Stephen Fuller Austin (born Wythe County, Virginia, 1793; died Columbia, Texas, December 27, 1836) was a Texas hero. He founded a settlement in Texas in 1822 when the land belonged to Mexico. He was imprisoned when he pushed for Texas autonomy, but he was given his freedom in 1835. In 1836 he ran against Sam Houston for the presidency of Texas, but he lost. The Texas state capital is named in honor of him.
William Cullen Bryant (born Cummington, Massachusetts, 1794; died New York, New York, June 12, 1878) was an American poet. Children can read some of his works at: Project Gutenberg.
Janell Cannon (born Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1957) is a children’s author and illustrator. Most of her books feature animals, and her most famous book is Stellaluna. Children can watch Pamela Reed read Stellaluna on Storyline Online at: http://www.storylineonline.net/stellaluna/.
Bette Bao Lord (born Shanghai, China, 1938) is a writer and an activist. She wrote In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson, published in 1984.
A Very Tasty Sandwich!
John Montague, Fourth Earl of Sandwich (born London, England, 1718; died London, England, April 30, 1792) invented the sandwich. He held many posts, including lord of the admiralty. Captain Cook named the Sandwich Islands in honor of him in 1778. According to legend, he created the sandwich as a way of saving time during a gambling party in 1762, because he could eat with one hand and gamble with the other.