Nov 302024
 
Barbados

Flag of Barbados

Barbados celebrates Independence Day. It became free from Great Britain in 1966; however, it has remained in the British Commonwealth. This easternmost island in the Caribbean is 166 square miles, about 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC. In the colonial days the economy depended on sugarcane. Today, however, tourism is a big source of revenue. Almost 300,000 people live in Barbados, and close to half the population lives in Bridgetown, the capital. Older children could learn more at: Barbados.

Nov 302024
 

The Flying Scotsman in 1934 became the first locomotive to exceed 100 miles per hour. The train connected London, England, and Edinburgh, Scotland. Today the locomotive is on exhibit at the National Railway Museum in the United Kingdom. Today’s fastest train is the Shanghai Maglev, which travels at more than 267 miles per hour. Children could conduct research to find the speeds of other trains.