Saint George Fighting the Dragon
by Raphael
Saint George Feast Day remembers the death of the English martyr Saint George in the year 303. He killed the famous dragon that required daily sacrifice. The story of St. George and the Dragon has been written by several different authors. One excellent version is Saint George and the Dragon, written by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. The book received the 1985 Caldecott Medal.
Top quark was discovered in 1994. This was the last of the six subatomic particles to be found. The other quarks are the bottom quark, strange quark, charm quark, up quark, and down quark. Combinations of these quarks form protons and neutrons. Children could learn more at: Quarks.
Shirley Temple Black (born Santa Monica, California, 1928; died Woodside, California, February 10, 2014) starred in approximately 40 movies as a child and served as an ambassador as an adult. Two of her movies were Little Miss Marker and The Little Colonel.
James Buchanan
James Buchanan (born Cove Gap, Pennsylvania, 1791; died Lancaster, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1868) was the fifteenth president (1857-1861) of the United States. He was America’s only unmarried president, and he was the only president born in Pennsylvania. Children could visit the White House website at: James Buchanan.
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (born Sontsovka, Ukraine, 1891; died Moscow, Russia, March 5, 1953) was a famous pianist and composer. In 1934 Prokofiev composed the famous symphony Peter and the Wolf.
William Williams
William Williams (born Lebanon, Connecticut, 1731; died Lebanon, Connecticut, August 2, 1811) signed the Declaration of Independence. He represented Connecticut. Oliver Wolcott was a Connecticut representative, and he voted for independence. Wolcott had to return to Connecticut, so William Williams took his place and signed the Declaration. A merchant, he became active in Connecticut politics. He was town clerk for 44 years, town leader for 27 years, a member of the Connecticut Lower House for 20 years, a member of the Connecticut Upper House for 23 years, and judge for 35 years. He held several of these offices at the same time. He died exactly 35 years to the day that he signed the Declaration. Children can learn more at: William Williams.
Granville T. Woods (born Columbus, Ohio, 1856; died New York, New York, January 30, 1910) invented the Synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraph, making possible communication between dispatchers and moving trains. This invention saved many lives. He held patents for many other inventions, including the trolley car. Children can learn more at: Granville T. Woods.
According to Greek literature, the Trojan Horse entered Troy on April 24, 1184 BC. The Greeks and the people of Troy were at war with each other. The Greeks tricked the Trojans by creating an enormous wooden horse and then hiding their best soldiers inside. They wheeled the horse up to the city gates and left. The Trojans thought the horse was an acknowledgment that the Greeks were giving up. They opened the city gates and wheeled the horse in. That night the soldiers crawled out of the horse, opened up the city gates, brought in many more soldiers, and defeated the Trojans.
Library of Congress was created in 1800 when Congress appropriated $5,000 to buy books that Congressional leaders might need. Located in Washington, DC, it is the country’s oldest federal cultural center. Today the Library occupies three large buildings with another building housing a conservation center. Its collections exceed 173 million artifacts, which are cared for by over 3,000 employees. Anyone can conduct research within the buildings, but only high-ranking individuals may remove materials from the facilities. Children could investigate the Library of Congress website for children at: http://www.loc.gov/families/. The site is truly filled with many, many ideas. Remember to keep scrolling and scrolling!
Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope was deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990. Unfortunately the lenses were not working properly until a shuttle team could repair it in 1993. It was modified again in 1997 and once more in 2009. Because the telescope is beyond earth’s atmosphere, it can detect images seven to ten times better than any earth scope. The size of a school bus, the telescope continues to send back amazing images of our universe. Children can check out all the Hubble resources at: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/. NASA has a special site to celebrate Hubble’s birthday: Hubble Birthday. There you can enter your birthday to see what Hubble saw that day!
Edmund Cartwight (born Nottinghamshire, England, 1743; died Hastings, Sussex, England, October 30, 1823) was an inventor and a cleric. He created the power loom for weaving. Idea: Children could weave on a simple loom. They could then appreciate how the power loom made the production of textiles more efficient.
Evaline Ness (born Union City, Ohio, 1911; died New York, New York, August 12, 1986) wrote and/or illustrated more than 30 books for children. She received three Caldecott Honor Awards: in 1964 for All in the Morning Early, in 1965 for A Pocketful of Cricket, and in 1966 for Tom Tit Tot. Her book Sam, Bangs, & Moonshine won the 1967 Caldecott Award. Children could learn more at: Evaline Ness.
Jasmine Warga (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1988) writes books for children. Her Other Words for Home received a 2020 Newbery Honor Award. Her other works include The Shape of Thunder and Here We Are Now. Children could visit her website at: Jasmine Warga.
Robert Penn Warren (born Guthrie, Kentucky, 1905; died Stratton, Vermont, September 15, 1989) was an American writer. He won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for All the King’s Men.
Martin Waldseemuller
Martin Waldseemuller Remembrance Day is today. Martin Waldseemuller (born probably in Radolfzell, Germany, c. 1470; died probably St. Die, France, c. 1520) was an early cartographer. He gave the continents of North America and South America their names. He named them after Amerigo Vespucci, the person he thought had first discovered the land masses. Idea: Students could speculate as to what Waldseemuller would have named the continents had he known Christopher Columbus explored the area first. Children can view a copy of his extremely rare world map, purchased by the Library of Congress, at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/geogmap/waldexh.html.
Spanish-American War began in 1898. At that time Spain ruled Cuba, and many Americans had heard that the conditions on the island were intolerable. The United States sent the battleship Maine to protect Americans living there. In February the ship exploded, and 260 people on board died. “Remember the Maine” became a popular expression. War was declared, and battles occurred not only in and around Cuba but around the Philippines as well. Teddy Roosevelt became famous as one of the leaders of the Rough Riders. The war ended on August 12, 1898. Children could learn more at: Spanish-American War.
Suez Canal began construction in 1859. The 120-mile canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea began operations November 17, 1869. The canal has no locks because the two seas are fairly level. Children can find interesting facts and great photographs at: Suez Canal.