What Happened on the Day You Were Born?

What famous people do you share a birthday with? What newsmaking events occurred on the day you were born? How did most people spend their free time when you were born? What does your name mean? You will find the answers to these and other interesting questions by completing this activity.
The Task
Your search must include the following information:

1) Find the meaning of your first and last names and describe your birth "statistics."

2) Find at least five news events that occurred on your birthdate and choose one event to write a 5-sentence summary.

3) List five famous people (politicians, entertainers, sports figures, etc) who share your birthday. Choose one of those people and list ten "noteworthy" facts about him/her.

4) Describe a famous first fact that occurred on or near your birthday.

5) Give five sports facts about the year you were born. Choose one sports personality, event or individual sport from that year and write a paragraph.

6) Find the titles of five movies, television shows, and songs that were popular during the year you were born.

7) Find at least ten other different facts about the day and/or year you were born. For example: Who was president? What was the weather like the day you were born? What were your birth statistics?
Resources
  • Good print resources to use: Current Biography (Mr. McCright has a master list of the past 10 years), Dictionary of American Biography (if your personality is dead), Famous First Facts, Facts About the Presidents, Rock Encyclopedia, Chronicle of America, Sports Almanac, and World Almanac.
  • Be sure to check the Patron's Catalog for any biographies or collective biographies.
  • InfoTrac will be useful if you are searching for news and biographical information.

    Internet sites worth visiting include:
  • Daily Almanacs - Bringing You History One Day at a Time--Be patient, this one is a little slow to load.
  • Anyday Today in History
  • Birthday Research Center
  • My Virtual Reference Desk - My Daily Almanac
  • Today in History
  • Famous Birthdays
  • By Any Other Name
  • On this Day
  • What Happended what Year?
  • Uncle Woody's Almanac
    The Process
    You can use any of the suggested resources to complete your search.
    Learning Advice
    Just go to one of the sites and get started to see where it takes you!! If you need help, just ask. You might need to consult some of the reference books located in our media center.
    Conclusion and Assessment
    The purpose of this assignment is to enhance your autobiography writing by exploring information about your birthdate and year. The assignment will be graded on completeness and correctness of expression. Answers to the questions should be answered on the form provided.
    Search Sites
    Use these search tools for keyword searching.
    Documentation
    For instructions on documenting Internet sources, refer to Citing Internet resources.
    Created by Ms. Holmes and Mr. McCright
    Return to the WebQuest page.