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The Learning Calendar : August
Each month, we will highlight historical birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, and provide teaching resources to help you learn about each topic.
August
| August 01, 1779 | Francis Scott Key's Birthday | | | Francis Scott Key was the author of the U.S. national anthem, "The Star Spangled Banner". During the War of 1812, key was detained on a ship near Baltimore during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry. Amazed to find the American flag still flying over the fort at daybreak, he wrote the poem that was later put to music. It became the U.S. anthem 117 years later in 1931. |
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| August 01-31 | National Inventor's Month | | | This month is dedicated to inventors and inventions in order to educate the public to the value of creativity and the importance of inventions in our society. |
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| August 01-31 | Children's Vision and Learning Month | | | A monthlong campaign to encourage parents to check their children's vision before the beginning of a new academic year, and to teach them about vision and eyes. |
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| August 02, 1776 | Signing of the Declaration of Independence | | | Contrary to popular belief, the Declaration of Independence was not signed on July 4, 1776, it was signed on this date! |
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| August 04, 1900 | Louis Armstrong's Birthday | | | Louis Armstrong was a Jazz musician nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana. |
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| August 06, 1945 | Hiroshima Day | | | This date is the anniversary of the first atomic bombing of a populated place, which occurred at Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, when an American bomber dropped the bomb over the center of the city, killing more than 205,000 civilians. |
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| August 10, 1846 | Smithsonian Institution Founded | | | This government institution was founded to hold the many scientific, historical and cultural collections of the US government - it includes the Museum of Natural History, the National Zoo, the National Museum of American Art, the National Air and Space Museum, and the National Gallery of Art. |
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| August 10, 1874 | Herbert Hoover's Birthday | | | Herbert Hoover was the 31st president of the U.S. He was the first president to have a telephone at his desk! |
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| August 11, 1921 | Alex Haley's Birthday | | | Alex Haley is the author of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Roots, published in 1976. |
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| August 11, 2010 | Ramadan | | | This is the Islamic month of fasting. It is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is holy because it was the month that the Holy Quaran was revealed. |
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| August 12 | UN International Youth Day | | | This day, set aside by the UN, is a day dedicated to teaching youth about the UN and about the importance of the younger generation to the future of the world. |
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| August 13, 1818 | Lucy Stone's Birthday | | | Lucy Stone was an American women's rights pioneer. She dedicated her life to the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of women. She and her husband helped in founding the American Suffrage Association. |
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| August 15, 1769: | Napoleon Bonaparte's Birthday | | | Napoleon Bonaparte was a great commander, leader and Emperor of France in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. |
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| August 15, 1947: | India Independence Day | | | This date is the anniversary of Indian independence from Britain in 1947. |
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| August 17, 1786: | Davy Crockett's Birthday | | | Davy Crockett was an American frontiersman, adventurer and solder who died in the heroic defense of the Alamo on March 6, 1836. |
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| August 17, 1863: | Robert Fulton's First American Steam Ship Sails | | | Fulton designed and built the first steamboat. |
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| August 18, 1920: | 19th Amendment - Votes for Women | | | This is the date that the 19th Amendment was ratified, extending the right of women to vote. |
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| August 19, 1919: | Afghanistan Independence Day | | | This is a National holiday in Afghanistan that commemorates the independence of this country from British control over foreign affairs in 1919. |
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| August 19,1871: | Orville Wright's Birthday | | | Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur were aviation pioneers. |
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| August 19: | National Aviation Day | | | This date has been set to celebrate the invention and developments of aviation through the last decades - the date is set to coincide with Wilbur Wright's birthday. |
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| August 20-29, 2010: | Little League World Championship | | | This year's date for the Little League World Championship! |
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| August 21, 1959: | Hawaii - Admissions Day | | | President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation admitting Hawaii into the United States Union. |
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| August 22, 1920 | Ray Bradbury's Birthday | | | Ray Bradbury is the author of the classic literature Dandelion Wine and Fahrenheit 451. |
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| August 24, 1992 | Hurricane Andrew Hits US | | | Winds averaged 142 MPH, and left over 26.5 billion dollars in damage, making it one of the most costly hurricanes ever to hit the US. |
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| August 24, 79AD | Mount Vesuvius Erupts | | | This day is the anniversary of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near Naples, Italy, in 79AD, which destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. |
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| August 25, 1939 | Wizard of Oz Released | | | This classic film featuring Dorothy and her dog Toto was released on this date in 1939. A tornado sweeps through Kansas and carries these characters to a the fictional place called Munchkinland, where Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Throughout, they learn important values to find their strengths. |
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| August 26 | Women's Equality Day | | | Anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex with regard to voting. |
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| August 27. 1908 | Lyndon B. Johnson's Birthday | | | Lyndon Johnson was the 36th president of the U.S., and succeeded to the presidency after the death of John F. Kennedy. |
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| August 28, 1963 | March on Washington | | | Over 250,000 people attended this Civil Rights rally in Washington DC, where Martin Luther King gave is famous "I Have a Dream" speech. |
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| August 29, 1839 | Amistad Anniversary | | | 53 Africans, seized from their homeland of Sierra Leone, were taken to Cuba. During a transport, they seized control of the ship, but were brought to New Haven, CT, instead of Africa, where they endured a lengthy legal battle to gain freedom. |
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| August 30, 1797 | Mary Shelley's Birthday | | | Mary Shelley was the author of the classic novel, Frankenstein. |
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| August 30, 2000 | Supercroc Discovered | | | A 40-foot dinosaur crocodile fossil was found on this day in the Sahara Desert in West Africa. The crocodile is estimated to weigh approximately 10 tons, and lived 110 million years ago! |
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| August 31, 1870 | Maria Montessori's Birthday | | | Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator who believed that children learn best when they can follow an individualized learning plan that follows their own inclinations. |
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