Charles Elmer Hires began selling his root beer in 1869 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition. The beverage dates back to the colonial era, but Hires marketed his root beer as ”the Greatest Health-Giving Beverage in the World.”
British leased Hong Kong from China in 1898. The lease was good for 99 years, and Hong Kong returned to Chinese control July 1, 1997. According to the CIA World Factbook, Hong Kong is about six times the size of Washington, DC, and its population is 7.26 million people. Children could learn more at: Hong Kong.
Donald Duck made his debut in 1934. He appeared in the cartoon The Wise Little Hen, Disney’s take on The Little Red Hen. He and another character faked stomachaches to get out of doing chores. The Wise Little Hen helped them see the error of their ways. Idea: Children could try to draw Donald Duck.
Georgia Neese Clark in 1949 became the first woman treasurer of the United States. She served under President Harry Truman from 1949 to 1953. Every treasurer, an official in the department of the treasury, since then has been a woman. Children can view the list of US treasurers at: Treasurers.
Secretariat won the Triple Crown in 1973. The first horse to win the Triple Crown since 1948, he won the third leg, the Belmont Stakes. The horse raced several more times and then retired in November, 1973. Four other horses since then have won the Triple Crown:
- Seattle Slew in 1977
- Affirmed in 1978
- American Pharoah in 2015
- Justify in 2018.
Children can see a list of all the Triple Crown winners at: Triple Crown.
Alice Huyler Ramsey and three fellow female travelers in 1909 became the first women to drive across the country by automobile. They had left Manhattan on June 9, 1909, and finished in San Francisco, California. Only Ramsey could drive! She had to replace flat tires, fix brake pedals, and make other repairs. Only 152 miles of the 3,600 mile trip were paved. Ramsey wrote Veil, Duster, and Tire Iron to commemorate her trip. Older children could learn more at: Alice Huyler Ramsey.