Author: Lisa Mungovan

Hippo Happy Day. I mean, Happy Hippo Day! Did you know, hippopotamuses give pink milk? Another crazy fact is, they can’t swim! They just walk underwater. They might look slow and harmless, but be careful; they kill around 3000 people a year. Also, they fling poop with their tails, to mark their territory.

The Venus flytrap is an amazing carnivorous plant. Its leaves have hairs, that trigger them to close if an insect crawls on them. Scientists have discovered, that the Venus flytrap actually generates a magnetic field, when the leaves snap shut! It may help the plants send electrical signals to each other.

A family in Massachusetts was shocked, when they noticed someone watching them from their fireplace. It was a big barred owl! Barred owls like to nest in cavities, so the chimney probably looked like a cozy spot to lay eggs. Wildlife rescuers released the bird safely outside, and suggested installing a screened chimney cap.

Today is Cream-Filled Chocolates Day. Since you might get a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day, it’s the perfect time to figure out the secret to what’s inside, before you bite into them. Some boxes have a map, to find your favorites. Many candy makers use a specific swirl on top, for each flavor.

The 18 93 World’s Columbian Exposition featured an exciting new ride, invented by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. He created the first Ferris Wheel! Jake “Paco” Navarro holds a world record, for riding one for 53 hours straight. The tallest Ferris wheel ever, is being built in Dubai. It’ll be 689 feet high! Happy Ferris Wheel Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Saint Valentine was a priest put to death in the third century, but legends vary as to the reason why. His feast day evolved into a celebration of love in the Middle Ages. The best reason to celebrate today is to show appreciation to people in your life. And to eat chocolate!

How do you feel about turnips? A Canadian farmer must really love them. He grew 3 record-breaking turnips last year! The previous record was a 39-pound turnip. Damien Allard’s turnips weighed 50, 53, and a whopping 63.9 pounds! The world’s heaviest turnip might not be so tasty, as they’re best when they’re 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Hatchi Niyomdicha was collecting oyster shells on the beach last month in Thailand. Inside one of the shells, was a pearl, bigger than a quarter. It was an orange Melo pearl, which is produced by large predatory sea snails called Volutidae. The extremely rare pearl is worth 10,000,000 baht, which is over $336,000!

In 18 88, Louis LePrince made the first motion picture. Roundhay Garden Scene was only 2 seconds long, just long enough to eat one piece of popcorn! It would be 7 more years before Auguste and Louis Lumière started the motion picture industry. Today is Global Movie Day, so have a movie marathon and watch all your favorites!

Today is Get A Different Name Day, so it’s a chance to try out a new nickname! You could make a new character name in a role playing game too, or pick out your next user name. It’s also Tortellini Day, a fun type of filling-stuffed pasta, that looks like a belly-button!