Author: Lisa Mungovan

Today is Wright Brothers Day. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first flight in a mechanically propelled airplane, near Kitty Hawk North Carolina, in 1903. That flight only lasted 12 seconds, and went 120 feet. The wingspan of a 747 is longer than that! It’s also Maple Syrup Day. Boiled tree sap sure does taste delicious!

Quick, find your most hideous Christmas sweater. It’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! You can buy sweaters with a dinosaur under a disco ball, a UFO with flashing lights, dancing cats, or even Darth Vader in a Santa hat! Or decorate your own sweater by adding ornaments or cotton for snow. Or a mirror, ha-ha.

Isaac Johnson has the biggest mouth in Minnesota. In fact, he officially has the biggest mouth in the world. He first set the world record at age 14, but someone broke his record. Now, at 16, he’s recaptured the title, by opening his jaws 4 inches wide. That’s big enough to fit a baseball!

In the 19 60’s, Thor Wikstrom bought a tiny island in Quebec Canada, called Ile Ronde. He saved it from development for decades, preserving it for turtles, birds, and other wildlife. Now, at 93, Thor has donated the island to Nature Conservancy Canada, to be protected forever, for future generations of nature lovers.

COVID-19 is making it dangerous for people to get together for the holidays, but one tradition is still safe. You can drive around, and look at pretty lights! One light show extravaganza, called Radiance, lets spectators drive a mile-long course of lights, while listening to Christmas music and drinking hot chocolate.

Could the planet Mars, be hiding water? The Valles Marineris, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of Mars, is showing high amounts of hydrogen, which can indicate water. Scientists think it may be underground ice, or water locked up in minerals. They discovered evidence using the Trace Gas Orbiter, which takes measurements 3 feet below the surface.

What are you eating for breakfast? Cover it in chocolate! Are you having a peanut butter sandwich for lunch? Dip it in chocolate! How about spaghetti for dinner, with chocolate syrup for sauce! Today is Chocolate Covered Anything Day, so it’s your chance to see if chocolate covered brussel sprouts are gross, or delicious!

The Hermitage Museum, in Saint Petersburg Russia, is the largest art gallery in the world. It’s also home to dozens of cats, who are treated like royalty. The Cat’s Quarters, on the lower level, keep rodents away from the paintings. During the 17-hundreds, Catherine the Great, called them the “Guardians of the Galleries.”

This year, NASA’s Parker Space Probe, accomplished an in credible feat. The spacecraft touched the Sun, and survived the heat! Parker flew through the Sun’s corona, taking measurements that scientists will study for years to come. The solar corona is around 2,000,000° Fahrenheit, so the solar probe was protected by powerful heat shielding.

Today is Cupcake Day, and more specifically, Lemon Cupcake Day. They’re the perfect cake for a pandemic, because they can stay socially distanced! And what goes better with a tiny cake, than a cup of tea? Celebrate International Tea Day, with your favorite blend. Be like Captain Picard, and have Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.