Random Facts About... Summer

Probably the most beloved of the four seasons... school and work's out (for the most of us) and the holidays we craved for in the past months are finally coming. So I decided to make a "Random Fact About" article about summer, including all facts that might be interesting to be read in front of a cool drink or a delicious ice-cream...maybe while getting a tan at the beach. Let's start...

1. The first day of summer is known as the summer solstice and  it falls on June 20 or June 21 each year, depending on when the sun is furthest north of the equator.
2. People in the Southern Hemisphere have their longest day of summer in December.
3. School summer vacations were invented by educator Horace Mann in 1840. Thanks to him, children are nowadays having fun in summer!
4. The word honeymoon has associations with summer. The Pagans used that name for the first full moon in June because they drank fermented honey (mead) as part of summer wedding celebrations.
5. France’s Eiffel Tower can grow by more than 6 inches in summer due to the expansion of the iron on hot days.
6. Solstice comes from two Latin words "sol" and "sistere". Sol means sun; stitium is the verb which means to stand still.
7. One of the more annoying parts of summer are the mosquitoes, which have been around for 30 million years. It’s said they can find warm-blooded mammals from 100 feet away.
8. Many people enjoy throwing Frisbees in summer, but they were originally designed as pie plates in the 1870s. Students started throwing them in the 1940s.
9. The most eaten and loved fruit in summer is surely watermelon. But the point is that it's not a fruit. Watermelon is actually a vegetable. As the air heats up, so does the consumption of watermelon. This vegetable is part of the cucumber, squash and pumpkin family. Americans eat 15 pounds each year.
10. July is the month where most ice cream is sold in the US. That’s why it’s National Ice Cream Month. Americans eat about 5.5 gallons of ice cream per year on average.


11. Ice pops were invented by accident in 1905 by 11 year old Frank Epperson. He mixed soda and water and left the mixture out overnight with the stirring stick still in it. Since the temperature was low, the mixture froze. He patented the idea in 1924.
12. Summer vacations in other parts of the world are much shorter than in the US.
13. The first Summer Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens. Women were first allowed to compete in 1900.
14. In ancient times, most people swam in the nude; laws about decent swimming attire were created progressively from the 17th century onwards.
15. Here's a fun experiment to try if you want to find out what the temperature is and don't have a thermometer. The frequency of a cricket's chirps fluctuates with the temperature, so if you count a cricket's chirps for 15 seconds and add 37, you will have the approximate outdoor temperature (in Fahrenheit).
16. Seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature for pools in the summer time. Any temperature over 90 degrees Fahrenheit is too hot and any temperature under 70 Fahrenheit degrees is too cold.
So, HAVE A NICE SUMMER and beware the sun.... is very angry in this period :)

Comments

  1. Great stuff, love the pictures especially the old popsicle add.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much!!!! This means a lot :)

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  3. Did you know that... "summer" is an unknown word to undergrad students? ;)
    Apart from that, the fun facts you gathered are very interesting.

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  4. That's for sure !!! Sometimes even I don't know the meaning of that word :) .... Anyway, thanks so much !! :)

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