Fort Sumter Today
Civil War began in 1861 when Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina. Children can view images of Fort Sumter today and the fort during the Civil War at: http://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm. Children could color on a map the states that became the Confederacy, the states that remained in the Union, and the areas that were not states then. The Civil War ended April 9, 1865.
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!
Salk vaccine was allowed to be used for the first time in 1955. Dr. Jonas E. Salk produced the vaccine to prevent infantile paralysis, also known as poliomyelitis. Prior to the vaccination, polio was one of the worst diseases around. Salk started conducting research in 1947. He field-tested his vaccination in 1953, and it became available to the public in 1955. Today polio has almost been eradicated world-wide.