Macaroni Box Comptometer
Comptometer, the first accurate adding machine, was patented by Dorr Eugene Felt in 1887. Made from a macaroni box and rubber bands, the prototype earned patent number 371,496. Felt and his partner became financially successful, and he held 46 other patents. The original macaroni box prototype is now part of the Smithsonian collection. Older children could learn more at: Comptometer.
Apollo 7 lifted off in 1968. The first successful three-person team, the mission lasted eleven days. Walter Schirra, Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham were the crew. Children could learn more at: Apollo 7.
Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. She was part of the 1984 Challenger crew. The mission was completed October 13, 1984. Children could learn more at: Kathryn D. Sullivan.
Space Shuttle in 2000 was launched on its one hundredth mission, to help with the International Space Station.
Children could choose from an index of space missions at: https://www.nasa.gov/missions.
World population in 1999 reached six billion people. Today the population is over eight billion. Children can view some extraordinary statistics about world populations at: http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/.
Art Blakey (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1919; died New York, New York, October 16, 1990) was a jazz drummer and bandleader.
Russell Freedman (born San Francisco, California, 1929; died New York, New York, March 16, 2018) wrote more than 50 books for children. Lincoln: A Photobiography earned the 1987 Newbery Award. The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane received a 1992 Newbery Honor Award, and Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery earned a 1994 Jane Addams Honor Award. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights received both a 2005 Newbery Honor Award and the 2005 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Medal. In 1998 he received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for his lifetime contributions to children’s literature.
Roscoe Robinson, Jr. (Born Saint Louis, Missouri, 1928; died Washington, DC, July 22, 1993) was the first African American to be a four-star general in the army.
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (born New York, New York, 1884; died New York, New York, November 7, 1962) was wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, thirty-second president of the United States. She was probably one of the most influential First Ladies, holding her own press conferences. She was also a writer and a diplomat. She represented the United States at the United Nations. Children might want to read Russell Freedman’s Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery. Children could also visit a website at: Eleanor Roosevelt.
Parson Mason Locke Weems (born Anne Arundel County, Maryland, 1759; died Beaufort, South Carolina, May 23, 1825) was a minister and a bookseller. He is famous for his fiction that he presented as fact. One of his tales was the one where George Washington chopped down the cherry tree. Idea: Children could read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg. Then they could take a real person and “Parson Weems” a story.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492. He had left Spain on August 3, 1492, with three ships and 90 men. His journey, filled with dangers, marked the beginning of the age of exploration. Children can read a well-written summary of his explorations at: Columbus.
Flag of Spain
Spain, recognizing Columbus’s 1492 accomplishment, celebrates National Day. At one time Spain controlled most of South America and Central America and portions of North America. Spain, home to over 47 million citizens, is about twice the size of Oregon, and Madrid is the capital. Children could learn more at: Spain.
Flag of Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea celebrates Independence Day. It gained its independence from Spain in 1968. The country consists of a mainland portion of Africa and five islands. The country, slightly larger than the state of Maryland, exports cocoa beans and coffee. About 700,000 people live in Equatorial Guinea, and Malabo is the capital.
Pledge of Allegiance was recited in schools for the first time in 1892. Francis Bellamy wrote the oath in two hours, but previously he had devoted years to developing the concept. The pledge has been modified, and four states, Vermont, Wyoming, Hawaii, and Iowa, do not require the oath in schools.
Mass Use of Iron Lungs
Iron lung was used for the first time in 1928 in a Boston hospital. During the 1940’s and 1950’s, when polio outbreaks were at their worst, some children with polio could not breathe on their own. They were put into iron lungs, and the apparatus used negative pressure to help them breathe. Over 1,200 people needed to use an iron lung. In 1954 mass polio inoculations began to take place. Fewer and fewer people contracted polio, so the need for iron lungs decreased. Today the United States is just about polio-free. Also, newer inventions help people breathe easier and with more mobility. The iron lung is seldom used today.
Edward Bloor (born Trenton, New Jersey, 1950) has written at least sixteen books for children and young adults. He is also a playwright. His works include Tangerine and Crusader. Young adults can visit his website at: Edward Bloor.
Luciano Pavarotti (born Modena, Italy, 1935; died Modena, Italy, September 6, 2007) was an opera singer. Idea: Children could listen to a recording of his music.