First the question: Do you know what water skiing, fur headphones, fruit ice cream on a stick and Braille have in common? Yes, all these objects that are obvious today were invented by children.
Every year, more than 500 thousand children and teenagers invent various gadgets and games, create and modify robots and equipment. All children's inventions undoubtedly make our lives more convenient and interesting. And today is exactly the day on which you need to rejoice at the ingenuity of young geniuses, appreciate the significance of their numerous inventions and encourage versatile children's talents.
Every year on January 17, Children's Invention Day or, in other translations, Children's Inventors Day is celebrated all over the world. It is established not only to honor young geniuses, but is also aimed at encouraging children to show curiosity about the world around them and take a creative approach when solving problems that arise in life.
It is symbolic that the date of the Day was the birthday of one of the outstanding Americans — statesman, diplomat, scientist, inventor, journalist Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). It's great that — Ben Franklin invented his first invention of a pair of swimming flippers that were put on his hands at the age of 12.
Subsequently, he continued scientific research and, having conducted many experiments, made invaluable contributions to world science. Some of the scientist’s conclusions were many decades ahead of the era. Franklin introduced the designation of electrically charged states «+» and «−», provided proof of the electrical nature of lightning, proposed a lightning rod project in 1752, first used an electric spark to explode gunpowder, received a patent for the design of a rocking chair, and invented bifocal glasses in 1784. Moreover, this is only a small part of the scientist’s inventive heritage.
But let's return to the inventions of children. Franklin's young compatriot, 13-year-old Benny Benson, sent his sketch to the Alaska National Flag competition in 1926. The blue color symbolizing the sky and the official state flower — forget-me-not, the image of the constellation Ursa Major and the North Star led the boy to victory. Undoubtedly, the Alaska flag still looks very stylish today.
And the trampoline? The idea of its creation seemed to lie on the surface. And so in 1930, while watching the aerialist competition, a certain George Nissen noticed how gymnasts jumped onto the safety net at the end of their performance. This was usually the end of the acrobats' performance, but the 16-year-old thought about it and decided to make a «-bouncing unit» on which he could jump up and perform various stunts in the air.
You can list children's inventions endlessly, remembering fingerless gloves, a paper bag with a square bottom, and the — calculator all this brought to our lives the brilliant minds of young inventors.
On Children's Inventions Day, numerous demonstrations of new inventions, competitions, and awards are held. There is always lively laughter, jokes, music, because inventing — is the natural state of all children.
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