Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park was created in 1890. Located in central-southern California, the park encompasses over 400,000 acres. Known for its magnificent sequoia trees, the park is also home to Mount Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Children can visit the park’s website at: Sequoia. Children could compare the sequoia to other types of trees.
Sandra Day O’Connor
Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman Supreme Court Justice when she was sworn in in 1981. She retired January 31, 2006. She died December 1, 2023. Children could learn more about her at: Sandra Day O’Connor. She founded a website to help students better understand government: https://www.icivics.org/.
William Cuthbert Faulkner (born New Albany, Mississippi, 1897; died Byhalia, Mississippi, July 6, 1962) was an author. Two of his most famous works were The Sound and the Fury and The Portable Faulkner. He won the Nobel Prize in 1949.
Jim Murphy (born Kearney, New Jersey, 1947; died Woodstock, New York, May 1, 2022) wrote at least 35 fiction and non-fiction books for children and young adults. He earned a Newbery Honor Award in 1996 for The Great Fire and another Newbery Honor Award in 2004 for An American Plague (which also received the 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal). He received a 2001 Robert F. Sibert Honor Award for Blizzard! The Storm that Changed America. In 2010 he was presented the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his lifelong contributions to young adult literature. Young adults can visit his website at: Jim Murphy.
Andrea Davis Pinkney (born Washington, DC, 1963) has written at least seventeen picture books, at least seventeen books for middle graders, and at least ten baby books. She and her husband, Brian Pinkney, often work together. Her Let It Shine! Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters received the 2001 Coretta Scott King Medal. Her works also include Sit-in: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down.
James E. Ransome (born Rich Square, North Carolina, 1961) has written and/or illustrated at least 50 books for children. He illustrated Baby Blessings and Sky Boys. Children can visit his website at: James Ransome.
Mark Rothko (born Marcus Rothkowitz in Dvinsk, Russia, 1903; died New York, New York, February 25, 1970) was an abstract expressionist. Children can view a number of his works and participate in a timeline of his life at: Mark Rothko.
Dmitri Shostakovich (born St. Petersburg, Russia, 1906; died Moscow, Russia, August 9, 1975) was a composer.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Shel Silverstein (born Chicago, Illinois, 1932; died Key West, Florida, May 10, 1999) was an author, illustrator, and songwriter. He wrote and illustrated a number of poetry books for children, including Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Giving Tree. Children can visit an amazing website dedicated to him at: Shel Silverstein.
Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake and his ship the Golden Hind circumnavigated the world in 1580. He had left England on December 13, 1577, with numerous ships and many men. The Golden Hind, the only ship to return, was loaded with treasure, and Queen Elizabeth’s half of the cargo was greater than all her other income that year. He was knighted for his efforts. Children could read You Wouldn’t Want to Explore with Sir Francis Drake, by David Stewart and David Salariya.
George Washington established his first cabinet in 1789.
Today the President’s cabinet is comprised of the Vice President and fifteen heads of departments. Children can learn more at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet.
Cement was patented in 1871. David Oliver Saylor, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, received patent number 119,413. Children can take some virtual tours of cement being made at: Cement.
Kennedy-Nixon Debate
Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, presidential candidates, held the first of four televised debates in 1960. Experts believe Kennedy fared better in the first debate, but Nixon improved as time went on.
Gilligan’s Island appeared for the first time in 1964. The show ran for 98 episodes, but the series has become famous through re-runs.
Shannon Lucid working out on a treadmill aboard Mir
Shannon Lucid, astronaut, returned to earth in 1996 after being in space 188 days. At the time she set the US record for longest time in space and the world record for the longest time for a woman in space. She conducted experiments aboard the Mir space station. She had previously flown on four other missions. Her record for an American woman was broken by Sunita Williams on June 16, 2007. Older children could learn more at: Shannon Lucid.
NASA’s DART intentionally smashed into Dimorphos in 2022. DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) was developed to test whether a craft could deflect the path of near-Earth objects. Dimorphos, a minor planet moon of the asteroid Didymos, was not close to Earth (seven million miles away). It was launched November 24, 2021. Astronomers, training multiple telescopes on the impact, are trying to judge the impact on the orbit of Dimorphos. So far DART has exceeded expectations. Children can learn more at: DART.