Static Electricity Day
January 9 · Level 6 · #1011 of 2238
A day for the little sparks that snap when you touch a door handle or pull off a wool jumper. It reminds us that an everyday annoyance is real physics at work.
How it is celebrated: people rub a balloon on their hair and watch it cling to a wall, pick up scraps of paper with a charged comb, and enjoy the sight of hair standing on end. Science teachers love this one.
The word electricity comes from the Greek word for amber: ancient Greeks noticed that amber rubbed with fur attracts light objects.