Author: Lisa Mungovan

It’s International Orangutan Day, celebrating the expressive orange-haired apes. They are an endangered species, found only in Borneo and Sumatra. While orangutans grow only about 5 feet tall, their arm span can reach 7 feet from tip to tip! Palm oil plantations are the biggest threat to the wild population, destroying their rainforest homes.

Hooray, it’s Potato Day! Have some baked potatoes and hash browns and potato dumplings and French fries and potato chips and home fries and sweet potatoes and tater tots and mashed potatoes! Dress up your spud in a bow-tie or hair-ribbon, and take its photo, since it’s also Photography Day and International Bo Day.

Yoo-sa want to be really annoying? It’s Talk Like Jar Jar Binks Day. The Star Wars character has a unique way of speaking, that’s fun to imitate. It’s also Hot And Spicy Food Day, as well as Kool-Aid Day. Enjoy a spicy meal, and cool your mouth down with a fruity drink. Mee-sa thirsty!

In 19-oh-3, Orville and Wilbur Wright made history in their engine-powered airplane. The Wright brothers’ plane flew for 120 feet, with Orville as the pilot. It was the first controlled, powered, and sustained, heavier-than-air human flight. Today, Orville’s birthday, is Aviation Day. Celebrate by flying paper airplanes, drones, or taking an actual plane ride!

Robots from around the world gathered last week in Beijing China, for the World Humanoid Robot Games. A I-powered robots competed in sports like soccer, kickboxing, track, and dance. The games began with a robot falling over, while trying to light the torch. One robot was disqualified after its head fell off while running.

Boomerangs are aerodynamic sticks, designed to return to you when thrown the right way. But a good hardwood boomerang, can also be used to dig, hammer, start fires, or sharpen bone or stone objects. Archaeologists believe boomerangs were used by Australia’s First Nations peoples for stone-knapping, to chip away the edges to shape tools.

Do you have a mullet? The distinctive haircut is known as business-in-the-front, and party-in-the-back, and a good one could win you $10,000. The USA Mullet Championships are going on right now, and you can vote for your favorite at mulletchamp.com. There are categories for Adults, Teens, and Kids. Will you compete next year?

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Some poems rhyme, but this one doesn’t. It’s Bad Poetry Day! Write a really bad poem for fun. It might be so bad, it’s good! It’s also Fajita Day. When you order a fajita you get your own sizzling pan of veggies, and tortillas to wrap them up!

When you eat a banana, don’t throw away the peel. Did you know you can eat them? They can be dried and ground up into flour, and used for baking. Banana peels can be turned into fake bacon and pulled peel pork, or used in curries. If that sounds too hard, just compost them.

Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day. Black cats are least likely to be adopted. One ridiculous reason, is that they’re not as photogenic! Consider giving a black kitty a good home. It’s also Thrift Shop Day. Be good to the Earth, and reuse what other people no longer need. Plus, it’s a bargain!