Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

Snapshots Spotlight: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tribute to MLK created by Spanish sculptor, Kavier Medina-Campeny near the entrance
 to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site in  Atlanta, Georgia.
Photo by Matt Lemmon, CC-BY-SA-2.0

Today, January 18, 2016, we honor one of the most influential persons who helped bring about racial equality in the United States, Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site in Atlanta, Georgia is a 23 acre Historical Site with over 1 million visitors each year, administrated by the National Park Service. It features many important historical locations including:

The Boyhood home of Martin Luther King, Jr. Atlanta, GA
Photo: Jeff Clemmons CC-BY-3.0

The Visitor  Center at the MLK National Historical Site in Atlanta
features many exhibits on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Photo: National Park Service

The Ebenezer Baptist Churh in Atlanta, GA where MLK was baptized and gave
his first sermon there at the age of 19.
NPS Photo by Gary Tarleton

Martin Luther King, Jr. Tomb at the King Center
Photo by George Paul Puvvada CC-BY-SA-3.0

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and delivered one of the most famous speeches of his life,

The words of that speech have became known as the "I have a Dream" speech, and include the following excerpt:

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character...

"With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day." (Source: BBC News)

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical site is one of the attractions featured in the educational board-game Snapshots Across America on one of the cards in the American Historical Sites Expansion Deck.

For more information visit the National Park Service Website at:
http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

And the King Center website at
http://www.thekingcenter.org/

Snapshots Spotlight-Remembering Pearl Harbor

Remembering the Attack on Pearl Harbor

and the USS Arizona.

It started out as a quiet Sunday in Paradise, exactly 74 years ago today. On December 7, 1941.

The Naval Base at Pearl Harbor as it looked prior to the attack on December 7, 1941.
(Photo by US Navy on October 13, 1941, less than 2 months before the attack)

The Japanese Empire had made several successful conquests on the Eastern half of the Pacific. They viewed the United States as their primary obstacle to dominating the entire Pacific Ocean region. The Japanese fleet, including 6 aircraft carriers loaded with around 450 aircraft, departed Japan on November 26, 1941. Radar from an American Army outpost had detected a large aerial formation shortly before the attack, but it was disregarded as they thought it was incoming flight of friendly planes from the mainland that they were expecting that day.

The forward  weapons magazine on the USS Arizona explode shortly after 8:00 am after being hit.
(Official U.S. Navy Photo)

The first wave of Japanese places attacked at 7:55 am, local time, and caught the U.S. Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor completely by surprise. The enemy attack concentrated on “Battleship Row” and the six airfields nearby. Eight U.S. Battleships were put out of commission. 2,335 U.S. soldiers and 68 civilians lost their life in that attack

The USS Arizona sinking after being hit.
(Source U.S. National Archives and Records Administrationfrom the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library)

The USS Arizona suffered the worst damage of the entire fleet when its artillery magazine was hit, causing a chain reaction of explosions on the ship. 1,104 servicemen aboard it lost their lives in that attack, accounting for almost half of all the casualties from that day.

An aerial view of the USS Arizona Memorial straddling the sunken hull of the Battleship that sank in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
(US Navy Photo by  Jayme Pastoric Cropped from original)

The USS Arizona Memorial is one of the most visited National Historical Sites in the United States. The next day, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress and the Nation. "Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

In these troubling times, let us always remember the resolve and commitment that the generations who have gone before have done to protect our Great Nation and the Freedoms we have.

The USS Arizona Memorial, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is one of the popular attractions featured in the latest edition of Snapshots Across America.

For more information on Pearl Harbor visit:

National Parks Teaching With Historic Places Lesson Plans

http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/18arizona/18arizona.htm

http://www.pearlharbor.org/

www.SnapshotsUSAgame.com

The Good Dinosaur... & the really Good Dinosaur Museum

The Good Dinosaur...

and the really good Dinosaur Museum

Left: Clip from Disney/Pixar The Good Dinosaur
Official US Trailer
Right: The entrance to The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Photo by Dell Hunt

I would have to say that this has been the “year of the Dinosaurs” for my family. This past week we went to see the new Disney/Pixar movie, “The Good Dinosaur”. And this past Summer we visited The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which I call the “really Good Dinosaur Museum”.

The Disney/Pixar Official US Trailer for The Good Dinosaur

The Good Dinosaur movie was a very pleasant surprise and not at all what I expected. Its based upon the question what would Earth be like if the asteroid that is thought to have hit 65 million years ago and destroyed the dinosaurs… missed? It is a premise that somewhat conflicts with my personal worldview that God has a purpose in creating the Earth and all life on it. However it had a powerful story that was based upon the values and principles of overcoming adversity and fear, forgiving and showing compassion to others, and the strength of family values.

The young Apatosaurus named Arlo, doesn't quite fit in and is afraid of most everything. When he captures a pesky caveboy critter in a trap, he lets him go. After Arlo loses his father in a flash flood, he also wanders off and is swept away in the river away from his family. The caveboy, who answers to the name Spot, returns the favor and saves Arlo, and the two wanderers develop a close relationship as they both search for their long lost families. It is touching when after everything they have been through, they part ways to reunite with their respective families, which sends a great message about family values.

The Dinosphere where a Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops engage in battle. Photo by Dell Hunt

Now on to the really Good Dinosaur Museum. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the largest childrens museum in the world. While there are far more exhibits than just dinosaurs, I do have to say it is has the best Dinosaur exhibit of any museum I have ever been too, and is especially true from a children's perspective. The Dinosphere (above) features one of the largest displays of dinosaur skeletons in the U.S.

The Dino Dig is where kids can use tools to dig away at soft stone to reveal casts of dinosaur bones from an actual dinosaur excavation project. Photo by Susan Hunt

Leonardo, the mummified young "duckbill" dinosaur at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is the best preserved dinosaur in the world. Much of this dino's skin, muscles, scales, tendons and even what he ate at his last meal was preserved.
  (Photo by Dell Hunt)

My son with one of the Paleontologists that works at the Children's Museum with a real triceratops skull that they are working on there. Photo by Dell Hunt.

The Alamosaurus family "escaping" from the Dinosphere exhibit area. They must have been "scared" by all the skeletons inside. Photo by Dell Hunt.

That's just the highlights of what we saw on our trip there. They have many other exhibits ranging from an Egyptian tomb exhibit, Chineese Terra Cotta soldier's exhibit, a working carousel and other exhibits on science, technology, history and more. (Photos by Dell Hunt).

.

\

So if you are ever passing through Indianapolis, take a chance to see the largest Children's Museum in the World, as well as a Really Good Dinosaur... Museum.

For more information about the Children's Museum of Indianapolis visit their website at:

http://www.childrensmuseum.org

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis is one of the popular tourist attractions featured in the education board-game, Snapshots Across America.

www.snapshotsusagame.com

Announcing the New Snapshots Across America

Announcing the New Snapshots Across America

It's finally here! The New Edition of Snapshots Across America.

Whats New?

More Cards: now with 124 cards compared to 110 in the previous edition.

New Tri-Fold game-board map of the United States, that is 13" x 22".

New compact size box, 13.5" x 7.5" by 2.25".

Newly redesigned instructions.

New larger and updated photos of favorite attractions form before, on a slightly larger card.

Many new attractions

New Color-Coded specialty cards to better identify them.

Transportation Cards have a Blue Border:

Bad Weather Cards have a Red Border

And Travel Cancel Cards have an Orange Border.

And much more.

Ask for for the New Snapshots Across America game.

Where to buy (keep checking back for new stores and online educational websites):

Official Online Store for Snapshots Across America 

http://snapshotsusagame.com

Toy House, 400 N. Mechanic St. Jackson, MI 49201

Love To Learn homeschool resources

http://www.lovetolearn.net/Snapshots-Across-America

.

Honoring the Pilgrims this Thanksgiving

Snapshots Spotlight:

Honoring the Pilgrims this Thanksgiving 

The First Thanksgiving 1621
by American Painter, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
Source: U.S. Library of Congress

As we gather together with our families this Thanksgiving we honor the Pilgrims who traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to establish a Colony in the New World and to be free from religious oppression in England.

In trying to learn more about the Pilgrims, my mother-in-law, Laura Byers, told me about how her 11th Great Grandfather who was one of the 102 passengers who arrived in America aboard the Mayflower. Her ancestor, William Brewster, along with his wife Mary and 2 of their sons, at around 9 & 6 years old, made the long voyage to America, arriving in November of 1620. Strong winds drove the ship far off course, and rather than their original target of the Virginia Colony, they landed over 400 miles to the Northeast, in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.

That first winter was very harsh on the newly arrived Pilgrims, of which almost half died in the first year. But William, Mary, and their 2 young sons named Love and Wrestling, all survived that first harsh winter. 

That First Thanksgiving was a harvest celebration in which the surviving 53 Pilgrims along with Chief Massasoit and around 90 Native American Indians celebrated for 3 days the bounteous harvest that they had reaped during that first year in a new home. 1

Shortly after that First Thanksgiving celebration, the Brewster's oldest son, Jonathan later joined them in 1621 aboard the ship, The Fortune. Their 2 older daughters, Patience and Fear, also arrived at Plymouth in 1623. William Brewster, having served as an assistant pastor while the Pilgrims were in Holland, became Plymouth Colony's religious leader until 1629, and also an adviser to Governor William Bradford.

The Mayflower II, a replica of the original ship that brought the Pilgrims to America.
Source: Paul Keleher CC BY-2.0

The Mayflower II, which is a replica of the original ship that brought the Pilgrims to America, is docked in Plymouth. Tours are conducted by guides dressed in period clothes, which teach visitors about the historic ship and its famous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Mayflower II is one of the  Historical Attractions featured in
the educational board-game Snapshots Across America.

Sources:
1. The Pilgrim Hall Museum. Plymouth, MA. 
http://www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org/thanksgiving.htm

2. The Plimouth Plantation. Plymouth, MA.
http://www.plimoth.org/what-see-do/mayflower-ii

Honoring Our Veterans

Snapshots Spotlight: Honoring Our Veterans

As we honor the many Veterans who have fought for our Great Nation, we owe much to those who have gone before us in making sacrifices to preserve our freedom.

The U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia

U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Adrian R. Rowan

In reflecting this Veterans Day, I ponder over the fact that there have been many great soldiers who have gone before us in preserving our freedom.  In doing so, I think about my wife’s uncle who was one of the U.S. Marines that fought in the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. He was one of the luckier ones… he only lost a leg.

Willard A. Cross: PFC. U.S. MarinesPhoto courtesy of Millie Bartlett

Willard A. Cross, “Uncle Bill” to us, was a Private First Class in the U.S. Marines when he landed on Iwo Jima. He made it through that first day, but witnessed events that haunted him his whole life, including holding an 18 year old fellow Marine that died in his arms. On Feb. 20, 1945, the second day of operations on Iwo Jima, he was hit by enemy fire and received major injuries to his leg as well as other shrapnel wounds. His injuries were so bad that he wasn’t expected to live. But he survived the trip to a medical hospital in Germany. From there he was transferred to the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, where he spent around 18 months healing from his wounds and learning to get around with an artificial leg. (Source: Millie Bartlett, Norville, Michigan).Uncle Bill passed away at the age of 90 on February 16, 2013, just 3 days shy of the 68th Anniversary of the D-Day on Iwo Jima. It was a memorable experience witnessing the military gun salute at his gravesite in Napoleon, Michigan. I recall the ceremonious folding of the Stars and Stripes that covered his casket that was then presented to his widow.

The Official Flag Raising on Iwo Jima photo taken by Joe Rosenthal on Feb 23, 1945,
from which the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial Statue was based upon.
Photo Credit: United States Marine Corps Archives and Special Collections

According to Robert S. Burrell, Author of “The Ghosts of Iwo Jima”, 6,821 American Soldiers gave their life in the Battle of Iwo Jima. Another 19,217 were wounded.1 It was a costly victory in the Pacific during World War II, but allowed the U.S. to establish a key strategic Air Base there within a week after capturing it. In seeing the U.S. Marines Corps War Memorial Statue that honors the brave men who fought and defeated the enemy at Iwo Jima makes me think of Uncle Bill. Knowing this great man that was there, helps me to appreciate even more, those Veterans who have gone before us, in protecting and preserving our freedom and liberty. 

This Veterans Day, ask your relatives if you have any ancestors that have been Veterans, and make a special effort to remember them, and if they are still alive, thank them for their sacrifices they have made to their Country.

The Snapshots Across America card for the
U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial
 (also known as the Iwo Jima Statue)

The Snapshots are Coming!

#TBT
"The Snapshots Are Coming!"

The Paul Revere Statue with the Old North Churchin the background. Photo by Alan Kotok CC-BY-2.0

Throw Back Thursday: "The Snapshots are Coming?"

Yes, for this Throw Back Thursday, we are loosely borrowing from the infamous words often attributed to Paul Revere, "The British are Coming." However,  Revere likely never actually uttered that most infamous quote during his infamous ride made popular in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1961 poem,  "Paul Revere's Ride." 

Historians at the The Paul Revere House Museum, state that he most likely warned that "The regulars are coming out!" With the tensions that were building between the British and the Colonies at that time, "regulars" was the code term for British Soldiers. 

Paul Revere did indeed make the midnight ride on April 18, 1775 from Boston to Lexington to warn Samuel Adams, John Hancock and others about the impending offensive attack by the British. The American Patriots took heed of the warning, and word spread through the area so that they were prepared for the coming British attack on the very next day. Then on April 19, 1775 the Battle of Lexington between the British Soldiers and Colonial Minutemen ensued and the "Shot Heard Round the World" marked the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and the rest is... History....

But indeed, we are happy to say that "YES. The Snapshots Are Coming!" After not being on the market for nearly 2 years, the new edition of Snapshots Across America has gone to press and should be available by the end of November.

Actual Card from the New Edition of Snapshots Across America

The Paul Revere Statue and Old North Church Tower, are 2 of the 16 featured historical sites along Boston's two and a half mile long "Freedom Trail". This is one of the many new attractions featured in the updated edition of Snapshots Across America, the educational game where families can travel across a game-board map of the United States to "visit" popular tourist attractions from all 50 States.