21-27 June 2014
Saturday
Sound waves
The conditions were ideal for the Beach Boys on Saturday, as it was both World Music Day and International Surfing Day. Press reports failed to mention whether everybody had gone surfin’, surfin’ USA.
Sunday
Hole-y grateful
Educators in El Salvador were celebrated on the country’s Teachers’ Day. Appreciative students could have offered up doughnuts, which are said to have been created on this day in 1847.
Monday
Rain supreme
Strawberries and drizzle were on the cards as Andy Murray kicked off his defence of the men’s singles Wimbledon title. Sports fans are hoping he lasts longer than the English football team managed in Brazil.
Tuesday
Caledonian road
It was the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn. The 1314 clash saw the Scots triumph over their English rivals and win a significant victory in the First War of Scottish Independence. Sound familiar?
Wednesday
Still a Thriller
On this day five years ago the world bid farewell to singer Michael Jackson, who died aged 50. The King of Pop has proved prolific beyond death, however, with two new albums released posthumously.
Thursday
Free country
The people and lemurs of Madagascar celebrated the wildlife-rich island’s independence day, marking 54 years since the country was released from French colonial rule in 1960.
Friday
It’s a celebration
The World Cup grinds on, but it is also Mixed Race Day in Brazil, where people celebrate their diverse origins. As the number of mixed-race children in the UK grows, perhaps it’s time to follow suit.
28 June - 4 July 2014
Saturday
Trigger point
This is the day many pupils have been talking about all year in history lessons: the 100th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, believed to be the catalyst for the First World War.
Sunday
Playing with fire
Actors may have regretted saying “O for a muse of fire” on this date in 1613, when the Globe theatre on London’s South Bank burned to the ground after a cannon was used in a performance of Henry VIII.
Monday
Story time
Take your students on a flight of fantasy for Children’s Book Week, an annual event encouraging children of primary-school age to read for pleasure. State schools in England will receive a free teachers’ pack.
Tuesday
Are you feline sleepy?
Just the thing for teachers hurtling towards the end of term: Big Cat Nap Week, organised by the Born Free Foundation, asks people to take the lead from male lions, who sleep for about 20 hours a day.
Wednesday
Space odyssey
Look to the skies; the truth is out there. World UFO Day encourages people to come together to spot unidentified flying objects. The date commemorates the supposed UFO crash in the 1947 “Roswell incident”.
Thursday
Sum it up
Maths plus South Africa equals the 55th annual International Mathematical Olympiad. The event is a problem-solving contest for high-school students, with entrants from more than 100 countries.
Friday
To have and to hold
The annual wife-carrying championship is due to take place in Sonkajrvi, Finland. According to the rules, the wives carried for 253.5m may be “your own, a neighbour’s or one found farther afield”.
