National Teacher Appreciation Day is today! The recognition goes back to 1944 when Mattye Whyte Woodbridge, an Arkansas teacher, wrote Eleanor 
Roosevelt. Woodbridge felt teachers needed a pat on the back, and Roosevelt agreed. She worked with Congress to create a Teacher Appreciation Day. Did you know there are 6.2 million teachers in the United States?
Hindenburg before last Flight
Hindenburg dirigible exploded in 1937 at 7:20 PM. Thirty-six of the 97 passengers and crew died. It was approaching its mooring mast at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Children could learn how modern-day airships work at: Airships.
Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister was the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes in 1954. In Oxford, England, about 3,000 spectators watched the young doctor complete the mile run in 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. His record lasted only 46 days when John Landy ran the mile in 3 minutes 58 seconds.
The Channel Tunnel, also called the Chunnel, connecting the United Kingdom and France, opened in 1994. It is 31 miles long, 23 of those miles under water. Digging beneath the English Channel began in 1988. Today about 18 million people travel on trains through the Chunnel each year. Children could learn more at a very interesting site: http://www.eurotunnel.com/build/.
Judy Delton (born Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1931; died Saint Paul, Minnesota, December 31, 2001) wrote more than 100 books for children. Her books include the Pee Wee Scouts series, The Goose Who Wrote a Book and Angel in Charge. Children can learn more at: Judy Delton.
Sigmund Freud (born Freiberg, Moravia, 1856; died London, England, September 23, 1939) changed the field of psychiatry. He believed that most behavior was caused by unconscious parts of the brain.
Ted Lewin (born Buffalo, New York, 1935; died July 28, 2021) wrote and/or illustrated at least 200 books for children. He often worked with his wife Betsy. I Was Teenage Professional Wrestler was his autobiography. His illustrations in Peppe the Lamplighter earned him a 1994 Caldecott Honor Award. Children can learn more at: Ted Lewin.
Giulio Maestro (born New York, New York, 1942) has illustrated over 125 books for children. Many of those books were written by his wife Betsy. He has also written some riddle books.
Willie Mays
Willie Mays (born Westfield, Alabama, 1931; died Palo Alto, California, June 18, 2024) was a famous and influential baseball player. An outfielder, he hit 660 homeruns during his career. He is remembered for making a spectacular catch during the 1954 World Series. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
Robert E. Peary (born Cresson, Pennsylvania, 1856; died Washington, DC, February 20, 1920) was an explorer. He led eight expeditions to the Arctic. He claimed he found the North Pole on April 6, 1909. Children could learn more at: Peary.
John Penn (born Caroline County, Virginia, 1740; died Williamsburg, North Carolina, September 14, 1788) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented North Carolina. A lawyer, he also signed the Articles of Confederation. Idea: Children could read about a duel he almost fought. They could also learn more at: John Penn.
RMS Lusitania sank in 1915. It was torpedoed by Germany, and 1,198 people, including 128 Americans, died. The ship was traveling from New York to Liverpool, England. The United States protested the action, but Germany countered that the ship held munitions for England and was fair game. The sinking created anti-German feelings in the United States, and America declared war on Germany on April 4, 1917.
A pearl weighing fourteen pounds was removed from a Philippine clam (yes, a clam) in 1934. Known as the Pearl of Allah or the Pearl of Lao Tzu, the pearl measures almost ten inches in diameter and weighs about 14.1 pounds. The pearl’s ownership is now in dispute.
Johannes Brahms (born Hamburg, Germany, 1833; died Vienna, Austria, April 3, 1897) was a great classical composer of concertos, symphonies and chamber music. Experts believe his strength was his ability to produce a theme and then to modify it as the music went on.
Nonny Hogrogian (born New York, New York, 1932) is an author and illustrator. She has won two Caldecott Medals, for Always Room for One More in 1966 and for One Fine Day in 1972. Her book The Contest received a 1977 Caldecott Honor Award.
Edwin H. Land
Edwin Herbert Land (born Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1909; died Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 1, 1991) was an inventor and a scientist. He created the Polaroid Land camera, and he held more than 500 patents. Children can learn more at: Edwin Herbert Land.
Peter Tchaikovsky (born Votinsk, Russia, 1840; died Saint Petersburg, Russia, November 6, 1893) was a composer. He created six symphonies, three ballets, and eleven operas. Two of his ballets were Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
Deborah Wiles (born Mobile, Alabama, 1953) writes books for children. Her books include the Aurora County Trilogy and The Sixties Project. Children can learn more at: Deborah Wiles.
Iris
National Iris Day began in Belgium in 1945 to symbolize the Allies’ victory, V-E Day, over the Nazis. The holiday migrated around the world, including the United States. This perennial plant tends to bloom in late spring. Over 300 species exist, and the plants grow from rhizomes buried below the soil surface. The word iris is derived from an ancient Greek word meaning rainbow. Idea: This project takes a couple of years. Children could plant a small number of iris rhizomes. Then the next year they can count the number of plants that appear. Then the next year they can count the number of plants that appear.
Mississippi River Watershed
Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River in 1541. He called the river Rio de Espiritu Santo. The Mississippi River is about 2,350 miles long. It begins at Lake Itasca and ends at the Gulf of Mexico. Children can learn more about the Mississippi River at: http://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm. Children can learn more about de Soto at: http://www.nps.gov/deso/index.htm