Here’s an advance look at some of the “This Day in Geographic History” (TDIGH) events coming up this week. For each date, we’ve matched it with a map or visual, background information, and a classroom activity so you can plan ahead.
Wednesday, March 14
The German theoretical physicist invented the most famous equation in history—E=mc², the mass-energy equivalence—and changed the way we think about gravity, space, and time.
Media: Listen to Einstein explain his theory of relativity and its implications (“a very small amount of mass may be converted to a very large amount of energy, and vice versa”), in less than a minute.
Background: Who was Albert Einstein?
Thursday, March 15
Julius Caesar’s brutal murder on the floor of the Senate led to a series of civil wars and the eventual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
Background: What were the critical attributes of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire? How did the two systems impact citizens’ lives? Use our great activity to help introduce students to these questions.
Thursday, March 15
Snow, a doctor, was the first person to use the geographic method to keep track of cholera cases during an outbreak in London. His early maps helped locate the outbreak’s source, and earned Snow the title “father of epidemiology.”
Saturday, March 17
Though less connected to the original 4th-century saint, the holiday of St. Patrick’s Day has endured as a celebration of Irish identity.
Background: Use these class activities and racist political cartoons to better understand the anti-immigrant bias Irish migrants faced. Then take another look at St. Patrick’s Day facts, myths, and traditions.
Sunday, March 18
Like the other company founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo—American Express—Wells Fargo was originally an express-delivery business.
Media: How did Wells Fargo become a part of the geography of the West? With iconic stagecoaches and ponies, of course. Learn more about efficient transportation options in the pre-railroad era.
Background: Wells Fargo pivoted to financial services because of competition from railroads. What other businesses were impacted by railroad commerce?
Activity: Take a listen to “The Wells Fargo Wagon” from the musical The Music Man. With younger students, discuss what goods the Wells Fargo stagecoach might bring to them. With older students, discuss representation (who might expect packages from Wells Fargo, and who might not), where those packages would come from, and look for anachronisms in the musical.