United Nations Flag
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is sponsored by the United Nations. The event can be traced back to 1987 when a group met in Paris to see what could be done to eliminate poverty. This year’s theme is “Dignity for All in Practice.” Children can learn more at: End Poverty.
Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, hung Matisse’s Le Bateau upside down in 1961. The mistake was not discovered until December 3, 1961.
United States population exceeded 300 million in 2006. Children can view some fascinating facts about the United States population and the world population at: http://www.census.gov/popclock/.
Taipei 101
Photo by Peellden
Taipei 101 was topped with a pinnacle in 2003. It thus became the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was completed in 2010. Taipei 101 has 101 floors above ground and five stories below ground. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.
Jupiter Hammon (born probably Long Island, New York, 1711; died circa 1806) was the first African American to publish his poetry. Born into slavery, he learned to read. He published his first poem, “An Evening Thought,” in 1760. Children can read some of his works at: http://www.poemhunter.com/jupiter-hammon/.
Mae Jemison (born Decatur, Alabama, 1956) is a physician and retired astronaut. She is the first African American woman to travel into space. Children could view her TED talk at: Mae Jemison.
Arthur Miller (born New York, New York, 1915; died Roxbury, Connecticut, February 10, 2005) was a playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949. His works include Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.
Phillis Wheatley
Phillis Wheatley gained her freedom in 1773. Born around 1753 probably in Gambia or Senegal, she was sold into slavery when she was seven years old. Purchased by the Wheatley family, she was well-educated. She began writing poetry in 1767. She was emancipated after her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published on September 1, 1773. Children can read some of her works at: Project Gutenberg. Children can learn more about her life at: Phillis Wheatley.
Inner Workings of Transistor Radio
Transistor radio was sold for the first time in 1954. Texas Instruments created the small and portable radio. These radios allowed people to hear music wherever and whenever. Billions of transistor radios were sold during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for theorizing the double-helix structure of DNA. Children could learn more at: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1962/summary/. Notice that Rosalind Franklin was not included in the Nobel Prize.
First All-Woman Space Walk occurred in 2019. Ms. Christina Koch and Dr. Jessica Meir conducted a 7-hour 19-minute walk outside the International Space Station and replaced a broken power controller. The first such walk was supposed to happen in March 2019, until project managers realized the International Space Station did not have two suits suitable for women. Children can learn more at: All-Woman Space Walk.
James Brooks (born St. Louis, Missouri, 1906; died Brookhaven, New York, March 8, 1992) was an artist. He began his artistic career painting murals for the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration. Later his works became more abstract. Children can learn more and view some of his works at: James Brooks.
Joyce Hansen (born New York, New York, 1942) writes books for children. She has received four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards: in 1987 for Which Way Freedom, in 1995 for The Captive, in 1998 for I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, and in 1999 (with Gary McGowen) for Breaking Ground, Breaking Silence: The Story of New York’s African Burial Ground. Children can visit her website at: Joyce Hansen.
Ntozake Shange (born Trenton, New Jersey, 1948; died Bowie, Maryland, October 27, 2018) was a playwright, a poet, and an author. She wrote several books for children, including Ellington Was Not a Street and Coretta Scott.
Colin Thompson (born London, England, 1942) writes and illustrates fantasy books for children. His works include The Floods series and Looking for Atlantis. Children can visit his very interesting website, including some great illustrations, at: Colin Thompson.