Author: Lisa Mungovan

Last year, Americans drove 430.2 billion miles less, than the year before. The pandemic kept many people off the roads while they were in lockdown, and millions of commuters worked from home. But surprisingly, the percentage of fatal accidents, went up. Drivers were speeding more, and wearing seat belts less. That’s not smart.

Astronomers have observed a strange star, near the center of our Milky Way galaxy. The star, named VVV-W-I-T-08, sometimes blinks almost entirely out of sight. Another object passed in front of the star, blocking our view for 200 days. Was it another planet, or multiple objects that were gravitationally bound? It’s still a mystery.

Today is Making Life Beautiful Day. Cleaning your room, planting flowers, and creating art, are all ways to beautify your surroundings. But the best way to make life beautiful, is by being kind. Treat people with respect, don’t discriminate, don’t be a bully, and ask everyone else to do the same!

Don’t you think that tree needs a nice sweater? Get out your crochet or knitting needles and give it one, because today is Yarn Bombing Day! Crochet a colorful sleeve right onto a bike rack, or telephone pole! Then end your day with an ear of roasted corn, for Corn On The Cob Day!

Beachgoers in Maine, were perplexed by a black substance on their feet. The substance was hard to wash off, and scientists first thought it was algae. It turned out to be loads of tiny dead bugs. When the bodies were crushed, they left black stains. The bug debris will soon wash out to sea.

Coloring books can be fun and relaxing. To introduce the joy of coloring to more people, some museums are offering free downloadable coloring pages, inspired by their collections. Go to Library.n y a m.org, to find links to the museums’ coloring books, and start learning and coloring, at the same time!

Your Alexa device can’t understand any African languages yet. Neither can Google Home, or Apple’s Siri. But Mozilla has a Common Voice platform, that’s creating voice datasets for Kiswahili, which is spoken in 6 countries. Someday, Common Voice could enable 7100 different languages, to be used in voice-activated devices.

Today is Herbs And Spices Day. Grow your own mint, and pick a leaf any time you want refreshing breath. You can grow herbs in a sunny window. Experiment with spices, like sprinkling curry powder on your grilled cheese. Fun fact; KFC follows only 11 people on Twitter; 6 guys named Herb, and the Spice Girls!

Today is Black Cow Day. A black cow is root beer or cola with a scoop of ice cream in it. It’s also Iced Tea Day, another great drink for a hot day. While you’re enjoying your drink, celebrate Ballpoint Pen Day by writing about its invention in 1943, by Laszlo and Gyorgy Biro.