National Watermelon Day is today! Over 1,200 types of watermelon are grown. The watermelon plant is a vine that remains on the ground, and the watermelon is actually a type of berry called a pepo. A watermelon is composed of about 92% water with sugar making up the remainder. Watermelon is high in lycopene and contains other vitamins and minerals.
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus left Palos, Spain, in 1492 with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, in an attempt to reach Asia from a westerly direction. He commanded a crew of 90 men. They spotted land in the New World on October 12, 1492. Children could learn more at: Christopher Columbus.
Congress passed the first law limiting immigration in 1882. Children can learn about the history of immigration and view some great photographs at: Ellis Island.
Helicopter
VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Land) craft was demonstrated for the first time in 1954. Today’s helicopters are the most popular form of VTOL, but other forms do exist. Children can learn how helicopters work at: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/helicopter.html.
Mary Calhoun (born Keokuk, Iowa, 1926; died Boulder, Colorado, October 27, 2015) wrote more than 50 children’s books. Her works include Hot-Air Henry and Katie John.
Nicholas Gilman
Nicholas Gilman (born Exeter, New Hampshire, 1755; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1814) represented New Hampshire at the Constitutional Convention. During the Revolutionary War, he was with Washington at Valley Forge. After the Constitutional Convention, he served in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. Children could learn more at: Nicholas Gilman.
Margaret (Maggie) Kuhn (born Buffalo, New York, 1905; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 22, 1995) created the Gray Panthers. She did not want to retire at the age of 65, but current laws then gave her no choice. She founded the group to fight age discrimination. Laws regarding mandatory retirement changed as a result of her activities.
Elisha Graves Otis (born Halifax, Vermont, 1811; died Yonkers, New York, April 8, 1861) was an inventor. He created the first elevator with an automatic safety device. He showed the safety of the elevator in 1854, but elevators were not used extensively until skyscrapers were built.
Ernie Pyle (born Dana, Indiana, 1900; died Ie Shima Island, Okinawa, Japan, April 18, 1945) was a journalist and war correspondent. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his reports on the bombings in London and other World War II stories. He was killed while reporting the Pacific battles.
Flag of Cook Islands
Cook Islands celebrate Constitution Day. In 1965 the populace approved a constitution that gives them autonomy in free association with New Zealand. The area of the fifteen islands is about 1.3 times the size of Washington, DC. The northern islands are coral atolls, and the southern islands are vestiges of volcanic activity. About 10,500 people live there, mostly on the southern islands. The capital is Avarua. The islands are named after Captain James Cook, who saw one of the islands in 1793.
Coast Guard was founded in 1790. Currently over 50,000 people serve in the Coast Guard. Numerous cutters, fixed and rotary aircraft, and boats are used to keep our country and citizens safe. Children can learn more at: Coast Guard.
Artist’s Conception of Phoenix on Surface of Mars
Phoenix was launched by NASA in 2007. The spacecraft landed on a polar region of Mars on May 25, 2008, and conducted tests on water and surface chemistry until November 2, 2008. Then the Martian winter set in, and the fragile equipment could no longer send data. Children could learn more at: Phoenix.
Laurence Anholt (born London, United Kingdom, 1959) has written and/or illustrated more than 200 books translated into 30 languages. He often works with his wife, Catherine Anholt. Their works include Camille and the Sunflowers and Stone Girl Bone Girl. Children can visit their website at: Laurence Anholt.
Louis Armstrong (born New Orleans, Louisiana, 1901; died Corona, New York, July 6, 1971) was an influential jazz musician. Also called Satchmo, he played the trumpet. He appeared in several movies, including Hello, Dolly. Children may want to read Patricia McKissack’s Louis Armstrong: Jazz Musician. Children can learn more at: Louis Armstrong.
Joyce McDonald (born San Francisco, California, 1946) writes books for young adults. Her works include Mail-Order Kid and Shadow People. Young adults can visit her website at: Joyce McDonald.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama (born Honolulu, Hawaii, 1961) was the 44th President (2009-2017) of the United States. He was a member of the Illinois Senate from 1997 to 2003, and he was a United States senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008. Children can learn more at: Barack Obama.
Percy Bysshe Shelley (born Sussex, England, 1792; drowned during a storm near Leghorn, Italy, July 8, 1822) was a lyric poet. One of his best known works is Prometheus Unbound. Young adults could read many of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Raoul Wallenberg (born Stockholm, Sweden, 1912; presumed dead Soviet Union, July 17, 1947) was an architect. However, he is most remembered for saving 100,000 Jews from Nazi extermination during World War II. Wallenberg was arrested by the Soviets in Hungary in 1945. His arrest and death have not been fully explained.
Sir Humphrey Gilbert landed on Newfoundland in 1583 and claimed the land around St. John’s harbor for England. His ship, the HMS Squirrel, sank in a storm near the Azores while he was trying to return to England. Idea: Children could figure out how historians know what he did if his ship sank before he reached England.