National Children's Vision and Learning Month. "Twenty-five percent of students in grades K-6 have visual problems that are serious enough to impede learning." Source: American Public Health Association. For more information, go here.

National Inventor's Month. Go here for more information.

Gail Gibbons. Birthday. Born August 1, 1944. Prolific non-fiction children's book author. The Washington Post writes: "Gail Gibbons has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children’s writer-illustrator." Be sure to visit her website.

World War I. The "war to end all wars" began on this day in 1914. For more information, visit PBS's The Great War and the Shaping of the Twentieth Century. For a plethora of links to online resources, go here.

First United States Census. Taken on this day in 1790, the census estimated the population to be 3,900,000. For more information, visit the U.S. Census Bureau.

Anne Frank Captured. On this day in 1944, the German Gestapo discovered and captured Anne Frank and her family who were in hiding in a secret annex in an Amsterdam warehouse. For more information, visit the Official Anne Frank House. The Anne Frank in the World: 1929-1945 Teacher Workbook may be found here. You may also want to visit the Anne Frank Center.

Betsy Byars. Birthday. Born August 7, 1928. Byars is a children's book author. Her book Summer of the Swans won the Newbery Medal in 1971. Visit her website.

U.S. President Richard M. Nixon Resigns. On this day in 1974, President Nixon announced his resignation. His decision to resign came after a loss of Congressional support due to his involvement in the Watergate Scandal. For a transcript of his resignation speech, go here. For more information about the scandal, visit The Watergate Story at the Washington Post.

Herbert Hoover. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 10, 1874; Died October 20, 1964. Hoover was the 31st President of the United States (1929-1933). For a brief biography, go here.

Smithsonian Institution Created. On this day in 1846, President James K. Polk signed the Smithsonian Institution Act into law. For more information, visit the Smithsonian.

Joanna Cole. Birthday. Born August 11, 1944. Cole is the author of The Magic School Bus series. Visit the official website for more information.

Mary Ann Hoberman. Birthday. Born August 12, 1930. Hoberman is an award-winning poet and children's book author. Be sure to visit her website.

Walter Dean Myers. Birthday. Born August 12, 1937. Myers is a children's book author. Read an author profile (including an interview) at teenreads.com

Berlin Wall Erected. On this day in 1961, communist East Germany built the wall to stop the flow of refugees fleeing to the west. The wall stood as a symbol of the Cold War until it was opened on November 9, 1989 by the East Germans.

Annie Oakley. Anniversary of Birth. Born Phoebe Anne Mozee on August 13, 1860; Died November 3, 1926. A legendary markswoman, she toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show for 17 years. For more information, go here.

WWII: Japan Surrenders. On this day in 1945, the Japanese officially announced an unconditional surrender to the Allies. For more information, go here.

Panama Canal Opens. On this day in 1914, the man-made canal opened for traffic. For more information, go here.

Transcontinental Railway Completed. The final link in the railway was made on this day in 1870 at Strasburg, Colorado. (The Golden Spike ceremony, which took place on May 10, 1869 in Provo, Utah, celebrated the competition. However, the "final link" did not occur until August 15, 1870 in Colorado.)

Myra Cohn Livingston. Birthday. Born August 17, 1926; Died 1996. Livingston was a poet and children's book author.

Davy Crockett. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 17, 1786; Died March 6, 1836 at the Battle of the Alamo. Crockett was a frontiersman, explorer, state legislator, and congressman. For more information, go here. A lesson plan for grades 3-5 that combines tall tales and Davy Crockett may be found at EDSITEment.

Fulton Steamboat Sails. Built under the direction of Robert Fulton, the Clermont began its first successful trip up the Hudson River on this day in 1807, steaming from New York City to Albany. For more information, go here. Visit also PBS's Who Made America?

19th Amendment to U.S. Constitution Ratified. On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote was ratified. For more information, go here.


The following are links to lesson plans and activities:

EDSITEment: Women's Suffrage: Why the West First? Grades: 6-8.
EDSITEment: Voting Rights for Women: Pro- and Anti-Suffrage. Grades: 6-8.
Daily Life Online: Women's Changing Roles and the 19th Amendment. Grades: 8+
The National Archives: Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. Grades: 6-12.
Learning Page: Women, Their Rights and Nothing Less. Grades: 9-12.

Paula Danzinger. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 18, 1945; Died July 8, 2004. Children's book author. Perhaps best known for the classic, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and the Amber Brown series. For more information, go here.

William Jefferson Clinton. Birthday. Born August 19, 1946. 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001). Go here for more information. You may also want to visit the Clinton Foundation.

Vicki Cobb. Birthday. Born August 19 (year unknown). Cobb is a prolific and popular non-fiction children's book author. Be sure to visit her website.

National Aviation Day. By Presidential Proclamation beginning in 1939, National Aviation Day celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Orville Wright. Wright was the first person to pilot a "powered, heavier-than-air" machine on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Of the flight, Wright said, "The course of the flight up and down was exceedingly erratic, partly due to the irregularity of the air, and partly to lack of experience in handling this machine." For a biography of Orville Wright, go here.

Benjamin Harrison. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 20, 1833; Died March 13, 1901. Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States (1889-1893). For a brief biography, here.  

Will Hobbs. Birthday. Born August 22, 1947. Author of award-winning children's and young adult books. Visit his official website here.

U.S. Women Gain Right to Vote. On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution— which guaranteed women the right to vote—was adopted. The amendment reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex . . . Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." For more information, visit One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview.

Lyndon B. Johnson. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 27, 1908; Died January 22, 1973. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States (1963-1969). For a brief biography, go here.

Mother Teresa. Anniversary of Birth. Born August 27, 1910; Died September 5, 1997. Mother Teresa was a Catholic nun who started her own order. The "Missionaries of Charity" cared for those whom no one else would. For a brief biography, go here. For information from CNN, go here.

King Delivers "I Have a Dream" Speech. On this day in 1963, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech to more than 200,000 people while standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. For a transcript and audio of the speech, go here.

Brian Pinkney. Birthday. Born August 28, 1961. Pinkney is a children's book author and illustrator. For more information, go here.

Allen Say. Birthday. Born August 28, 1937. Say is a children's book author and illustrator. He won the Caldecott Medal in 1994 for Grandfather's Journey. For more information, visit here. Listen to an NPR interview with Say about his book, Home of the Brave. The following are links to activities and lesson plans for Grandfather's Journey:

Activities
Scholastic: Grandfather's Journey. Grades: 1-2.
Reading is Fundamental: Story Sampler. PDF file. Grades: K-3.

Lesson Plans
SCORE: Teacher Cyberguide. Grades: K-3.
Jeffco: The Pacific States Literature Experience-Immigration Journey. Grades: K-4.
Reading to Kids: Grandfather's Journey. Grade: 3.