Great American Smokeout Day hopes to persuade smokers to quit. The day is always the third Thursday in November. The American Cancer Society states that 36.5 million Americans smoke cigarettes. The percentage of Americans smoking has declined from 42 percent in 1965 to 14 percent in 2019. However, the number of people smoking cigars or pipes is rising. Children could visit a website at: Great American Smokeout Day.
Gingerbread Cookies
National Gingerbread Cookie Day is today! The key ingredient that separates gingerbread from other baked goods is molasses. Spices include ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Many cultures, including Greece and Egypt, claim to be the originators of the tasty treat.
North Carolina Flag
North Carolina became the twelfth state of the United States by ratifying the Constitution in 1789. Its founders named the state after Charles I. Carolus means Charles in Latin. The state’s nicknames are the Tar Heel State and Old North State. Raleigh is the state capital. The state ranks 28th in size and 9th in population. In colonial times the state raised rice and tobacco. Leading sources of income today are tobacco, textiles, and furniture. The Wright Brothers flew their first airplane in Kittyhawk, North Carolina. Children could learn more at: North Carolina. They could also find out what a tar heel is.
Phonograph was invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison. The first phonograph certainly differs from today’s music options. Children could view a timeline of audio recordings at: Timeline. They could draw the different stages of development and then predict what the next stage will be.
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge opened in 1964. The 4,260-foot suspension bridge connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. The bridge was the longest in the world until the Humber Bridge was completed in the United Kingdom in 1981. The New York bridge was named in honor of Giovanni de Verrazzano, who was the first European to explore the Hudson River and the New York Harbor. Children could learn about the bridge at: Youtube.
Josiah Bartlett (born Amesbury, Massachusetts, 1729; died Kingston, New Hampshire, 1795) signed the Declaration of Independence. A physician, he represented New Hampshire. He was the first representative to vote for independence and the first representative to approve the Declaration of Independence. During the Revolutionary War he aided wounded soldiers. After the war, Bartlett was governor of New Hampshire from 1790 to 1794. Children could learn more at: Josiah Bartlett.
Stanley “Stan the Man” Musial (born Donora, Pennsylvania, 1920; died Ladue, Missouri, January 19, 2013) was a Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder and first baseman. He played for the Saint Louis Cardinals from 1941 to 1944. After completing his military duty in 1945, he returned to the Cardinals and played for them from 1946 to 1963. Children could learn more about him at: Stan Musial.
Leo Politi (born Fresno, California, 1908; died Fresno, California, March 26, 1996) was a children’s author and illustrator. His Pedro: The Angel of Olvera Street received the 1947 Caldecott Honor Award. Next, Juanita was chosen to be a 1949 Caldecott Honor Award book. Finally, Song of the Swallows won the 1950 Caldecott Medal. Children can learn more at: Leo Politi.
Much-loved and Well-used Copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Elizabeth George Speare (born Melrose, Massachusetts, 1908; died Tucson, Arizona, November 15, 1994) was a children’s author. She is one of only six authors who have earned two Newbery Medals. She received the 1959 Newbery Medal for The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In 1962 she won another Newbery Medal for The Bronze Bow, She also wrote The Sign of the Beaver, which was a 1984 Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. In 1989 Speare received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award of her contributions to children’s literature. Children could learn more at: Elizabeth George Speare.
Margaret Whalen Turner (born 1965) writes fantasy for young adults. Her book The Thief earned a 1997 Newbery Honor Award. Other books include The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia. Young adults can visit her website: Megan Whalen Turner.
Flag of Lebanon
Lebanon celebrates Independence Day. The country was under French control from the end of World War I until 1943. Lebanon is about three-fourths the size of Connecticut. Over four million people live in the country, and about half of population live in the capital, Beirut. Its resources include limestone, salt, and iron ore. Lebanon is a “water-surplus state in a water-deficit region.” Older children could learn more at: Lebanon.
Humane Society of United States was founded in 1954. The goal of the organization is to protect animals. Older children could learn more at: Humane Society.
SOS became the international distress signal in 1906. SOS is • • • ▬ ▬ ▬ • • • in the International Alphabet. Children could learn a bit about Morse code. They could practice sending SOS in Morse code.
China Clipper
China Clipper, a “flying boat,” left San Francisco, California, and arrived in Manila about sixty hours later. The route it took included stops at Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Guam. This 1935 flight started the first trans-Pacific mail delivery system. An interesting fact is that the plane’s navigator was Fred Noonan. He was Amelia Earhart’s navigator when they both disappeared somewhere in the Pacific in 1937.