M&M Candies
National M&M Day is today! Also labeled as m&m candies, the candies were first produced in 1941. Today the candies are produced in two locations, Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Cleveland, Tennessee. The candies are now sold in over 100 countries. Idea: Children could make a list of the colors of the candies, and they could also list the variations that are produced today.
Today’s Navy
United States Navy, originally called the Continental Navy, was created in 1775. Today over 300,000 sailors serve on over 285 ships. Children could learn more at: Navy.
White House
White House Cornerstone was placed into position in 1792. Completed in 1800 and restored several times, the White House contains more than 130 rooms. Children could learn more at: White House.
Garret A. Morgan patented a device for breathing in 1914 that would make mining safer. He received patent number 1,113,675. Children can view the patent at: Breathing Device.
Magellan fixed in Atlantis
Magellan plunged into Venus’s surface in 1994. Atlantis, an American shuttle spacecraft, was launched on May 4, 1989. It successfully deployed Magellan, which traveled to Venus to map the planet’s surface. Magellan encountered Venus on August 10, 1990, and began taking high-quality radar images on September 15, 1990. It continued to photograph the planet’s surface, making six complete mapping cycles. Magellan mapped about 98 percent of Venus’s surface. It was commanded to plunge into Venus’s surface, still sending data, on October 13, 1994. Children could learn more at: Magellan.
Copiapo Rescued and Rescuers Celebrate!
Copiapo miners were rescued in 2010! A mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert near Copiapo, Chile, had trapped 33 men underground on August 5. The men had rushed to an emergency shelter underground. Drilling apparatus found the location of the men seventeen days later. Oxygen, food, water, and letters from friends and family began reaching the men a few days later. Meanwhile, rescue operations, an international effort, continued on the surface. At one point experts thought the miners would not be rescued until late December. However, good fortune and expert drilling finally created an escape plan. One by one the men were brought up in a capsule. They were all successfully brought to earth’s surface before midnight on October 13, 2010!
Psyche lifted off in 2023. The unmanned spacecraft will travel 1.37 billion miles to reach the asteroid 16 Psyche in August 2029. Scientists are interested in Psyche’s composition; they believe it be rich in iron and metal. They are wondering if 16 Psyche is the core remnant of a planet hit by another body or if it is simply unmelted metal. The spacecraft Psyche will orbit the asteroid and send back data until November 2031. Then it will just remain orbiting 16 Psyche. Children could learn more at: Psyche.
Robert Ingpen (born Victoria, Australia, 1936) writes and illustrates books for children. He has illustrated over 100 books, and he received the prestigious 1986 Hans Christian Andersen Award for his body of work. He has also written at least thirteen fiction books and at least twenty nonfiction books. His illustrated works include The Magic Crystal and Ziba Came on a Boat.
Lithograph – Molly Pitcher
Molly Pitcher (born Mary Hays McCauley near Trenton, New Jersey, 1754; died Carlisle, Pennsylvania, January 22, 1832) was a Revolutionary War hero. She was carrying pitchers of water to the men at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. When her husband could no longer man the cannon, she took over. Children could learn more at: Molly Pitcher.
Conrad Richter (born Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, 1890; died Pottsville, Pennsylvania, October 30, 1968) was an author. One of his books is The Town, Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction in 1951.
Rudolf Virchow (born Schivelbain, Prussia, 1821; died Berlin, Germany, September 5, 1902) has been called the “Father of Pathology.” He conducted invaluable research in leukemia, rickets, tuberculosis and other diseases. Older children could learn more at: Rudolf Virchow.