Official Kids Mag

August 13 International lefthanders day Are you left handed? If so, you're among just 12% of the population! In a world dominated by right-handers, International Lefthanders Day celebrates lefties! In the 1600s, left-handed people were thought of as being evil. Even today they face difficulties and challenges in accomplishing tasks (scissors are made for right-handed people, and desks are often designed for them too.) Some of the greatest people in history were/are left-handed, like Mother Teresa, Barack Obama, Walt Disney, Bill Gates, Charlie Chaplin, Mark Zuckerberg, and Albert Einstein, to name a few. August 26 Women's equality day This day commemorates the day that the U.S. Congress adopted the 19th Amendment, also known as the 'Susan B. Anthony Amendment,' giving women the right to vote. It's a day to remember the obstacles the heroic women have overcome to win equal rights. In the early 19th century, American women couldn't couldn't own or inherit property, had no access to higher education, couldn't have professional careers and if they did work, made half of a man's wages. For these reasons, women began organizing to demand political representation and the right to vote. In 1848, the first women's rights convention organized by women, including suffragists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, was held at Seneca Falls, New York, sparking the movement that led to the passage of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment was first introduced in 1878, but it wasn't until after women's involvement in the World War I that women's suffrage (the right to vote) finally gained support. Because a Constitutional amendment requires approval from two-thirds of the states, 36 of them had to ratify the 19th Amendment before its passage. The deciding vote in the Tennessee legislature came from Harry T. Burn, a young state representative whose mom convinced him at the last minute to change his vote and support the amendment. Yay mom! To remind us of the struggles of women, Congress designated August 26 as Women's Equality Day in 1971. August 20 national lemonade day It's a great day to set up your own lemonade stand and running your own company! Or just cool off by drinking some lemonade! This citrusy, refreshing drink dates as far back as ancient Egypt, when Egyptians mixed lemon with sugar to make something they called…qatermizat! In the 1670s, street vendors in Paris sold lemonade from tanks strapped to their backs. In the 1870s, a young Dutch immigrant named Edward Bok had the first "lemonade stand" in New York. Edward noticed that horse carriages passing by his home and heading toward Coney Island often stopped so that the horses could have water and passengers could get a drink at a nearby cigar shop. He also noticed that only the men would go inside the shop, leaving women and children to wait outside. So he bought a clean pail and attached three hooks to it to hold three glasses. When the carriages stopped, he jumped on and offered ice water to everyone on board for one penny a glass. Then, he began squeezing lemons into water, added sugar, and sold lemonade for three cents a glass. August 15 national back to school day It's time to get ready to go back to school. Here are some tips to help you prep! 1. get your school supplies ready - Find out what's on your school supply list and any other supplies you might need. 2. create your learning command center - Make sure you have a distraction-free area to do your homework in so you can stay focused. 3. get your routine down - Start adjusting your sleep and creating a morning routine ahead of time, so when that exciting first day arrives you are raring to go. August 28 "I Have a dream" day It was on August 28, 1963, that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream" speech to 250,000 people on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Considered to be one of the most important speeches our country's history, King's speech called for the end of racial discrimination and for equal rights for all. August 16 national roller coaster day The first roller coasters appeared in Russia in the 1500's. Russian roller coasters were made of wood with icy ramps on which people slid down, often hurting themselves in the process. NOT fun!! Luckily, things got better! Roller coasters became super popular in the U.S. during the 1920s. Today's basic roller coaster design is basically the same as it was 100 years ago. Over the years, fancy things were added, like the figure 8 coaster, looping roller coasters, and even, roller coasters that jump! Roller coaster designers are constantly looking for new ways to keep people safe while having fun. There are new inventions like lap belts and harnesses that that lock in place until released by the person running the roller coaster. There are often requirement for how tall or big passengers must be to ride or what articles are and aren't allowed. august 24 Mount Vesuvius erupts! August was a bad month for the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. On August 24, 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted near the city. The mountain spewed out clouds of ash, smoke, and pumice on the citizens. And that wasn't the end of it either – next came molten lava, which buried the remaining residents 7 feet deep! fun facts about lemons: California and Arizona produce almost 95% of the entire U.S. lemon crop. A single lemon tree can produce up to 600 pounds of lemons in just one year. www.officialKidsMag.com • august 2021 • 7

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