Here’s an advance look at 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.

Monday, February 13

TDIGH: Australia Apologizes to the ‘Stolen Generations’

In 2008 the prime minister of Australia formally apologized for the practice of forcibly removing Aboriginal children from their families.

Map: Australia

Background: Australia’s human geography

Activity: Listen to prime minister Kevin Rudd’s apology. Compare the treatment of Australia’s indigenous peoples to the treatment of Native Americans in the U.S. Why hasn’t a U.S. president given a formal apology speech to Native Americans?

 

TDIGH: Bombing of Dresden

Toward the end of World War II, Allied forces carried out a firebombing campaign that devastated the city of Dresden, Germany.

Visual: Photo Gallery: Dresden

Background: Interactive timeline of WWII in Europe

Activity: Discuss Kurt Vonnegut’s experience living through the bombing of Dresden and how he wrote about it in Slaughterhouse-Five.

 

Tuesday, February 14

TDIGH: Happy Valentine’s Day

The holiday devoted to love originated in ancient Rome and was romanticized by authors like Chaucer and Shakespeare during the Middle Ages.  

Visual: Animal Pair Pictures

Background: History of Valentine’s Day and related vocab

Activity: Read about and discuss Valentine’s Day traditions around the world.

 

Saturday, February 18

TDIGH: Chicago 7 Found Not Guilty

Following the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention, a trial found the seven protesters not guilty, while the one black activist was tried separately.

Visual: Newspaper photo of the original Chicago 8

Background: Film about the events leading up to the 1968 riots at the DNC

Activity: Read this 1973 New York Times article about Black Panther activist Bobby Seale’s trial. Why do you think Seale was treated differently from the other seven?

 

Sunday, February 19

TDIGH: First Oil Pipeline Completed

Since the first oil pipeline was built in Pennsylvania in 1863, networks of underground pipelines have been constructed around the world.

Map: Interactive map of U.S. pipelines

Background: Non-renewable energy

Activity: Connect this to the current debate over the Dakota Access Pipeline by reading “Dakota Access Pipeline: What You Need to Know” and NPR’s series on the topic.