Global Recycling Day is today! Did you know that 52 million tons of paper are recycled every year? Enough plastic is discarded each year to circle the world four times, but most of that could be recycled. Idea: Children could host a recycling event. Children could also learn more at: Global Recycling Day.
Flag of Aruba
Aruba celebrates Flag Day, a national holiday. Claimed by Spain in 1499, Aruba became a Dutch colony in 1636. Still a Dutch possession, Aruba is a bit larger than Washington, DC. Oranjestad is the capital. Because it is located in the Caribbean Sea, the island has a tropical climate. However, it lies outside the hurricane belt and is seldom threatened. Slightly over 100,000 people live on the island, and many of them depend on the 1.5 million tourists who visit the vacation destination. Children can learn more at: Aruba.
Staple Bend Tunnel
First railroad tunnel in the United States was completed in 1834. Slightly over 900 feet in length, the Staple Bend Tunnel, located in Southwestern Pennsylvania, is rock-bored and lined in stone. Engineers needed three years to dig the tunnel. Today it is a National Historic Landmark. Children can learn more at: Staple Bend Tunnel.
Aleksei Leonov, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first person to walk in space in 1965. His space walk lasted a bit over twelve minutes, and he was connected to his spacecraft by a tether.
Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland (born Caldwell, New Jersey, 1837; died Princeton, New Jersey, June 24, 1908) was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States. He was president from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Born a minister’s son, he was mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York. He was not a very popular president. He applied his veto power over 300 times, more than double the total vetoes of all previous presidents. Children could visit a website at: Grover Cleveland.
Rudolph Diesel (born Paris, France, 1858; died English Channel, September 29, 1913) invented the diesel internal combustion engine.
Douglas Florian (born New York, New York, 1950) writes books for children. His books include Insectlopedia and Laugh-eteria. Children can learn more at: Douglas Florian.
Susan Patron (born Los Angeles, California, 1948; died October 24, 2023) wrote books for children. Her book The Higher Power of Lucky received the 2007 Newbery Medal. One of her recent books is Dear America: Behind the Masks.
Kaethe Zemach (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1958) writes and illustrates books for children. The daughter of writer Harve Zemach and illustrator Margot Zemach, she published her first book at age 14. Her books include The Character in the Book and Just Enough and Not Too Much.