Juneteenth Is Today!

 Events
Jun 192024
 

Juneteenth is today! Juneteenth is a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth and commemorates the day in 1865 when slaves were given their freedom in Texas. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued January 1, 1863, slaves in Texas were not given their freedom until several months after the conclusion of the Civil War, on June 19, 1865. Congress designated Juneteenth as a federal holiday on June 16, 2021; President Biden signed the official document making it a federal holiday on June 17, 2021. Children can learn more about: Juneteenth.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Was Created in 1934

 Events
Jun 192024
 
Charters of Freedom Hall, National Archives, Washington

Charters of Freedom Hall, National Archives, Washington

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was created in 1934. It centralizes federal documents and makes them available to the public. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, houses originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. One of the four copies of the Magna Carta is also there.  Children can visit the National Archives website at: http://www.nara.gov.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Jun 192024
 

That’s Lou Gehrig Sliding into Home Plate!

Lou Gehrig (born Henry Louis Gehrig in New York, New York, 1903; died New York, New York, June 2, 1941) was a baseball legend. He appeared in seven World Series. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which has become known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Children could read Lou Gehrig: Iron Horse of Baseball by James Buckley, Jr.

Blaise Pascal

 Pascal (born Clermont-Ferrand, France, 1623; died Paris, France, August 19, 1662) was a mathematician, a physicist, and a philosopher. At age sixteen he had developed Pascal’s Theorem. In 1642 he invented the first adding machine. Along with Pierre de Fermat, he developed the mathematics of probability.

Elvira Woodruff (born Raritan, New Jersey, 1951) has written at least 25 books for children. Her books include George Washington’s Socks and Dear Levi: Letters from the Overland Trail. Children can visit her website: http://ewoodruff.com/.