Flag of Pakistan
Pakistan celebrates Republic Day. According to the CIA World Factbook, Pakistan is slightly less than twice the size of California. It borders the Arabian Sea, and India lies to its east. About 190 million people live in Pakistan. Islamabad is the capital of this mostly agricultural country. Two ancient settlements, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, located along the Indus River, are in Pakistan. Older children can learn more at: Pakistan.
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry gave his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech in Richmond, Virginia, in 1775. The speech, given without notes, was a rousing call for freedom from Great Britain. Children can read the speech at: Patrick Henry.
William Clark
Meriwether Lewis
Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery, after traveling up the Missouri River, across the Rocky Mountains and down the Columbia River, had wintered near the Pacific Ocean. On this day in 1806, they began their journey back to Saint Louis. They triumphantly returned to Saint Louis on September 23, 1806. Children can learn about Lewis and Clark and participate in many excellent activities at: Lewis and Clark.
Lawrence Sperry on the Steps of the Capitol Building
Lawrence Sperry landed his Sperry Messenger airplane on the grounds of the Capitol Building in 1922. The plane climbed up some of the steps of the Capitol Building to stop its flight because the plane had no brakes. Some authorities believe Sperry also landed in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Near Miss Day happened in 1989. The Apollo asteroid 4581 Asclepius, the size of a mountain, came within 500,000 miles of earth. If the meteor had hit the earth, the impact would have left a crater the size of Washington, DC. Children can learn more about meteors in general at: Meteors.
Eleanor Cameron (born Winnipeg, Canada, 1912; died Monterey, California, October 11, 1996) wrote about twenty books for children. She is most known for The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet. Children can learn more at: Eleanor Cameron.
Fannie Merritt Farmer (born Boston, Massachusetts, 1857; died Boston, Massachusetts, January 15, 1915) was a cooking expert. She standardized measurements so that cooking became much easier. She also wrote the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. This book, now known as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, and its revisions have sold approximately four million copies. Children can view her recipes at: Cookbook. Children can learn more about her at: Fannie Merritt Farmer.
Wernher von Braun (born Wirsitz, Germany, 1912; died Alexandria, Virginia, June 16, 1977) headed teams that developed space rockets.