Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan began the voyage that would take his ship around the world in 1519. He left Spain with five ships and around 265 men. He died before the voyage was over, but the ship Vittoria and about eighteen men did complete the journey on September 6, 1522. Children could read Who Was Ferdinand Magellan? by S. A. Kramer.
Walking Purchase
Walking Purchase in Pennsylvania was completed in 1737. William Penn maintained friendly relationships with the Native Americans who lived in the territory granted to him by the king. However, his sons, John Penn and Thomas Penn, were not so amicable. They produced a document that stated they were entitled to land starting around Easton, Pennsylvania, that a man could walk to in a day and a half. The Lenape figured a man could cover about 40 miles in that time period. However, John and Thomas hired three men to run the distance. The “walk” started on September 19. When the “walk” was concluded on September 20, the Penn sons claimed 1,200,000 acres. The Lenape were outraged, but the Penn family pressed their claim. Children could learn more at: Walking Purchase.
Miska Petersham (born near Budapest, Hungary, 1888; died May 15, 1960) was, with his wife Maud, an early pioneer in children’s literature. They illustrated more than 60 books written by other authors. Then they began writing and illustrating their own works (about 100 books). They received a 1942 Caldecott Honor Award for An American ABC and then the 1946 Caldecott Medal for The Rooster Crows. Children could learn more at: Miska Petersham.
Upton Sinclair (born Baltimore, Maryland, 1878; died Bound Brook, New Jersey, November 25, 1968) was a novelist. One of his most well-known books is The Jungle. Older children can read many of his books, including The Jungle, at: Project Gutenberg.
Angie Thomas (born Jackson, Mississippi, 1988) has written at least four books for young adults. Her book the The Hate U Give received numerous awards, including a 2018 Coretta Scott King Honor Award and a 2018 Michael L. Printz Honor Award. Children can learn more at: Angie Thomas.
Dorothy Vaughan (born Kansas City, Missouri, 1910; died Hampton, Virginia, November 10, 2008) was one of the first Black female mathematicians and human computers to work for NASA. She taught herself FORTRAN and was one of the first Black supervisors of computer programming. She was featured in the film Hidden Figures. Children can learn more at: Dorothy Vaughan.