The first English printer, William Caxton, was born on this day in 1422.

Students consider how the printing press affects their world by completing a printing inventory, comparing lists, and developing a "super" list of all printed materials that they interact with.

Grades   3 – 8

Ernest Thayer, author of the famous poem "Casey at the Bat," was born in 1863.

In small groups or individually, students make baseball cards for the players in the poem "Casey at the Bat." Students can use a word processor or the Character Trading Cards interactive to create their cards.

Grades   3 – 8

In 1870, the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad was completed.

Students access the National Park Service website and look at the webpage "The Last Spikes." Students explore different accounts of what happened as the railroad neared completion and discuss the nature of ceremonies.

Grades   7 – 12

Davy Crockett was born in 1786.

Students read selected excerpts from Crockett's biography and consider whether present-day politicians follow Crockett's advice.

Grades   7 – 12

Montgomery Ward published the first mail-order catalog in 1872.

Students explore how and why catalogs have changed over the years and compare their findings about printed catalogs with online catalogs.

Grades   5 – 12