George Wythe died in 1806 in Richmond, Virginia. He was born in Elizabeth City, Virginia, probably in the year 1726. The exact date of his birth is unknown. Representing Virginia, he was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He also attended the Constitutional Convention. A lawyer, he was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe. Sadly, he was murdered by a nephew seeking Wythe’s fortune. Children can learn more at: George Wythe.
First Official Missile Mail
Rocket Mail took place in 1959. The United States Postal Service launched a missile, loaded with commemorative letters, from the USS Barbero, located off the northern coast of Florida. The missile safely parachuted down with its contents in Florida. There was thought that rockets could quickly deliver mail from continent to continent, but rocket costs and numerous setbacks halted the plans.
Tim Berners-Lee (born London, England, 1955) is a computer scientist and is credited with creating the World Wide Web. Children could view some of his TED talks at: Tim Berners-Lee.
Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush (born Rye, New York, 1925; died Houston, Texas, April 17, 2018) was America’s First Lady from January 20, 1989 to January 20, 1993. She was the wife of George Bush, forty-first president of the United States. Because her husband’s occupations revolved around either the oil business or politics, they moved frequently. She counted 29 moves. While she was First Lady, she strove to improve literacy in America. While she was the wife of the forty-first president, she was also the mother of the forty-third president. Children can visit a website at: Barbara Bush.
Francis Crick (born Northampton, England, 1916; died San Diego, California, July 28, 2004) discovered with James Watson the structure of DNA. He, along with Watson and Maurice Wilkins, received the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Children can learn more at: Francis Crick.
William Few (born near Baltimore, Maryland, 1748; died Beacon, New York, July 16, 1828) represented Georgia at the Constitutional Convention. He was a U.S. senator, and then he and his family moved to New York, where he was active in politics and the economy. Children could learn more at: William Few.
Ida Saxton McKinley
Ida Saxton McKinley (born Canton, Ohio, 1847; died Canton, Ohio, May 26, 1907) was America’s First Lady from March 4, 1897 to September 14, 1901. She was the wife of William McKinley, twenty-fifth president of the United States. Children can learn more at: Ida McKinley.
Carolyn Meyer (born Lewistown, Pennsylvania, 1935) has written at least 50 books for children and young adults. She writes historical fiction and biographies. Her books include the Royals series and The True Adventures of Charley Darwin. Children can visit her website at: Carolyn Meyer.
Judy Sierra (born Falls Church, Virginia, 1945) has written at least 50 books for children. Her books include Wild About Books and Tasty Baby Belly Buttons. Children can visit her website at: Judy Sierra.
Frank Lloyd Wright (born Richland Center, Wisconsin, 1867; died Phoenix, Arizona, April 9, 1959) was a revolutionary architect. He believed a house and its surroundings should blend together. One of his most famous designs was Fallingwater in western Pennsylvania where a house was designed around a small stream and waterfall. Children could learn more by reading Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities by Kathleen Thorne Thomsen.
Charles Elmer Hires began selling his root beer in 1869 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The beverage dates back to the colonial era, but Hires marketed his root beer as ”the Greatest Health-Giving Beverage in the World.”
Flag of Hong Kong
British leased Hong Kong from China in 1898. The lease was good for 99 years, and Hong Kong returned to Chinese control July 1, 1997. According to the CIA World Factbook, Hong Kong is about six times the size of Washington, DC, and its population is 7.26 million people. Children could learn more at: Hong Kong.
Donald Duck made his debut in 1934. He appeared in the cartoon The Wise Little Hen, Disney’s take on The Little Red Hen. He and another character faked stomachaches to get out of doing chores. The Wise Little Hen helped them see the error of their ways. Idea: Children could try to draw Donald Duck.
Georgia Neese Clark
Georgia Neese Clark in 1949 became the first woman treasurer of the United States. She served under President Harry Truman from 1949 to 1953. Every treasurer, an official in the department of the treasury, since then has been a woman. Children can view the list of US treasurers at: Treasurers.
Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. The first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1948, he won the third leg, the Belmont Stakes. The horse raced several more times and then retired in November, 1973. Four other horses since then have won the Triple Crown:
Children can see a list of all the Triple Crown winners at: Triple Crown.
Amedeo Avogadro
Amedeo Avogadro (born Turin, Italy, 1776; died Turin, Italy, July 9, 1856) was a chemist and a physicist. From 1820 until his death he was a professor at the University of Turin. His research led to Avogadro’s Law: two gases at the same pressure and temperature will have the same number of molecules. He also created Avogadro’s Constant, the Mole.
Johann Gottfried Galle (born Prussia, 1812; died Potsdam, Germany, July 10, 1910) was an astronomer. Using the calculations of John Couch Adams, he became the first person to find and see Neptune on September 23, 1848.
Gregory Maguire (born Albany, New York, 1954) has written at least 23 books for children and 13 books for adults. He has also written at least 10 short stories and three books of nonfiction. His books include The Wicked Years series and Missing Sisters. Children can visit his website at: Gregory Maguire.
Cole Porter (born Peru, Indiana, 1892; died Santa Monica, California, October 15, 1964) was a composer and lyricist. He published his first song when he was ten years old. Two of his Broadway musicals are Can Can and Kiss Me Kate.
Flag of Portugal
Portugal celebrates Portugal Day. The country’s national and beloved poet, Luis Vas de Camoes, died on this day in 1580. According to the CIA World Factbook, Portugal is about the size of Indiana. Surrounded by ocean on two sides and Spain on the other two sides, Portugal has a maritime climate. Almost eleven million citizens live there, and the majority live in cities. The country exports agricultural products, wine, and food products. Lisbon is the capital. Children could learn more at: Portugal.