Changes from Treaty of 1818
Treaty of 1818 was signed by the United States and the United Kingdom. Among other decisions, the treaty stated that the 49th Parallel would define most of the border between Canada and the United States. Older children can peruse the treaty at: Treaty of 1818.
Sydney Opera House opened in Sydney, Australia, in 1973. Despite its name, it hosts many types of artistic endeavors. About 1,500 concerts occur yearly, and over 1.2 million visitors enter its doors every year.
BepiColombo was launched in 2018. The European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency worked together to launch the space explorer. BepiColombo will travel for seven years to reach Mercury. In December 2025, it will release two probes, Bepi and Mio, to research the land formation and magnetic field of the planet. Children can visit a very interesting website, including a count-up, at: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/bepicolombo/in-depth/.
OSIRIS-REx Touched Down on a Crater of Asteriod 101955 Bennu. The space craft had lifted off on September 26, 2016. The unmanned space project Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer traveled 200 million miles to the asteroid 101955 Bennu on December 3, 2018. Scientists had expected Bennu to be smooth and rather geographically featureless. Instead Bennu was rocky and mountainous. Eventually scientists found a spot for OSIRIS-REx to land, and it touched down on a crater on October 20, 2020. Then it began collecting surface material. After it had collected about two cups of material, it departed Bennu on May 10, 2021. As OSIRIS-REx again traveled 200 million miles and approached earth on September 24, 2023, it ejected the sample. The sample landed safely, via parachutes, in Utah. Then OSIRIS-REx became OSIRIS-APEX and will continue its trip in space to visit 99942 Apophis in April 2029.
James Chadwick (born Bollington, United Kingdom, 1891; died Cambridge, United Kingdom, July 24, 1974) discovered the neutron in 1932. He was awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in Physics.
John Dewey (born Burlington, Vermont, 1859; died New York, New York, June 2, 1952) was an educator and a philosopher.
John R. Erickson (born Midland, Texas, 1942) is a cowboy and an author. He has written about 70 books, and he is best-known for his Hank the Cowdog series. Children can visit his very interesting website: Hank the Dog.
Nikki Grimes (born New York, New York, 1950) has written at least 50 books for children and young adults. She received a 1999 Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Jazmin’s Notebook and another Coretta Scott King Honor Award in 2003 for Talkin’ About Bessie: The Story of Aviator Elizabeth Coleman. Her book Bronx Masquerade received the 2003 Coretta Scott King Medal. Children can visit her website at: Nikki Grimes.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Crockett Johnson (born David Liesk in New York, New York, 1906; died Norwalk, Connecticut, July 11, 1975) was a children’s author and illustrator. His works include the Barnaby series and Harold and the Purple Crayon. Older children (and adults) could enjoy his many fascinating paintings about interesting math concepts at: Crockett Johnson.
Mickey Mantle (born Spavinaw, Oklahoma, 1931; died Dallas, Texas, August 13, 1995) was a baseball player. From 1951 through 1968, he played for the New York Yankees. He hit 536 homeruns in regular play. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Children could learn more at: Mickey Mantle.
Christopher Wren (born East Knoyle, Wiltshire, England, 1632; died London, England, February 25, 1723) was an architect, astronomer and mathematician. He designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. According to his son, Wren created over 50 inventions and theories.