Our Amazing World - December

When the Ancient Romans wanted to give this month a name, they decided on December, meaning the ‘tenth month’.
Does that mean that they were bad at maths, or what?
 
The answer is that December used to be the tenth month, until Julius Caesar added two extra months to the year.
But, which months were they? Tempted to say July (as in Julius)? Think again.
 
Why not do a little research and find out more?

1 December to 7 December

1 December – is the official birthday of the British potato. The potato was introduced into Britain by Sir Francis Drake on this date in 1586.


1 December 1913 – The Buenos Aires Metro began operation. It was the first underground railway system in the Southern Hemisphere and the 13th in the world.

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1 December 1990 – The two Channel Tunnel sections, one originating in France, the other from the United Kingdom, became joined today, 40 metres beneath the seabed, forming one tunnel.
 


1 December 1918 – The Kingdom of Iceland becomes a sovereign state, yet remains a part of the Danish kingdom.
 
1 December 1955 – American Civil Rights Movement: In Montgomery, Alabama, seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for violating the city's racial segregation laws, an incident which leads to that city's bus boycott.
 
1 December 1973 – Papua New Guinea gains self-governance from Australia.
 
1 December 1984 – NASA conducts the Controlled Impact Demonstration, wherein an airliner is deliberately crashed in order to test technologies and gather data to help improve survivability of crashes.
 
1 December 1761 – Marie Tussaud, the French-English sculptor who founded Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum (d. 1850) was born.
Where do potatoes come from anyway? Where did Sir Drake find them? Interested in learning more about the humble spud? Click the on the smiling chap (or should that be chat) above.

I love magnificent feats of engineering like this. So clever! 
Interested in learning more about how amazing underground tunnels like the BA Metro are created? Check out the video below. 
Can you imagine how they were made back in 1913?

​It would seem today is an auspicious date for tunnelling. I can barely imagine how nervous the designers must have been. How do you think they made sure the tunnels aligned? Why do you think they took this risk rather than drilling from one end? You may like to start your research here.

Where is Iceland anyway? What do you know of its history and people? Time for a Google Earth adventure.

Rosa Parks' actions helped to change the course of history for African American people. Find out more about Rosa and her inspiring story at Nat Geo Kids, here.
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A crash that saves lives. I love that idea. 
I wonder who had the job of flying the largest remote controlled aeroplane ever.


Madame Tussaud's sculptures typically represent famous or influential people from around the world. If you could nominate someone you'd like to see 'immortalised' in wax, who would you choose? Compare ideas with your class. Can you justify your selection?
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2 December 1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor Napoleon I in Paris on this day.
 




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2 December 1697 – The new St Paul’s Cathedral was opened in London. The cathedral had been designed by Sir Christopher Wren to replace the old St Paul’s. which had burned down in the Great Fire of London 30 years earlier. St Paul’s is the world’s largest Protestant church.
 
2 December 1547 – Hernando Cortes, the Spanish General who conquered Mexico, passed away on this day in history. Cortes overthrew the Aztec Empire and claimed the territory for Spain.
 
3 December 1967 – On this day, the world’s first successful heart transplant operation was carried out by Dr Christian Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa. The operation gave a new lease of life to a 53 year old grocer.
 
4 December 1962 – Smog (a lethal mixture of smoke and fog) descended on London on this day in history. The smog lasted four days and caused huge health complications.
 



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4 December 1981 – Deuel Wilhelm Davies, a vicious criminal, was given a 10 000 year prison sentence in Alabama, USA. The sentence is a world record. Davies is reported to have hoped to have his sentence halved.

4 December 1791 – The Observer, Britain’s oldest newspaper, was first printed.
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Napoleon changed European history forever, yet when many think of him, one of the qualities which often comes to mind was his height. But was he really short? Would he be considered short if we could meet him today? Do a little research to find Napoleon's height, then use the graph below to compare it to the average male height of people from across the world over the last 200 years. How do you compare?

Sir Christopher Wren left such an impression on London that his tombstone reads 'If you seek his memorial - look around you'. Interested in exploring some of his beautiful designs? Scroll down the to gallery on his Wikipedia page.


Find out more about the Ancient Aztec civilisation at DK here.



In honour of this amazing event, why not challenge your family to a game of Operation (the board game) tonight? Board games are a great way to spend time with your loved ones, while practising your ability to win and lose graciously.

Smog is an example of a portmanteau word. It is made by combining the words smoke and fog. Today's challenge - make a list of as many portmanteau words as you can. Here are a couple to get you started:
A cross between a labrador and a poodle is called a _______________.
Romantic Comedy movies are sometimes called ________________.
Motel is a portmanteau of ____________ and _____________.
How many others can you find?

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5 December 1933 – The Prohibition Era came to an end in the United States. For 14 years it had been illegal to sell alcohol, which had led to ‘bootlegging’ – the illegal supply of liquor by gangsters such as Al Capone.

5 December 1792 – King Louis XVI of France went on trial for his life on this day in 1792. In January he was sentenced for treason and guillotined.

5 December 1901 – Walter Elias Disney was born on this day. He is remembered for Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Dumbo, and the Seven Dwarfs amongst others.

5 December 1870 – Alexandre Dumas, the French author of The Three Musketeers, passed away on this day in 1870.
 
6 December – Today is St Nicholas’ Day. St Nicholas lived in the 4th century AD and very little is known about him. The tradition is that he threw some gold coins into the house of a poor family at night. The coins landed in a stocking that had been hung up to dry, which explains how he found his way into the Christmas tradition. The big Christmas celebrations in countries like Switzerland and Holland happen on this day rather than on 25 December.
 
6 December 1492 – Christopher Columbus reached Hispaniola, now called Haiti, on this day in history.
 
6 December – In medieval times, schoolboys elected one of their friends, on this day, to be the ‘Boy Bishop’. He would ‘rule’ from 6th to 28th December, conduct mock services and process around town. If a Boy Bishop passed away during his reign, he was buried with the full honours of a real bishop. This custom was abolished in 1542.
 
Alcohol can certainly cause devastating problems, but can it be useful too? Check out the video below to see how alcohol is helping us learn more about our natural world.


Wait, a king was tried for treason? Time for a little research. I want to learn more about this story.


Mr Disney directed Mickey Mouse's debut cartoon, Steamboat Willie, all the way back in 1928. Want to see what an almost 100 year old cartoon looks like? Scroll down to check it out.

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Merry Christmas to all our Swiss and Dutch friends! We hope you were on Sinterklaas' nice list.







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This reminds me of an idea I've heard about in some schools, where the students become the principal or teacher for the day. If you're interested in trying it at your school, why not speak to your teachers?
7 December 1941 – At daybreak, on this date, 360 Japanese planes attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii. The surprise attack came just days after Japan had assured America of the friendly intentions. The American fleet was crippled, and America was instantly drawn into WWII.
 
7 December – Is another of those ‘Dismal Days’ according to medieval tradition.


7 December 1911 – On this day in China, men’s pigtail haircuts, also known as queue, were officially abolished.

7 December 1817 – Captain William Bligh, the commander of HMS Bounty, passed away today in 1817. Bligh, known as a severe disciplinarian, was put in an open boat in the Pacific Ocean, during the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789.

8 December 1660 – A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appeared on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.

8 December 1955 – The Flag of Europe was adopted by Council of Europe.

8 December 2013 – Metallica performed a show in Antarctica, making them the first band to perform on all 7 continents.

8 December 1765 – Eli Whitney, the American engineer who invented the cotton gin, was born.​






Dismal? Not for me! I plan on making the most of today and every day. Time to update our gratitude diary. What do you have to be thankful for?
 
Teachers, interested in learning more? Click here.







So who had played all the female characters before this date? And, why?


Do you know what it looks like?


Now that's a 'cool' record to hold.
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More activities, learning ideas and inspiration coming soon ...