This Day in History August 18, 1587

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Hopefully you were fortunate enough to be taught history in school.  (I don't mean to sound negative, but I learned as a teacher that the majority of my students did not even know when the U.S. became a nation.)  I can remember being taught about the first European to be born on American soil.  I can't say that I remembered her name, but this is the anniversary of her birth date:  August 18, 1587.  Her name was Virginia Dare, and she was born to Eleanor White Dare and John White.  John White was the governor of Roanoke.  I hope that at least sounds familiar to you--the Lost Colony.

Roanoke was located on the outer banks of North Carolina.  Here's a link to a very helpful map of Roanoke and the surrounding area.

Exactly what happened to Roanoke is unknown.  There is a lot of speculation, but I don't want to spend the time dealing with all of that here.  Governor White returned to Roanoke Island in 1591, and there was no trace of any of the inhabitants.  Her birthday is celebrated annually in Roanoke Island, North Carolina.

Websites Used: 
http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/commentary/21/entry
http://thelostcolony.org/education/Students/History/roanoke_maps.htm