April 26...Arbor Day

April 26—Today is Arbor Day. What is your favorite kind of bird?

Here are some fun facts about birds:

The most yolks ever found in a single chicken’s egg is nine.

An ostrich egg needs to be boiled for 2 hours to get a hard-boiled egg.

The egg of the hummingbird is the world’s smallest bird’s egg; the egg of the ostrich is the world’s largest.

A bird’s normal body temperature is usually 7-8 degrees hotter than a human’s.

A bird’s heart beats 400 times per minute while resting and up to 1000 beats per minute while flying.

The kiwi of New Zealand is the only wingless bird.

Falcons can swoop at over 200 mph.

Penguins, ostriches, and dodo birds are all birds that do not fly.

Hummingbirds eat about every ten minutes, slurping down twice their body weight in nectar every day.

The only know poisonous bird in the world is the hooded pitohui of Papua, New Guinea.  The poison is found in its skin and feathers.

Found at www.peteducation.com

April 25...the beginning of the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee, WA

April 25—Today is the beginning of the Washington State Apple Blossom Festival in Wenatchee, WA. What is your favorite kind of apple?

Here are some fun facts about apples:

The science of apple cultivation is called Pomology.

The average person eats 65 apples every year.

Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and California produce the most apples in the US.

Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith apples are the most popular varieties in the US.

The only variety to originate in North America is the Crabapple.

Apple trees only bear fruit after they reach the age of 5, but most trees can live to be over 100.

The tiniest apples are about the size of a pea, and the largest apples can be the size of a small pumpkin.

It takes about 36 apples to create one gallon of apple cider.

There are more than 8,000 varieties of apples.

The fear of apples is called Malusdomesticaphobia.

From rehanastormme.hubpages.com/hub/99-Interesting-Facts-About-Apples

April 24...Barbra Streisand’s birthday

April 24—Today is Barbra Streisand’s birthday. What is your favorite Barbra Streisand song or movie?

Barbra Streisand, an actress, singer, director, composer, producer, designer, author, photographer, and activist, is the only artist ever to receive Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Directors Guild of America, Golden Globe, National Medal of Arts, and Peabody Awards and France’s Legion d’honneur as well as the American Film Institue’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  She is also the first female film director to receive the Kennedy Center Honors.

Streisand won the 1968 Academy Award for Best Actress in “Funny Girl,” the first motion picture she starred in.

Streisand is the only performer to have number one albums in five consecutive decades.  Of her 51 gold albums, she has had 30 go platinum and 18 go multi-platinum.

Along with these talents, Streisand is the founder of The Streisand Foundation, which has given millions of dollars to non-profit organizations, and she often raises money through her performances.

April 23...William Shakespeare's Birth and Death Anniversary

April 23—Today is William Shakespeare’s Birth and Death Anniversary (1564-1616). Write a poem.

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1590 and died on April 23, 1613.  During his lifetime, Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and various sonnets and poetry.  Shakespeare’s plays are the most widely read English text behind the Bible.

Even though Shakespeare only went to school until he was 13, his vocabulary included 21,000 words!  During his time, the average vocabulary for his village was less than 500.  Even today, most authors’ vocabulary does not exceed 7,500, and the average person with a University degree has only 3,000 to 4,000.

Shakespeare made up many of the words he used in his writing.  He invented over 1,700 of the words now commonly used in English.  These include words such as dwindle, fashionable, negotiate, cold-blooded, and rant. 

Not all of Shakespeare’s vocabulary is still used today.  Words such as incarnadine (to make red with blood), bodikins (little bodies), and to fishify (to turn into fish) are no longer used in everyday conversation.  Other words, such as overview (supervision) and  revolting (rebellious) have changed meaning since Shakespeare’s time.

April 22...Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day. What is your favorite place on Earth?

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970.  It was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin.  The first Earth Day was a day of rallies and demonstrations calling for a healthy, sustainable environment.  It also led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Act.

Earth Day 2000 focused on global warming and clean energy.  5,000 environmental groups from 184 countries turned out for the campaign.  Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC, and was the first time that the internet was used to build awareness.

Today, over one billion people in 192 countries are participating in Earth Day events.  In Columbus, Ohio, the group Green Columbus is utilizing volunteers to pull invasive plants, clean up neighborhoods, and plant trees.

In Santa Barbara, California, thousands of people attend the local Earth Day Festival, where they have live music, speakers, and a Green Car Show.

In Seoul, South Korea, they are organizing an “Eco-style” Earth Day Flash Mob and hosting an Earth Day Walkathon and Earth Day exhibition in collaboration with the Earth Day Network.

What will you do to celebrate Earth Day?

April 17...National Haiku Poetry Day

Today is National Haiku Poetry Day. Write a Haiku.

Sometimes I feel fine
Others, I feel sort of off
So I eat ice cream

The woman stood still
Looking out over the sea
The waves bring the fish

Sometimes Haikus work
Some of them don't make much sense
Refrigerator

Regardless of time
A dog is glad to see you
Their memories suck

Birthday cake is good
Cupcakes are even better
Ice cream is the best

Once upon a time
Starts many a good story
Some even end well

April 16...National Library Workers Day

Today is National Library Workers Day. What can the staff do to help you today?

Check out the history of the Heterick Memorial Library. Complete with a slideshow! Compiled by Paul Logsdon, Library Director.

April 5th...National Deep Dish Pizza Day. What is your favorite pizza topping?

Today is National Deep Dish Pizza Day.  What is your favorite pizza topping?

National Deep Dish Pizza Day was established in 2009 to commemorate this style of pizza crust, created in Chicago, and the 65^th anniversary of its original creator, UNO.

The Boston based company, ONU Restaurant Holdings Corporation, owns 165 full service UNO Chicago Grill restaurants in 26 states (but unfortunately none in Ada).

ONU sells 4.4 million deep dish pizzas every year, which is enough to feed the population of Ireland.

The most popular pizza topping is cheese, followed by pepperoni and Italian sausage.  Nearly 35% of all the pizzas ordered have pepperoni on them.

The least popular pizza topping is anchovies.  Anchovies are small fish that taste very salty, and most pizza restaurants do not even carry them.

Today is a good day to make a trip to any of the local pizza places in town, or simply call them up and place an order.

Written by Gayle Riedel, Heterick Memorial Library Intern

April 4th...National D.A.R.E. Day. What do you think is the best reason to be drug free?

Today is National D.A.R.E. Day.  What do you think is the best reason to be drug free?

D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, is an international education program founded in 1983 that seeks to prevent use of drugs, bullying, and violent behavior.

Here are 16 things to do instead of taking drugs:

1. Play sports.

2. Spend time doing a hobby or learn a new hobby.

3. Talk on the phone with your friends.

4. Play a video game.

5. Finish a quiz or learn something new.

6. Spend time with your parents and grandparents.

7. Study or do your homework.

8. Listen to music.

9. Do work for your community or help someone in need.

10. Play a board game.

11. Watch TV.

12. Draw.

13. See a movie.

14. Play on the computer.

15. Talk to your friends on the Internet.

16. Read a good book.

Found at: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002597/15things.htm

Written by Gayle Riedel, Heterick Memorial Library Intern

April 2nd...International Children’s Book Day. What is your favorite children’s book?

Today is International Children’s Book Day.  What is your favorite children’s book?

Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wrote and illustrated 46 children’s books, including popular titles such as Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hears a Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.

The Cat in the Hat has been translated into more than 12 different languages, and 11 million copies have been printed. 

The film version of The Cat in the Hat, starring Mike Myers as the Cat in the Hat and Dakota Fanning as Sally, was the second feature-length adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ books.

The first movie adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ works was How the Grinch Stole Christmas, or The Grinch, which came out in 2000.  The lead character, the Grinch, is played by Jim Carrey.

The Grinch is the second highest-grossing holiday film of all time behind Home Alone.

Written by Gayle Riedel, Heterick Memorial Library Intern

New Books and Media for March

Check out all the new books and media the library purchased in March!

Go to the New Books and Media link from the library homepage or click here.