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[Music] Coming up. Make some noise! While you might be hearing more of this noise this year than ever before, we'll take a look at the cicada invasion buzzing through the US. Also, had a hero's welcome. Why did you want to come back here? This is my home. We'll head to France to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, an important date that changed the course of history. "Men and women of the United States, this is a momentous hour in world history." Then, inspiring kids. One boy from North Carolina is honoring veterans here at home with a special design he created. Plus, drone soccer. This new sport is taking the traditional game to new heights, where students build, code, and fly each drone. And, secrets of a fashion designer. "This dress is inspired by sneakers, so it has a lot of shoelaces and I with a lot of pink accents, and the sweatshirt I spray painted in pink." Our kids edition correspondent takes our cameras behind the scenes to find out how ideas turn into clothes for kids.
This is NBC Nightly News Kids Edition. Welcome back to Nightly News Kids Edition. I'm Lester Holt. It is great to be with you guys. Hope you're having a terrific week. We have an awesome lineup ahead, including our Top Quiz plus our Picture of the Week. You won't want to miss this. And a bit later on, a special Father's Day tribute. But first, let's begin with one of the stories making news recently, and is making quite a bit of noise, literally. We're talking about cicadas. These insects are harmless, but have many people in places like Illinois bugged out this week. Our friend Kathy Park explains.
It's the biggest invasion in hundreds of years. Years of these pesky, incredibly loud cicadas. Why so many this year? Well, one set of cicadas comes out every 17 years. Another every 13 years. This year, there's an emergence of both broods. That hasn't happened since 1803. From Alabama to Missouri to Illinois, cicadas are emerging this year in more than a dozen states. But Illinois is facing what experts say is an unusual crop.
"Illinois is really interesting when you think about the cicada situation this year. And a reason for that is we're not seeing one single group or brood, as we call them, of periodical cicadas. We're actually seeing two this year, which is really unique and unusual." The last time that these two groups of cicadas would have emerged in the same year was 221 years ago, back in 1803. That's when Thomas Jefferson was President. The Louisiana Purchase was a brand new idea in our country's history. But don't worry. Cicadas might be very loud, but are really harmless. Enjoy the noise. It's it's really a neat thing. So don't get too creeped out by them.
And she gets creeped out by them. The noise that they're making, it's essentially for mating purposes only. Males can sing or produce noise, and so they are singing to attract the females. The females can respond by flicking her wings, make a little snapping noise, and then eventually they will get together and mate to produce more cicadas. So for now, enjoy the noise. Things should get quiet by early July, depending on where you live. In southern parts of the US, things are probably already quieting down. In more northern parts of the range of these insects, like the Upper Midwest, Illinois and Wisconsin, we've got a couple more weeks of cicada activity before they disappear for 17 more years. Kathy, thanks.
Meantime, something truly extraordinary took place last week. Dozens of World War II veterans traveled to the shores of Normandy, France, to commemorate an anniversary which helped change the course of history. "And failure was not an option." It's regarded as one of the greatest military operations in history. In World War II, the United States was trying to fight dictatorships like Adolf Hitler in Germany and Benito Mussolini in Italy because they wanted to take over the world. So therefore, the United States was on the side of what we call the Allies, with countries like the United Kingdom and France and Canada and others. We were all in a big alliance trying to save democracy and freedom.
June 6, 1944. D-Day. It's the day the United States and its allies, troops from more than a dozen other countries, stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. "We were all 18, 19 years old back home. Most news came by radio because many families didn't own TVs at the time." "Men and women of the United States, this is a momentous hour in world history. This is the invasion of Hitler's Europe." The enemy, Adolf Hitler's German Army, was dug in on the bluffs above the beaches, determined to stop the US-led Allies from reaching land. The Allies, however, were just as determined. Their mission: come ashore and establish a foothold in Europe so that more Allied troops could follow, free France from its German occupiers, and finally defeat Hitler's Army.
"I was 18 at that time. There were some gigantic shells fired from the shore that could wipe you out, make nothing out of you." Jake Larson grew up in Minnesota. Now 101 years old, he still remembers D-Day like it was yesterday. "Was I scared? Never. Never scared. Of course, we all knew the possibility of us not coming back. I never gave it a thought that I wouldn't make it." The massive D-Day assault led to Allied victory in Europe less than one year later, changing the course of history. If the D-Day invasion had failed, it is conceivable that the Allies in favor of freedom would not have won World War II. Many of us would not only not be here today, but we would not be living in a world in which freedom was possible.
Back, Mr. Larson, last week, a hero's welcome in [Music] France. Jake Larson was there along with other veterans who returned to the battlefields in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. "I didn't expect them through this." Paying respect to thousands who died during the invasion. "I love each and every one of them." 100-year-old Harold Terren told our friend Peter Alexander that he still grieves all the friends he lost. "I just feel good coming here. I, it, it brings back unpleasant memories, but I, it makes me feel good that I haven't forgotten any, any one of them or any, anything."
President Biden visited with some of the heroes. Less than 200 American D-Day veterans are still living. The median age, 100 years old. "How old are you?" "104." "You know, you're the oldest vet here, but the youngest looking." "What?" "You're the oldest vet here, but the youngest looking." "Oh, thank you." It was a powerful illustration of how alliances make us stronger, a lesson that I pray we Americans never forget. The next time world leaders gather here to commemorate D-Day, the men who took part in the epic invasion likely won't be here to witness it. Their first-person stories will be left to historians to share about service, duty, guts, sacrifice. "I came home, met my wife, got married, raised a family. Always thankful for what you guys did to get me here, and I'll always be thankful." "Why did you want to come back here?" "It's my home." A testament to the enduring legacy of those who were called on. And in the process, to find an American credo: freedom is not free. They were following the idea of our Founders that freedom would never be free. We would probably have to defend it in every single generation. And on D-Day, 1944, they sure did. Thank God for all of us. How remarkable they truly are heroes, and we thank them for their service.
And speaking of veterans, let's turn now to our Inspiring Kids series. This week, we introduce you to a fifth grader from North Carolina who is thanking veterans here at home in a very special way, thanks to the power of creativity. 11-year-old Oai is the winner of a contest that honors veterans. "I wanted to thank veterans, and the heart shows like an X symbol of love and expresses it that like we're giving love to them." His design was picked out of thousands of students who designed logos for the Army Educational Outreach Program Veterans Appreciation Challenge, which turns one lucky kid's design into a pin. "My pin, it's painted in the American flag, and it shows this heart that is like a symbol of love, and it's telling the appreciation of the veterans because some of them are away from their families and away from their homes protecting us. Some have, um, lost their arms, some have lost legs, some have sadly even died." Oai's teacher encouraged him to enter the competition after noticing his creativity in class. "I've won like two certificates, second and first place, so she was like, 'Hey, you're really creative.' So she recommended me this website, Future Engineers." Oai moved to America when he was just 6 years old. "I wasn't born here, but I really appreciate that the veterans keep us safe." The pin was given out at the National Veterans Memorial in Ohio. "I'll be celebrating in Ohio for Memorial Day, and they are going to buy tickets for the plane. Um, my whole family is going to go there." A heartfelt way to say thank you and to honor the bravery and sacrifices of those who serve. "I chose the heart one because I really felt like something to express love for them. So I thought if I could picture my hands like this, showing a heart, and then paint it into the American flag and make it into 3D, that would be a really cool pin." "That would be really cool to meet a veteran in real life. I would like to say thank you, veterans, and I would like to shake all of their hands for their all service and [Music] protection."
Now to our Picture of the Week. Meet the newest members of the Queen Zoo. Three five-month-old Andean bear cubs. The cubs, two males and one female, were born back in January at this zoo here in New York City and just made their public debut. Andean bears are considered vulnerable and are the only bears found in South America. The Queen Zoo is breeding Andean bears as part of the Species Survival Plan.
All right, let's head to California now, where some students are taking the game of soccer airborne. It's called drone soccer, and we get details from our friend Gotti Schwarz. In the world of high school sports, a new game is taking off at the Sato Academy of Math and Science in Long Beach, California. It's not football or basketball that's churning out their star athletes. It's drone soccer.
"I love my team and I just love this club so much." Albert Guo, Sato's aerospace engineering teacher, off piloted the idea to bring drone soccer to Sato. He now doubles as coach for three of the top teams in the country. "Does this seem like a game, or kind of a lesson plan, or, or maybe a little bit of both?" "I think it's a little bit of both. They've gamified aerospace, or they've taken all the things that I love about aerospace, and they've taken everything about drones, and they, they found a way to make it fun for kids." Here's how it works: Two teams of five drones each compete in three-minute sets, where the striker tries to score by passing through suspended hoops, while defenders try to block them. "You don't kick the ball, you are the ball." "Wow, that's awesome." Each student is also responsible for fixing drones when they go down. "So that's the battle damage you just got, right? One of them fell off. Okay. Was that from? Was that from contact?" "Huh?" "And it may look easy, but I promise it's not." "Whoa, okay, hold on." After a whole lot of turbulence, I finally scored. "Yeah, on an undefended goal." "I don't understand how you guys kept all of those up." "It is like magic." "Great. Thank you." That magic on display every time Sato competes, almost always droning out the competition. "It sounds like this school is somewhat of a powerhouse when it comes to drone soccer. What's the secret?" "A lot of practice." Yeah, Sato is taken first in every competition they've entered, competing with other awesome teams. "It, it kind of helps develop new strategies and get better and makes the long hours worth it." And here, there's no boys' team or girls' team. Drones don't have a gender. "Seems like girls and boys in this program, seems like everybody's on the same level." "They're pretty much on the same level." Now, drone soccer promotes that they would like one female pilot to be on every team. "Our requirement here for our program is 50/50." "If you're wondering whose drone that was, it just kept dominating over there. That was Audrey over here. What was the secret to your success?" "What I like to do is kind of mix up different flight paths each time and find different routes to get around to get into the goal without causing too much damage." "We're doing something pretty out of the ordinary and pretty advanced right now with drone soccer, and I think that's definitely kind of like our stepping stone." "This is just the beginning." "Yeah, definitely." "And that means that you guys are the pioneers." "Yeah, young pioneers propelling their way to greatness, one high-flying battle at a [Music] time." GTI, thanks very much. Looks like a lot of fun.
All right, time for our Pop Quiz now. The question this week: True or False? Popsicles were invented by an 11-year-old boy. I'll give you a few seconds to think about it. Okay, time's up. The answer is true. Ice pops were invented by accident in 1905 by 11-year-old Frank Epperson, who combined soda and water and left the mixture out overnight with a stirring stick still in it. The mixture froze overnight, creating a frozen treat with a convenient handle. Frank patented the idea, which he called an Epsicle, and we now know as the popsicle in 1924, and it's been a hit with kids and grown-ups ever since.
All right, now to our series, Secrets of. Do you love playing dress-up and trying on clothes, or maybe even making clothes for your dolls? Well, if the answer is yes, this next story is for you. We asked our Kids Edition correspondent Lucy to find out just what it takes to be a fashion designer for kids. [Music]
At New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology, or FIT, for short, students are studying to become future fashion designers. My little sister Zoe and I want to check it out to see just what it takes. "The garments are supposed to feel like very whimsical, very playful. They're, um, all hand-painted." It all starts with an idea, and then students learn how to sew, draw, and create clothing patterns to turn their idea into a creation. We caught up with the children's wear design students. FIT is the only fashion school in the US that has a course just for creating clothes for kids. How cool is that?
"I come from a really big family, and I often make clothes for my siblings, so that really led me to pursue fashion and to pursue children's wear." Making kids' clothes is different from designing adult clothing. In order to keep kids safe, designers have to think of things like choking hazards. That means no large zippers or buttons. The fabric also needs to be resistant to fire, and there can't be anything too close to the neck, like a turtleneck. And most importantly, it needs to be comfortable. With that in mind, the eight seniors are tasked at the beginning of the school year with designing a children's wear collection. They come up with a theme and are judged by an expert.
"My collection, I was inspired by my heritage clothing, so I want to incorporate that into my design. This embroidery, I made it about the memory of my, my grandma and doing the orange stuff, so those are the oranges." "I go to the garments. This dress is inspired by sneakers, so it has a lot of shoelaces and I did a lot of pink accents, and the sweatshirt I spray painted in pink." "Painter is the sweatshirt attached to the dress. It's not. So it's just a crop sweatshirt under there." "And he wore the dress for." At the end of each year, a few lucky designers get to see their designs come to life on a model at a runway [Music] show. So the next time you put on your favorite outfit, you can strike a pose knowing all the hard work that went into it. For Nightly News Kids Edition, I'm Lucy, reporting from New York City. Lucy, thanks so much. Great job.
Finally, in honor of Father's Day this weekend, we have a story about the bond between parents and their children and a tribute to fatherhood. Our Kids Edition correspondent Delano recently caught up with the author of this new children's picture book, who also happens to be his dad, Today's show co-anchor Craig Melvin.
"What made you write the book?" "I'm proud of you. I wanted to write a book that celebrated fatherhood, that celebrated you, that celebrated your sister, that celebrated like, just being a parent. And I wanted to write something that you would enjoy, that you would be proud of. But I also wrote it because I wanted you to know that you were proud of me. Yeah, that I'm proud of you. But not just proud of the big stuff, proud of the little stuff too. I remember when you tied your shoes the first time. I remember when you made your first, your first B. I wanted to write something that celebrated the small things."
"How has becoming a dad to me, to me, changed as a person?" "How has becoming a dad changed me as a person? It's given me a sense of purpose. Like when I wake up in the morning, part of the reason I work so hard is for you and your sister. Part of my motivation is to make the two of you proud. It's funny, 'cause before you two came along, I was just kind of like, be-bopping through life. Life. And then all of a sudden, it's, I'm trying to be a good example."
"What's your strongest quality as a dad?" "What's my strongest quality as a dad? I would say that I'm flexible." "Yeah, we, we'll go with that for one." "Okay, good. Thank you." "I'm flexible, and I'd like to also think that I let you and Sybil teach me sometimes."
"What's something in your dad game that maybe needs some work?" "What's something in my dad game that needs some work? Yeah, you know what? I'm constantly working on patience." "Which is funny, 'cause I talk to you about it sometimes." "You know, sometimes Dad can be just, let me just, smidge, just a smidge, just a smidge." "But I'm working on my patience." "Have I gotten better with it?" "To be honest, now, I don't..." "We traffic in truth." "When I was little, you were better." "No offense, but like..." "Okay, now this is, this is what this interview should be about. This should be about some tough love." "All right, so I need to work on patience. I got it. Message received."
"Well, I guess we could all use a little more patience, right?" Delano, thanks so much. And Craig, Happy Father's Day to you and all the dads and grandads out there. That's going to do it for us. Parents, just a reminder, if your child has a question about any topic in the news, email a video to us at NightlyNewsKids@nbcuni.com and we'll try to answer them in an upcoming episode. You can also follow us on Instagram at @NightlyKids. Thanks for watching, and remember to take care of yourself and each other. So long. [Music]