What Happened Today? October 5th

On October 5, 1902, Ray Kroc was born. He is most famous for buying a restaurant from the McDonalds brothers and turned into the popular fast food restaurant we know today. He also started the Ronald McDonald House, which allows families of sick or injured children to live there if they must travel out of town to see special doctors.

What Happened Today? October 4th

Today's event happened 85 years ago.

On October 4, 1927, construction begins in South Dakota for the Mount Rushmore monument. This carving on the side of a mountain features the faces of four Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.  The monument was finally completed in 1939.

Mount Rushmore is another place in America that I would love to see in person one day.

What Happened Today? October 3rd

Today's event happened 149 years ago.

On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday each November to be known as Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving Day is one of America’s most celebrated holidays.

How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving?

What Happened Today? October 2nd

Today's event happened 62 years ago.

On October 2, 1950, the first Peanuts comic strip was published. Peanuts was the most popular comic strip of all time, running in newspapers in 75 countries and translated into 21 different languages. Peanuts featured characters such as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus, and Peppermint Patty.

One of my favorite things to do as a child was read the paper with my dad so I could see what the Peanuts comic would say each day.  I also enjoyed watching some of the TV cartoon specials during holidays such as Christmas and Halloween.  My favorite Peanuts characters were Woodstock (Snoopy's bird friend) and Schroeder (who played the piano).

What Happened Today? October 1st

Today's event happened 122 years ago.

On October 1, 1890, Congress created Yosemite National Park. Yosemite is home to the world’s largest trees, called Giant Sequoias. These trees can grow to be 160-300 feet tall and 20-26 feet around. These trees can live for a very long time. The oldest sequoia based on ring count was over 3500 years old.

I have never been farther west than the Mississippi River, but being able to visit this park would be on my "bucket list" of things to do.  I can't imagine what a tree this tall would look like in real life!

Have you ever been to Yosemite?

What Happened Today? September 26th

Today's event happened 192 years ago.

On September 26, 1820, American explorer Daniel Boone died. He grew up near the Yadkin River in Davie County, NC, and the town of Boone, NC was named in his honor. Daniel Boone is remembered as an explorer of areas west of the Appalachian Mountains, one of the first explorers to do so.

Have you ever been to the town of Boone? Several of our teachers at school went to college at Appalachian State University located in Boone.

What Happened Today? September 25th

Today's event happened 31 years ago.

On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor is sworn in as the first female Supreme Court Justice in United States history. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, and served this position until she retired in 2005.

During the first week of school, we had another post about a Supreme Court Judge. Can you remember the two reasons why someone would no longer be a judge?  Write your answer in the comments section!

What Happened Today? September 24th

Today's event happened 132 years ago.

On September 24, 1880, Sarah Knauss was born. Sarah is known as “America’s Oldest Person”. When she died in 1999, she was 119 years and 97 days old. No one else in American History has lived this long!

Imagine all the things this woman saw in her life.  When she was born, there were very few people who had electricity. Telephones weren't really in use yet, having just been invented four years before. Airplanes weren't invented yet. Cars weren't invented yet. By the time she died, we've had people walking on the moon, using computers, and sending email.  She lived through 22 Presidents!  What a life she must have had!

Would you want to live to be 119 years old?

I've always said I wouldn't mind living to be a really old lady, even 100 years old, as long as I could be healthy!

What Happened Today? September 21st

Today's event happened 232 years ago.

On September 21, 1780, Benedict Arnold, an American-born General met with an officer of the British Army during the American Revolution. Arnold told the British soldier he would help the British win a battle, if England would give him a lot of money and a high position in the British Army.  Benedict Arnold’s plan was discovered and he was declared a traitor.

What Happened Today? September 20th

Today's event happened 39 years ago

On September 20, 1973, the top women’s tennis player Billie Jean King defeated the top men’s tennis player, Bobby Riggs. Riggs, who was 55 years old at the time, said that men were better athletes than women, and despite his age, he could win against any woman. Billie Jean King won the match, which was watched by over 30,000 people in the stadium, and over 50 million watched on TV. Billie Jean King became known as the “mother” of modern sports and her win was a boost for women’s rights.

I guess this is a good example of why you should never say you are better than someone else. You just never know what someone else is capable of doing!

What Happened Today? September 19th

Today's event happened 131 years ago.

On September 19, 1881, President James Garfield died from injuries caused by an assassination attempt. He was shot in the back at the train station while on his way to a vacation. Many doctors attempted to save his life, but he died two months later. Garfield was our nation’s 20^th President and had the shortest time in office, only 200 days.

Including President Garfield, there have been 4 Presidents who were assassinated.

Can you guess who the other three are?

What Happened Today? September 18th

Today's event happened 219 years ago.

On September 18, 1793 President George Washington laid the cornerstone to the United States Capitol Building. A cornerstone is the first stone placed above the ground on any building.  It took over 100 years to completely finish building the Capitol. Today it has 540 rooms and sits on 4 acres of land….that’s the size of 4 football fields!

Have you ever been to Washington, DC, our nation's capital? I've been once, in the spring of 1996, when I was a junior in high school. It was our big field trip that year. While that was 16 years ago, I still can remember the pride I felt when I saw the home that almost every President has lived in. Believe it or not, George Washington, our first President, never lived at the White House.

Would you like to visit the White House one day? Going in person might be a hard thing to do right now, but if you click HERE, you can take a virtual tour!

What Happened Today? September 17th

Today's event happened 225 years ago and was a major day for our country!

On September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitution contains all the laws for our country and the way our government should operate. Famous signers of the Constitution were our first President, George Washington, and inventor Benjamin Franklin, who was the oldest signer at age 81.

It's hard to believe that men who lived over 200 years ago wrote out laws that are still followed to this day.  The Constitution has had 27 Amendments (or changes) over the years. The first 10 Amendments are also known as the "Bill of Rights", which includes our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms (which means to own or carry weapons), the right to a trial by a jury, and other freedoms.  Some other Amendments gave African-Americans and all women the right to vote.

We will be studying more about this in our Social Studies government unit this quarter!

What Happened Today? September 14th

Today's event happened 198 years ago.

On September 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that would later become our National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner”. The British soldiers took one of Key's friends prisoner during the War of 1812. While Key was on the British ship trying to rescue his friend, the British began attacking America at Fort McHenry near Baltimore, Maryland. Key and his friend were unable to leave the ship and had to watch their country being attacked. At daybreak, Key was so happy to see the American Flag was still flying, he wrote down his thoughts: “And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

Another really cool event happened today, 66 years ago!  My dad was born!
Happy Birthday Daddy!

This picture is a few years old because Quinn is only one year old here,
but it is one of my favorite pictures of my Daddy!

What Happened Today? September 11th

Today's event happened 11 years ago.

On September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by terrorists. Four planes were hijacked and were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and a field in Pennsylvania. When the “Twin Towers” collapsed, over 3000 people were killed, including 343 firefighters. 

I was in college when this happened. I remember I was getting ready for my class, which started at 9:30. I was eating breakfast and watching the Today Show, when the news anchors got word that a plane had hit one of the towers. At the time, everyone thought it was an accident, a mistake. I remember that the news show moved to an outside camera and as we watched on live TV, another plane flew right into the other tower. It was a very scary time for our country to watch these events happen, but it is something our country should always remember.

What Happened Today? September 7th

Today's event happened 199 years ago.

On September 7, 1813, the United States government begins using the nickname “Uncle Sam”. A man from New York named Sam Wilson packed beef that was sent to US Soldiers. He stamped the packages with the letters U S for United States. The soldiers began referring to the meat as “Uncle Sam’s”. Uncle Sam is usually seen with a white beard and wearing a top hat and striped clothing.

What Happened Today? September 6th

Today's event happened 490 years ago!

On September 6, 1522, the first successful sailing expedition around the world was completed. Ferdinand Magellan started this trip in 1519 with 5 ships and 270 men. He was the first explorer to see the Pacific Ocean. Even though Magellan was killed in a tribal battle, his surviving crew of only 1 ship and 22 men finished the trip.

I've been to the Atlantic Ocean many times, but I've never seen the Pacific Ocean in person.  Have you seen the Pacific Ocean?

What Happened Today? September 5th

Today's event happened 238 years ago.

On September 5, 1774, the first session of the Continental Congress was held. The Continental Congress was a group of 56 representatives from all the 13 colonies (except Georgia) and they met to discuss pulling away from British rule.  This was one of the first major events leading to the American Revolution.

We will be learning more about this in Social Studies this year as we study the United States Government and the American Revolution.

What Happened Today? September 4th

Today's event happened 14 years ago.

On September 4, 1998, two students at Stanford University created the “GOOGLE” search engine.  A search engine is a tool on the Internet that helps you find information on almost any topic you can think of. Google is used by millions of people everyday.

 Do you use Google?  I do!

What Happened Today? August 31st

Today's event happened 126 years ago.

On August 31, 1886, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck Charleston, SC. The earthquake was felt as far as Boston and Chicago and over 100 people were killed. This was the largest recorded earthquake in the history of the southeastern United States.

Do you remember the earthquake we felt in Winston-Salem just before school started last year?