22-28 March 2014
Saturday
Drip.Drip.Drip.
Come on, who left a tap running? It was World Water Day, and as part of the campaign people in rich countries were urged to highlight unequal access to clean water supplies by reducing their usage.
Sunday
Dropping some spiffing beats
England’s education secretary Michael Gove revealed that he was “strangely addicted” to the work of Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, who performs “chap hop”, a style of hip hop delivered using received pronunciation.
Monday
End of an (elizabethan) era
Queen Elizabeth I died on this day in 1603, ending the Tudor dynasty and providing a handy cut-off point for history curricula. King James VI of Scotland succeeded her and, as James I, united the two kingdoms.
Tuesday
Now you’re Tolkien
Students were encouraged to embrace their inner hobbit for Tolkien Reading Day. Organised by the Tolkien Society, the annual event aims to promote the author’s writing. And no, 6B, watching the films didn’t count.
Wednesday
Purple patch
Purple Day was marked globally, with people asked to wear an item of purple clothing to raise awareness of epilepsy. The campaign was dreamed up by Canadian schoolgirl and epilepsy sufferer Cassidy Megan in 2008.
Thursday
Terrific tashes
If you think a moustache is for life, not just for Movember, you’ll be glad to hear the Portland Facial Hair Fest was in full swing in the US, plus its International Moustache Film Festival devoted to “facial hair cinema”.
Friday
There’s no escaping history
On this day in 1854, Britain and France joined the Crimean War against Russia - 160 years later, the area remains a political pressure point after recent unrest led to the secession of Crimea from Ukraine.
29 March - 4 April 2014
Saturday
Honouring the fallen
Youth Day in Taiwan aims to celebrate the contribution of young people to society. It commemorates the Huanghuagang Uprising of 1911, when 72 people - including students and teachers - lost their lives.
Sunday
A live-stream event
You, Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger too should head to Oxfordshire in England for the 31st World Pooh Sticks Championships. The contest is based on the game made popular by A A Milne’s classic children’s books.
Monday
Playing with fire
Pay tribute to an essential piece of science lab equipment by celebrating the birthday of Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen. The German chemist, who invented the gas burner of the same name, was born in 1811.
Tuesday
I pity the fool
Take everything your students or colleagues say this morning with a pinch of salt - it’s April Fool’s Day. All “hilarious” hoaxes and practical jokes must be played on their unwitting victims by midday.
Wednesday
Thereby hangs a fairy tale
Hans Christian Andersen was born on this day in 1805. Since 1967, the date has been celebrated as International Children’s Book Day, when events are held all over the world to inspire a love of reading.
Thursday
When in Rome
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh will become the latest in a long line of dignitaries to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican. The visit follows that of US president Barack Obama the previous week.
Friday
Take a hike
In the US, people are being encouraged to forsake their cars for Walk to Work Day - organised, no doubt, by someone whose job doesn’t require them to lug in tons of marking and piles of paperwork.
