Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Peculiar People Day, in honor of those individuals who are a little strange. Do your own thing and be proud! It’s also Houseplant Appreciation Day. You might have even more houseplants in the winter, hiding out from the cold, so tell them thank you for giving you cleaner air!

Can you do a push-up? How long would it take you to do 85? Laithangbam Vidyasagar Singh can do 85 push-ups in 1 minute, with only 2 fingers touching the ground on each hand! The Indian athlete broke the record for most 4-finger push-ups in 1 minute. If I tried that, I’d probably just break my fingers!

The UK’s first geothermal power plant, in Cornwall, will soon supply electricity to 10,000 homes. It creates power by using the Earth’s own heat, 3 miles below the surface. Drilling a hole that deep, is harder than erecting solar panels or windmills, but sun and wind are not constant. Earth’s outer core is always red-hot!

Today’s dogs are descended from wolves, which scientists believe were domesticated 30,000 years ago. A new study believes humans and wolves were able to get along, because they weren’t competing for the same foods. Ancient humans needed more carbs, so they could give their extra meat to wild wolves. Canines have always enjoyed table scraps!

In 17 93, the first balloon flight in North America took place, when the French inventor, Jean Paul Blanchard, demonstrated his hydrogen gas-filled balloon. He rode 1200 feet up into the air, astounding a crowd in Pennsylvania that included President George Washington! Balloon Ascension Day commemorates that event. Don’t release balloons to celebrate though. That’s littering!

Are you shocked to hear it’s Static Electricity Day? Static electricity is produced when the positive and negative charges of an atom become unbalanced. See static in action by rubbing a balloon against your head. It will stick! Shuffle around the carpet with rubber-soled shoes and try to zap someone. Yee-ouch!

A couple of chickens were causing trouble, at a McDonald’s in New Jersey. They were chasing customers in the parking lot, pecking at tires, and wreaking havoc. Animal control captured the chickens and took them to a shelter, where they were later reunited with their humans. Maybe they wanted their eggs back!

During a recent expedition in the jungles of Bolivia, researchers were happy to find some species that hadn’t been seen in years. They spotted devil-eyed and lilliputian frogs, satyr and metalmark butterflies, adder’s mouth and arrowroot orchids, and a new pit viper. They all live in the sky islands, of the Andean cloud forest.

Make time today for a nice long bubble bath. While you’re soaking, think of something neat to show off, and eat crispy English toffee! Apply soothing lotion, before getting dressed in diamond-patterned argyle socks. It’s Bubble Bath, Show & Tell At Work, English Toffee, Winter Skin Relief, and Argyle Day! Can you remember all that?

Today is Earth’s Rotation Day. The Earth spins on its axis, like a globe. It takes 24 hours, or 1 day, to make 1 rotation, but the rotation speed can change slightly. In 18 51, Leon Foucault demonstrated how the Earth rotates, by hanging a heavy ball, and watching its path change. Watching a Foucault Pendulum swing, is fascinating!