Author: Lisa Mungovan

Old-timey phones used to actually ring. On Ding-A-Ling Day, call people you haven’t talked to in years. Your old babysitter would love to hear from you! Set your mobile’s ring-tone, to old phone, so you’ll ding-a-ling when someone calls you. It’s also Ambrosia Day. The sweet salad has coconut, fruit, marshmallows, and whipped cream!

Today is Gingerbread House Day. If you try to make a gingerbread house and it breaks, just make it look like a giant jawbreaker-asteroid smashed into it! It’s also Poinsettia Day, a plant indigenous to Mexico. Its vibrant red and green leaves make it a favorite around Christmas, and it has tiny yellow flowers.

In October, Chad Caruso packed a change of clothes in his backpack, jumped on his skateboard in Venice Beach California, and started a journey across the United States. 57 days, 6 hours, and 56 minutes later, he completed his 3,162-mile trip in Virginia Beach, setting the world record for fastest skateboard crossing of America.

Today is Have A Bagel Day. The dense and chewy bread can be toasted, and topped with anything you like! Take a bagel sandwich, to eat on a hike in the mountains. It’s International Mountain Day! You could ski down a mountain, draw a picture of a mountain, or sculpt one from mashed potatoes!

For a couple of weeks in December, the Geminids meteor showers are visible in the night sky. The meteors appear near the constellation Gemini, created from particles of the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. The Geminids will be at their peak soon, but you can look for some each night. Bundle up and bring cocoa!

Every year, the residents of Inkberrow England gather for a switching-on ceremony, of an enormous fir tree. Avril and Christopher Rowlands bought a little Christmas tree in 1979, and planted it in their yard after the holidays. Now, the tree stands 52 feet tall, and can be seen from miles away when it’s lit.

Researchers recently discovered evidence that 12,000 years ago, dogs were hanging out with people. Ice Age canines were found to have salmon proteins in their bones, indicating humans were sharing their meals with the dogs, since canines would not be hunting fish in the wild. Dogs and humans are old friends.

Today is Human Rights Day. 76 years ago, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It said every human being, has the right to equality, life, liberty, personal security, education, information, religious freedom, get married, own property, and be innocent until proven guilty. They also deserve freedom from slavery, torture, and discrimination.

Today is Nobel Day, when the prestigious Nobel Prizes are awarded. The first Nobel Prizes were given out, 121 years ago, according to Alfred Nobel’s last wishes. Each year, people around the world win Nobel Prizes of 10,000,000 Swedish kronor, in the categories of Peace, Physics, Literature, Chemistry, Economics, and Physiology or Medicine.

Today is Dewey Decimal System Day. When you go to the library to look for a book, you’re probably using Melvil Dewey’s classification system, which he invented in 1876. You’ll see the number on the spine of the book, which lets librarians know exactly where to file it!