William Caxton published the first illustrated book in England in 1481. The book, entitled The Mirror of the World, was about the sciences. Children can read some of his works (but not The Mirror of the World) at: Project Gutenberg.
Mar 082026
Mar 082026
Compact Disc (CD) was introduced to the public by Philips Company, an electronics company based in the Netherlands, in 1979.
Mar 082026
Howard Hathaway Aiken (born Hoboken, New Jersey, 1900; died St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 1973) invented the digital computer. He finished the Harvard Mark I, funded by IBM, in February 1944. He later created the Harvard Mark II, the Harvard Mark III (with some electronic components), and the Harvard Mark IV (with all electronic components).
Hannah Hoes Van Buren
Library of Congress
Hannah Hoes Van Buren (born Kinderhook, New York, 1783; died Albany, New York, February 5, 1819) was the first wife of Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States. She died from tuberculosis before he was elected to office. Children could visit a website at: Hannah Hoes Van Buren.
Josephine Cochran (or Cochrane) (born Ashtabula County, Ohio, 1839; died Chicago, Illinois, August 3, 1913) invented the first practical dishwashing machine in 1886. Cochran received Patent Number 355,139. Children can view the patent at: Dishwashing Machine. She founded the Garis-Cochrane Manufacturing Company shortly after the patent was issued. The company was renamed Cochran’s Crescent Washing Machine Company in 1897. After her death in 1913, the business was acquired by KitchenAid, now part of Whirlpool Corporation. Children could read Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine: Josephine Cochran’s Bright Invention Makes a Big Splash, written Kate Hannigan and illustrated by Sarah Green.
Kenneth Grahame (born Edinburgh, Scotland, 1859; died Pangbourne, Berkshire, England, July 6, 1932) was an author. Idea: He is most known for his book Wind in the Willows. He also wrote The Reluctant Dragon. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg. They can also learn more at: Kenneth Grahame.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1841; died Washington, DC, March 6, 1935) was one of the most important judges America has had. He was the son of Oliver Wendell Holmes, a distinguished writer. He fought in the Civil War and was wounded three times. He became a lawyer and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1902 by President Theodore Roosevelt. He served on the Supreme Court for almost thirty years. Idea: Students could read more about his philosophy and his court decisions.
Robert Sabuda (born Wyandotte, Michigan, 1965) writes and illustrates books for children. He is known for his pop-up books. He has written and/or illustrated at least 38 books. His books include The Mummy’s Tomb and The Knight’s Castle. Children can learn how to make different pop-ups at: Robert Sabuda.
Mar 092026
Dentures were patented in the United States by Charles Graham of New York, New York, in 1822. False teeth had been around for centuries, but those dentures were made from human teeth or animal teeth. His dentures were made from porcelain and were harder and more durable. George Washington wore dentures. Children could find out how many sets of dentures George Washington had.
Mar 092026
USS Monitor
Monitor and Merrimac, two ironclad ships, battled in 1862 during the Civil War. The Merrimac, a Confederate vessel, and the Monitor, a Union ship, exchanged fire. Both pulled away after about two hours. Neither ship was severely damaged. Children could learn more at: Monitor and Merrimac.
Mar 092026
Barbie, the doll, celebrates her birthday today. She was created in 1959 by Ruth Handler after Ruth saw a doll with adult characteristics (as opposed to a baby doll) in Germany. She bought three dolls and brought them back to the United States. Changes were made to the doll, and the doll was named Barbie after Handler’s daughter. Around 350,000 thousand dolls were sold in the first year of production. Today over one billion dolls have been sold in 150 countries. Children can visit the Mattel site at: http://www.barbie.com/.
Mar 092026
Sputnik 9, a Soviet spacecraft, ventured into space in 1961. Its passengers included a mannequin, a dog named Chernushka (Blackie), some mice, and a guinea pig. It made a single orbit before returning to earth. The mannequin was ejected prior to the landing to test an ejection seat.
Mar 092026
Harry Bliss (born Rochester, New York, 1964) is a cartoonist and an illustrator of at least 20 children’s books. He illustrated Sharon Creech’s A Fine, Fine School and Doreen Cronin’s Diary of a Worm.
Bobby Fischer (born Chicago, Illinois, 1943; died Reykjavik, Iceland, January 17, 2008) was a world chess champion from 1972 to 1975.
Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin (born Gzhatsk, Russia, 1934; died in a plane crash near Moscow, Russia, March 27, 1968) was a Soviet cosmonaut. He was the first man to travel in space. His spacecraft completed one complete orbit of the earth on April 12, 1961. He was instantly famous, and eventually he became involved in the training of other cosmonauts.
William Jackson (born Cumberland, England, 1759; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, December 17, 1828) fought in the Revolutionary War. However, he is most famous for serving as the secretary during the Constitutional Convention. He did not represent any of the thirteen states, but he kept minutes and maintained secrecy during the convention. He deserves more attention than he currently gets. Older children can learn more at: William Jackson.
Ellen Levine (born New York, New York, 1939; died New York, New York, May 26, 2012) wrote around 20 books for children. Her book Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories received a 2001 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. She also wrote Henry’s Freedom Box. The illustrator, Kadir Nelson, received a 2008 Caldecott Honor Award for the artwork.
Amerigo Vespucci (born Florence, Italy, 1451; died Seville, Spain, February 22, 1512) was an Italian explorer. Even though Columbus reached the New World before Vespucci, the latter was the first to realize it was a new continent. Vespucci traveled at least twice to the New World around 1499 to 1502. Columbus continued to believe he had landed near India. Martin Waldseemuller, an early cartographer, named the new land America in honor of Amerigo Vespucci. Children could read Jean Fritz’s outstanding book, Around the World in a Hundred Years to learn more about Vespucci and Columbus.
Mar 102026
Harriet Tubman Day is today! President George H. W. Bush proclaimed the day in 1990. Harriet Tubman died in Auburn, New York, on this day in 1913. Her exact date of birth is unknown. She was born around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. A slave, she escaped to Philadelphia in 1849. She then became the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad, probably saving about 900 people. During the Civil War, she acted as a spy and a scout. After the war, she cared for orphans and the aged. Children may want to read Before She Was Harriet, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated by James E Ransome. He received a 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for the book. Children could also learn more about her life at: Harriet Tubman.
Mar 102026
Daniel Boone
Painting by Chester Harding
Daniel Boone was hired in 1775 to cut the Wilderness Road. The road connected Virginia via the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. The trail was rough and rocky; settlers walked the trail or rode horses. In 1790 the road was improved so that wagons could travel on it. Children can learn more about the Wilderness Road at: Daniel Boone.