Author: Lisa Mungovan

Did you know, it’s New Friends Day? Maybe you made a new friend this summer at camp, or at the park. Have fun with them today! If they live far away, celebrate Words With Friends Day, by trying out your word skills together, playing the online multiplayer game similar to Scrabble. Who will win?

If only I could have gotten an “A” on that test! I should have studied harder! It’s Toss Away The “Would Haves” and “Should Haves” Day. Those things are in the past; write them down, then throw them away. Today’s a fresh new day. Then visit a classic car show, to celebrate Woodie Wagon Day.

Celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson, Beyoncé, and David Beckham, are creating a buzz about the hottest new hobby. They’re all beekeepers! Keeping honeybee hives is great for the environment and crops, and of course it’s nice to have your own supply of honey. For Urban Beekeeping Day, try to spot some rooftop beehives,

There’s a new geological feature, at Yellowstone National Park. Geologists discovered a 13-foot-wide hole had formed, and filled with milky blue water. Nearby rocks are evidence that the pool formed as a result of a hydrothermal explosion. The silica-filled water is warm, but there’s no swimming allowed.

One of the newest museums in Paris France, has some really cheesy souvenirs. The Musee du Fromage, is dedicated to the art of cheesemaking. You can learn the 5000-year history of cheesemaking, talk to cheesemakers, watch cheese being made, and best of all, taste some cheeses. Maybe it’ll inspire you, to become a cheesemaker.

Today is World Listening Day, the birthday of Raymond Murray Schafer, a composer and environmentalist who founded acoustic ecology. The World Listening Project encourages people to take soundwalks, and observe the sounds around them. Make recordings of birds twittering, subways rumbling underground, waves crashing, or rain falling. Whatever you do today, use your ears.

Today is Mandela Day, in honor of Nelson Mandela. The former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner, spent his life fighting racial discrimination and segregation, called apartheid. Mandela was South Africa’s first black president, winning the first democratic election after apartheid ended. He was born on this date, 107 years ago.

Today is Tropical Fruit Day. They grow in warm areas of the world. Most people have eaten an orange or banana, but have you ever tried dragonfruit, rambutan, papaya, or guava? How about the super-stinky durian? It’s also Sour Candy Day, so stick to sour pineapple and lemon candy for dessert.

A dolphin in South Carolina, named Lucky, was stranded in a tidal lagoon, after swimming through a culvert during heavy rains. Once the tide went out, the water was only 2 feet deep! Firefighters and marine mammal specialists, lifted Lucky on a tarp, and released the 500-pound dolphin safely into the May River.

Although the state is known for its juicy peaches, farmers in Georgia lost more than 90% of their crop in 2023 because of a heat wave in February, followed by late-spring frosts. This year’s harvest is just the opposite, with loads of sweet, delicious peaches. I’m glad, because today is Peach Ice Cream Day.