Author: Lisa Mungovan

Once upon a time, there were hundreds of thousands of whales in the ocean. People started hunting them, and the oceans got more polluted, causing them to become endangered. How will the story end? You can decide, for Tell A Story Day. Since it’s also Marine Mammal Rescue Day, I hope it’s a happy ending!

Dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot. That’s the code for SOS, the international signal for help. It’s Morse Code Day. Morse code assigned a pattern of short and long taps to each letter, to communicate by telegraph before telephones were invented. Use it to send messages by flashlight, or tapping on your desk.

There’s a volcano in Antarctica, with a special talent. Along with volcanic bombs of molten rock, Mount Erebus spews out plumes of gas and steam, filled with flecks of gold. Scientists estimate it ejects about $600 worth of gold, every day. Gold dust has been found more than 600 miles away!

Did you ever forget, where you hid something? Mountain chickadees don’t have that problem. The tiny birds only have brains the size of a pea, but they have extraordinary memories. Chickadees stash thousands of pieces of food, in pine cones, tree bark, or dead leaves, then come back and eat them all winter long.

Do you have a dog, cat, or other pet? Give yourself a pat on the back, for being a responsible and caring pet owner. Today is Pet Parents Day, but don’t expect a present from your pet. Just be happy they don’t leave you a “package” that you have to clean up, ha-ha!

Today is Richter Scale Day. The Richter Scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes on Earth, and marsquakes on Mars. The greatest magnitude ever recorded was the Great Chilean Earthquake, which measured 9.5. It’s also Pretzel Day. Do you prefer big soft pretzels, or tiny hard pretzels? Roll out some dough, and twist your own!

Today, April 26th, is Alien Day. In the 1979 movie, Alien, LV-426 was the moon where xenomorphs were discovered. The movies are pretty scary, but the toys are cool! Less scary, is Hug An Australian Day! Australia is full of animals that look huggable, like koalas, kangaroos, quokkas and quolls, but air hugs are safest.

Global Big Day is coming. On May 10th, the whole world will be watching birds, and recording observations at eBird online, or on the eBird Mobile app, to help study world bird populations. Prepare today, by celebrating Go Birding Day. Go exploring with binoculars, and learn to identify the birds you see and hear.

Today is World Penguin Day. Emperor penguins can grow to nearly 4 feet tall, while little blue penguins only reach 16 inches. Some people knit sweaters for penguins, to protect them from oil spills. There are no penguins at the North Pole. Except for the Galapagos penguin, they all live in the Southern Hemisphere!

Today is Telephone Day! Can you imagine a time without phones? In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received the first patent for a telephone. Patents give the owner the rights to their invention. Elisha Gray and Antonio Meucci also invented versions of the telephone, but Bell got his patent first. Call someone on a phone today!