Women’s History Month: Misty Copeland
Every year since 1995, the sitting president of the United States has proclaimed the month of March as Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Alliance chooses the annual theme. The 2024 theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” Women who have taken the lead to work for these values are honored […]
Eliza Jane Nicholson: First Woman to Publish a Major Newspaper
Eliza Jane Nicholson was the first woman in the United States to own a major newspaper. Born Eliza Jane Poitevent, she started working in 1870 as the literary editor of the Picayune, a daily newspaper in New Orleans, Louisiana. During this time, New Orleans was the largest city in the South. It was common for […]
Revitalizing Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District
Greenwood is a neighborhood in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early twentieth century, it was referred to as the “Black Wall Street” of America because of its successful African American business district. This nickname was a reference to the prosperous Wall Street financial district in New York City. In 1921 and again in the early […]
National Election in Mexico Will Be Held in June
Mexico will hold a major national election on June 2, 2024. Voters will select a new president to replace outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. In Mexico, the president is limited to one six-year term. In addition to electing a new president, this election is of major significance because the entire national legislature is up […]
India’s Supreme Court Rules on Campaign Donations
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, India’s highest court, the Supreme Court of India, changed how political parties can receive money for election campaigns. The court struck down a system called “electoral bonds” that allowed people and companies to give money to political parties anonymously, or without revealing who they were. Electoral Bonds The electoral bonds […]
Black History Month: Celebrating Black Filmmakers, Storytellers, and Actors
On February 17, 2024, the National Black Movie Association observed National Black Movie Day (NBMD). The association urged everyone to celebrate by watching Black movies at home or in theaters. Viewers were also encouraged to share their favorite Black films, actors, directors, and screenwriters on social media. National Black Movie Association Agnes Moss founded the […]
Black History Month: Bessie Burke’s Education Legacy
In 1911, Bessie Bruington Burke made history as the first African American teacher in the Los Angeles, California, public school system. Just seven years later, she made history again when she became the school system’s first African American school principal. Top of Her Class Burke was born in Los Angeles in 1891. Several years earlier, […]
Developers Add New Skin Features to The Sims 4
Developers of The Sims 4 recently updated the options in the video game to give players the choice of adding a skin condition, known as vitiligo, to their characters’ appearance. The Sims is a popular series of video games where players create and control characters in a life simulation. What is Vitiligo? Vitiligo (vit•ill•EYE•go) is […]
Effects of Oil Spill Near Trinidad and Tobago
An oil spill near the Caribbean country of Trinidad and Tobago has been declared a national emergency. On February 7, 2024, the nation’s coast guard spotted oil coming from an overturned ship about 4 miles (6 km) off the coast of the island of Tobago in the Caribbean Sea. Oil has washed ashore and covered […]
Learning About Presidents Day
Each year on the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates Presidents’ Day. This holiday’s history began in 1885. That’s when Congress established February 22 as a day off for all federal government workers to honor George Washington’s birthday. The Holiday’s History This was the first federal holiday created to honor an individual’s birth […]