Nov 10: Sesame Street Debuts and the Marines Are Born

Host 1 Welcome to This Day in American History for Kids. On this day, November 10th, 10th, well, two massive American firsts happened.

Host 2 Yeah, today is it's a day of really huge firsts that started out super small. I mean one started in a busy tavern and the other you know on a really friendly TV street but they both completely changed America.

Host 1 Right. So let's start with the oldest one first. We are going back to 1775. So the American Revolution had just begun and the colonies desperately needed help at sea.

Host 2 Exactly.

Host 1 Right.

Host 2 So the Continental Congress, which was, you know, the group of know, the group of colonial leaders, they voted to raise two battalions of Marines. And a battalion is just like a really big group of soldiers.

Host 1 Wow. Okay. And Marines are troops who fight on ships, but also on land, right?

Host 2 Yep, exactly. On water and on land. And they picked a man named Samuel Nicholas to lead them. But the wildest detail is where they actually gathered.

Host 1 Oh, I love this part.

Host 2 Yeah.

Host 1 Where was it?

Host 2 Yeah, they met at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia. So the owner of this inn, Robert Mullen, Mullen, he basically became the first US Marine recruiter.

Host 1 That is so wild. It's kind of like imagine creating a really famous military branch in a local inn. Like starting a huge national school club right in your neighborhood cafeteria.

Host 2 That is a great way to think about it. It really started that small. And you know even though those Continental Marines broke up after the war and were set up by law again later in 1798 they still count the 1775 date as their official birthday.

Host 1 all starting with just one vote and well a few brave volunteers

Host 2 exactly

Host 1 so moving from building a team to protect the country let's jump forward to 1969 this is where a team was built to teach the country's kids

Host 2 yes the launch of Sesame Street so TV producer Joan Ganz Cooney and a psychologist named Lloyd Morissette they started it

Host 1 and just to clarify for everyone listening a psychologist is a scientist who studies how people think and learn

Host 2 right good point so their big goal was helping three to five year olds get ready for kindergarten especially kids who you know maybe didn't have as many chances to learn at home

Host 1 which was a huge deal because before this TV was mostly just like a fun playground there wasn't a lot of learning

Host 2 oh totally just cartoons and stuff

Host 1 yeah so Sesame Street using Jim Henson's amazing Muppets they proved that TV could actually be a really fun classroom too

Host 2 they really did and a fun detail about that is there's an original green and yellow wooden street sign from that very first 1969 set

Host 1 oh really

Host 2 yeah it's actually kept at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History right now and it matters so much because well Sesame Street became America's longest running children's TV series

Host 1 that's incredible and we actually have a couple of other quick you know also on this day extras before we wrap up

Host 2 oh yeah let's hear them

Host 1 so in 1951 the mayor of englewood New jersey made the very first coast to coast phone call dialed all alone by a customer he reached the mayor of Alameda California

Host 2 oh wow no operator needed that's neat and then in 1954 we have a nice connection back to our first story President Eisenhower actually dedicated the Marine Corps War Memorial on this day

Host 1 oh that's the one with the giant bronze figures raising a flag right

Host 2 yep that's the one and the flag there actually flies 24 hours a day

Host 1 that is so cool okay we have one final did you know fact from the files so sticking with our tv classroom Sesame Street has won more than 100 Emmy Awards

Host 2 wow are you serious

Host 1 yeah that is more than any other TV program ever

Host 2 that's just amazing

Host 1 it really leaves you with something to think about you know like think about how a small idea you have today whether it's in a cafeteria or your living room could still be celebrated centuries from now thanks for tuning in see you back here tomorrow