History e-Newsletter for December 2005

History Newsletter, December 2005

Created in partnership with The Learning Calendar

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	December 1st
	December 4th
	December 5th
	December 7th
	December 13th
	December 15th
	December 16th
	December 20th
	December 22th
	December 23th
	December 30th
	e-Newsletter Archive

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December 2005 - History-based activities in this issue:

	Composer word search
	Astronomy this month
	Caribbean Islands - name the countries
	Dinner time barter feast
	Panama Canal web cam
	Virtual field trip - principles of flight
	Fun with an online moon calendar

Click slide show for FREE history lesson plans & activity worksheets for each day of December!

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December 1st
Eight planets from our solar system lined up from east to west, beginning on this day in 1997, forming a rare alignment. Each week there are fascinating things visible in the night sky. Jack Horkheimer's Stargazer presents an awesome online video of "naked eye astronomy" for this week--and every week!

December 4th
On this day in 1996, the Mars Pathfinder was launched, sending a solar-powered rover to the red planet. NASA has since sent more rovers to mars and has a whole section of their site devoted to their findings. Check out the update on Mars, including statistics, images and flash video presentations!

December 5th
Five U.S. Navy aircraft mysteriously disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle on this day in 1945, becoming known as the Lost Squadron. Where is the Bermuda Triangle? Print out our Bermuda Triangle map activity sheet to see where this area is, and see how many of the countries and territories you can name!

Answer Key

December 7th - Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked without warning by Japanese forces on this day in 1941. The following day, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. This event is considered by many to be one of the most significant in US. history. National Geographic has created an animated presentation of the events at Pearl Harbor called Remembering Pearl Harbor. (click on multimedia map and timeline)
.

December 13th
Early American colonists began trading corn for Native American beaver skins, on this day in 1621, beginning the fur export business between the colonies and Europe.

Creative writing: Write a story about beginning a new colony in the New World. What provisions would be important to have? Could you have traded with the Native Americans to get them?

Dinner time barter feast : bar·ter (bärtr) To trade goods or services without the exchange of money. Early colonists bartered their corn for beaver skins. At the dinner table tonight, instead of putting all the food on the table, dish each person an entire plate of one item only. Then barter with each other, trading for other food items to give each of you a variety. For example, a person who has 5 pieces of chicken on his plate might barter with a person who has 5 rolls on his plate by exchanging 1 piece of chicken for a roll. Make sure the beverage is an item given to one person only.

December 15th
Famous army major and big band leader Glen Miller was killed when his plane went down in stormy weather in England on this day in 1944. Glen Miller's popular band music included 23 #1 hit songs. Listen online to one of his famous songs called Moonlight Serenade.

Music Styles: Listen to different types of music today. Which are your favorites?

December 16th
German composer Ludwig Von Beethoven was born on this day in 1770. Learn more about him with our composer word search, then listen to his music online.

Dinner in his honor: Prepare a German meal today in honor of this renowned German composer. There are several German recipes at this link. Play Beethoven's music in the background while you eat!

Classical radio station: Your local classical radio station may be playing music by Beethoven all day today. If they're not, call in and request it--they may not be aware that today is his birthday!

December 20th
U.S. troops invaded Panama on this day in 1989 in an attempt to overthrow dictator Manuel Noriega, who had refused to step down after losing the presidential election. Just hours after the invasion, the elected leader was sworn in as president. Panama is the southernmost country in Central America. See if you can find it on a map!

The Panama Canal: Watch ships pass through the Panama Canal with this canal web cam!

Pictures of Panama: Panama is well known for the canal, but the country has much more to offer! Visit PhotoAtlas online for a gallery of pictures of Panama.

Panama Flag
(Click to hear anthem)

	December 22nd Italian composer Giacomo Puccini was born on this day in 1858. Puccini was famous for composing operas. Learn more about him with our composer word search. Listen to Puccini's music at this site devoted to his work.

December 23rd
An airplane called Voyager completed a non-stop flight around the world on just one load of fuel, on this day in 1986. The plane was ultra-light, made of plastic and stiffened paper. I was excited to find this virtual field trip explaining the principles of flight! It includes 4 quicktime video presentations. (these work great with a highspeed connection, dial-up is fairly poor, but the audio alone is educational) This site about the forces of flight is also very well done.

December 30th
The only total eclipse of a blue moon in the 20th century was De. 30, 1982. Visit an online moon calendar to see the phases of the moon for this month. Watch the moon throughout the upcoming month and pay attention as it passes through its monthly cycle. Learn more about moon phases and facts at this site.

What is a blue moon? Have you ever heard the saying "once in a blue moon"? What does it mean?

Just for fun: The moon calendar will let you view the phases of the moon for any month in history, or in the future. What did the moon look like on the day you were born? What will it look like on your birthday next year?

This Month in History e-newsletter is brought to you by The Learning Calendar, creators of the award-winning history-based activity and trivia calendar. You can learn more about The Learning Calendar by visiting their site: www.thelearningcalendar.com