Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. The first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1948, he won the third leg, the Belmont Stakes. The horse raced several more times and then retired in November, 1973. Four other horses since then have won the Triple Crown:
Children can see a list of all the Triple Crown winners at: Triple Crown.
Amedeo Avogadro
Amedeo Avogadro (born Turin, Italy, 1776; died Turin, Italy, July 9, 1856) was a chemist and a physicist. From 1820 until his death he was a professor at the University of Turin. His research led to Avogadro’s Law: two gases at the same pressure and temperature will have the same number of molecules. He also created Avogadro’s Constant, the Mole.
Johann Gottfried Galle (born Prussia, 1812; died Potsdam, Germany, July 10, 1910) was an astronomer. Using the calculations of John Couch Adams, he became the first person to find and see Neptune on September 23, 1848.
Gregory Maguire (born Albany, New York, 1954) has written at least 23 books for children and 13 books for adults. He has also written at least 10 short stories and three books of nonfiction. His books include The Wicked Years series and Missing Sisters. Children can visit his website at: Gregory Maguire.
Cole Porter (born Peru, Indiana, 1892; died Santa Monica, California, October 15, 1964) was a composer and lyricist. He published his first song when he was ten years old. Two of his Broadway musicals are Can Can and Kiss Me Kate.
Flag of Portugal
Portugal celebrates Portugal Day. The country’s national and beloved poet, Luis Vas de Camoes, died on this day in 1580. According to the CIA World Factbook, Portugal is about the size of Indiana. Surrounded by ocean on two sides and Spain on the other two sides, Portugal has a maritime climate. Almost eleven million citizens live there, and the majority live in cities. The country exports agricultural products, wine, and food products. Lisbon is the capital. Children could learn more at: Portugal.
Forest Fire Station in Colorado
Forest fire lookout stations, erected in Greenville, Maine, in 1905, were the first of their kind. The towers rose in popularity during the 1930’s to the 1950’s. During World War II, fire towers along the Pacific Ocean were used to spot enemy craft. Today the number of lookout stations has declined because of other technology, including drones and airplanes.
Today’s Ball Point Pens
Ballpoint pen was patented in 1943 by Laszlo Biro in Argentina. The ballpoint pen has a small ball bearing in the point so that the thick ink can flow smoothly. Children could learn how ballpoint pens work at: http://home.howstuffworks.com/pen2.htm.
Courbet self-portrait with dog
Gustave Courbet (born Ornans, France, 1819; died La Tour-de-Peliz, Switzerland, December 31, 1877) was a Realist painter. Many of his works can be seen at: Gustave Courbet.
Pauline Cushman (born Harriet Wood, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1833; died San Francisco, California, December 2, 1893) was an actress and spy for the Union army during the Civil War. She befriended Confederate officials, gained their secrets, and then passed on the information to the North. She was captured twice. A photo shows her in a Union uniform, and she was wounded twice. Abraham Lincoln made her an honorary major in the Union army. She became “Miss Major Pauline Cushman.”
Charlotte Herman (born Chicago, Illinois, 1937) has written at least 23 books for children. Her works include the Max Malone series and My Chocolate Year.
Maurice Sendak (born Brooklyn, New York, 1928; died Danbury, Connecticut, May 8, 2012) wrote and/or illustrated over 150 books for children. He received SEVEN Caldecott Honor Awards: in 1954 for A Very Special House, in 1959 for What Do You Say, Dear?, in 1960 for The Moon Jumpers, in 1962 for Little Bear’s Visit, in 1963 for Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present, in 1971 for In the Night Kitchen, and in 1982 for Outside Over There. He earned the 1964 Caldecott Medal for the classic Where the Wild Things Are. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal was presented to him in 1983. He was also awarded the 1970 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his body of work, and he received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2003. Children can learn more about his life and books at: Maurice Sendak.
Henry VIII married the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon, in 1509. A Spanish princess, Catherine was the widow of his brother, Prince Arthur. Children can learn more about all of his wives at: Wives.
Committee of Five
Continental Congress in 1776 organized the Committee of Five to write the Declaration of Independence. The committee was comprised of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, John Adams, and Robert Livingston. The group met and decided that Thomas Jefferson would write the first draft. He worked on the document over the next few days, and then the group edited his work. The committee presented their work to the full Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. Children could view a bas relief of the five at: Committee of Five.
Comstock Lode was discovered in Nevada in 1859. This time the metal was silver, and a “silver rush” took place similar to the gold rush ten years earlier. By 1882 the mines had produced $397,000,000 worth of silver. However, by 1898 the mines were pretty much played out.
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 in the Philippines. The volcano, dormant for some time, disgorged ash and gas 60 miles into the air. Sulfuric acid droplets formed a layer in the earth’s atmosphere. It actually lowered the earth’s temperature by about one degree for several years. Children could learn about volcanoes in general at: Volcanoes.