Grenada celebrates Independence Day. Although it became free of British rule in 1974, it still recognizes King Charles III as its head of state. Carib Indians inhabited the island, located in the Caribbean, in the 1600’s. St. George’s is the capital. The 108,000 inhabitants depend a great deal on tourism. The island is about twice the size of Washington, DC. Nutmeg and mace are leading exports. Idea: Children could learn how nutmeg and mace are grown. Are nutmeg and mace different? Older children could learn more at: Grenada.

Mariner 10
Mariner 10 flew by Mercury for the first time in 1974. Launched November 3, 1973, it first flew by Venus on February 5, 1974. After it flew by Mercury, it orbited the sun and came close to Mercury again on September 21, 1974. A third encounter happened on March 16, 1975. Data from Mariner 10 included 2,800 photographs of Mercury as well as information on a helium atmosphere and an iron-rich core. Mariner 10 ran out of fuel and stopped transmitting data on March 24, 1975. Scientists believe that it continues to orbit the sun. Children could learn more at: Mariner 10.

Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run in 1974, breaking Babe Ruth’s record set in 1935. Idea: Children could research the lives of both men and create a dialogue between the two men. Children could learn more at: Hank Aaron.
Universal Bar Codes were put into practice in 1974. A package of gum was scanned at the Marsh grocery store in Troy, Ohio. The purchaser was Clyde Dawson, and the store clerk was Sharon Buchanan. Afterward, the package of gum went to the Smithsonian and was put on display.

Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon resigned from office as the thirty-seventh President in 1974 because he was about to be impeached for his part in the Watergate scandals.

Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford was then sworn in as the thirty-eighth president in 1974.

Gerald Ford

Richard Nixon
President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon in 1974. Nixon had resigned on August 9, 1974, to avoid impeachment. Gerald Ford became president that day. He decided to pardon Nixon to bring calm and unity to the country. Some experts believe those goals were not accomplished.
Frank Robinson in 1974 became the first African American to be hired as a major league baseball team manager. He was the only player to be selected most valuable player by both the National League and the American League. He was hired to manage the Cleveland Indians. Children could learn more at: Frank Robinson.
“Lucy” was found in 1974. Researchers in Hadar, Ethiopia, found hundreds of pieces of bone all from the same skeleton. They named the skeleton Lucy, but her real name is AL 288-1. An Australopithecus afarensis, Lucy is 3.2 million years old. She was about 43 inches tall and probably weighed 65 pounds. Children can visit a fantastic site to learn more at: Lucy.