Author: Lisa Mungovan

Don’t forget to watch, for a triple conjunction of planets tonight. Saturn, Mercury, and Jupiter, will form a tight triangle towards the southwest horizon. Your best view will be 45 minutes after sunset. There are lots of free star tracker phone apps, to help you find them. Then use binoculars, to get a closer look!

Today is Save The Eagles Day. It started in 2015, as a way to save a pair of bald eagles named Alice and Al, whose nest was threatened by developers. The day expanded, to raise awareness of the many eagles around the world. There are over 60 varieties, the largest with over 7-foot wingspans!

What can help protect your heart, lower blood pressure, is made from a bean, and is celebrated today? Bittersweet chocolate! The bitter tasting flavonols that carry health benefits are removed from cacao beans to make sweeter chocolate, so if you want your chocolate to be good for you, bitter is better!

Today is Peculiar People Day, in honor of those individuals who are a little strange. Do your own thing and be proud! It’s also Houseplant Appreciation Day. You might have even more houseplants in the winter, hiding out from the cold, so tell them thank you for giving you cleaner air!

Can you do a push-up? How long would it take you to do 85? Laithangbam Vidyasagar Singh can do 85 push-ups in 1 minute, with only 2 fingers touching the ground on each hand! The Indian athlete broke the record for most 4-finger push-ups in 1 minute. If I tried that, I’d probably just break my fingers!

The UK’s first geothermal power plant, in Cornwall, will soon supply electricity to 10,000 homes. It creates power by using the Earth’s own heat, 3 miles below the surface. Drilling a hole that deep, is harder than erecting solar panels or windmills, but sun and wind are not constant. Earth’s outer core is always red-hot!

Today’s dogs are descended from wolves, which scientists believe were domesticated 30,000 years ago. A new study believes humans and wolves were able to get along, because they weren’t competing for the same foods. Ancient humans needed more carbs, so they could give their extra meat to wild wolves. Canines have always enjoyed table scraps!

In 17 93, the first balloon flight in North America took place, when the French inventor, Jean Paul Blanchard, demonstrated his hydrogen gas-filled balloon. He rode 1200 feet up into the air, astounding a crowd in Pennsylvania that included President George Washington! Balloon Ascension Day commemorates that event. Don’t release balloons to celebrate though. That’s littering!

Are you shocked to hear it’s Static Electricity Day? Static electricity is produced when the positive and negative charges of an atom become unbalanced. See static in action by rubbing a balloon against your head. It will stick! Shuffle around the carpet with rubber-soled shoes and try to zap someone. Yee-ouch!

A couple of chickens were causing trouble, at a McDonald’s in New Jersey. They were chasing customers in the parking lot, pecking at tires, and wreaking havoc. Animal control captured the chickens and took them to a shelter, where they were later reunited with their humans. Maybe they wanted their eggs back!