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The Learning Calendar
The Learning Calendar is a free resource brought to you by the Homeschool Learning Network. Each month, we will highlight historical birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, and provide teaching resources to help you learn about each topic.
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| September 01-30 | Library Card Sign-Up Month | | | Use this month to sign up your kids for library cards! |
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| September 01, 1985 | Titanic Discovered | | | The Titanic, a luxury cruise ship, sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg. On this date, a joint American-French expedition, led by marine geologist Dr. Robert Ballard located the wreck resting on the ocean floor 12,500 feet down about 350 miles southeast of Newfoundland, Canada. |
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| September 01, 1939 | World War II Begins | | | On this date, German invaded Poland without a declaration of war. Two days later, Britain and France declared war. |
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| Septemeber 02, 1666 | Great Fire of London Anniversary | | | This fire destroyed more than 13,000 homes in London, but only 6 lives were lost. It is credited with instigating our current fire insurance system. |
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| Septemeber 02, 1945 | V-J Day Anniversary | | | Japanese surrender to the Allies happened on this date aboard the USS Missouri in the Tokyo Bay in 1945. |
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| Septemeber 02 | Vietnam Independence Day | | | Ho Chi Minh proclaimed on this day the independence of Vietnam from France. He established the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and this date is now a National Holiday. |
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| Septemeber 03, 1838 | Frederick Douglass Escapes to Freedom | | | On this date, Frederick Douglass, a former slave, escaped to freedom aboard a train traveling from Baltimore MD (a slave state) to Philadelphia. He then traveled to New York City where he disappeared within the Underground Railroad. Douglass was later a great leader of the anti-slavery movement. |
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| September 04, 1882 | First Electric Lighting Anniversary | | | Via an underground cable in lower Manhattan, Thomas Edison hooked up 400 electric lights on this date. |
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| September 05, 2005 | Labor Day | | | This holiday is thought to have started in 1882 with a parade in early September, organized by an early Union. |
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| September 05, 1847 | Jesse James' Birthday | | | Many writers glorified the crimes of this western legend and bandit who robbed banks, stagecoaches, stores, and eventually trains. |
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| September 08 | International Literacy Day | | | This day is organized by the United Nations. |
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| September 08, 1995 | Inca Ice Maiden Discovered | | | Dr. Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zarate discovered this Incan mummy of a young 14-year-old girl while climbing on Mount Ampato in the Peruvian Andes. She had been offered as a sacrifice to the gods. Frozen about 500 years, this mummy has given scientists a great deal of information about the Incas and their way of life. |
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| September 10, 1998 | Keiko Returns to Iceland | | | Keiko, the orca whale, starred in the film Free Willy, spent 19 years in captivity. On this date, he was returned to his home in Iceland. He lived in a specially built cage in the ocean, but when released, he died of pneumonia. |
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| September 11, 2001 | Terrorist Attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon | | | On this date in 2001, terrorists hijacked four planes. Two were steered into the Twin Towers in New York City, one into the Pentagon in Washington DC, and 4th plane went down in Pennsylvania after it appears the passengers tried to overtake the plane. Almost 3,000 people died during this attack. |
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| September 12, 2005 | National Grandparent's Day | | | This day is set aside to honor grandparents and to give them the chance to show their grandchildren the strength and guidance that older people can provide. |
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| September 13, 1916 | Roald Dahl's Birthday | | | Roald Dahl is the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more famous children's classics. |
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| September 15 | Costa Rica's Independence Day | | | This is Costa Rica's national holiday celebrating their independence from Spain in 1821 |
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| Sep 15 - Oct 15 | National Hispanic Heritage Month | | | This month-long celebration of Hispanic heritage was declared by presidential proclamation in 1989. Use this month to learn how the Hispanic culture has influenced American culture. |
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| September 16, 1620 | Mayflower Day | | | This day is the anniversary of the departure of the Mayflower from Plymouth, England with 102 passengers. The Mayflower reached Provincetown, MA on November 21, 1620. |
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| September 19-25, 2005 | Deaf Awareness Week | | | This week is set aside as a national celebration to promote awareness of deafness and American Sign Language. |
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| September 19, 1991 | Iceman Mummy Discovered | | | On this date, two hikers discovered a 5,300 year old frozen mummy in the Austrian-Italian Alps. He was a late Neolithic man nicknamed "Iceman," and carried a bow and arrows, and a copper axe. |
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| September 19, 1985 | Mexico City Earthquake Anniversary | | | Almost 10,000 people perished in two earthquakes that rocked Mexico City. They measured 8.1 and 7.5 on the Richter Scale, and caused more than $1 billion in damages. More than 100,000 homes were destroyed. |
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| September 21, 1904 | Death of Chief Joseph | | | Chief Joseph was a Nez Perce chief. He and his tribe did not want to be forced to settle onto a reservation, so he led an escape to Canada. However, after 1,000 miles of travel, he and his people were surrounded and sent to a reservation in Oklahoma. |
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| September 21, 1912 | Houdini's Great Escape | | | On this date, Houdini premiered his "Greatest Escape" from a Water Torture Cell, where he was lowered into a water-filled cell upside down with his ankles in clamps. He escaped in under 2 minutes! |
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| September 21 | Armenia Independence Day | | | This date commemorates Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. |
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| September 22, 2005 | Autumn Begins | | | In the Northern Hemisphere, Autumn begins on this date. In the Southern hemisphere, it is the beginning of Spring. |
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| September 22, 1862 | Emancipation Proclamation | | | On this date, Abraham Lincoln, by executive proclamation, freed the slaves in the rebelling states. |
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| September 23, 1846 | Planet Neptune is Discovered | | | Neptune is the 8th planet from the sun. It was discovered by German astronomer Johann Galle. Neptune is approximately 2.8 billion miles from the sun, and takes 164.8 years to revolve around it! |
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| September 25, 1690 | First American Newspaper Published | | | The first newspaper had only one issue - it was the "Publick Occurrences Both Foreign and Domestick," published by Benjamin Harris in Boston MA. |
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| September 25, 1513 | Pacific Ocean Discovered | | | While certainly known by many civilizations, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish conquistador, first laid eyes on the Pacific Ocean from his spot in present-day Panama. He claimed it as the South Sea under the King of Spain. |
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| September 26, 1774 | Johnny Appleseed's Birthday | | | John Chapman, known also as Johnny Appleseed, was born on this day. He planted orchards, was fond of wild animals, and was considered a great medicine man by the native Americans. |
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| September 30, 1927 | Babe Ruth Sets Homerun Record | | | George Herman, also known as Babe Ruth, hit his 60th home run on this date, setting the record for the most home runs in a single season. |
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