This Day In Education: Recent Episodes
SYS Education
“This Day in Education” is a daily podcast about education history. Every day, we’ll take you through an event that impacted education on that day, in history. Follow along on Twitter and Instagram @thisdayined, or go to thisdayined.org for more information. Produced by SYS Education, hosted by Natalie Conway and Beau Neal.
It’s December 14th and today in 1960 during the UNESCO General Conference, the Convention Against Discrimination in Education treaty was adopted.
It affirmed that education was a fundamental human right and that states are obligated to provide education without discrimination.
It’s December 13th and today in 1769 Dartmouth College was founded.
The college was the last American college to receive a charter from the King George III of England for the quote “education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in this Land…and also of English Youth and any others.”
It’s December 12 and today in 1881 Louise Thuliez was born.
Thuliez was a schoolteacher who became a devoted resistance fighter in both World War I and World War II.
It’s December 11 and today in 1946, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was founded. UNICEF’s mission is to protect the rights of children around the world and to help them meet their basic needs.
It’s December 10th and today in 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The declaration includes 30 articles that detail the fundamental rights of all people regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
It’s December 9, and on this day in 1935, thousands of university students in China marched against Japanese aggression. Known as the December 9th movement in China, the date is widely seen as a symbol of the awakening of China and its eventual takeover by Chinese nationalists.
It’s December 8, and on this day in 1971 the Supreme Court of the United States heard arguments in the case of Wisconsin V. Yoder.
The case centered around three Amish families who withdrew their children from school after they finished the eighth grade, despite a compulsory state law saying that all students have to attend school until they reach 16 years of age.
It’s December 7th and today in 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor leading the United States to enter into World War II. With the onset of war, the Progressive Education Movement, which gained considerable momentum in the 1930s, came to an end.
It’s December 6th and today is the first day of Computer Science Education Week
This week was first sponsored by ACM, or the Association for Computing Machinery, in 2009.
It’s December 5th and today in 2019, the Minneapolis Foundation, in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Greater Twin Cities United Way, and the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, hosted “Reimagine Education”. While Minnesota is our specific location for today’s TDE, the impact could be replicated anywhere.
It’s December 4th and on this day in 1920 the founder of PFLAG, Jeanne Manford, was born.
Manford’s steadfast love for her son Morty blazed a path for other parents to advocate for their gay and lesbian children.
It’s December 3, and on this day in 1971, students in Don Rawitch’s history class at Bryant Junior High in Minnesota fired up the game Oregon Trail for the first time. Those students had no way of knowing they were playing the first edition of a game that somehow secured a magical place in pop culture history and coined the popular phrase “you have died of dysentery.”
It’s December 2nd and today is National Special Education Day!
This day commemorates the signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, into law by President Gerald Ford in 1975. We talked about the history of this act just the other day on November 29th.
It’s December 1, and on this day in 1981, the Supreme Court of the United States listened to arguments in the landmark Plyler V. Doe case, involving undocumented immigrants' access to education.
It’s the end of November and in 1959 the ACT was introduced.
The ACT, otherwise known as American College Testing, was a competitor to the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT.
It’s November 29th and today in 1975 President Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). The act was renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or IDEA in 1990. Prior to this act, children with disabilities were often excluded, intentionally or otherwise, from free effective public education.
It’s November 27, and on this day in 1901, the United States Army War college was founded.
Founded in response to the perceived failings of the Spanish-American War, the Army college is not a regular college in the sense that you can get a degree in architecture or Post World War Two Southern Literature. Instead, graduates earn a master’s degree in strategic studies
It’s Nov. 26, and on this day in 1865, an unknown British mathematician’s novel about a wild little girl was published for the first time.
His name was Charles Dodgson, but he’s better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll. The book about the lost girl? It's called Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
It’s November 25th, and on this day in 1952 author Crescent Dragonwagon was born.
Yes, that is her legal name!
It’s November 24th and on this day in 1859 Charles Darwin published his pivotal book, On the Origin of Species.
In it, Darwin outlined the process of natural selection, a theory that would go on to shape our understanding of animal behavior, genetics, and evolution.
It’s November 23rd, and on this day in 1936 Life magazine was first published by its new owner, Henry Luce of Time, Inc. At its height between 1936 and 1972 the photography-focused publication reached some 25% of American households.
It’s November 22, and on this day in 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas as he drove through Dealey Plaza. Bullets struck the president around 12: 30 p.m. local time and he was pronounced dead about half an hour later.
It’s November 21st and on this day in 1905, Albert Einstein published his Theory of Special Relativity.
The equation, E=MC^2 is referenced in popular culture as often as science classrooms, so let’s take a quick look at what went into that famous equation.
November 20th, and on this day in 1985, Microsoft launched Windows 1.0-
Windows was Microsoft’s first graphic-user interface, or GUI, for personal computers better known today by their acronym- PC.
Today is Women’s Entrepreneurship Day– a holiday celebrated by the UN and recognized in 144 countries and scores of universities (including the USA). Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, or WED, is about more than just recognizing women in business or successful entrepreneurs, WED is dedicated to empowering and accelerating the education, business, and leadership opportunities for those that identify as women globally.
It’s November 18, and on this day in 2011, Mojang Studios released Minecraft.
IF you’re unfamiliar, Minecraft is a sandbox game known for its blocky, pixelated art style where players extract materials and craft tools, items, and terrains in its digital world.
It’s November 17th, and on this day in 1973, a tragic day of violence on the campus of the National Technical University of Athens would finally come to a close.
It’s November 16, and on this day in 1930, Nigerian author CHIN-you-ah Ah-CHAY-bay Chinua Achebe was born.
Achebe wrote one of the founding works of postcolonial literature, Things Fall Apart.
It’s November 15th, the first day of American Education Week.
In 1921, the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Legion sponsored the first American Education Week in order to bring attention to the successes and needs of the public education system.
It’s November 14th and on this day in 1960 Ruby Bridges was finally allowed into her kindergarten class at William Frantz Elementary School.
It’s November 13 and on this day in 1866, Abraham Flexner was born. Flexner is a man whose diligence and open-mindedness had a transformative impact on education in North America.
It’s November 12, and on this day in 1968, Tinker v. Des Moines was argued in the Supreme Court.
To this day, the 7 – 2 decision in favor of Tinker represents a landmark case for student expression and First Amendment Rights in schools.
It’s November 11th and on this day in 1821, Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was born
The world renowned Russian novelist, born in Moscow, would become known as one of the most influential writers of the modern era.
It is November 10th and on this day in 1969 Sesame Street debuted on public television.
Sesame Street was America’s first educational program for children and, amazingly, is still running today, making it one of the longest-running American programs right up there alongside shows like General Hospital, Jeopardy!, and The Tonight Show. The broadcasts started on the National Educational Television network, which in 1970 turned into the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and has only recently shifted over to HBO.
It’s November 9th and on this day in 1934 American astronomer, Carl Sagan was born. Sagan worked for NASA, studied extraterrestrial life, taught as a professor, wrote books, advocated against nuclear weapons, and created and hosted one of the most popular television shows to ever be broadcast on PBS. And in doing all of these things he changed the way most Americans viewed astronomy and scientists.
It's November 8th, and during this week in 1994, the US v. Lopez case was argued.
This case would ultimately lead to the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 being amended.
It would also mark the first time since 1937 that the court held to limit the power of Congress under the Commerce Clause.
It’s November 7th, and on this day in 1967, Congress created the Public Broadcasting Act.
This Act allowed comprehensive access to non-commercial public radio, television, and online and mobile public communication. The act established the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, whose mission it was to provide content to the world that would promote public education.
It’s November 6, and on this day in 1991, the 2.0 version of the Maximus Bulletin Board System was released.
Before the commercialization of the internet in the mid-1990s, Maximus, along with other Bulletin Board Systems (or BBSs for short), made use of dial-up connections to allow computer users to chat with each other.
It’s November 5th, and on this day in 1879, James Clerk Maxwell, died at age 48.
James Clerk Maxwell was a renowned Scottish mathematician and physicist.
It’s November 4th and on this day in 1946, UNESCO was founded.
UNESCO stands for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
As war began to ravage Europe for the second time in a generation, governments quickly began talks on how to rebuild education systems once peace was achieved. The Conference of Allied Ministers of Education in London, 1942 laid the groundwork for what would become UNESCO in 1946.
It’s November 3rd, and on this day in 1988 the Soviet Union ended its ban on the teaching of Hebrew.
This declaration was not, as it may appear, undertaken as a cultural allowance for the Jewish population in Russia, but as a political move by the Soviets to remove an obstacle in immigration talks with the Americans.
It’s November 2, and on this day in 1898, the first organized cheer was performed at a football game.
The first official organized cheer took place at the University of Minnesota. From there, the activity and sport of cheerleading grew.
It’s November 1st and on this day in 1897, the Library of Congress building opened to the public.
The Library of Congress Building is now called the Thomas Jefferson Building.
At the time of it’s opening it was the largest library in the world and it remains one of the world's largest (often the largest) collections with over 170 million items today.
It’s October 31st!
Welcome to our Halloween-themed episode. Today we’re discussing the highly controversial celebration of Halloween in schools.
It’s October 30th and on this day in 1939, British statistician Harvey Goldstein was born.
Goldstein contributed to advancements in multilevel data models, also known as mixed-models, and their practical application to understanding societal and educational data.
It’s October 29 and on this day in 1945 the first ballpoint pen went on sale in the United States.
It’s October 28th, and on this day in 1955, Bill Gates was born.
Bill Gates is easily one of the most influential people in modern-day America. Bill Gates’ name is well known to most, and it's due to his leading efforts in technological innovation, educational support, and philanthropic motivations.
It’s October 27, and on this day in 1872, Emily Post was born,
Emily Post was an American writer and expert on proper social behavior. With enthusiastic, considerate prose, Post’s work showed the public that etiquette is more than seemingly arbitrary mannerisms and routine.
To Post, social conventions were an opportunity to demonstrate our capacity for consideration, respect, and honesty as human beings.
It’s October 26th, and on this day in 1977, Ali Maow Maalin was the last person to be diagnosed with smallpox.
Smallpox is a disease that may have accompanied humans as long as agriculture.
It’s October 25 and on this day in 2001, Microsoft released its wildly popular Windows XP operating system.
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the GA (General Availability) release of Microsoft’s Windows XP. The XP is short for Experience, so the version’s official name is actually Windows Experience. This OS is remembered for its pleasant aesthetics – such as the grass green start button, the bright blue taskbar, along with that oh-so-iconic scrolling plains wallpaper.
It’s October 24th and on this day in 2020, Cameroon experienced a school massacre.
Seven students died and thirteen others were wounded in the Kumba School Massacre.
A dozen men were responsible for the attack in Kumba, Cameroon.
The heinous assault gained international attention and brought a renewed interest to the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon.
It’s October 23rd and from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. it’s unofficially Mole Day.
Fans of chemistry rejoice. For those unfamiliar, strap in - we’ve got some explaining to do. We warn you, things are about to get technical, but interesting nonetheless.
It’s October 22nd, and on this day in 1938 Chester Carlson invented the copy machine.
The Seattle native’s invention was the next leap in written communication at the time. The process he originally called electrophotography, later called xerography, used opposite electrical charges and light to transfer any image or document exposed to it. A copy. Can you imagine a classroom without copies?
It’s October 21, and on this day in 1998, the US Congress enacted the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, more widely known as COPPA (cop-uh).
This piece of legislation was passed with the aim of preventing websites and online services from collecting information from children without parental consent.
It’s October 20th, and on this day in 1859 American philosopher, pragmatist, and educational reformer John Dewy was born in Burlington, Vermont. Dewey had a profound effect on teaching and learning, and he changed the fundamental way we view education in this country.
It’s October 19th, and on this day in 1901, Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March in D Major, premiered in Liverpool, England.
It’s Monday, October 18th and today in 1386, the University of Heidelberg was founded. It was the first university established in Germany and it is still in operation today. The story of how a small town became the center of a large university is a strange and surprising one.
It’s October 17th and on this day in 1979, the Department of Education Organization Act was signed into law.
This Act put into motion the establishment of the US Department of Education as we know it today.
It’s October 16th, and on this day in 1843, the fundamental formula for quaternions was first written. Irish mathematician, Sir William Rowan Hamilton, while walking with his wife in Dublin, was struck by the formula that would revolutionize the study of dynamic systems. Excited, lacking paper, and not wanting to forget his stroke of genius– he carved the formula for quaternions into the stonework of Broome Bridge. Where it remains to this day.
It’s October 15, and on this day in 1952, one of the best selling children’s books of all time, Charlotte’s Web, was published.
A story about the runt of a pig’s litter, a clever spider, and coming to terms with mortality, it’s no wonder that Charlotte’s Web continues to captivate and inspire young students in classrooms today.
It’s October 14th and on this day in 1773, Europe’s first Ministry of Education was formed. Located in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Commission of National Education reformed and modernized a system, taking it from a religiously dominated practice to a secular one inspired by Enlightenment era philosophers, the system they created would be highly recognizable to teachers and students today.
It’s October 13th and on this day in 1983, Ameritech Mobile Communications launched the first private cellular phone network.
It is easy to think of communication technology as just a series of updates, each inventor or designer tweaking what was already there. Telegraph to telephone to mobile phone, etc. Those people from the past could likely never imagine the possibilities of today. However, while the first mobile communication network became available in the 1980s, the idea itself was predicted in the 1870s, as soon as Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone. Maybe even before that.
It’s Tuesday, October 12th and today in 1492, a sailor on board the Pinta was the first of Christopher Columbus’ men to see what would become known as “the New World”. For years, American educators would mark this day as a heroic one- a day of discovery that would lay the groundwork for the establishment of the United States. But, in recent decades, the way that we teach about Christopher Columbus has shifted away from the Euro-centric tale of exploration and bravery to paint a more realistic picture of Columbus as a harsh leader responsible for the genocide of the Taino people.
It’s October 11th and on this day in 1884, Eleanor Roosevelt was born.
Eleanor Roosevelt would go on to be the First Lady of the United States, transforming the role from a passive hostess to an active political participant. This isn’t surprising, as she was already an advocate for social reforms, human rights, and education before her marriage.
It’s October 10th, and on this day in 1889, Barnard College opened its doors in New York City. Barnard was one of the first women’s colleges of its time to hold students and staff to the same rigorous academic standards as the male-only Ivy Leagues.
It’s October 9, and on this day in 1701, the Collegiate School of Connecticut was founded with the goal of educating students for religious and civil employment.
Never heard of it? Well - today, we know this school as Yale University, one of the top ranked colleges in the United States.
It’s October 7th and on this day in 1806 carbon paper received its patent.
Ralph Wedgwood (1766-1837) was an English inventor. He came from a family of well-known pottery-makers. Wedgwood received British Patent 2972 for his “apparatus for producing duplicates of writings,” which he called the Noctograph or “Stylographic Manifold Writer.” As stated in the patent description, Wedgwood’s device produced duplications. The user would insert a piece of carbon paper in between two pieces of stationery. They’d then write with a metal stylus that produced a smudgy imprint of the writing onto the bottom sheet. Meanwhile, the top sheet would receive a mirror image on its underside. The paper itself became “carbonated” by a treatment process of soaking it in a mixture of pigment and oil.
It’s October 6th, and on this day in 1986, one of Russia’s most influential minds in the field of education, mathematics, and computer science would pass away at the age of 65. His name was Alexander Kronrod.
It’s October 5, and on this day since 1994 students, parents, and educators have celebrated World Teachers’ Day.
In today's episode, let’s take a look at the history of the event as well as how we can support teachers on a structural and individual level.
It’s October 4, and on this day in 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite. The launch ushered in a new era for technology, exploration, and education.
It’s October 3rd and on this day in 1957, Allen Ginberg’s poem “Howl” was deemed not obscene.
Let’s get into it.
San Francisco Municipal Court Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled in Allen Ginsberg’s favor, determining his radical poem “Howl,” was not obscene and therefore not subject to censorship.
It's October 2nd, and on this day in 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African American Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, following a distinguished career as a lawyer, activist, and founder of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
It’s October 1st and on this day in 1964, Jack Weinberg, a student at the University of California at Berkeley was arrested for distributing political leaflets on campus. The police were able to escort Weinberg to the squad car; but, they soon realized that they would not be able to transport him. Hundreds of students surrounded the car, forcing the police to remain stationary on the Berkeley Campus for more than 36 hours.
This event launched the Free Speech Movement, a student movement that would grow in size and intensity- and eventually lead the UC Berkeley Administration to change their policy concerning political activity on campus.
It’s Sept. 30 and on this day in 1962 Civil Rights icon James Meredith tried to register for classes at the University of Mississippi, only to be denied entrance by Governor Ross Barnett.
It’s September 29th and on this day in 1901 Enrico Fermi was born. Best known for developing the first nuclear reactor and subsequently winning the Nobel Prize in physics in 1938, Fermi was also a passionate and inspiring teacher, beloved by his students.
It’s September 28th, and on this day in 1928, a Scottish bacteriologist returning from summer vacation and discovered mold on a petri dish that had been accidentally left out. Being a scientist, Dr. Alexander Fleming examined the dish under a microscope (rather than just throwing the contaminated item away) and discovered the mold was preventing normal growth of the bacteria he had been studying.
It’s September 27, and on this day in 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that shed light on the dangers of loosely regulated pesticide use and, in publishing the book, inspired generations of environmental educators in the United States and abroad.
It’s September 26th, and on this day in 2006 Facebook welcomed anyone 13 years or older, with a valid email address, to sign up. Hoping to compete with MySpace, which dominated the teen social media market at the time. By 2010, it was the social media platform of choice.
A lot has changed in the 15 years since Facebook launched. Social media is no longer the innocuous connector of friends and family it once was. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is now a household name– being called to testify to Congress multiple times for privacy violations will do that.
It's September 25th and on this day in 1897 one of America’s greatest writers--William Faulkner was born.
It’s September 24th, and on this day in 1957 President Eisenhower ordered federal troops to escort nine African American high school students into the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. A white mob had been stationed outside the high school for weeks, blocking the nine students from entering. The crisis attracted media attention from around the world and the students became known collectively as “The Little Rock Nine”.
It’s September 23 and on this day in 1642, nine men were about to be the first graduates of Harvard University - but first, they had to pass an oral exam, in front of everyone, in Latin.
It’s September 22nd, and on this day in 1888, the first issue of National Geographic was given to the world, though it looked pretty different from the magazine we recognize today.
It’s September 21, and on this day in 1840, William Henry Fox Talbot, an English chemist and photography pioneer, discovered how to develop images on paper using gallic acid. His findings would revolutionized the emerging field of photography by leading to the creation of the first type of photo that could be easily reproduced.
Join us for a new, daily podcast starting on 9/21 -- This Day in Education! Where we learn about the events, people, and inventions that helped shape education in the U.S.