International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is sponsored by the United Nations. The event can be traced back to 1987 when a group met in Paris to see what could be done to eliminate poverty. This year’s theme is “Dignity for All in Practice.” Children can learn more at: End Poverty.
Museum of Modern Art, in New York City, hung Matisse’s Le Bateau upside down in 1961. The mistake was not discovered until December 3, 1961.
United States population exceeded 300 million in 2006. Children can view some fascinating facts about the United States population and the world population at: http://www.census.gov/popclock/.
Taipei 101 was topped with a pinnacle in 2003. It thus became the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was completed in 2010. Taipei 101 has 101 floors above ground and five stories below ground. It has been built to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.
Jupiter Hammon (born probably Long Island, New York, 1711; died circa 1806) was the first African American to publish his poetry. Born into slavery, he learned to read. He published his first poem, “An Evening Thought,” in 1760. Children can read some of his works at: http://www.poemhunter.com/jupiter-hammon/.
Mae Jemison (born Decatur, Alabama, 1956) is a physician and retired astronaut. She is the first African American woman to travel into space. Children could view her TED talk at: Mae Jemison.
Arthur Miller (born New York, New York, 1915; died Roxbury, Connecticut, February 10, 2005) was a playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949. His works include Death of a Salesman and The Crucible.