May I suggest exploring Istanbul on Google Arts & Culture, and take a virtual tour of the Hagia Sophia.  You can learn more about Turkey and its history through National Geographic Kids.  Istanbul was not the first name change for this port city!  Before being called Constantinople (Roman), it was called Byzantium (Greek), and Lygos (Greek).  You can read about Istanbul's name changes and other cities that have changed their names throughout the years.

Check out the song Istanbul not Constantinople by They Might Be Giants.  The song was written by Jimmy Kennedy & Nat Simon, originally recorded by The Four Lads, and was a popular duet with Bing Crosby & Ella Fitzgerald.  

Today also marks the death of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969.  He was the 34th president (1954-1961), was a commanding general in WWII, and helped broker a truce between North Korea and South Korea.  We owe our modern day Interstate Highway system to him, thanks to the Federal-Aid Highway Act that he signed in 1956 (Did you know that Interstate 90 is the longest at 3,020 miles).  

Fun fact: In 1968, President Eisenhower's grandson, David, married President Richard Nixon's daughter, Julie.  Before becoming president, Nixon was Eisenhower's Vice President!  The couple is still married today and just celebrated 55 years of marriage.

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