Happy Birthday, Texas!

 Events
Dec 292025
 
Texas State Flag

Texas State Flag

Texas became the twenty-eighth state of the United States in 1845. Its name derives from the Caddo tavshas, meaning friends. Its nickname is the Lone Star State, and Austin is the capital. While it is the second largest state of the Union, more than three-fourths of the population lives in cities. Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are listed in America’s ten largest cities. At one time the region that is now Texas belonged to Spain. Then Mexico claimed ownership. For a while Texas was an independent country, and then it joined the United States. Oil is a major natural resource, and the state produces cotton and cattle. The state dish is chili. Children could make and eat chili.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Dec 292025
 

Molly Garrett Bang (born Princeton, New Jersey, 1943) has written and/or illustrated at least 30 books for children. She illustrated, among other works, The Grey Lady and the Strawberry Snatcher, a wordless book. It received a 1981 Caldecott Honor Award. Ten, Nine, Eight received a 1984 Caldecott Honor Award. When Sophie Gets Angry – Really Really Angry… earned a 2000 Caldecott Honor Award. Children can visit her website at: Molly Garrett Bang.

Pablo Carlos Salvador Defillio de Casals (born Venrell, Spain, 1876; died Rio Pedros, Puerto Rico, October 22, 1973) was a famous cellist.

Charles Goodyear (born New Haven, Connecticut, 1800; died New York, New York, July 1, 1860) was an inventor. He was trying to develop a form of crude rubber. However, it cracked when it got cold. It stuck to other materials when it got hot. One day Goodyear accidentally dropped some rubber and sulfur on a hot stove. This vulcanization process made the rubber useful. Children can learn more about Goodyear and rubber at: Rubber.

E. W. Hildick (born Bradford, England, 1925; died London, England, February 12, 2001) wrote at least 80 books for children. His works include the Jack McGurk series and the Birdy Jones series.

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson (born Raleigh, North Carolina, 1808; died Carter’s Station, Tennessee, July 31, 1875) was the seventeenth president (1865-1869) of the United States. Johnson’s father died when Andrew was three years old. Although he never went to school, he obviously had a great deal of common sense. He rose from being Greenville, Tennessee’s mayor to state legislator. He was the governor of Tennessee before he was elected to the United States Senate. Since he remained loyal to the Union, he was almost hanged in Tennessee. He was Lincoln’s vice president and became president when Lincoln was assassinated. He was impeached, but he was found not guilty by one vote. Children can visit a website at: Andrew Johnson. Idea: Children could make a flow chart of the steps of impeachment. Why was he impeached?

Gadsden Purchase Treaty Was Signed in 1853

 Events
Dec 302025
 

Map of Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden Purchase Treaty was signed in 1853. The United States purchased from Mexico a strip of land south of the Gila River. James Gadsden, United States minister to Mexico, negotiated the deal with Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Mexico’s leader. The United States paid ten million dollars for the area. The country gained almost 30,000 square miles of territory. Children can learn more at: Gadsden Purchase.

USS Monitor, the Iron-Clad Ship, Sank in a Storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1862

 Events
Dec 302025
 
USS Monitor

USS Monitor

USS Monitor, the iron-clad ship, sank in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, in 1862. The Monitor had been built in early 1862. The ship faced the Confederate iron-clad Merrimac on March 9, 1862. Neither ship sustained major damage. The Monitor was being towed by the USS Rhode Island when both ships ran into a storm. Many of the Monitor crew members were saved by the Rhode Island crew. However, sixteen crew members died. Today the Monitor is part of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. Divers can roam around the outside of the ship. The Sanctuary is a wonderful repository of information and a catalyst for future experiments and research. Children can visit the Sanctuary’s website at: http://monitor.noaa.gov/. Idea: Young scholars could find out why so many ships have sunk off Cape Hatteras.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Dec 302025
 

Rudyard Kipling (born Bombay, India, 1865; died London, England, January 18, 1936) was a poet, novelist, and short story writer. He wrote more than 300 stories, and he is best known for his works about the India he loved. Among his most famous works are The Jungle Book and Just So Stories. He won the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature. Idea: Children could change one of his stories into a play, and then they could perform it. Children can read his works at: Project Gutenberg.

Mercer Mayer (born Little Rock, Arkansas, 1943) is a children’s book author and illustrator. He has written and/or illustrated more than 400 books. He is known for his many books about his Little Critter character. However, he has illustrated works by other authors, including John D. Fitzgerald’s The Great Brain Series. Children could visit his SUPER website, including videos, activities, games, and coloring sheets, at: Little Critter.

Jane O’Connor (born New York, New York, 1947) is an editor and a children’s author of at least 70 books. She is most famous for writing the Fancy Nancy books. She also writes the Nina, Nina, Ballerina books and a host of well-written nonfiction books. Children can visit the AMAZING Fancy Nancy website at: Jane O’Connor.

Jane Langton (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1922; died Lincoln, Massachusetts, December 22, 2018) wrote and illustrated at least 30 books for children. She is well-known for her Hall Family Chronicles and her Homer Kelly Mysteries. The Fledgling, a book from the Hall Family Chronicles, was a 1981 Newbery Honor Book.

“Happy New Year!” in Different Languages

 Events
Dec 312025
 

New Year’s Eve is today! Perhaps children would like to say “Happy New Year” in different languages?

Bonne Année – French

Godt Nyt Ar – Norwegian

Ein glückliches neues Jahr – German

Feliz año Nuevo – Spanish

Felice Anno Nuovo – Italian

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda – Welsh

Bonan Novjaron – Esperanto

Szczesliwego Nowego Roku – Polish

честита нова година – Bulgarian

New Year’s Eve is celebrated by many cultures around the world. One good source of information about ways the evening is celebrated is: New Year. Younger children could read The Night Before New Year’s, written by Natasha Wing and illustrated by Amy Wummer.

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Was Established in 1937

 Events
Dec 312025
 

Whooping Cranes

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937. Located in Texas along the San Antonio Bay and the Gulf Coast, the refuge is a 115,324-acre area that boasts over 400 species of migratory and resident birds. Aransas is the only US winter home of endangered whooping cranes. Sea turtles, butterflies, javelina, alligators, and wildflowers are just a few of the flora and fauna species harbored in Aransas. Children can learn more at: Aransas.

Panama Gained Control of Panama Canal in 1999

 Events
Dec 312025
 

Panama gained possession of the Panama Canal Zone from the United States at noon in 1999. The United States had controlled the  Panama Canal Zone as of February 26, 1904. The treaty allowed the United States to own the canal into perpetuity. However, from 1979 to 1999, the canal was controlled by both the United States and Panama. Children can learn more about the canal and its transfer at: Panama Canal.

Birthdays

 Birthdays
Dec 312025
 

Margery Cuyler (born Princeton, New Jersey, 1948) has written at least 35 picture books, four novels, and three nonfiction books for children. Her works include the classic That’s Good! That’s Bad! and The Little Dump Truck.

George Catlett Marshall

George Catlett Marshall (born Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 1880; died Washington, DC, October 16, 1959) was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during World War II. Following the war, he was the country’s secretary of state. He was the designer of the Marshall Plan, a way to help get war-torn Europe back on its feet. He received the 1953 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in carrying out the Marshall Plan. He was the only United States general to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Henri-Emile-Benoit Matisse (born Le Cateau, Picardy, France, 1869; died Nice, France, November 3, 1954) was an artist. He was a part of the fauve movement. He did not attempt to paint in a realistic style. He used bright colors and bold strokes. Children could visit a website at: Henri Matisse. They could also read A Bird or Two: A Story about Henri Matisse, by Bijou Le Tord. They could see some of Matisse’s work, and they could try to imitate his style.

Cynthia Leitich Smith (born Kansas City, Missouri, 1967) writes books for children. Because she was born into the Muskogee Creek Nation, her writing concentrates on the experiences of Native Americans . Her works include Jingle Dancer and Blessed. Children can learn more at: Cynthia Leitich Smith.

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