Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon resigned from office as the thirty-seventh President in 1974 because he was about to be impeached for his part in the Watergate scandals.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford was then sworn in as the thirty-eighth president in 1974.
Jose Aruego (born Manila, Philippines, 1932; died New York, New York, August 9, 2012) was a children’s author and illustrator. Idea: Children could read and enjoy some of his work, especially Mitchel is Moving. They could learn more at: Jose Aruego.
Patricia McKissack (born Nashville, Tennessee, 1944; died Saint Louis, Missouri, April 7, 2017) was a children’s author of great acclaim. She and her late husband Fredrick wrote and illustrated over 100 books together. A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter earned the 1990 Coretta Scott King Medal and the 1990 Jane Addams Book Award. Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? received a 1993 Coretta Scott King Honor Award. The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural was a 1993 Newbery Honor Book and the 1993 Coretta Scott King Medal winner. McKissack earned another Coretta Scott King Medal in 1995 for Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters and still another Coretta Scott King Honor Award in 1997 for Rebels Against Slavery: American Slave Revolts. McKissack earned still more Coretta Scott King Honor Awards: one in 2000 for Black Hands, White Sails: The Story of African-American Whalers and one in 2004 for Days of Jubilee: The End of Slavery in the United States.
Seymour Simon (born New York, New York, 1931) is a children’s author. He has written about 250 nonfiction books about many different subjects. All of his books, including Big Cats and Neptune, reflect thoughtful research. Children could visit his amazing website at: Seymour Simon.
P. L. Travers (born Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, 1899; died London, England, April 23, 1996) was an author. She wrote the Mary Poppins series.
National S’mores Day is today! What a way to celebrate a lovely summer evening – gooey marshmallows, chocolate squares, and graham crackers! S’more is a contraction of Some More. S’mores recipes can be found in 1920’s Girl Scout cookbooks. Idea: Children could eat s’mores and learn about World Lion Day, also being celebrated today. They could also imagine a lion eating s’mores!
Male Lion
World Lion Day is today! The day reminds us that we have to protect lions. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, the lion is an apex predator. Lions live in groups called prides. A pride is composed of about fifteen members: several males, several females, and their cubs.
Flag of Ecuador
Ecuador celebrates Independence Day. It declared its autonomy from Spain in 1809. Located on the western coast of South America, the country is slightly smaller than the state of Nevada. The geography includes a coastal plain, a portion of the Andes Mountains, and an interior plain. Petroleum reserves help support the economy. Over fifteen million people live in Ecuador, and Quito is the capital. Ecuador owns the Galapagos Islands. Children can learn more at: Ecuador.
Missouri State Flag
Missouri became the twenty-fourth state of the United States in 1821. Its name comes from the Iliniwek word missouri, meaning owner of big canoes. The state’s nickname is the “Show-Me State,” and Jefferson City is the capital. It ranks nineteenth in area and sixteenth in population. St. Louis, a large Missouri city, was once the Gateway to the West. The Gateway Arch, a reminder of that role, was built in 1964 and stands 630 feet high. The Pony Express ran from Missouri to California. Children could find out why Missouri is called the “Show-Me State.”
“E Pluribus Unum” became the United States motto in 1776. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson brought the phrase to the decision-makers. The English translation is “Out of Many One.” In 1956 the motto was officially replaced by “In God We Trust.”
Mona Lisa
Musée du Louvre opened in 1793 in Paris, France. At the opening it displayed 537 paintings. Today the museum houses over 35,000 works of art, and more than eight million people visit the museum yearly. Perhaps its most famous artwork is Mona Lisa. Children can visit its fascinating website at: Louvre for Kids.
James Smithson
Smithsonian Institute was created by Congressional law in 1846. The money was given to the United States by James Smithson in 1836, but the government needed ten years to decide how best to use the donation. Today the Smithsonian has 19 museums and galleries, and 30 million people visit various parts of the Smithsonian yearly. Children could chart all the various parts of the Smithsonian. They could visit the AMAZING kid portion of the Smithsonian website at: http://www.si.edu/Kids.
Record low temperature was recorded in 2010 at Vostok Station in Antarctica. The temperature reached a low of -136 degrees F. That temperature is colder than dry ice! This record broke the July 21, 1983, temperature of -128.6 degrees F.