SpaceX Corporation successfully launched Falcon 9 and its Dragon Capsule in 2010. The Dragon Capsule parachuted back to earth about three hours after liftoff. SpaceX became the first privately held company to venture into the space program.
Mary Azarian (born Washington, DC, 1940) is an illustrator, working with woodcuts. She has illustrated over 50 children’s books and won the 1999 Caldecott Medal for Snowflake Bentley, written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin. Children can visit her website to view beautiful works of art as well as covers of many of her books at: Mary Azarian.
Miriam Chaikin (born Jerusalem, December 8, 1928; died April 19, 2015) wrote for both children and adults. She received the 1985 Sydney Taylor Award for her body of work. Children might want to read Alexandra’s Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah, illustrated by Stephen Fieser.
Padraic Colum (born Longford, Ireland, 1881; died Enfield, Connecticut, January 11, 1972) wrote plays and at least 61 books. He is most known for his children’s books. He earned a 1926 Newbery Honor Award for The Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances of Atlantic Discovery. He also received a 1934 Newbery Honor Award for Big Tree of Bunlahy: Stories of My Own Countryside. Children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Horace (born 65 B.C.; died 8 B.C.) was a great poet during ancient Roman times. Although his father had been a slave, Horace was well educated and a member of the army. Later, a wealthy friend recognized Horace’s talents and supported him. Horace was free from financial worries and could write. One of his most famous works is Odes. Children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Diego Rivera (born Guanajuato, Mexico, 1886; died Mexico City, Mexico, November 25, 1957) was an artist known for his large murals. He worked in earth tones and celebrated the common people. Rivera made very large murals. Perhaps the children could plan and complete a very large but temporary mural in chalk on the playground. Children can see many of his works at the Google Art Project at: Diego Rivera. They can also read Diego Rivera: His World and Ours, by Duncan Tonatiuh. This book won the 2012 Pura Belpré Award for best illustrations.
James Grover Thurber (born Columbus, Ohio, 1894; died New York, New York, November 2, 1961) was a writer and cartoonist. Much of his work appeared in The New Yorker magazine. One of his most famous short stories is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” He wrote several books for children, including Many Moons, which earned the 1944 Caldecott Medal for illustrator Louis Slobodkin. Other children’s books include The 13 Clocks and The Wonderful O. Children can learn more about Thurber at: James Thurber.
Edwin Tunis (born Cold Springs, New York, 1897; died Baltimore, Maryland, August 7, 1973) wrote books for children. He received a Newbery Honor Award in 1962 for Frontier Living. He also wrote Colonial Craftsmen and The Tavern at the Ferry. Children can learn more at: Edwin Tunis.
Eli Whitney (born Westborough, Massachusetts, 1765; died New Haven, Connecticut, January 8, 1825) was an inventor. He invented the cotton gin in 1793. It could clean as much cotton as fifty people could clean. Even though he had patented the cotton gin, other manufacturers made copies of his work. He fought them in the courts over years of trials. He also made muskets with interchangeable parts for the United States military. In 1798 he made 10,000 guns. Children can read more at the Eli Whitney Museum: Eli Whitney.
Petrified Forest
Petrified Forest National Park was founded in 1962. In addition to the magnificent Petrified Forest, visitors can find Indian ruins and parts of the Painted Desert. Children can visit the Arizona park’s website to examine amazing photographs, great interactive activities, story hour, and even coloring sheets at: http://www.nps.gov/pefo.
First Computer Mouse
Douglas Engelbart invented the computer mouse in 1967 and demonstrated it for the first time on December 9, 1968. However, it was not really used until 1984. He received no money for his invention. Children can view Engelbart’s timeline of inventions and see some other interesting ideas, including a knee operating system, at: Computer Mouse.
Joan Blos (born New York, New York, 1928; died Ann Arbor, Michigan, October 12, 2017) wrote at least sixteen books for children. A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl’s Journal, 1830-32 won the Newbery Medal in 1979.
Jean De Brunhoff (born Paris, France, 1899; died Switzerland, October 16, 1937) was a children’s author. He is known for his eight books about Babar the Elephant. When Jean died in 1937, his son Laurent continued his father’s legacy by creating 30 more Babar books. Children could see if they see a difference between Jean’s Babar and Laurent’s Babar. They could learn more at: Jean De Brunhoff.
Joel Chandler Harris (born Eatonton, Georgia, 1848; died Atlanta, Georgia, July 3, 1908) was an author. Among other works, he wrote the Uncle Remus stories. Children can read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg. They can also learn more at: Joel Chandler Harris.
Grace Hopper
Grace Murray Hopper (born New York, New York, 1906; died Arlington, Virginia, January 1, 1992) was a computer scientist and mathematician. She was employed by the military for a good part of her life. She worked on the Mark I computer team. She coined the word bug for computer foul-ups when she found an insect in the Mark I’s circuitry. She helped create COBOL, and she standardized the navy’s computer languages. She retired from the military in 1986 as the oldest officer on active duty, and she was buried in Arlington Cemetery. Computers have created all kinds of new terms, such as RAM and Internet. Children could generate a list of new computer terms. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on November 22, 2016. Children could learn more at: Grace Murray Hopper.
Mary Downing Hahn (born College Park, Maryland, 1937) writes for children. Author of at least 39 books, she is most known for Wait till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story. Stepping on the Cracks won the 1992 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Closed for the Season received the 2010 Edgar Award. Children could learn more at: Mary Downing Hahn.
Flag of Kingdom of Thailand
Kingdom of Thailand celebrates Constitution Day. Located in southeast Asia, the country is larger than California. Almost 67 million people (most of them Buddhists) inhabit this country that depends on monsoons. The capital is Bangkok. Thailand is the world’s second largest producer of tungsten and the third largest producer of tin. Vajiralongkorn is the current King of Thailand. Children could learn more at: Thailand.
Mississippi Flag
Mississippi became the twentieth state in the United States in 1817. Its nickname is the Magnolia State, and its name comes from an Ojibwa phrase, misi sipi, meaning great river. Jackson is the state capital. The state ranks thirty-second in area and thirty-first in population. Hernando de Soto explored the area around 1540. The state water mammal is the porpoise. Children love to spell Mississippi. Conduct a spelling bee, using states as the category.
Alfred Nobel
Nobel Prizes are awarded today. This day marks the 1896 death of Alfred Nobel, the creator of the Nobel Prizes. He stipulated that the income from his estate of about nine million dollars was to be awarded to people who have made contributions to the betterment of humanity. The categories are physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, economics, and peace. The first award was given in 1901. Children could go on the Internet and find the recipients. They could then find the countries these people represent and do some statistics. Research shows that about 60 percent of the recipients represent the United States. Children could visit the website at: http://www.nobelprize.org/.
Melvil Dewey (born Adams Center, New York, 1851; died Highlands County, Florida, December 26, 1931) created the Dewey decimal book classification system. He advocated the use of the metric system as well. You can read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (born Amherst, Massachusetts, 1830; died Amherst, Massachusetts, May 15, 1886) was a poet. A very shy 
individual, she rarely traveled. Only a few of her poems were published during her lifetime. After her death, her sister Lavinia found hundred of poems among her effects. Lavinia was able to publish some of the poems. People appreciated Dickinson’s work and more poems were issued. About 1,775 poems have been published, and Emily Dickinson is now regarded as one of America’s best poets. Children can find many of her poems at: Project Gutenberg.
Cornelia Funke (born Dorsten, Germany, 1958) writes fantasy and adventure stories for children. Her books include Dragon Rider, The Thief Lord, and the Inkheart Trilogy. Children could visit her absolutely amazing website at: Cornelia Funk.
Ada Lovelace (born London, United Kingdom, 1815; died Marylebone, United Kingdom, November 27, 1852) was a mathematician. She is best known for her work regarding Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Some experts credit her with being the first computer programmer. Children could read Ada Lovelace: Poet of Science by Diane Stanley.
Mary Norton (born London, England, 1903; died Hartland, England, August 29, 1992) was a children’s author. One of her most famous works is Bedknobs and Broomsticks, published in 1957. She also wrote several books about the Borrowers. Children could learn more at: Mary Norton.
Ernest Howard Shepard (born London, England, 1879; died London, England, March 24, 1976) was an artist and illustrator of children’s books. He illustrated Wind in the Willows and Winnie-the-Pooh. Children can learn more at: Ernest Howard Shepard.
United Nations Flag
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was created in 1946 to help post-World War II children. Today UNICEF provides services, including education, vaccination, and nutrition, to children in 190 countries. Children can visit the UNICEF website at: http://www.unicef.org/.