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| December Learning Calendar |
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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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| December 01 | UN World AIDS Day |
| The World Health Organization declared this day as an international day of awareness and education about the AIDS virus, prevention, control, and research.
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| December 01, 1891 | Basketball Invented |
| In 1891, physical ed teacher James Naismith created this indoor sport at the WMCA as a game that could be played inside during the winter months.
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| December 01, 1955 | Rosa Parks Day |
| This date is the anniversary of the arrest of Rosa Parks in Montgomery Alabama for refusing to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus because she was African American.
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| December 01, 1959 | Antarctica Made a Scientific Perserve |
| Representatives of 12 nations signed a treaty that set aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free of military activity.
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| December 01, 2010 | Christmas Tree Lighting - Rockefeller Center |
| The famous lighting of a giant tree in Rockefeller Center in New York City is typically the signal that the opening of the holiday season has begun! 30,000 lights on 5 miles of electrical wire light up this magnificent tree.
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| December 01, 2010 | Hanukkah Begins |
| The Feast of Lights, lasting from the 8th to the 15th commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over Syrians and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. This is a Jewish holiday that begins at sundown on the 7th.
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| December 01-31 | Universal Human Rights Month |
| This month is set aside to disseminate information about human rights throughout the world.
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| December 05, 1901 | Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins |
| As a protest against the arrest of Rosa Parks, the African American community of Montgomery Alabama staged a boycott of the bus system, which lasted a little over a year. The boycott ended in the Supreme Court decision to integrate the public transport system.
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| December 06 | Spain's Constitution Day |
| National holiday that commemorates the approval of the new constitution of Spain.
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| December 06, 1865 | 13th Amendment Anniversary |
| On this date, the 13th Amendment of the constitution was ratified abolishing slavery in the US.
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| December 07, 1941 | Pearl Harbor Anniversary |
| On this date in 1941, at 7:55 AM, about 200 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, commencing the beginning of World War II for America. Nearly 3,000 were killed in the attack.
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| December 07, 2010 | Islamic New Year |
| This date is generated based on the anticipation of the visibility of the new moon crescent at Mecca
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| December 08 | Feast of the Immaculate Conception |
| This is a Roman Catholic Holy Day of Obligation celebrating Mary's immaculate conception of Jesus.
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| December 08, 1991 | Soviet Union Dissolved |
| On this date, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceased to exist after a signed agreement in Minsk.
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| December 09, 1962 | Petrified Forest National Park Established |
| On this date, Arizona's Petrified Forest National Monument was established as a national park.
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| December 10, 1830 | Emily Dickinson's Birthday |
| Emiliy Dickinson was one of America's greatest poets. Only 7 poems were published during her lifetime - the rest were published after her death by her sister.
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| December 10, 1851 | Melvil Dewey's Birthday |
| American librarian and inventor of the Dewey decimal book classification system was born on this date.
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| December 10, 2010 | Nobel Prize Ceremonies |
| Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite, and upon his death, his will set aside income of his $9 million dollar estate to be awarded annually to persons who are judged to have made valuable contributions towards the good of humanity.
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| December 11, 1946 | United Nations: UNICEF Anniversary |
| This date is the anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
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| December 14, 1911 | South Pole Discovered |
| On this date, Roald Amundsen located and visited the South Pole with four companions and 52 sled dogs in 1911.
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| December 15, 1791 | Bill of Rights Anniversary |
| On this date, the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution (known as the Bill of Rights) became effective after ratification by Virginia.
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| December 15, 1832 | Alexandre Eiffel's Birthday |
| Alexandre Eiffel was a French engineer who designed the 1,000-ft high wrought iron Eiffel Tower and participated in the design of the Statue of Liberty.
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| December 15, 1890 | Sitting Bull's Death Anniversary |
| Sitting Bull refused to go to a Native American reservation led to the Massacre of George Custer's men at Little Bighorn. Shortly thereafter Sitting Bull fled to Canada, and lived there until his death.
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| December 16, 1770 | Ludwig Van Beethoven's Birthday |
| Ludwig Van Beethoven is considered by many as the greatest orchestral composer of all time. This date marks the anniversary of his birth.
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| December 16, 1773 | Boston Tea Party Anniversary |
| On this date in Boston Harbor, patriots boarded a British ship and dumped nearly 350 chests of tea into the Harbor in protest of the British monopoly on tea exports.
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| December 16, 1944 | Battle of the Bulge Anniversary |
| This is the date of a surprise German offensive was launched during World War II in the Belgian Ardennes Forest. Due to the surprise attack and foggy weather, Germans pushed 65 miles past the Allied lines. Once the weather cleared, Allied forces were able to bomb the Germans, and they retreated on Janurary 21, having lost 120,000 men.
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| December 17, 1790 | Aztec Calendar Stone Discovery |
| The Aztec Calendar of Stone is considered one of the greatest wonders of the Western Hemisphere. It was found in 1790 in Mexico City by workers repairing the Central Plaza.
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| December 17, 1903 | Wright Brother's First Powered Flight |
| The Wright Brothers achieved the first documented successful powered flight on this date. The flight took place just outside Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
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| December 20, 1803 | Louisiana Purchase Day |
| The Louisiana Purchase was one of the greatest real estate deals in history - more than a million square miles of the Louisiana Territory were purchased by the US from France at the cost of approximately $20.00 per square mile.
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| December 20, 1812 | Sacagawea's Death |
| Sacagawea was a Native American who accompanied Lewis and Clark on the expeditions, and served as their interpreter. It is said that the expedition could not have succeeded without her help.
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| December 21 | Winter Begins |
| Winter begins on the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere each year on this date.
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| December 21, 1620 | Pilgrim Landing Anniversary |
| This is the date that the first US pilgrims, sailing on the Mayflower, arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts
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| December 21, 1913 | First Crossword Puzzle Anniversary |
| On this date, the first crossword puzzle was created by Arthur Wynne, and published in the New York World.
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| December 21, 2010 | Lunar Eclipse |
| On this date in 2004, there will be a total eclipse of the moon. It will reach the middle of its eclipse at 11:04PM Eastern Daylight Time.
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| December 22, 1956 | First Gorilla Born in Captivity |
| Colo was born in Columbus Ohio in a zoo on this date - weighing 3.25 pounds.
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| December 25 | Christmas |
| This is the Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus.
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| December 26 | Boxing Day |
| This is a holiday usually following Christmas day, and is celebrated in Canada, UK, Australia, and many other countries. Its origin is that it was the day that gift boxes were expected to be delivered by the postman, or picked up by the trash man!
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| December 26, 2010 | Kwanzaa |
| Kwanzaa is an American black family observance created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966 in recognition of traditional African Harvest festivals.
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| December 27, 1822 | Louis Pasteur's Birthday |
| Louis Pasteur was a French chemist-bacteriologist who discovered the inoculation against rabies. He also proved that some perishable foods can be preserved through a technique of heat treatment, now called pasteurization.
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| December 28, 1973 | Endangered Species Act Anniversary |
| This act protects animals deemed "endangered" and was signed by President Nixon in 1973.
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| December 29, 1890 | Wounded Knee Massacre |
| This is the sad anniversary of the massacre of more than 200 Native American men, women and children by the 7th Calvary at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. This event followed the death of Sitting Bull on December 15th of the same year.
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| December 30, 1865 | Rudyard Kipling's Birthday |
| Known for writing "The Jungle Book" and "Just So Stories, along with many poems, Rudyard Kipling was a famous English writer who was a Nobel prize laureate.
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| December 31, 1869 | Henri Matisse's Birthday |
| Henri Matisse was a famous modern artist who designed textiles and stained glass windows, along with paintings.
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