Author: Lisa Mungovan

Ren Keyu got an unusual birthday present, for his 14th birthday. He was awarded the title of World’s Tallest Teenager! The Chinese boy is 7 feet 3.02 inches tall. Even though his height would seem good for basketball, it’s dangerously strenuous on his body. He prefers to reed books and play e-sports instead.

Paige Nelson bought a winning lottery ticket in Missouri, but it wasn’t on purpose. She was trying to buy a different ticket, but the clerk handed her a Break the Bank scratch-off ticket by accident. Paige decided to purchase it anyway, and won $100,000! It was definitely her lucky day.

If you look around Canada today, you might notice a lot of people wearing red mittens. That’s because it’s Red Mitten Day! Canadians wear red gloves or mittens, to show their support for their country’s Olympic athletes. The 20 20 Olympics have been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but supporting others never gets canceled!

Today is Gingerbread Cookie Day. It’s fun to make gingerbread houses. The cookie walls, and decorations made from icing and candy, look too beautiful to eat. But you’d have a hard time eating the biggest gingerbread house. It was built in Texas in 2013, and was 60 feet long. You’d have to live in it instead!

Hello! Today is World Hello Day. Say hello to 10 people today, to show how communication can help preserve peace. World Television Day also celebrates communication, where the whole world can view important events. It’s also fun to watch fictional characters. Prank someone by making up a fictional story about yourself, for False Confession Day!

Schools in Arkansas, found a way to help the Earth and their teachers, at the same time. The Batesville School District installed solar panels a few years ago. Since then, they saved so much money on electricity, that they were able to give all the teachers a raise! Does your school use solar power?

Every year, a huge Christmas tree decorates Rockefeller Center, in New York City. This year’s tree, a 75-foot-tall Norway spruce, had a decoration hidden inside. As workers set up the tree, they found a tiny owl, among the branches. They gave the 8-inch saw-whet owl to rescuers, to feed and return him back home.

Diamonds were formed in the Earth, over billions of years. The process required high pressure, and temperatures over 1000 degrees. Scientists have figured out how to create diamonds at room temperature, in a matter of minutes. It still takes 80 gigapascals of pressure, which is like 640 elephants, balanced on the toe of a ballet shoe!

Today is Universal Children’s Day. The United Nations established the day, to celebrate awareness and togetherness of all the world’s children, and also focus on improving children’s welfare. How are kids around the world like you? Maybe kids in refugee camps, share your love for soccer, chocolate, outer space, or laughter and love.

Today is Peanut Butter Fudge Day. Make a batch and share with me! It’s also Name Your PC Day. My name is Alexa; shouldn’t all personal computers have names? For Absurdity Day, celebrate strange things, like sharing fudge with your newly-named computer. Be silly, ridiculous, and absurd, and have fun!