Official Kids Mag

July 4 - Independence day This is the day we celebrate America's freedom from British rule. The Revolutionary War pitted our small nation of 13 colonies against Great Britain's mighty military force. We won, and gained our independence. During the summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia was given the job of writing a formal statement proclaiming America's freedom from the rule of Great Britain. Jefferson was part of a group of five men who worked on the statement, including John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Robert Livingston of New York and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. It was a long process, during which the men argued about what to say and how to best talk about "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that were the rights of Americans. July 4, 1776 was the date that the Declaration of Independence was fully ratified, or approved. Ever since, our country has celebrated "the fourth" with fireworks, parades, picnics and fun. Interesting fact! There are many other countries that celebrate their Independence Day during the month of July. They include France, Canada, Belarus, Venezuela, Argentina, Belgium, the Bahamas, and the Maldives. July 2 - World UFO day Strange lights in the sky. Mysterious flying saucers. Unexplained experiences. UFO sightings have been capturing the imagination of people around the world for centuries. World UFO Day is a day for all UFO hunters to search the skies for UFOs. Why July 2? That's the date, in 1947, when people claimed that a UFO crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Afterwards, the U.S. Air Force announced they'd recovered remnants of a "flying disc" from a New Mexico ranch. Then they changed their story and said the wreckage actually came from a downed "weather balloon." Years later, the Air Force admitted they'd made up that whole story to cover up the fact that the debris came from an aerial spy device! At any rate, the Roswell event started a national rush to look for and report unexplained phenomena in the sky. Between 1947 and 1969, more than 12,000 UFO sightings were reported to Project Blue Book, a small, top-secret Air Force team. Do you believe in UFOs? Search the night skies tonight while you ponder this question. July In the old Roman calendar, July was called Quintilis, which means Fifth Month because, in that calendar, the year began in March. (January and February were added in 450 BC.) Augustus later renamed the month July in honor of Julius Caesar, who was born on July 12. Astrological signs: Birthstone: ruby leo (July 22-August 21) Cancer (June 21-July 21) is that a ufo?! Julius Caesar Hooray! It's July! That means that 2021 is halfway over… whaaaaaaaa? Summer is in full swing and July is the month that often has the warmest days of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the coldest (in the Southern Hemisphere – why? Because it's winter there!) Here are some things to celebrate in the month of July: Flower: Water lily www.of f icialKidsMag.com • July 2021 • 5

• Cover