Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Star Trek Day! Watch your favorite Star Trek series, and work on your Vulcan salute. Live long and prosper. It’s also Ants On A Log Day, which is peanut butter spread onto celery, and topped with raisins. Finally, learn to write that squiggly symbol that means “and,” for Ampersand Day.

John Cage was an avant-garde composer, who created some crazy music. One experimental piece, called Organ/ASLSP (As Slow As Possible), is meant to last 639 years. It’s being performed at the St. Burchardi Church in Germany. Hundreds of visitors showed up Saturday to hear the chord change. The previous chord lasted 6 years and 11 months.

A group of Harry Potter fans, used the magic of the internet, to set a world record. 133 households from 40 different countries around the world, logged on at the same time. Then they all hopped on their brooms, like Quidditch players. It was the most people to ever simultaneously board a broom online.

Excavation at an airport construction site in Mexico City, uncovered 200 Columbian mammoths. They came to North America 1,000,000 years ago, and were bigger and less hairy, than woolly mammoths. 2 mammoth traps were discovered earlier, leading scientists to believe early humans hunted Columbian mammoths in great numbers. They went extinct around 10,000 years ago.

Did you grow any squash in your garden this summer? Today is Acorn Squash Day, so bake one for dinner. Don’t forget to save some seeds for next year. It’s also Superhuman Day, which celebrates all the people who have disabilities, and the challenges they face in daily life. They’re an inspiration for everyone!

In the United States and Canada, the first Monday in September is the holiday called Labor Day. It was first created by trade unions to celebrate workers. Labor Day is also the unofficial end of summer, as most public pools close after this weekend. They’ll see you again next May!

A 16-year-old from New Hampshire, decided to take a little swim. Vera Rivard fulfilled a lifelong dream, by swimming across the English Channel! Due to tides and marine traffic, she had to swim an S-shaped route, that covered 33 miles. It took Vera 14 hours and 10 minutes to complete the journey. Who needs a ferry anyway!

A family in England was paddleboarding down the River Arun, when a swimmer surprised them. A seal jumped right onto Kerrie Rocket’s paddleboard! Soon, he was moving from board to board, having fun like all the humans. The curious seal wasn’t aggressive, or looking for food. Maybe he wanted to give them paddling lessons.

Tardigrades are amazing microscopic creatures. Also called water bears or moss piglets, they can survive in the cold vacuum of space, in volcanoes and in deep underwater trenches. Like tardigrades, nematodes can also live for decades without food or water, by drying out while they hibernate. One dehydrated nematode, survived 39 years.

Everyone needs a pet, but maybe you have allergies, or travel too much, or don’t have money for visits to the vet. Get a pet rock! In the 19 70’s, they were sold in a ventilated box, with a bed of hay. Today is Pet Rock Day, so adopt one from your garden!