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Lessons for Children is a series of four age-adapted reading primers written by prominent 18th-century British poet and essayist Anna Laetitia Barbauld. Published in 1778 and 1779, the books initiated a revolution in children's literature in the Anglo-American world. For the first time, the needs of the child reader were seriously considered: the typographically simple texts progress in difficulty as the child learns. In perhaps the first demonstration of experiential pedagogy in Anglo-American children's literature, Barbauld's books use a conversational style depicting a mother and her son discussing the natural world. Based on the educational theories of John Locke, Barbauld's books emphasize learning through the senses. One of the primary morals of Barbauld's lessons is that individuals are part of a community; in this she was part of a tradition of female writing that emphasized the interconnectedness of society. Charles, the hero of the texts, explores his relationship to nature, to animals, to people, and finally to God. Lessons had a significant effect on the development of children's literature in Britain and America. Maria Edgeworth, Sarah Trimmer, Jane Taylor, and Ellenor Fenn, to name a few of the most illustrious, were inspired to become children's authors because of Lessons and their works dominated children's literature for several generations. (more...)

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December 16: National Day in Bahrain (1971); Victory Day in Bangladesh (1971); Independence Day in Kazakhstan (1991)

• 1598 – Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Korean navy defeated the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Noryang, the final naval battle of the Imjin War.
• 1653 – The Protectorate: Oliver Cromwell (pictured) became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.
• 1773 – Boston Tea Party: To prevent the unloading of tea that was taxed without their consent under the Tea Act, a group of colonists destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor.
• 1893 – Czech composer Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
• 1971 – Pakistani forces in East Pakistan surrendered, ending both the Indo-Pakistani War and the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• 1998 – The United States and United Kingdom launched a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets in response to Iraq's failure to comply with several U.N. Security Council resolutions as well as their interference with U.N. Special Commission inspectors.

More anniversaries: December 15 – December 16 – December 17