May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. This annual observance celebrates generations of Asians and Pacific Islanders who have contributed to American culture.
Visit the government’s Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month website to:
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Take a HistoryPin tour of the reconstruction of the Blue Room in the White House.
The White House may look the same from the outside, but from 1947 through 1952, the interior underwent a complete reconstruction.
Read more about the reconstruction process on our Education Updates blog.
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From the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library:
John F. Kennedy, Jr. sits in the pilot’s seat of the Presidential helicopter during a weekend trip to Camp David in Frederick County, Maryland.
View more photos from the trip.
Photo Credit: Robert Knudsen/JFK Library.
Sunday marks the 52nd anniversary of the first American in space. On May 5th, 1961, Alan Shepard Jr. became the first NASA astronaut to be launched into outer space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft.
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Shepard was rocketed to an altitude of 116.5 miles. Shepard tested out altitude controls for five minutes and then parachuted to safety into the Atlantic Ocean. The entire trip lasted 15 minutes and 28 seconds, but gave the space program the confidence that they could continue to advance further missions and orbits.
You can share this special anniversary with your kids by visiting NASA’s Space Place, where they can learn about Alan Shepard, astronauts, outer space and more.
Image description: The Capitol and Library of Congress Jefferson Building on April 11, 1895 (above) and April 11, 2013 (below).
Photo by the Architect of the Capitol
 and April 11, 2013 (below).
Photo by the Architect of the Capitol)