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.
Check out our Pinterest board for more related resources!
Monday, October 2
TDIGH: Supreme Court Swears in First African-American Justice
Thurgood Marshall’s appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967 marked a key moment in the civil rights movement.
Visual: Photo of the current Supreme Court
Context: Civil Rights resources
Activity: Listen to this audio segment about Thurgood Marshall’s confirmation. What is the connection between the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Marshall being confirmed?
Tuesday, October 3
The Soviet launch of an artificial satellite in 1957 intensified the Cold War tension between the USSR and the U.S.
Visual: “Space Race” objects
Background: What is an orbit?
Activity: “So, You Want to Build a Satellite?”
Thursday, October 5
The UN created this day in 1994 to recognize the vital role teachers play in society.
Map: Teacher Shortages
Background: UNESCO World Teachers’ Day
Activity: Check out Teach Pluralism’s “SLPC’s 10 Ways to Fight Hate in the Classroom” and see how other educators are connecting their classrooms to the world.
Saturday, October 7
TDIGH: Astronomers See the Far Side of the Moon
Since the moon orbits the Earth in a fixed rotation, no one had ever seen the other side of the moon until a Soviet space probe transmitted images of it in 1959.
Map: Earth’s Moon
Background: More info about the Moon
Activity: Learn about the first humans to walk on the Moon. What else do you want to know about the Moon’s geography or composition? (NASA’s Moon resources.)
Sunday, October 8
After helping Fidel Castro gain power in Cuba and publishing a book on guerilla warfare, Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara was killed by the Bolivian army in 1967.
Map: Cuba
Background: Biography