Flag of Philippines
The Philippines celebrate Independence Day. In 1934 the United States granted the Philippines its independence. The treaty took effect in 1946. The Philippines had been sold to the United States in 1898 for twenty million dollars. Manila is the capital, and the country was named after Spain’s King Philip II. Over 7,100 islands comprise the country. Children can learn more at: Philippines.
Mount Washington, New Hampshire, recorded its strongest wind ever at 231 miles per hour in 1934. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeast (6,288 feet). The weather at the peak is harsh and difficult to predict. The lowest wind chill of -108 degrees was recorded on Mount Washington on February 3, 2023. Experts believe it may be the lowest recorded temperature in the continental United States. Winds exceeded 100 miles per hour. Children can find current weather conditions atop Mount Washington at: https://www.mountwashington.org/. The weather will probably be very windy and very chilly!
A pearl weighing fourteen pounds was removed from a Philippine clam (yes, a clam) in 1934. Known as the Pearl of Allah or the Pearl of Lao Tzu, the pearl measures almost ten inches in diameter and weighs about 14.1 pounds. The pearl’s ownership is now in dispute.
Donald Duck made his debut in 1934. He appeared in the cartoon The Wise Little Hen, Disney’s take on The Little Red Hen. He and another character faked stomachaches to get out of doing chores. The Wise Little Hen helped them see the error of their ways. Idea: Children could try to draw Donald Duck.
Sandpaper was patented by Isaac Fischer of Springfield, Vermont, in 1834. Today sandpaper is not made of either sand or paper. Sandpaper is graded by grit size. Course sandpaper has a low number. For example, extra course sandpaper has a number of P12. Ultrafine sandpaper has a number of P6000.
Grotto Falls
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1934. Because the park hovers on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, it is close to large centers of population. Over eight million people visit the park each year. People lived in the area prior to its becoming a park. Over 6,000 tracts of land had to be purchased before the area could be declared a national park. Children can visit a website at: http://www.nps.gov/grsm.
Charters of Freedom Hall, National Archives, Washington
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) was created in 1934. It centralizes federal documents and makes them available to the public. The National Archives Building in Washington, DC, houses originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. One of the four copies of the Magna Carta is also there. Children can visit the National Archives website at: http://www.nara.gov.
Indianapolis 500 Early Days
Indianapolis 500 Race Track opened in 1909. It went through significant changes to be the race track it is today.
All-American Soap Box Derby was held for the first time in Dayton, Ohio, in 1934. The race was moved to Akron, Ohio, in 1935 because the city had more hills. Today the race is still held in Akron, and all cars must be unpowered. However, the science behind the scenes is amazing! Children can learn more at: Soap Box Derby
The Flying Scotsman in 1934 became the first locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour. The train connected London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Today the locomotive is on exhibit at the National Railway Museum in the United Kingdom. Today’s fastest train is the Shanghai Maglev, which travels at more than 267 miles per hour. Children could conduct research to find the speeds of other trains.