Kareem Abdul-Jabar became the highest scorer in the NBA in 1984. Born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr., he scored 38,387 points in 1,560 games over twenty years. Children could create math problems regarding his basketball statistics. For example, they could find out his average number of points scored per game.
Apollo 16 on the Moon
Apollo 16 was launched in 1972. The fifth group to land on the moon, John Young, Charles M. Duke, Jr., and Thomas K. Mattingly made the 11-day trip, exploring the moon for 71 hours. Among their activities, they launched a satellite that would circle the moon. However, it was sent into an orbit that was not stable. The satellite crashed into the moon’s surface on May 29, 1972. Children could learn more at: Apollo 16.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The youngest person (at the time) to receive the award, he contributed the award money to the civil rights movement. Older children can read his acceptance speech at: King Nobel Speech.
Elie Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. Older children can read his well-written acceptance speech at: Wiesel Nobel Speech.