National Aviation Day
National Aviation Day is today. The day honors the birth of Orville Wright, the first of the brothers to fly a plane at Kitty Hawk. President Franklin Roosevelt first proposed the day in 1939. Children could celebrate the day by making and flying paper airplanes.
Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt in 1943 became the first President to fly in an airplane. He flew from Miami, Florida, to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill. He left Miami on January 11 and flew to the Caribbean, then along the coast of South America, and then across the Atlantic Ocean. The return trip took several days because he spent time with military troops.
Amendment Twenty-Two to the Constitution was adopted in 1951. It stated that a President could not be elected to more than two terms in office. Prior to the amendment, custom (but not law) was that no President would run for a third term. However, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to office four times. After he died in his fourth term, people began to feel the number of terms should be limited, and the amendment was born. Children could read the actual words of the amendment at: Amendment Twenty-Two. They could debate presidential term limits, especially since senators and congress people do not have term limits.
“Fireside Chats” were held for the first time by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933. These radio broadcasts from the White House were his way of communicating his concerns and triumphs to America. He delivered 30 Fireside Chats over eleven years. He started a trend that other presidents followed. For example, President Obama delivered an online weekly address. Older children could see the list of Fireside Chats at: Fireside Chats. Then they can click on each one to see the text.