LightGramsSeptember 18, 2025Volume 29, Number 30 “Skip That Rock” Is there a child who doesn’t delight in throwing stones into water? As they mature, they often try to develop the art of skipping stones across the surface of water. A small flat stone works best, and a flip of the wrist will usually make the…
Posts from 2025 (Page 2)
LightGramsSeptember 11, 2025Volume 29, Number 29 Are there any parents who don’t know about Lego building sets? “Lego” has been around since 1934 and has provided many children with endless opportunities to create imaginative things. The name is a contraction of “leg Godt”, which is Danish for “play well”. But I would also ask, are…
LightGramsSeptember 4, 2025Volume 29, Number 28 The state of Massachusetts is in the process of redesigning its state flag. The present one was adopted in 1908; it is felt that the symbols portrayed on it – an Algonquian Native American holding a bow and arrow – may not hold the meaning today that it once…
LightGramsAugust 28, 2025Volume 29, Number 27 A 60-year-old tradition was kept alive last week at the Minnesota State Fair. Malorie Thorson sat inside a glassed-in studio as Gerry Kulzer sculpted her likeness from the shoulders up. She wore a coat as the temperature was only 40 degrees inside. Outside it was double that temperature, but…
LightGramsAugust 21, 2025Volume 29, Number 26 Did you know that every day on the calendar is a special day? I’m not referring to a saying from the Bible that many have made their mantra: “This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). That’s a…
LightGramsAugust 14, 2025Volume 29, Number 25 “The Oldest Newborn Ever” On July 26, 2025, Thaddeus Daniel Pierce was born. “How much did he weigh?” we might have asked, or “How long was he?” Those are normal questions when hearing of a birth. In this child’s case we could also have asked, “How old was he?”…
LightGramsAugust 7, 2025Volume 29, Number 24 Seoul National University in South Korea recently offered scholarships of up to $540, and more than 1,400 students have applied for just 70 spots. These are not academic scholarships, nor ones based on sports. Instead, students must climb at least six mountains. There are about 100 mountains students can…
LightGramsJuly 31, 2025Volume 29, Number 23 Anyone who is a roller coaster enthusiast probably knows about Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. According to Wikipedia, it’s the second oldest continuously operating amusement park in the U.S., having first opened in 1870. Another of its claims to fame is that it now boasts 17 roller coasters. The…
LightGramsJuly 24, 2025Volume 29, Number 22 You might think that I dozed while typing the title of this installment, but it’s the title of a Facebook post entered July 21 by the Carlisle East Fire Station in Britain. Use a little deduction and it won’t be hard to guess the story they related. Four cows…
LightGramsJuly 10, 2025Volume 29, Number 21 Harvard University has collections of historical documents. One notable group is nearly 30 copies of the Magna Carta. One copy was purchased in 1946 for $27.50 from Sotheby’s in London. It was considered to be a “sheriff’s copy” of the document, interesting, but not nearly as valuable as an…