Here’s an advance look at a some of the “This Day in Geographic History” (TDIGH) events coming up this week. For each date, we’ve matched it with a map or visual, background information, and a classroom activity so you can plan ahead.
Wednesday, November 16
Created in 1914, the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States sets the country’s monetary policy.
Map: Federal Reserve districts
Background: Why was the Fed created and how does it work?
Activity: Take our Reserve Currency Quiz!
Thursday, November 17
TDIGH: Elizabeth I Takes the Throne
The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn ruled England from 1558 until 1603, an era considered the “golden age” of British history.
Visual: Drawing of Queen Elizabeth and explorer Sir Francis Drake
Background: Biography of the Virgin Queen
Activity: Read and discuss Queen Elizabeth I’s unlikely alliance with Islam.
Friday, November 18
TDIGH: North American Time Zones Created
In 1883 American and Canadian railroads established standard time zones, eliminating the confusion of each railroad keeping its own time.
Map: U.S. time zones
Background: More about longitude (the lines we use to define time zones)
Activity: Understanding time zones
Saturday, November 19
TDIGH: Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln’s 1863 speech at the site of the largest battle of the Civil War is one of the most famous speeches in American History.
Map: Battles of the U.S. Civil War
Background: Video about the life of Abraham Lincoln
Activity: Watch a mashup of the Gettysburg Address and analyze the original address.
Saturday, November 20
The 1945 trials held Nazi leaders accountable for the war crimes they committed during WWII and the Holocaust.
Map: War crime trials, 1943-1947
Background: Info about the Holocaust and more about the Nuremberg Trials
Activity: Read about the late Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate, Eli Wiesel. Ask students how his teachings could be applied to current events.