Admiral Byrd
Admiral Richard E. Byrd and three colleagues made the first ever flight over the South Pole in 1929. They traveled 1560 miles in over 18 hours. They had to dump empty gas tanks and emergency supplies to achieve necessary altitude. They mapped new mountain ranges and collected meteorological and geologic information.
Enos in 1961 became the first US chimpanzee to survive orbital flight. He was part of Mercury Atlas 5, which orbited twice around the world before it splashed into the ocean near Puerto Rico. The flight was a precursor to one where John Glenn orbited the earth. Children can read about animals in the space program at: Space Animals.
Dale Cummings, a high school senior, did 14,118 sit-ups in 1965.
Pong was released by Atari in 1972. Pong was the first video game that was financially successful. Initially created as an arcade game, it was later sold to home gamers. The game set off a huge amount of research and development. Today video games account for about $67 billion in revenue a year.
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott (born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1832; died Boston, Massachusetts, March 6, 1888) was a novelist. One of her most famous works is Little Women. Children can read her works at Project Gutenberg. Children can learn more at: Louisa May Alcott.
Christian Johann Doppler (born Salzburg, Austria, 1803; died Venice, Italy, March 17, 1853) was an Austrian physicist. He proposed the Doppler Effect. Children could learn more about the Doppler Effect regarding sound and actually set up experiments to verify Doppler’s findings by viewing: Doppler Effect.
Jon Klassen (born Winnipeg, Canada, 1981) writes and illustrates books for children. He received the 2013 Caldecott Medal for This Is Not My Hat and a 2013 Caldecott Honor Award for Extra Yarn. He earned a 2015 Caldecott Honor Award for Sam and Dave Dig a Hole.
Madeleine L’Engle (born New York, New York, 1918; died Litchfield, Connecticut, September 6, 2007) was a children’s author. She wrote over 60 books, including A Wrinkle in Time, which received the 1963 Newbery Medal. A Ring of Endless Light was a 1981 Newbery Honor Award winner. Children could visit a website devoted to her at: Madeleine L’Engle.
C. S. Lewis (born Clive Staples Lewis in Belfast, Ireland, 1898; died Oxford, England, November 22, 1963) was a writer and a professor of medieval literature. He wrote for both adults and children. His most famous work in children’s literature is a series of seven books, The Chronicles of Narnia. Children can learn more at: C. S. Lewis.
Nellie Tayloe Ross (born Saint Joseph, Missouri, 1876; died Washington, DC, December 19, 1977) was the first woman governor of a state in the United States. After her husband, the governor of Wyoming, died, she completed his term. Then she campaigned and won her term. She was not reelected, but she became director of the United States Mint in 1933. She remained at that post for twenty years. Children could learn more at: Nellie Tayloe Ross.
Charles Thomson (born Machera, County Derry, Ireland, 1729; died Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, August 16, 1824) was secretary for the First 
Continental Congress. He was secretary as the colonial representatives drafted and voted on the Declaration of Independence. Many historians believe that only John Hancock and he signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. He recorded government proceedings for the next fifteen years and collected thousands of documents. He gave all the records to the government in 1789.
Flag of Barbados
Barbados celebrates Independence Day. It became free from Great Britain in 1966; however, it has remained in the British Commonwealth. This easternmost island in the Caribbean is 166 square miles, about 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC. In the colonial days the economy depended on sugarcane. Today, however, tourism is a big source of revenue. Almost 300,000 people live in Barbados, and close to half the population lives in Bridgetown, the capital.
First International Football Match was held in 1872 in Patrick, Scotland. The national team of Scotland played the national team of England. The game ended in a 0-0 tie before 4,000 spectators. This game more resembled what Americans call soccer than what we call football.
The Flying Scotsman in 1934 became the first locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour. The train connected London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Today the locomotive is on exhibit at the National Railway Museum in the United Kingdom. Today’s fastest train is the Shanghai Maglev, which travels at more than 267 miles per hour. Children could conduct research to find the speeds of other trains.
Shirley Chisholm
Shirley Chisholm (born Brooklyn, New York, 1924; died Ormond Beach, Florida, January 1, 2005) was the first African American woman elected to Congress. She represented New York’s 12th District from 1969 to 1983. Children can read Shirley Chisholm: The Story of the First Black Woman in Congress, by Alicia D. Williams. Children can also learn more at: Shirley Chisholm.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (born Oxfordshire, England, 1874; died London, England, January 24, 1965) was the Prime Minister of England during World War II. Children could read more about Churchill by exploring an interesting timeline at: Winston Churchill. How did he keep Great Britain functioning during the war?
Dick Clark (born Mt. Vernon, New York, 1924; died Santa Monica, California, April 12, 2012) was a television personality. He hosted American Bandstand.
William Livingston (born Albany, New York, 1723: died Elizabeth, New Jersey, July 25, 1790) represented New Jersey at the Constitutional Convention. A wealthy lawyer, he served in the Continental Congress and headed New Jersey’s militiamen during the Revolutionary War. He was also elected New Jersey’s governor in 1776. The British placed a bounty on him, and for about six years he was constantly on the move. Following the war, he tried to eliminate slavery. Older children could learn more at: William Livingston.
Lucy Maud Montgomery (born New London, Prince Edward Island, Canada, 1874; died Toronto, Canada, April 24, 1952) wrote 20 novels, over 500 short stories, and at least 500 poems. Her most famous work is probably Anne of Green Gables. She also wrote Emily’s Quest. Children can read her works at: Project Gutenberg. Children can learn more at: Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Roland Smith (born Portland, Oregon, 1951) has written close to 50 books for children and young adults. His works include In the Forest with the Elephants and Eruptions. Children can learn more at: Roland Smith.
Jonathan Swift (born Dublin, Ireland, 1667; died Dublin, Ireland, October 19, 1745) was an author and a satirist. One of his most famous works is Gulliver’s Travels, published in 1726. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain (born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, 1835; died Redding, Connecticut, April 21, 1910) was a writer. His works include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper. His birth and death coincide with an astronomical event. Students could see if they can find the event. Children can also read his works at: Project Gutenberg. Children can learn more at: Mark Twain.
Margot Zemach (born Los Angeles, California, 1931; died Berkeley, California, May 21, 1989) wrote/illustrated over 40 children’s books. She often collaborated with her husband, Harve Ficshstrom, who used the pseudonym Harve Zemach. She won the 1974 Caldecott Medal for Duffy and the Devil. She earned two Caldecott Honor Awards: one in 1970 for The Judge: An Untrue Tale and one in 1978 for It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale.