Click photos for links to more information. September 29, 1975: WGPR in Detroit, Michigan, became the world's first black-owned-and-operated television station. Amyre Porter, Doug Morrison and Sharon Crews became the nation's first African-American primetime news team. This station, which would adopt the CBS affiliation in 1994 and was subsequently sold to CBS in 1995 and re-called WWJ-TV. September 30, 1791: The first performance of The Magic Flute, the last opera by Mozart to made its debut, took place at Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, Austria. Mozart conducted the orchestra, Schikaneder himself played Papageno, while the role of the Queen of the Night was sung by Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer. On the reception of the opera, Mozart scholar Maynard Solomon writes, "Although there were no reviews of the first performances, it was immediately evident that Mozart and Schikaneder had achieved a great success, the opera drawing immense crowds and reaching hundreds of performances during the 1790s." The success of The Magic Flute lifted the spirits of its composer, who had fallen ill while in Prague a few weeks before. October 1, 1843: The News of the World tabloid began publication in London by John Browne Bell. Priced at three pence (equal to £1.04 today), even before the repeal of the Stamp Act (1855) or paper duty (1861), it was the cheapest newspaper of its time and was aimed directly at the newly literate working classes. It quickly established itself as a purveyor of titillation, shock, and criminal news. In 1969, it was purchased by Rupert Murdoch's media firm News Limited. Reorganized into News International, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation, it was transformed into a tabloid in 1984, and became the Sunday sister paper of The Sun. The News of the World closed in July of 2011, as it was engulfed in phone hacking and corruption allegations. October 2, 1950: Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz was first published. The strip is the most popular and influential in the history of the comic strip, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it "arguably the longest story ever told by one human being", according to Robert Thompson of Syracuse University. At its peak, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages. It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States, and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion. Reprints of the strip are still syndicated and run in almost every U.S. newspaper. October 3, 1951: The "Shot Heard 'Round the World," one of the greatest moments in Major League Baseball history, occurs when the New York Giants' Bobby Thomson hits a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, to win the National League pennant after being down 14 games. October 4, 1965: Becoming the first Pope to ever visit the United States of America and the Western hemisphere, Pope Paul VI arrives d in New York. His visit coincided with the escalation of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War under President Johnson. Paul VI pleaded for peace before the UN, "Our very brief visit has given us a great honour; that of proclaiming to the whole world, from the Headquarters of the United Nations, Peace! We shall never forget this extraordinary hour. Nor can We bring it to a more fitting conclusion than by expressing the wish that this central seat of human relationships for the civil peace of the world may ever be conscious and worthy of this high privilege. No more war, never again war. Peace, it is peace that must guide the destinies of people and of all mankind." October 5, 1968: Police batoned civil rights demonstrators in Derry, Northern Ireland – considered to mark the beginning of The Troubles. Over 100 people were injured, including a number of MPs. The incident was filmed by news crews and shown around the world. It caused outrage in the Catholic and nationalist community, sparking two days of rioting in Derry between nationalists and the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
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Click photos for links to more information. September 22, 1975: Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, but was foiled by a former US Marine named Oliver Sipple. She was about 40 feet away from President Ford when she fired a single shot at him with a .38 caliber revolver. She was standing in the crowd across the street from the St. Francis Hotel. She was using a gun she bought in haste that same morning and did not know the sights were six inches off the point-of-impact at that distance and she narrowly missed. FBI case agent Richard Vitamanti measured the location the next day. After realizing she had missed, she raised her arm again, when Sipple dived towards her, knocking her arm the second time, perhaps saving President Ford's life. September 23, 1889: Nintendo Koppai (Later Nintendo Company, Limited) was founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce and market the playing card game Hanafuda. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as cab services and hotels. Abandoning previous ventures, Nintendo developed into a video game company, becoming one of the most influential in the industry and Japan's third most valuable listed company with a market value of over $85 billion. Nintendo of America is also the majority owner of the Seattle Mariners. The name Nintendo can be roughly translated from Japanese to English as "leave luck to heaven." As of June 30, 2013, Nintendo has sold over 655.9 million hardware units and 4.12 billion software units. September 24, 1906: President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument. The power to grant national monuments comes from the Antiquities Act of 1906, which resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Native American ruins and artifacts (collectively termed "antiquities") on federal lands in the West. The Act authorized permits for legitimate archaeological investigations and penalties for persons taking or destroying antiquities without permission. The Act also authorized presidents to proclaim "historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest" as national monuments, "the limits of which in all cases shall be confined to the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected." September 25, 1974: The first ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery performed, on baseball player Tommy John. The procedure was first performed by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe, then a Los Angeles Dodgers team physician who today serves as a special advisor to the team. The surgery is now named after John, whose 288 career victories ranks seventh all time among left-handed pitchers. September 26, 1960: In Chicago, the first televised debate took place between presidential candidates Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy. In the first of four such debates, Nixon appeared pale, with a five o'clock shadow, in contrast to the photogenic Kennedy. Nixon's performance in the debate was perceived to be mediocre in the visual medium of television, though many people listening on the radio thought that Nixon had won. Nixon lost the election narrowly, with Kennedy ahead by only 120,000 votes (0.2 percent) in the popular vote. September 27, 1937: Balinese Tiger was declared extinct. This was one of three subspecies of tigers found in Indonesia, together with the Javan tiger, which is also extinct, and the critically endangered Sumatran tiger. It was the smallest of the tiger subspecies. The last specimen definitely recorded was a female shot at Sumbar Kima, west Bali, on September 27, 1937. However, a few animals likely survived into the 1940s and possibly 1950s. The subspecies became extinct because of habitat loss and hunting. Given the small size of the island, and limited forest cover, the original population could never have been large. September 28, 1928: Sir Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin. He showed that, if Penicillium rubens were grown in the appropriate substrate, it would exude a substance with antibiotic properties, which he dubbed penicillin. This serendipitous observation began the modern era of antibiotic discovery. Click photos for links to more information. September 15, 1944: The Battle of Peleliu began as the United States Marine Corps' 1st Marine Division and the United States Army's 81st Infantry Division hit White and Orange beaches under heavy fire from Japanese infantry and artillery. Major General William Rupertus, USMC—commander of 1st Marine Division—predicted the island would be secured within four days. However, due to Japan's well-crafted fortifications and stiff resistance, the battle lasted over two months. In the United States, it was a controversial battle because of the island's questionable strategic value and the high casualty rate, which was the highest for U.S. military personnel of any battle in the Pacific War. September 16, 1920: A bomb in a horse wagon exploded in front of the J. P. Morgan building on Wall Street in New York City – 38 are killed and 400 injured. The bombing was never solved, although investigators and historians believe the Wall Street bombing was carried out by Galleanists (Italian anarchists), a group responsible for a series of bombings the previous year. The attack was related to postwar social unrest, labor struggles and anti-capitalist agitation in the United States. September 17, 1916: Manfred von Richthofen, better known as "The Red Baron," a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte credited with 80 air combat victories, won his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France. Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of Jasta 2 in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became leader of Jasta 11 and then the larger unit Jagdgeschwader 1 (better known as the "Flying Circus"). By 1918, he was regarded as a national hero in Germany, and was very well known by the other side. Richthofen was shot down and killed near Amiens on 21 April 1918. September 18, 2007: Buddhist monks joined anti-government protesters in Myanmar, starting what some called the Saffron Revolution. A series of anti-government protests originally started on 15 August 2007. The immediate cause of the protests was mainly the unannounced decision of the ruling junta to remove fuel subsidies, which caused the price of diesel and petrol to suddenly rise as much as 66%, and the price of compressed natural gas for buses to increase fivefold in less than a week. Led by students and opposition political activists, including women, the protest demonstrations took the form of a campaign of nonviolent resistance, sometimes also called civil resistance. They were at first dealt with quickly and harshly by the junta, with dozens of protesters arrested and detained. When thousands of Buddhist monks joined the protests, they were allowed to proceed until a renewed government crackdown on 26 September. During the crackdown, there were rumors of disagreement within the Burmese military, but none were confirmed. September 19, 1692: Giles Corey was pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials. According to the law at the time, a person who refused to plead could not be tried. To avoid persons cheating justice, the legal remedy for refusing to plead was "peine forte et dure". In this process the prisoner is stripped naked, with a heavy board laid on his body. Then rocks or boulders are laid on the plank of wood. Samuel Sewall's diary states, under date of Monday, September 19, 1692: "About noon at Salem, Giles Cory [sic] was pressed to death for standing mute; much pains was used with him two days, one after another, by the court and Captain Gardner of Nantucket who had been of his acquaintance, but all in vain." September 20, 1498: The 1498 Meiō Nankaidō earthquake generated a tsunami that washed away the building housing the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan; since then the Buddha has sat in the open air. September 21, 1937: J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, or There and Back Again was published. Receiving wide critical acclaim, the book was being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald Tribune for best juvenile fiction. The book remains popular and is recognized as a classic in children's literature. Encouraged by the book's critical and financial success, the publisher requested a sequel. As Tolkien's work on the successor The Lord of the Rings progressed, he made retrospective accommodations for it in The Hobbit. These few but significant changes were integrated into the second edition. Further editions followed with minor emendations, including those reflecting Tolkien's changing concept of the world into which Bilbo stumbled. The work has never been out of print. We are very pleased to announce that the 2013 Homeschool History Fair of the Ozarks has a new sponsor, School of Rock Springfield has joined a growing list of area businesses who have decided to assist us in pulling together a first-class event. School of Rock is new to the Springfield area, having just opened its doors at 1658 East Sunshine on August 21st. For those unfamiliar with their work, School of Rock Springfield teaches guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and keys through an innovative performance-based method using music lessons and group rehearsals. Students of all ages get to perform what they learn together with friends on a real rock stage! Founded as a single school in Philadelphia in 1998, for more than a decade, School of Rock has been inspiring kids to rock on stage and in life. And the school has grown ever since, with locations popping up around the country and internationally. Today, School of Rock operates 69 schools in the United States and Mexico. School of Rock Springfield is excited about establishing a relationship with the local homeschool community. They would like to invite all to a special open house event for homeschoolers on October 2nd form 1 pm to 3 pm, so that families can check the opportunities available them through their programs. They are particularly hoping to generate interest in monthly homeschooling day camps. This would be a great opportunity to meet with the folks down at the School of Rock Springfield, in order to help them tailor their programming to meet the needs of the local homeschooling community. If you and your children are in the market for music lessons, we hope that you will check out what is going on down at the School of Rock Springfield. Remember to support those who support you! We never cease to be amazed at the generosity of the local business community. We are very fortunate to live in an area with so many business leaders devoted to improving the region. We wish to express our thanks to the School of Rock Springfield, and all of our fine sponsors! The National History Day program and the Library of Congress are partnering to announce the first in a series of professional development webinar opportunities for NHD teachers to help them learn more about Library of Congress resources. Though the webinars are specifically designed with teachers in mind, students and parents are welcomed to participate. The first webinar in the series will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2013, from 6 pm to 7 pm CDT. The hour-long program will start with an analysis of a primary source related to the “Rights and Responsibilities” theme and participants will be invited to discuss instructional strategies that can be used with primary sources. In addition, education specialists will highlight resources from the National Child Labor Committee. Join educators from across the country for an exciting hour of examining primary sources! There is no charge for the webinar, but registration is required (login information will be sent to those who register). An informational flyer, which may be accessed by following the hyper-linked text, has all of the necessary details.
If you are interested in receiving teacher materials directly from the national office, please send your email address to Lynne O'Hara, Director of Programs, National History Day at [email protected]. Remember, even if you and your student are not anticipating entering a project in the NHD, this represents an excellent opportunity to access resources that could prove useful in the your HHFO project, or with your studies in general. We recently caught the set the Honkytonk Renovators performed at the Ozarks Celebration Festival this past weekend. They are a fantastic group of musicians and it was great to see them be a part of such a wonderful event. Some of you who were at the 2012 HHFO may remember that the Renovators played for the us just prior to the awards ceremony. They were joined by Jody Bilyeu, formerly of Big Smith, as they helped to make the afternoon extra special. Having been prodded into action by my son, who has become a big fan, I managed to work up the courage to ask if the guys would be kind enough to come back this year to play for the folks. I am pleased to report that they accepted the invitation! If you didn't catch them last year, you are in for a treat. Here is a little background information on the Renovators, who have been likened to "Johnny Cash on steroids." Their front man and acoustic Guitar player is Splinter Middleton. He is a great singer/songwriter and formerly wrote for Mel Tillis Publishing as well as produced his own show in Branson, Missouri for 20 plus years with a big following. He has also been seen many times on RFD channel as a featured performer on “Midwest Country”. Two of his songs, performed by the “Honkytonk Renovators”, are being played on Texas radio on “Big G’s Texas Road Show” at KOOK 93.5 in Junction, Texas. This will be an acoustic show, as the Honkytonk Renovators will take us on a musical tour of some of the important country music of the mid-twentieth century. The music will start at 3:00 pm in the atrium of Strong Hall on October 11th. So be sure to stake out a good seat and prepare for some toe-tapping fun! In the meantime, here is little sample of their work to tide you over! We are excited to announce that Bigfish Screenprinting is, once again, a proud sponsor of the Homeschool History Fair of the Ozarks! Last year, with the generous help of Bigfish, we were able to provide each entrant with a commemorative t-shirt. We are hustling to raise the necessary funds to make that happen again. But this goal would be herculean were it not for the support of Bigfish. Bigfish Screenprinting is very active in the community, working with numerous charities and other causes that make a positive impact on the region. We hope the you will look to them for all you screenprinting needs, as they are a class act. It is one of the reasons why we originally approached them for help. The history of Bigfish says everything you need to know about this fine organization Bigfish Screenprinting opened for business in August 2001 with just one employee. The business has grown to currently employ 14 staff members plus our fearless leader for a total of 15 employees. As of now, there are 9 full-time positions and 3 part-time positions filled within the company. It is hard to find fault with a business model like that. Thank you, Bigfish Screenprinting for allowing us to benefit from wonderful work!
Besides creating a fun day of history for young people, and helping students develop a greater awareness of what historians do, one of the goals of the Homeschool History Fair of the Ozarks is to encourage more home-educated students to participate in the National History Day competition for elementary and secondary school students in grades 6 through 12. Last year, two participants in the HHFO when on to compete in the Regional NHD in Missouri event held at Missouri State University. Both placed among the top finishers and were invited to compete in the state-wide competition in Jefferson City. We could not be more proud of these young people and their achievements. Though it was the hard work and discipline demonstrated by these students that directly led to their success, we would like to think that the HHFO provided a environment in which they were able to receive valuable feedback and encouragement. We sincerely hope that more students will challenge themselves and enter future NHD competitions. And for some of our older students there is not time like the present to begin thinking about a potential project. Regional 7 History Day Coordinator, Gail Emrie, and the History Department at Missouri State University, would like invite area homeschooled students to participate in this year’s National History Day contest. Missouri’s Region 7 contest will be held on Friday, February 28, 2014 in Plaster Student Union on the campus of Missouri State University. The theme for the contest this year is Rights and Responsibilities in History. The attached materials provide a more precise description of the theme, as well as suggestions on how topics might be developed. Additional information on the contest is available to you and your students on the state and national History Day websites http://whmc.umsystem.edu/nhd/nhdmain.html and http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/. The website of the MSU History Department (http://history.missouristate.edu/) has links to these sites. For those students who qualify, the state History Day contest will be held Saturday, April 26, 2014 on the University of Missouri – Columbia campus. As was the case last year, there will be an on-line system of registration in place. Instructions, outlining how to register, will be made available later this fall. Registration will begin in December. Ms. Emrie has been kind enough to pass along the most recent rule book for the contest and a booklet produced by NHD with suggestions on how to approach this year’s theme for History Day, which can be accessed by following the hyper-linked text. These resources are also available in electronic form at the National History Day website, but if you would like a hard copies, Ms.Emrie would be happy to supply you with them. If you intend to participate, please respond by e-mail to [email protected] at your earliest convenience so she will be able to maintain an accurate group contact list for updates on this year’s contest. If you should have any questions, Ms. Emrie may also be reached by phone at 417.836.5915. In the meantime, be thinking about questions that you might have about this year's theme Rights and Responsibilities in History. On Tuesday, October 8, 2013 from 4:00 to 6:00pm ET, the NHD will be holding an online discussion about this year’s theme, during which staff members will address questions from teachers, students and parents. Questions may be posed to respondents ahead of time from October 3 - 7 by emailing [email protected]. Please make sure you have “NHD THEME DISCUSSION” in your email subject line. To send questions during the 4 – 6 live discussion time, use the same [email protected] email address. To view the discussion, go online to the National History Day website, www.nhd.org. There will be a button on the homepage that will take you directly to the online discussion page. Please note that this is not an “online chat” in the usual sense, but all questions and their answers will be posted on the discussion page on our website as quickly as possible in the order received. The NHD program is a very worthwhile endeavor. We hope that as you map out your academic year that you will consider making it a part of your agenda. Remember, students who complete a project in the Senior Divisions of the HHFO should have a leg up on their competition as they will have completed what is likely a very polished "first draft." Put all that hard work to use and perhaps your young person will find himself or herself serving as Missouri delegates to the Kenneth E. Behring National Contest in College Park, Maryland next summer! Click photos for link to more information. September 8, 1504: Michelangelo's David was unveiled in Florence. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favored subject in the art of Florence. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence. September 9, 1739: The Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the American colonies prior to the Revolution, erupted near Charleston, South Carolina. the uprising was led by Catholic Kongolese. Their leader, Jemmy, was a literate slave who led 20 other enslaved Kongolese, who may have been former soldiers, in an armed march south from the Stono River. They recruited nearly 60 other slaves and killed 22–25 whites before being intercepted by the South Carolina militia near the Edisto River. In that battle, 20 whites and 44 slaves were killed, and the rebellion was largely suppressed. Most of the captured slaves were executed, while survivors were to the West Indies. In response to the rebellion, the South Carolina legislature passed the Negro Act of 1740 restricting slave assembly, education, and movement. It also enacted a 10-year moratorium against importing African slaves, and established penalties against slaveholders' harsh treatment of slaves. It required legislative approval for manumissions, which slaveholders had previously been able to arrange privately. September 10, 1972: The United States suffered its first loss of an international basketball game in a disputed match against the Soviet Union at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. With the U.S. team trailing 49–48 in the waning seconds of the contest, American guard Doug Collins stole a Soviet pass at halfcourt and was fouled hard by Zurab Sakandelidze as he drove toward the basket, being knocked down into the basket stanchion. With three seconds remaining on the game clock, Collins was awarded two free throws and sank the first to tie the score at 49. Just as Collins lifted the ball to begin his shooting motion in attempting the second free throw, the horn from the scorer's table sounded, marking the beginning of a chain of events that left the game's final three seconds mired in controversy. September 11, 1893: Parliament of the World's Religions opened in Chicago, where Swami Vivekananda delivered his famous speech on fanaticism, tolerance and the truth inherent in all religions. The 1893 Parliament, which ran from 11 to 27 September, had marked the first formal gathering of representatives of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. Today it is recognized as the occasion of the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide. September 12, 490 BCE: Though the date is subject of some debate, the Athenians and their Plataean allies, defeated the first Persian invasion force of Greece. The Battle of Marathon was a watershed in the Greco-Persian wars, showing the Greeks that the Persians could be beaten; the eventual Greek triumph in these wars can be seen to begin at Marathon. Since the following two hundred years saw the rise of the Classical Greek civilization, which has been enduringly influential in western society, the Battle of Marathon is often seen as a pivotal moment in European history. The battle is perhaps now more famous as the inspiration for the marathon race. Although thought to be historically inaccurate, the legend of the Greek messenger Pheidippides running to Athens with news of the victory became the inspiration for this athletic event, introduced at the 1896 Athens Olympics, and originally run between Marathon and Athens. September 13, 1814: In a turning point in the War of 1812, the British fail to capture Baltimore. During the battle, Francis Scott Key composed his poem "Defence of Fort McHenry," which is later set to music and becomes the United States' national anthem. Key, accompanied by the British Prisoner Exchange Agent Colonel John Stuart Skinner, dined aboard the British ship HMS Tonnant, as the guests of the British Skinner and Key were there to negotiate the release of prisoners, one of whom was Dr. William Beanes, who had been arrested after putting rowdy stragglers under citizen's arrest. Skinner, Key, and Beanes were not allowed to return to their own sloop because they had become familiar with the strength and position of the British units and with the British intent to attack Baltimore. As a result of this, Key was unable to do anything but watch the bombarding of the American forces at Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on the night of September 13–14, 1814. September 14, 1975: The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, was canonized by Pope Paul VI. On 31 July 1809, Elizabeth established a religious community in Emmitsburg, Maryland dedicated to the care of the children of the poor. It was the first congregation of religious sisters to be founded in the United States, and its school was the first free Catholic school in America. This modest beginning marked the start of the Catholic parochial school system in the United States. The order was initially called the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. From that point on, she became known as "Mother Seton". Festival season has returned and around our home, this may be one of our favorite weekends of the year. We rarely manage to get to all the places we plan to visit, but we always have a great time trying. Here are some of the highlights coming this weekend. We hope that you and your family will get out there this weekend and support a few of these wonderful events! The Sixth Annual Greek Festival Great music, dancing, food, and activities for the kids! What more could you ask? Well . . . it can be educational too, as the folks at St. Thomas open their doors to share with visits insights about their Orthodox faith. If you haven't attended this event, you have been missing out! The 16th Annual |
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