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May 2008

 

 

 

 
1

Empire State Building Opened (1931)

May Day

Mother Goose Day

Space Day

May 1 - 7
Nat'l Postcard Week

2

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Leonardo da Vinci Died (1579)

Nelson Mandela Elected President of South Africa (1994)

Soviet Union Announced Fall of Berlin (1945)

3

Nat'l Scrapbooking Day

World Press Freedom Day

4

"Freedom Riders" Left D.C. for New Orleans (1961)

Intn'l Firefighters Day

May 4 - 10
Nat'l Computer Education Week

Nat'l Music Week

Teacher Appreciation Week

5

Cinco de Mayo (Mexico)

First American in Space (1961)

John Scopes Arrested for Teaching Darwinism (1926)

6

Hindenburg Disaster (1937)

Nat'l Teacher Day

Robert Peary's Birthday (1856)

Sigmund Freud's Birthday (1856)

World Asthma Day

7

American Medical Association Formed (1847)

Germany Surrendered to Allies (1945)

Lusitania Sunk (1915)

Nat'l School Nurse Day

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Birthday (1840)

8

Harry S. Truman's Birthday (1884)

Mount Pelee Erupted, Killing 40,000 (1902)

VE Day (1945)

World Red Cross Day

9

Beatles Signed First Recording Contract (1962)

John Brown's Birthday (1800)

Peter Pan Day

10

Astronomy Day

First Transcontinental Railway Completed (1869)

Giant Squid Attack (1847)

Nat'l Bake Sale Day

11

Mother's Day

Minnesota Admission Day (1858)

May 11 - 17
Nat'l Police Week

Nat'l Transportation Week

12

Florence Nightingale's Birthday (1820)

Jimmy Carter Visited Cuba (2002)

Kite Day

May 12-18
Children's Book Week

13

Tulip Day

U.S. Declared War on Mexico (1846)

"When the Saints Go Marching In" Recorded (1938)

14

First Olympic Games Held in U.S. (1904)

First U.S. Space Station Launched (1973)

Lewis and Clark Expedition Began (1803)

15

First Air Mail Route Established in U.S. (1918)

Intn'l Day of Families

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Created (1862)

16

Biographers Day

First U.S. Nickel Minted (1866)

17

Armed Forces Day

New York Stock Exchange Established (1792)

Supreme Court Ruled on Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

18

Mount St. Helens Erupted (1980)

Pope John Paul II's Birthday (1920)

May 18 - 24
Buckle Up America! Week

Nat'l Backyard Games Week

19

Frog Jump Day

Lawrence of Arabia Died (1935)

New England Confederation Formed (1643)

20

Charles Lindbergh Began Transatlantic Flight (1932)

Christopher Columbus Died (1506)

Dolley Madison's Birthday (1768)

21

Amelia Earhart Flew Solo Across the Atlantic (1932)

American Red Cross Established (1881)

22

Buy a Musical Instrument Day

Earthquake in China Claimed 20,000 Victims (1927)

Richard Nixon Visited the Soviet Union (1972)

23

Carolus Linnaeus's Birthday (1707)

Nat'l Turtle Day

South Carolina Admission Day (1788)

Wright Brothers Patented the Aircraft (1906)

24

Brooklyn Bridge Opened (1883)

First Telegraph Message Transmitted (1844)

Israeli Troops Pulled Out of Lebanon (2000)

25

Babe Ruth Hit 714th Home Run (1935)

Fork Debuted in U.S. (1630)

Intn'l Jazz Day

Jesse Owens Broke Three World Records (1935)

26

Memorial Day

Dorothea Lange's Birthday (1895)

Sally Ride's Birthday (1951)

27

First Recorded Witch Execution (1647)

Golden Gate Bridge Opened (1937)

Rachel Carson's Birthday (1907)

28

Jim Thorpe's Birthday (1888)

Linda Finch Completed Earhart's Flight Around the World (1997)

Sierra Club Founded (1892)

29

Hillary and Tenzing Reached Mt. Everest Summit (1953)

Rhode Island Admission Day (1790)

Wisconsin Admission Day (1848)

30

Earthquake in Afghanistan Killed 5,000 (1998)

Indianapolis 500 Debuted (1911)

Lincoln Memorial Dedicated (1927)

31

Earthquake in Peru Killed 50,000 (1970)

First U.S. Copyright Law Enacted (1790)

World No Tobacco Day

 

Highlights

2008 Summer Olympics

Celebrate this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, China, with our resources, activities, and lessons.

Teaching about Natural Disasters

The world has suffered two natural disasters this May — Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and the earthquake in China. These tragedies may have your students wondering why such large catastrophes occur. We have resources to help you explain earthquakes and cyclones, and for dealing with the subjects of death and crisis with your class.

July Events

Find educational activities for every day in July. Take a look at our Summer Activities Slideshow for our favorite summer-themed activities, lessons, and printables.

Sign up for our Great Stuff for Teachers newsletter to keep up-to-date on all of our seasonal lessons and printables.

New Customizable Printables

Easily create personalized hall and office passes or teacher stationary with our customizable classroom passes and notes. Prepare for substitute teachers, field trips, parent-teacher conferences, and more with our customizable charts and forms.

Drama Resources

Explore our drama resources – from Shakespearean plays to The Miracle Worker to Readers Theater – to widen your curricular focus. Students will enjoy the change of pace that putting on a classroom play will bring!

ADD/ADHD Resources

From frequently asked questions to assessment accommodations, these articles and resources will help you to deal with the special nature of students with ADD/ADHD.


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