Monthly Archives: January 2017
Space Shuttle Challenger
On January 28, 1986, the American shuttle orbiter Challenger broke up 73 seconds after liftoff, bringing a devastating end to the spacecraft’s 10th mission. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who had been selected to join the mission and teach lessons from […]
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 27 is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Since 2005, the UN and its member states have held commemoration ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and to honor the victims and the survivors of the Holocaust. Key Facts —The purpose of International Holocaust […]
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Signed into law in January 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is a celebration of Dr. King’s immeasurable contribution to the United States, and to humankind. Celebrated on the third Monday of January, the King Holiday is a time when the nation pauses to remember Dr. King’s life […]
15th Annual National Bird Day, Thursday January 5th, 2017
Why National Bird Day? The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration. Today, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one third of the world’s 330 parrot species. Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of […]