January 14

On this day in 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to fly in an airplane while in office. He flew from Miami, FL, to French Morocco in Africa where he met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Mr. Roosevelt was an interesting man who is the only president to serve more than two terms in the White House as president. How many years is one term in office for the president of the United States?

January 13

On this day in 1957, The Wham-O Company developed a toy that most of us have used, some more successfully than others. There are a number of theories on how this toy came to be, but the most popular is that in the 1920's college students invented a game that involved tossing metal pie tins. The metal pie tins were later changed to plastic and the first one was marketed as the Pluto Platter. The name was changed and the company sold the rights to this toy to Mattel. These toys are still being used today by people and in dog competitions. What name do we know the Pluto Platter by?























Answer: Frisbee

January 12

On January 12, 1915 Congress passed legislation making a National Park in Colorado named after a major mountain range. These mountains start in Canada and go all the way to New Mexico (more than 3,000 miles).

These mountains were formed somewhere between 80 and 55 million years ago. Since then erosion has changed them into what they are today. Much of this area is protected by our goverment and is a great source of tourism.

Did you know that on one side of these mountains water flows to the Atlantic Ocean and on the other, to the Pacific? The place where the division occurs is called the Continental Divide.

Do you know the name of these famous mountains?
















Answer: The Rocky Mountains

January 11

On this day in 1878, a product that can be found in every school cafeteria in our country, was first delivered in glass bottles to homes. This product is a liquid, usually white, but can be found flavored in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. It is usually from a cow and is used to make cheese, butter, and ice cream. Did you know that humans are the only living creatures that continue to drink this item on a regular basis after they have become adults? The advertising people have been using celebrities to show a mustache made from this product. Do you know what drink we're referring to?















Answer: Milk

January 10

Ray Bolger was born on this day in 1904. He was an actor who played the role of the Scarecrow in the musical production of a book by L. Frank Baum. In addition to the Scarecrow, there was a Lion, a Tin Man and a girl named Dorothy who had a dog named Toto. Dorothy sang Over the Rainbow in the movie and the Scarecrow sang a song named If I Only had a Brain. Do you know the name of the movie?


















Answer: The Wizard of Oz

January 6

Today is the anniversary of Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier. He was born on January 6 in 1745 to a family of paper manufacturers. He had 15 brothers and sisters! One of his brothers was an inventor who dreamed of building a balloon that would transport people! Together they built the first hot air balloon using cloth, three layers of paper, and fishing net. The first time they sent living creatures into the air, they sent a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. The first time they sent a person up in a balloon, it was near a European capital. Do you know which important city they were in at the time?

Hints:
This city is on the Seine River.
It is considered one of the world's leading fashion and arts centers of the world.
It is Europe's 10th greenest city and by 2020, it will be one of the world's wealthiest cities.
It is one of the most expensive places in the world to live.
The Eiffel Tower is in this city.
This city is known as the City of Lights.
The Louve Museum is located there (the famous painting of the Mona Lisa is housed there).















Answer: Paris, France

January 5

On this day in 1974, the temperature in Antartica reach 59 degrees. For today, we want to know if Antartica is the North or South Pole. While you think this over, here is some additional information about Antartica:

Almost all of Antarctica is covered by ice (98%) that is at least 1 mile thick.

According to Wikipedia, Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents.

Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland.

There are no permanent human residents, but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades, mites, many types of algae and other microorganisms, and tundra vegetation.















The answer: The South Pole