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Sally Ride is quite an amazing woman because she did something for the first time that no American woman had ever done before. Do you know what she did? Well, let’s just say that Ride took the ride of her life. In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to ever fly into space!

Let’s back up a little. In 1977, Ride decided to answer an ad in the newspaper placed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), which was looking for young scientists to serve on future space flights. In school she had studied astrophysics, and because of her excellent qualifications, she was one of 208 NASA finalists. After extensive psychiatric evaluations, physical tests, and many interviews, Ride became one of 35 people who were accepted into the program.

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One of the most important composers in American music is George Gershwin. His music is still used today in commercial advertising, such as United Airlines theme music. His works are played regularly by the symphonies and orchestras in the United States, and chances are if you play a musical instrument that you already have or soon will play his music. Probably his most famous work was his “Rhapsody in Blue”, although he wrote much, much more.

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Do you remember the song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? You might not realize that its melody was written by a man considered by a great many scholars to be the world’s greatest composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

In his short life (1756-1791), Mozart accomplished many feats which may not ever be repeated. As a seven and eight year old, he began to compose his first music.

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On February 12 we celebrate the life of Abraham Lincoln. It was on this day in 1809 that he was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. When he was born, and during his lifetime, slavery was accepted and practiced by many people. He was raised a Baptist which at the time had opposed slavery, so at an early age he began to believe that slavery was wrong.

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