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 resources!
Monday, May 28
Map by National Geographic Society
TDIGH 1830: Indian Removal Act
This act led to the brutal forced relocation of 46,000 Native Americans, in order to make room for white settlement and slavery in the West.
Map: Zoom in and download Trail of Tears National Historic Trail maps.
Activity: Watch the short video “Trail of Tears: Are the Cherokee an Independent Nation?” Ask students to share their view on President Jackson’s decision.
Tuesday, May 29
Photograph courtesy Jamling Tenzing Norgay and Wikimedia. CC-BY-SA-3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0
TDIGH 1953: First Successful Summit of Mount Everest
Mountaineers from different parts of the globe were the first to make it to the highest elevation in the world.
Map: Follow Hillary and Norgay’s route around Everest with this annotated satellite image.
Background: Get some fast facts about Mount Everest, and more about the technology used to summit it in 1953.
Activity: Tashi Tenzing, Tenzing Norgay’s grandson, said it was wrong that Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander, had been knighted by the U.K. while his grandfather received only relatively minor decorations. An agreement between Hillary and Norgay kept the true identity of Everest’s first climber a secret until the 1980s. Why do students think Hillary was decorated while expedition’s indigenous Sherpa mountain guides, like Norgay, were not?
Thursday, May 31
Photograph courtesy Langill & Darling, N.Y.C., courtesy Library of Congress
TDIGH 1889: Johnstown Flood
The man-made flood resulted in more than 2,000 deaths and changed how lawsuits are handled.
Map: Consult maps of Johnstown, the Little Conemaugh River, and the disastrous flood of 1889.
Background: What is a flood plain? and facts about the 1889 flood.
Saturday, June 2
TDIGH 1962: Ray Charles Tops the Charts
Prior to his release of the groundbreaking Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, both country and soul musicians encouraged Charles not to integrate musical styles from different genres. Charles ignored them, saying “There’s only two kinds of music as far as I’m concerned: good and bad.”
Media: “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was written by country singer/songwriter Don Gibson. Compare and contrast Ray Charles’ version, above, with versions by Conway Twitty, Roy Orbison, Engelbert Humperdinck, Frank Sinatra, and Count Basie.
Activity: Can students think of other artists who work in multiple genres of popular music? What musical and social challenges do they face? Discuss the criticism of Beyonce at the Country Music Awards, and the lack of criticism at Justin Timberlake at the same event the year before.
Sunday, June 3
Photograph by Acme Newspictures, Inc., courtesy Library of Congress
TDIGH 1943: Zoot Suit Riots
Los Angeles was rocked as white police and military servicemen engaged in a series of violent conflicts with Latinos.
Visual: Watch a brief video about the play Zoot Suit, and try to watch the great 1981 film of the same name.
Background: Dig deeper into the riots and political tensions that fueled them.
Activity: Read and discuss this article about police brutality toward Latinos. Or read through this article on the cultural significance of zoot suit fashion. Can students think of other fashions or clothing choices that may contribute to racial profiling?