Author: Lisa Mungovan

The Canadian nickel has a picture of a beaver, so Canadians see beavers all the time in their change. Real-life beavers aren’t as common, especially in cities. Yesterday in Toronto, a beaver wandered into the subway station, looking lost but healthy. Animal services helped return the beaver, nicknamed Nickel, to the Humber River.

The Suez Canal is a passageway through Egypt, that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. A giant cargo ship called the Ever Given, got stuck sideways across the canal. It’s blocking all shipping traffic on both sides, until excavators can dig enough sand from the canal’s banks, to dislodge it.

50 years ago, NASA sent a golden disk into space. It contained drawings of humans, a diagram of our Solar System, and Earth’s galactic coordinates. If aliens discover it, they’ll have a map to visit our planet. An updated map has been created, that’ll be accurate for billions of years. Think anyone will visit us?

Every day of the year, is also some weird holiday. Did you ever wonder who makes them up? Today’s your chance to name the day, because it’s Make Up Your Own Holiday Day! I’m going to say it’s Talk Like A Robot Day, and also No Bedtime Day. How about you? Happy Whatever-You-Make-It Day.

Today is Spinach Day. Popeye used to eat it from a can, to get stronger, but it looks more appealing in a salad! It’s also Purple Day, started by 9 year-old Cassidy Megan, to increase epilepsy awareness. Epilepsy affects 65,000,000 people around the world. Wear purple to show your support!

Many people enjoy relaxing in a hot tub. Apparently, so do bears. Todd Trebony was renting a cabin in Tennessee, with an outdoor hot tub on the patio. He looked out the window, and saw a black bear climb into the water. The bear watched the beautiful mountain sunrise, while enjoying a nice soak.

In 1951, Ester French set her wallet on a ledge in the gymnasium, at Poquoson Middle School in Virginia. It fell through a hole, where it sat for 70 years. Workers renovating the school, recently found the wallet after demolishing the gym. 85-year-old Ester was shocked to get her long-lost wallet back. It still contained 85 cents!

Losing your favorite toy on a trip is sad. 2-year-old Hagen Davis, left his Buzz Lightyear action figure on a Southwest Airlines plane. Employees went to infinity and beyond to reunite them, after finding Hagen’s name on Buzz’s foot. They shipped Buzz home in a cardboard shuttle, along with photos of his airport adventures.

Long ago, cheetahs weren’t only found in Africa. The big cats also roamed across Asia, from Turkey to India. They were hunted to extinction in India in the 19 50’s, but the country is ready to welcome cheetahs home. They hope to relocate 40 cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, and protect them as they repopulate.

Today is Tolkien Reading Day. Settle down with Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien. Since Hobbits love to eat, enjoy a stack of waffles while you read! It’s also Waffle Day, as well as Pecan Day. Whether you say pea-can or pea-khan, the nut is delicious, especially in waffles!