and comic books, illustrated by her brother, Matthew Holm. Children could visit her website at: http://www.jenniferholm.com/.
Barbara McClintock (born Hartford, Connecticut, 1902; died Huntington, New York, September 2, 1992) was a world-famous cytogeneticist, studying genetics at the cellular level. She received the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her work in discovering “mobile genetic elements.” Older children could read Barbara McClintock: Pioneering Geneticist by Ray Spangenburg and Diane Kit Moser.
Joyce Carol Oates (born Lockport, New York, 1938) has written novellas, short stories, poetry, plays, and at least 58 novels. Some of her works have been written for children and young adults, including Freaky Green Eyes and Come Meet Muffin!