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, January 23

Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie, National Geographic
TDIGH: Piccard and Walsh Go Deep
In 1960, explorers Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh traveled to the deepest point on Earth: the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
Map: Photos, maps, and more info about ocean trenches
Background: Collection of resources about the Mariana Trench and a short video
Wednesday, January 24

Photograph by George F. Mobley, National Geographic
TDIGH: California Gold Rush Begins
James Marshall’s discovery of gold in the American river in 1848 sparked a mass migration to California.
Map: Download and print this big, beautiful map of California’s historic gold mines
Background: The discovery of gold in California
Activity: Read this article about immigration and demographics in 19th-century California. What were the long-term effects of the California Gold Rush?
Thursday, January 25

TDIGH: Around the World in 72 Days
New technology (telegram and telegraph) made investigative journalist and traveler Nellie Bly the proto-Tweeter of the late 19th-century.
Map: Zoom in on Nellie Bly’s whirlwind, worldwide trip.
Background: Learn more about this pioneering journalist with articles, images, and a biography.
Friday, January 27

Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic
TDIGH: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The UN created this day in 2006 to honor the victims and survivors of the genocide carried out by the Nazis during the 1930s and 1940s.
Visual: Timeline and photos from U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Background: Wannsee Conference outlines the “Final Solution”

Photo courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration/Nevada Field Office. Public domain
TDIGH: Bombs Away at the Nevada Test Site
The long series of nuclear explosions at what is now the Nevada National Security Site altered the physical and cultural geography of the West.
Map: Where did the U.S. conduct atmospheric nuclear tests?
Background: Where was the first nuclear weapon detonated?