Current Event: Women’s History Month: Jeannette Rankin

April 2, 2017, marks the 100^th anniversary of when Jeannette Rankin took office after becoming the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. A Republican, Rankin served from 1917 to 1919 as congresswoman at large from Montana. “I may be the first woman member of Congress,” she observed upon her election in 1916. “But I won’t be the last.” Rankin was prescient: today, more than 100 women serve in the U.S. Congress. Rankin was born on June 11, 1880, near Missoula, Montana. After college, Rankin became involved in the woman suffrage movement. In 1911, she became the first woman to speak before the Montana legislature, in which she made her case for woman suffrage. Her speaking and organizing efforts helped Montana women win the right to vote in 1914. Along with Nevada, where women also won the vote that year, only 11 states had granted full voting rights to women by this time. In 1916, Rankin campaigned for one of two at-large seats for the U.S. House of Representatives in Montana. Rankin ran as a progressive, emphasizing social welfare issues and pledging to work for a constitutional woman suffrage amendment. She came in second to Democratic Representative John M. Evans, winning Montana’s second House seat and becoming the first woman to serve in Congress. In 1940, Rankin was elected to the House of Representatives for one term. She won fame in 1941 as the only member of Congress to vote against U.S. entry into World War II (1939-1945). She died on May 18, 1973, in Carmel, California. At the time of her death, at age 92, Rankin was considering another run for a House seat to protest the Vietnam War (1957-1975). A statue of Rankin represents Montana in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Jeannette Rankin. Credit: Library of Congress

Objective:

The United States Congress makes the nation’s laws. Congress consists of two bodies, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both bodies have about equal power. The people elect the members of Congress. The 100-member Senate consists of 2 senators from each of the 50 states. The House of Representatives, usually called simply the House, has 435 members. House members, or representatives, are elected from congressional districts of about equal population into which the states are divided. A new Congress is organized every two years, after congressional elections in November of even-numbered years. Voters elect all the representatives, resulting in a new House of Representatives. About a third of the senators come up for election every two years. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore various people and institutions of the United States government.

Words to know:

• Congress of the United States
• House of Representatives
• Jeannette Rankin
• Montana
• Statuary Hall
• Woman suffrage
• Women’s History Month

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students what they know about Montana. (Students might say that Montana is one of the largest states in area, but one of the smallest in population; Helena is the capital and Billings is the largest city; the Battle of Little Bighorn [“Custer’s Last Stand”] occurred in Montana; the Rocky Mountains cover the western two-fifths of the state.)

2. Jeannette Rankin is honored with a statue in Statuary Hall. Go to the Statuary Hall article to see other people who are so honored. Who else (possibly from your home state) deserves to be honored with a statue in Statuary Hall? (If you live outside the United States, what person deserves to have a memorial or monument in your country’s capital city?)

3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Women’s Firsts in the Modern Era timeline.

Current Event: Saint Patrick’s Day

March 17 is Saint Patrick’s Day, the feast day and traditional death date of Saint Patrick in A.D. 461. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and in many places around the world, people put up green decorations and wear green clothing to honor Ireland—the Emerald Isle—and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland in the 400′s. He converted the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with a large number of people of Irish descent. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending special religious services. In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people hold parties and march in parades. The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in what is now the United States was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Today, more than 100 U.S. cities hold parades.

Saint Patrick is said to have used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity. Credit: © Shutterstock

Objective:

Saint Patrick (389?-461) is the patron saint of Ireland. Although he was not the first Christian missionary to Ireland, Patrick was chiefly responsible for converting the Irish to Christianity. Patrick was born in Britain. When Patrick was 16 years old, pirates kidnapped him during a raid and sold him as a slave in Ireland. He served as a shepherd of an Irish chieftain in Ulster. During his captivity, Patrick took a great interest in religion and dedicated himself to prayer. After six years of slavery, he escaped and returned to Britain. As a result of his experiences in Ireland, Patrick became consumed with the idea of converting the Irish to Christianity. Patrick began his work in northern and western Ireland, where Christianity had never been preached. Winning the trust and friendship of several tribal leaders, Patrick made many converts. He is considered to have established more than 300 churches. Patrick succeeded in his mission in Ireland despite the opposition of many British clergy to his method of organizing his churches. Patrick spent the rest of his life preaching and ministering throughout Ireland. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Saint Patrick and other famous saints.

Words to know:

• Christianity
• History of Ireland
• Ireland
• Saint Patrick
• Saint Patrick’s Day
• Shamrock

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students what they know about Ireland. (Students might say that Ireland is a small country in northwestern Europe; Dublin is Ireland’s capital and largest city; the country has two official languages, Irish and English; the majority of the Irish people are Roman Catholics; in the 1840’s, many Irish people died during the Great Irish Famine.)

2. Saint Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. Ask your students, “If you could choose anyone from your country to be honored with a national holiday, who would it be?”

3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Ireland: 400 BC to AD 1200, Ireland: 1400’s to 1700, or Ireland: 1700’s to Present timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “History of Ireland” article for help.)

Current Event: India’s New Night Frogs

Scientists recently announced the discovery of seven new species of frogs in India. Four of these new species are among the tiniest known frogs in the world, small enough to gather more than one on a 5-rupee coin (the rupee is the chief monetary unit of India). Most night frogs live in forest streams, have large webbing on their feet to swim around their aquatic habitat, and emit loud calls. Some can reach up to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) long. Finding night frogs has never been an easy task, but the habits and smaller size of the newly found frogs make them even more elusive. The newly discovered night frogs live mainly beneath damp soil or dense, wet vegetation, not in the water like most night frogs. They are also much quieter than other night frogs, featuring an insectlike call similar to the chirp of a cricket. Plus, four out of the seven species are extremely small. It is no wonder they went undiscovered for so long!

A newly discovered and identified Robinmoore’s night frog has plenty of leg room on the Indian 5-rupee coin. Credit: © SD Biju

Objective:

Frogs are small tailless animals with hairless skin and bulging eyes. Almost all frogs also have long, strong back legs. Such legs enable a frog to leap distances far greater than the length of its body. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica, but tropical regions have the greatest number of species. Frogs are classified as amphibians. Frogs and toads are not really different animals. Rather, toad is a familiar term that refers to a specific type of frog. Some species spend their entire lives in or near water. Others live mainly on land and come to the water only to mate. Still other species never enter the water, not even to mate. Many kinds of frogs are climbers that dwell in trees. Others are burrowers that live underground. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore frogs and other amphibians.

Words to know:

• Amphibian
• Frog
• India
• Toad

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students what they know about India. (Students might say that it is in Asia; it is the world’s second largest country in population; New Delhi is its capital, and Mumbai is its largest city; a large majority of its population is Hindu; it became an independent country in 1947.)

2. Ask your students, “If you could be any type of scientist what would you study and why?”

Current Event: Lemurs Say Cheese

A team of lemur experts and computer scientists has developed a lemur facial recognition system to help identify and study the endangered animals. The biometric system, called LemurFaceID, uses computers to analyze photographs and video much like other systems that identify people. LemurFaceID differentiates the animals according to their eyes and skin patterns, while also noting body size or shape and the presence of scars or injuries. Because of hunting and habitat loss, the animals are critically endangered. Tracking lemurs in the wild helps scientists learn more about the animals’ habits and life cycles. Scientists can then develop fine-tuned conservation strategies to protect the animals. After LemurFaceID proves itself in the wild, the technology may be adjusted for the study of other animals, particularly those with variable facial hair and skin patterns such as bears, raccoons, red pandas, and sloths.

LemurFaceID can tell this handsome lemur apart from the other lemurs in its jungle neighborhood. Credit: © Shutterstock

Objective:

Lemurs are long-tailed, furry mammals related to monkeys. Some kinds of lemurs resemble monkeys. Others look more like mice or squirrels. Scientists classify lemurs, along with human beings, apes, and monkeys, as primates. Lemurs live only in the island countries of Madagascar and Comoros, which lie off the southeast coast of Africa. Most lemurs inhabit trees most of the time. They eat fruit and leaves. They also eat birds and their eggs, and insects and other small animals. Lemurs have few enemies. There are few large predators in the region where they live. But many kinds of lemurs have become endangered. People have cut down many trees in the forests in which these animals lived. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore lemurs and other animals.

Words to know:

• Africa
• Comoros
• Endangered species
• Lemur
• Madagascar
• Primate
• Wildlife conservation

Discussion Topics:

1. Lemurs are found only in Africa. Ask your students what they know about Africa. (Students might say that Africa is the second largest continent in both area and population [behind only Asia in both categories]; Nigeria is Africa’s most populated country; the Sahara, the world’s largest desert, covers much of northern Africa; the Nile River, the world’s longest river, is in Africa; most of Africa has a warm or hot climate; animals native to Africa include elephants, giraffes, gorillas, hippopotamuses, lions, rhinoceroses, and zebras.)

2. Ask your students “If you could study any kind of animal, which one would you choose?”

3. Lemurs are an endangered species. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Animal Extinctions Since 1600 timeline.

Current Event: Pocket Solar System May Be Right for Life

Astronomers recently announced the discovery of a remarkable planetary system orbiting a relatively nearby star. The new system has a whopping seven planets, many of which might host conditions favorable for life. The system is located some 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius. One light-year is the distance that light travels in a vacuum in a year, about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). The planets orbit a star called TRAPPIST-1, named in honor of the telescope used in the discovery. TRAPPIST stands for Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope. The star the seven planets were orbiting was a small, relatively cool star called a red dwarf. Even the farthest exoplanet of the system orbits closer to TRAPPIST-1 than Mercury does to the sun, at a distance of only about 5.6 million miles (9.0 million kilometers). For comparison, Earth orbits about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers) from the sun. Because red dwarfs are much smaller and cooler than the sun, however, three of the planets orbit within a region that should be neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on their surfaces. Most scientists consider liquid water essential for life, so such a region around a star is known as its habitable zone.

This artist’s concept shows what each of the TRAPPIST-1 planets may look like, based on available data about their sizes, masses and orbital distances.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Objective:

A planet is a large, round heavenly body that orbits a star and shines with light reflected from the star. Our solar system has eight known planets and five dwarf planets, including Pluto, which used to be classified as a planet. Since the 1990′s, astronomers have discovered many planetary systems around distant stars. The distant planets, called extrasolar planets or exoplanets, cannot be seen directly. But they can be studied indirectly, through small changes they cause in light coming from the parent star. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore planets and other astronomical topics.

Words to know:

• Aquarius
• Astronomy
• Dwarf planet
• Mercury
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
• Planet
• Red dwarf
• Telescope

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students to name other constellations besides Aquarius. (There are 88 commonly recognized constellations, including Andromeda, Aries, Cancer, Canis Major, Canis Minor, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Orion, Pisces, Sagittarius, Southern Cross, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Note, the Big Dipper and Little Dipper are not constellations, but smaller parts of constellations.)

2. Ask your students if they can name the eight planets and five dwarf planets that are in the solar system. (The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. The five dwarf planets are Ceres, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Pluto.)

3. Ask your students to debate “One day we will find intelligent life on another planet.”

4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Advances in Astronomy timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Astronomy” article for help.)

Current Event: Long-Traveling Amazon Catfish

Scientists recently learned that the dorado catfish (also known as the dourada or gilded catfish) of South America has the longest migration of any freshwater fish. These large catfish live in the Amazon River Basin, and their migratory path takes them from the foothills of the Andes Mountains to the mouth of the Amazon River on the Atlantic Ocean, and then back again—a trip of more than 7,200 miles (11,600 kilometers)! The dorado catfish is just one of several species of catfish that live in the Amazon River and its many tributaries. Dorados can grow beyond 6 feet (2 meters) in length and are grouped with other “goliath” catfish, so named because of their large proportions. Their lengthy migration has long been suspected, but only recently have the details of their epic migratory journey been confirmed.

The long-traveling dorado catfish navigates the waters of the Amazon River Basin throughout its life. Credit: © Michael Goulding, Wildlife Conservation Society

Objective:

Catfish is a large group of fish that have two to four pairs of fleshy whiskerlike growths near the mouth. These growths, called barbels, resemble the whiskers of a cat. Catfish also differ from most other fish in that they do not have scales. Many kinds of catfish have sharp spines on their backs and near their gills. These spines give off a venom when they enter the body of another animal and can cause serious wounds. They are probably used mainly as a defense against predators. There are hundreds of species of catfish. Most live in fresh water and some inhabit the oceans. Catfish vary in size. The largest species, the Mekong giant catfish, may grow up to 10 feet (3 meters) long and may weigh as much as 650 pounds (295 kilograms). The tiny glass catfish grows only 4 inches (10 centimeters) long. Some kinds of catfish have unusual features or habits. The upside-down catfish swims upside down. The electric catfish can send out a strong electric shock. The eelcat is long and slim and resembles an eel. The candiru swims into the gills of larger fish, rips the gills with its sharp spines, and drinks the victim’s blood. The walking catfish of tropical Asia can move overland from one body of water to another. It pushes itself along the ground with its tail, using its strong pectoral fins (fins behind the gill openings) to lift the front of its body. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore catfish and other animals.

Words to know:

• Amazon rain forest
• Amazon River
• Andes Mountains
• Atlantic Ocean
• Catfish
• Migration
• South America

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students to name other animals, besides catfish, that start with the letter “C”. (Students might say camels, cardinals, caribou, carp, cats, caterpillars, cattle, centipedes, chameleons, cheetahs, chickens, chimpanzees, clams, cobras, cockroaches, cougars, coyotes, crabs, crocodiles, crows.)

2. The dorado catfish travels thousands of miles. Ask your students, “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the History of Latin America timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Latin America” article for help.)

Current Event: 200 Years: Chile’s Battle of Chacabuco

February 12 marked the 200^th anniversary of the Battle of Chacabuco, a key event in the history of Chile. The battle took place on Feb. 12, 1817, near Santiago, the capital, during Chile’s struggle for independence from Spain. The Army of the Andes (made up of Chilean and Argentine rebels) defeated a Spanish-led army at Chacabuco—a rebel victory that led to Chilean independence in 1818. The battle is famous for the actions of Argentine General José de San Martín and Chilean patriot Bernardo O’Higgins, who became Chile’s first head of state. After the battle, the Spanish royalists tried once more to retake Chile, but they were eventually defeated at the Maipo River (also spelled Maipú) near Santiago on April 5, 1818—the final major battle in Chile’s war of independence.

Chilean and Argentine soldiers attend a ceremony at the Monument to the Victory of Chacabuco on Feb. 12, 2007. The monument, built in 1971, stands on the site of the former battlefield. Credit: Kiko Benítez S. (licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Objective:

Chile is a long, narrow country on South America’s west coast. The country is a land of great variety. The Atacama Desert in the north is one of the driest places in the world, but parts of the south are among the rainiest. The towering Andes Mountains form Chile’s eastern boundary, and low mountains rise along the country’s Pacific coast. A series of fertile river basins called the Central Valley lies between the mountain ranges in central Chile. Most Chileans are of mixed Spanish and indigenous (American Indian) ancestry. Many others are of unmixed European descent. Indigenous people—descendants of Chile’s original inhabitants—form another group. Nearly all Chileans speak Spanish, the nation’s official language, and a majority of the people are Roman Catholics. Santiago is Chile’s capital and largest city. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Chile and other Latin American countries.

Words to know:

• Andes Mountains
• Atacama Desert
• Bernardo O’Higgins
• Chile
• José de San Martin
• Latin America
• Santiago
• South America

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students what they know about South America. (Students might say that Brazil is the largest country in South America in both area and population; the continent is home to the Amazon rain forest, the world’s largest tropical rain forest; the continent is part of Latin America; most of the continent has warm weather the year around; Aconcagua is the continent’s tallest mountain.)

2. Ask your students to name some people who were alive in 1817 when the Battle of Chacabuco was fought. (Students might name Jane Austen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Davy Crockett, Charles Darwin, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Victor Hugo, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Samuel Morse, Napoleon I, and William Wilberforce.)

3. Ask your students to debate the question, “When is war justified?”

4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Famous Wars and Conflicts from A.D. 1000 to 1850 timeline.

Current Event: Mythic Monday: Noble King Arthur

King Arthur was a king of Britain in the Middle Ages. Historians know little about Arthur, but he may have been a British leader who defeated German invaders in the early 500’s. Whatever the historical truth, it is Arthur’s legend that has captivated people’s imaginations for centuries. The exploits of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are among the most famous of Western literature. In the Latin version of Arthur’s legend (there are similar Celtic and French versions), his father was King Uther Pendragon of Britain. The king fell in love with Igrayne, the wife of his rival, the Duke of Cornwall. With the aid of Merlin, a Celtic magician, Uther took the form of the duke to deceive Igrayne, who then gave birth to Arthur. Arthur, unaware of his royal father, later pulled the magic sword Excalibur from a block of stone—a miraculous act that proved him to be the rightful heir to the throne of Britain. Arthur then became king and married Princess Guenevere. Legends about Arthur and his knights accumulated through the years. The Knights of the Round Table included such famous medieval heroes as Sir Galahad, Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristram, Sir Gawain, and Sir Launfal. Many Arthurian stories portray the knights’ quest for the Holy Grail, usually depicted as the cup or bowl that Jesus Christ used during the Last Supper. Many Arthurian stories take place in and around Camelot, the king’s castle in southern England.

This illustration of King Arthur comes from the children’s book King Arthur’s Wood, written and illustrated by the English artist Elizabeth Adela Stanhope Forbes. Credit: © “King Arthur’s Wood” by Elizabeth Adela Stanhope Forbes (Fine Art Photographic Library/SuperStock)

Objective:

The Middle Ages is the name for the period in European history from about the 400′s through the 1400′s. The term Middle Ages came from some European writers in the 1300′s and 1400′s. They used the term to describe the gap—as they saw it—between the arts, culture, and society of ancient Greece and Rome and the rebirth, or renaissance, of classical ideas in their own time. Many later writers and historians accepted this description of the Middle Ages. Modern historians divide the lengthy medieval period into three parts. The early Middle Ages lasted from about the 400’s until about 1000, followed by the High Middle Ages until about 1300, and then the late Middle Ages through the 1400’s. During the Early Middle Ages, most people made their living by farming. Some peasants owned their land, however many farmers worked for a landlord. Often, they had little freedom and had to receive permission for many actions. Almost all the schools disappeared, and few people could read or write. The Christian Church helped to provide leadership for the people. During the High Middle Ages, there were some strong governments and some periods of peace. Better ways of farming meant people had more food, and the population grew. During the late Middle Ages, wars, plagues, floods, and drought brought death, disease, and hunger. The kings increased their power over the lords by getting the support of the people. This led to the beginning of the nations of modern Europe. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore the Middle Ages.

Words to know:

• Camelot
• Excalibur
• Galahad
• Gawain
• Holy Grail
• King Arthur
• Knights and knighthood
• Lancelot
• Launfal
• Merlin
• Middle Ages
• Round table
• Sir Thomas Malory

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students to name some famous people who came from England. (Students might say Sir Winston Churchill, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Sir Francis Drake, Elizabeth II, Stephen Hawking, Henry VIII, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Walter Raleigh, William Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, William Wilberforce.)

2. King Arthur is regarded as a national hero to some people. Ask your students to debate, “It is important for countries to have and for students to learn about national heroes.”

3. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Europe: the Middle Ages timeline. (Students may wish to use World Book’s “Middle Ages” article for help.)

Current Event: Rare Ruby Seadragon

Australia’s rare ruby seadragon has recently been seen alive for the first time. The ruby seadragon lives in waters too deep for human divers, so a team of researchers used a remote-controlled submersible (undersea vessel) to scour the murky sea bottom. After several attempts, on the team’s last try, the submersible’s camera finally captured the first images of a living ruby seadragon. Leafy and and weedy seadragon species have been known to inhabit the southern shores of Australia for some time, but some specimens had baffled scientists for many years. A few bright red seadragons with no leafy appendages were collected by trawling or found washed up on beaches. Because all these creatures were dead, scientists assumed they were leafy or weedy seadragons that had been damaged by the trawls or had decayed before they were collected. In 2015, however, a team of marine biologists analyzed samples of these “damaged” specimens’ DNA and discovered that they were in fact a new species: the ruby seadragon. No one had seen a living ruby seadragon, however, so the team set out to find one.

Marine researchers captured images of the rare ruby seadragon hovering above the sea floor off the coast of Australia. Credit: Scripps Institution of Oceanography/UC San Diego

Objective:

Seadragon is the common name for several kinds of fish similar to seahorses. The two most well-known kinds are the weedy (or common) seadragon and the leafy (or Glauert’s) seadragon. Both species typically live in reefs or among seaweed off southern Australia. Like seahorses, seadragons have a long snout and skin covered in bony plates. But seadragons generally grow larger than seahorses. Seadragons are slow swimmers. They feed on tiny living things called zooplankton as well as on shrimplike animals, sucking them into their tubelike mouths. Seadragons can live for 10 years or more in captivity, but probably less in the wild. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore seadragons and other animals.

Words to know:

• Australia
• Coral reef
• Marine biology
• Seadragon
• Seahorse
• Seaweed

Discussion Topics:

1. Seadragons are found in the waters off southern Australia. Ask your students to name some other animals native to Australia. (Students might name cassowaries, emus, kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, wallabies, wombats.)

2. Ask your students, “If you could be any type of scientist what would you study?”

Current Event: Inauguration Day

On January 20, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45^th president of the United States. John Roberts, chief justice of the United States, administered the presidential oath of office to Trump at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. Donald Trump was sworn in using the same Bible used to swear in both Presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and Barack Obama in 2009. Trump also had a cherished family Bible on hand, one given to him by his mother upon finishing primary school in 1955. After the swearing-in, Trump delivered his inaugural address. The peaceful transition of power is one of the most fundamental U.S. traditions.

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017. © Christopher Halloran, Shutterstock

Objective:

Starting with George Washington’s first inauguration on April 30, 1789, the United States has seen 58 inaugural ceremonies. In addition, eight vice presidents have been sworn in following the death or resignation of a president. In 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C. Twenty-eight years later, Andrew Jackson became the first president to take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol, the site of most inaugurations since. In 1937, following the passage of the 20th Amendment, Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first president to be inaugurated on January 20. The Behind the Headlines news story and related World Book articles explore Donald Trump and the presidency.

Words to know:

• Constitution of the United States
• Donald Trump
• John Roberts
• President of the United States
• United States Capitol
• Washington, D.C.
• White House

Discussion Topics:

1. Ask your students to name some famous U.S. presidents. (Students might say George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson.)

2. Presidential inaugurations are filled with many traditions. Ask your students to name some inauguration traditions. (They might say the use of a Bible for the swearing in, the president’s inaugural address, the inaugural parade, inaugural balls.)

3. The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that a president may not be elected more than twice. Have your students debate the topic “Presidents should be able to serve an unlimited number of terms.”

4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to view or add to the Presidents of the United States: 1877 to Present timeline. (Or, ask your students to view or add to the Donald Trump timeline.)