Sir Humphrey Gilbert landed on Newfoundland in 1583 and claimed the land around St. John’s harbor for England. His ship, the HMS Squirrel, sank in a storm near the Azores while he was trying to return to England. Idea: Children could figure out how historians know what he did if his ship sank before he reached England.
United States levied the first income tax in 1862. Any income over $800 was taxed at 3 percent. Idea: Children could translate $800 back then into today’s dollars. They could learn more about the history of the United States income tax at: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005921.html.
First traffic light in the country was installed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914. James Hoge received patent #1,251,666 for his “Municipal Traffic Control System.” Four pairs of red and green lights were wired to a manually controlled system. Children could view the patent at: Traffic Light.
Copiapo mining accident happened in Chile in 2010. A mine cave-in in the Atacama Desert trapped 33 men underground. They were all successfully rescued on October 13, 2010. Older children can learn more via a timeline at: Timeline.