July 31 Birthday: Flo Hyman

Flo Hyman, athlete
July 31, 1954-January 24, 1986

Lives of the Athletes: Thrill, Spills (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1997)

Hyman was an African-American volleyball player and Olympic medalist who also played professional ball in Japan.

The African American National Biography, hosted by Harvard.edu offers a biography of Hyman online.

July 31 Birthday: John Ericsson

John Ericsson, inventor
July 31, 1803-March 8, 1889

Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, illustrated by Andrew Glass (Holiday House, 2004)

Ericsson’s inventions centered on the sea. Read about his life and passion for ships in this biography.

Invent.org offers a Hall of Fame Inventor Profile of Ericsson.

July 30 Birthday: Patricia Schroeder

Patricia Schroeder, politician
July 30, 1940-

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

Schroeder was a member of the House of Representatives for 24 years and is known for many “firsts.” She is currently the President of the Association of American Publishers.

Kids in the House, a U.S. government site educates visitors about Congress and how laws are made.

July 30 Birthday: Emily Bronte

Emily Bronte, writer
July 30, 1818-December 19,1848

Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1994)

An English writer with two famous sisters who also wrote, Bronte authored Wuthering Heights.

Emily Bronte: An Overview is offered on The Victoria Web: Literature, History & Culture in the age of Victoria.

July 28 Birthday: Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter, artist
July 28, 1866-December 22, 1943

Beatrix by Alexander Wallner (Holiday House, 1995)

Beloved English author and illustrator, Potter’s life is captured on the page in this tribute to her.

The Beatrix Potter Society was “founded in 1980 by a group of people professionally involved in the curatorship of Beatrix Potter material.” Click here and read about Some Places to Visit (with links) to Potter materials and memories.

July 28 Birthday: Marcel Duchamp

Marcel Duchamp, artist
July 28, 1887-October 2, 1968

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1995)

A French-American modern artist, Duchamp had dust two inches thick in his NY apt—on purpose.

Visit MoMA.org (The Museum of Modern Art) and peruse images of Duchamp’s work from their collection.

July 6 Birthday: Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo, artist
July 6, 1907-July 13, 1954

Frida by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Ana Juan (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2002)

Kahlo, a Mexican painter, often used herself as the subject of her work. She was married to muralist Diego Rivera.

The Tate Gallery in London posts an exhibit and information about Kahlo on its site.

July 24 Birthday: Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart, aviator
July 24, 1897-July 2, 1937 (missing)

Sky Pioneer: A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart by Corinne Szabo (National Geographic Children’s Books, reprint, 2007)

What happened to Earhart and her plane? Though the answer remains a mystery, this book takes readers on a journey of what is known about her.

Tour the Official Site of Amelia Earhart to learn more about her life, achievements and disappearance.

July 24 Birthday: Simon Bolivar

Simon Bolivar, political leader
July 24, 1783-December 17, 1830

A Picture Book of Simon Bolivar by David A. Adler, illustrated by Robert Casilla (Holiday House, 1992)

Bolivar had an impressive resume: President of Greater Colombia, President of Bolivia, President of Peru, and President of Venezuela. Read about his life and politics in this simple biography.

Read an article about Bolivar written for children on the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

July 22 Birthday: Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder, artist
July 22, 1898-Nov. 11, 1976

Sandy’s Circus: A Story About Alexander Calder by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Boris Kulikov (Viking, 2008)

A childhood fascination with found objects, tinkering and the circus would lead Alexander “Sandy” Calder to create a miniature, movable circus as an adult. This portable circus, which he packed up in five suitcases, was the precursor of Calder’s later invention—the mobile.

A Google Images search for Alexander Calder will yield pages and pages of his amazing work.

July 20 Birthday: Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary, explorer
July 20, 1919-

Triumph on Everest: A Photobiography of Sir Edmund Hillary by Broughton Coburn (National Geographic Children’s Books, reprint, 2003)

With Sherpa Norgay, Hillary climbed the highest mountain in the world. See the pictures. Read the words.

Photos of Hillary, facts about Everest, other world famous mountains, and info about the famous climb can be found at the Scholastic Teachers site.

July 18 Birthday: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, political leader
July 18, 1918-

Mandela: From the Life of the South African Statesman by Floyd Cooper (Philomel, 1996)

Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist, became the first President of South Africa elected by blacks and whites.

You’ll find information about Mandela and his work at the Nelson Mandela Foundation site.

July 18 Birthday: Molly Brown

Molly Brown, activist and philanthropist
July 18, 1867-October 26, 1932

The Heroine of the Titanic by Joan W. Blos, illustrated by Tennessee Dixon (HarperCollins, 1991)

A survivor of the Titanic, Brown was responsible for saving many lives during the disaster as well as spearheading a fund to raise money for surviving passengers who needed assistance after the tragedy.

Denver’s Historic Molly Brown House has a website devoted to “accurately portray the story of Margaret Tobin Brown.” There are lots of great things to explore in the Just for Kids section.

July 16 Birthday: Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Ida B. Wells-Barnett, educator and journalist
July 16, 1862-Mar. 25, 1931

Women of Hope: African Americans Who Made a Difference by Joyce Hansen (Scholastic, 1998)

Born in Civil War times, Wells-Barnett was first a teacher. Then she was a part owner of a newspaper where she exposed the injustices of segregation in print.

Thomson Gale Co.is in the educational publishing business and posts a biography of Wells-Barnett on their website.

July 15 Birthday: Rembrandt Van Rijn

Rembrandt Van Rijn, artist
July 15, 1606-October 4, 1669

Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1995)

Rembrandt was a Dutch painter. The Night Watch is his most famous painting.

Check out the biography of Rembrandt at the WebMuseum, Paris.

July 14 Birthday: Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie, musician
July 14, 1912-October 3, 1967

Woody Guthrie: Poet of the People by Bonnie Christensen (Knopf, 2001)

This is a celebration of folk singer Guthrie’s life—through the good times and the bad.

The Official Woody Guthrie Website contains lyrics, photos, a biography and more.

July 14 Birthday: Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford, U. S. President
July 14, 1913-December 26, 2006

Lives of the Presidents: Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1998)

Number 38 loved orange chocolate cake. A former football star and congressman, Ford had a dog named Liberty when he was in the White House.

The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum has biographical and primary source materials on Ford.

July 12 Birthday: Kristi Yamaguchi

Kristi Yamaguchi, athlete
July 12, 1971-

Amelia to Zora: Twenty-Six Women Who Changed the World by Cynthia Chin-Lee, illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy (Charlesbridge, 2005)

K is for Kristi Yamaguchi, Olympic figure skater and champion of others.

Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation has a bio and photos of the skating star.

July 12 Birthday: Henry Thoreau

Henry Thoreau, writer
July 12, 1817-May 6, 1862

Walking with Henry: Based on the Life and Works of Henry David Thoreau by Thomas Locker (Fulcrum, 2002)

Based on Thoreau’s writing, this is a fictionalized account of a trek with the man who loved nature and believed in simple living.

Read Henry David Thoreau: Who He Was & Why He Matters at Thoreau.eserver.org.

July 11 Birthday: E.B. White

E. B. White, writer
July 11, 1899-October 1, 1985

Lives of the Writers: Comedies, Tragedies (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt (Harcourt, 1994)

Some writer! White’s day job was as a writer for The New Yorker, but children will know him from his classic, Charlotte’s Web.

Meet the Author E.B. White at the Eduplace.com site by Houghton Mifflin Reading.