I don't know as many historical dates as I'd like. I didn't have to memorize dates in school. That said, I do know roughly when things happen - I can put wars in the right chronological order, for example - but I normally would not have been able to tell you that September 17th is the 150th anniversary of the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
I'm a big fan of timelines, probably as a result of also being a visual learner. I've learned something new today, before I even finished my first coffee, that should appeal to teachers in central Pennsylvania. Joseph Priestly was one of two people to pioneer timelines.
Here's an article from the Friends of the Joseph Priestley House in Northumberland, PA about Priestley's role in the development of timelines:
http://www.josephpriestleyhouse.org/uploads/extras/The_Man_Who_Drew_Time.pdf
Thanks to Amy Fox and her Trailheads blog at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for this! Visit http://patrailheads.blogspot.com/ to read Trailheads and learn more about the historic sites and museums that PHMC administers for the people of Pennsylvania.
