Daniel Boone
Painting by Chester Harding
Daniel Boone was hired in 1775 to cut the Wilderness Road. The road connected Virginia via the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. The trail was rough and rocky; settlers walked the trail or rode horses. In 1790 the road was improved so that wagons could travel on it. Children can learn more about the Wilderness Road at: Daniel Boone.
Telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bell’s first call was to Thomas Watson (who was in another room in the same building).His first telephone message was “Mr. Watson, come here. I want you.” The famous duo of Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson made history again when the first transcontinental telephone call occurred on January 25, 1915. Watson was in San Francisco, California, when Bell called him from New York, New York. President Woodrow Wilson and the mayors of both cities were also part of the call. Bell also investigated causes of deafness.
Harriet Tubman died in Auburn, New York, in 1913. Her exact date of birth is unknown. She was born around 1820 in Dorchester County, Maryland. A slave, she escaped to Philadelphia in 1849. She then became the most famous conductor for the Underground Railroad, probably saving about 900 people. During the Civil War, she acted as a spy and a scout. After the war, she cared for orphans and the aged. Children may want to read Before She Was Harriet, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrated by James E Ransome. He received a 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for the book. Children could also learn more about her life at: Harriet Tubman.
Uranus and Rings
Rings around Uranus were discovered in 1977. James L. Elliot, Edward W. Dunham, and Doulas J. Mink discovered the rings while they were using the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. They actually discovered five rings by accident; they were trying to learn more about the atmosphere on Uranus. Some strange observations led them to the idea of rings. Today thirteen rings around Uranus have been documented. Children can learn more about Uranus, its rings, and its moons by visiting: Uranus and Rings.