Kid Inventors’ Day is today! This day was chosen because it is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. Franklin was a prolific inventor, creating bifocals, the Franklin stove, and even Daylight Saving Time. Children can learn more at: http://www.kidinventorsday.com/.
James Cook
James Cook in 1773 became the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle. Sailing on the Resolution, Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle twice more on the voyage. On the same trip he visited a number of locations, including Easter Island, Tahiti, and the New Hebrides. Children could learn more at: James Cook.
James Madison Randolph was born in 1806 in the White House. The grandson of Thomas Jefferson, he was the first child born in the White House. Only one other child was born IN the White House. Who could that person be? Children could find out more about the White House at: White House.
Cable car was patented by Andrew Hallidie in 1871. San Francisco’s hilly terrain made transportation difficult for the horse-drawn carriages. Hallidie’s invention made life better for both people and horses. By 1920 most cities had changed to the cable car system. Children can learn more at: Cable Car.
Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, 1942; died Scottsdale, Arizona, June 3, 2016) was a heavyweight boxer. He carried the torch for part of the opening ceremonies for the 1995 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Children could learn more at: Muhammad Ali
John Bellairs (born Marshall, Michigan, 1938; died Haverhill, Massachusetts, March 8, 1991) was a children’s author. He published at least 31 mystery and suspense novels. His work includes The Curse of the Blue Figurine and The House with a Clock in its Walls. Edward Gorey illustrated many of his books. Children could investigate a website devoted to him: http://www.bellairsia.com/.
Robert Cormier (born Leominster, Massachusetts, 1925; died Leominster, Massachusetts, November 2, 2000) was a children’s author of at least eighteen books. Two of his works are The Chocolate War and I Am the Cheese. Children could read a transcript of an interview with him at: Cormier Interview. They could learn more at: Robert Cormier.
Benjamin Franklin (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1706; died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 17, 1790) was a statesman, writer, printer and much more. He signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He published Poor Richard’s Almanack. He invented many items, including bifocal glasses and the lightning rod. He created the first fire company and the first free library. Idea: Children could make a timeline of his life and then decide whether he made the most contributions to science or to the freedom of America. Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, by Margaret Cousins, is an excellent source of information. Children could learn more at: Ben Franklin.
Shari Lewis (born Shari Hurwitz in New York, New York, 1934; died Los Angeles, California, August 2, 1998) was a puppeteer and a leader in children’s educational television. The creator of the puppet Lamb Chop, she published at least 60 children’s books. Idea: Bring in materials to make puppets of various kinds. Consider sock puppets, stick puppets, even finger puppets. Children could produce a puppet show.
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama (born Chicago, Illinois, 1964) was America’s First Lady from January 20, 2009 to January 20, 2017. Married to Barack Obama, the 44th President, she was a lawyer before she began helping her husband’s political career. As First Lady, she devoted time and energy to Let’s Move, a program to reduce childhood obesity and increase children’s knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices. She also planted and maintained a large garden on the White House property. Children can learn more about her at: Michelle Obama.
Janet Stevens (born Dallas, Texas, 1953) began illustrating books for children in 1978. Today she creates her images using Adobe Photoshop and other technology tools. She received a 1996 Caldecott Honor Award for her illustrations in Tops and Bottoms.
Polar bear was put on display in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1733. Idea: Children could discuss why this would be a very big event for that time period. Carnivores, polar bears are becoming rare. Today scientists estimate 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears exist. Experts believe that by 2050 that number will be cut in half. Children can learn more about polar bears and see some great photos at: Polar Bears. Interesting coincidence – Raymond Briggs, born on January 18th, wrote a book in 1994 about a polar bear called The Bear. It was made into a short animated video.
James Cook
James Cook discovered Hawaiian Islands in 1778. He called the islands the Sandwich Islands to honor John Montagu, Fourth Earl of Sandwich and one of Cook’s sponsors. Remember that on January 17, 1773, James Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle – Busy man! Children can learn more at: James Cook.
First Airplane Landing on a Ship
Airplane landed for the first time on a ship, the USS Pennsylvania, in 1911. Eugene B. Ely, the pilot, landed his Curtiss pusher on a platform built on the ship, located in San Francisco Bay. A tailhook system, designed by Hugh Robinson, successfully slowed and stopped the plane. Older children can learn more about the fascinating landing and the short life of the pilot at: Eugene B. Ely.
Raymond Briggs (born Wimbledon, England, 1934; died Brighton, England, August 9, 2022) wrote and illustrated at least 29 books for children. He twice received the Kate Greenaway Medal, once in 1966 for The Mother Goose Treasury and once in 1973 for Father Christmas. One of his most famous works is the wordless book The Snowman.
A(lan) A(lexander) Milne (born London, England, 1882; died Hartfield, England, January 31, 1956) was an author. He is best remembered for his Winnie the Pooh stories. Idea: Have a Winnie the Pooh day. Children could bring in their stuffed creatures, and they could share some of his writing. Children can read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg. However, the Winnie the Pooh books are not there. Children could learn more at: Milne.
Peter Roget (born London, England, 1779; died West Malvern, England, September 12, 1869) composed Roget’s Thesaurus. His book premiered in 1852. The word thesaurus comes from Latin and Greek roots meaning treasury. Children could view an online thesaurus at: http://thesaurus.com/. Idea: Children could learn how to use a thesaurus. Each could create a page of a thesaurus regarding a certain word. Consider using colors and action verbs. Children could also read The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet.
Alan Schroeder (born Alameda, California, 1961) has written at least 20 books for children. His books include Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman and Satchmo’s Blues.
Daniel Webster (born Salisbury, New Hampshire, 1782; died Marshfield, Massachusetts, October 24, 1852) was a politician and a speaker. Younger children might want to read Daniel Webster: Liberty and Union, Now and Forever by Bonnie Carmen Harvey. Older children might want to read The Devil and Daniel Webster, by Stephen Vincent Benet. Webster was a United States senator, member of the House of Representatives (representing two states at different times), and secretary of state (under Millard Fillmore, William Henry Harrison, and John Tyler). He ran for president, and he argued cases before the Supreme Court – busy man!
Thomas A. Watson (born Salem, Massachusetts, 1854; died Pass-a-Grill Beach, Florida, December 13, 1934) was Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant and the recipient of the world’s first telephone call on March 10, 1876. Then Watson became the recipient of the first transcontinental phone call on January 25, 1915. Watson was in San Francisco, California, when Bell called him from New York, New York. President Woodrow Wilson and the mayors of both cities were also part of the call. Watson was also in inventor in his own right, and he developed an extensive naval shipyard.
Singapore celebrates its kite festival. Singapore is a country of one large island and fifty smaller islands. Located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it sits between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Colonized by the British, Singapore today is independent and an important commerce and transportation center. Idea: Children could make and fly their own kites.