9 Summer Fun Facts That Will Bring Smiles

The largest scoop of ice cream weighed in at 3,010 pounds (1,365 Kg) and was created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Kemps Dairy in Cedarburg, Wisconsin on June 28, 2014, according to Guinness World Records. It was made of strawberry ice cream and actually contained 733 containers of the delicious pink treat. Thousands of people attending the Cedarburg strawberry festival were able to indulge in a free serving of this gigantic scoop.

The first day of summer – and the longest day of the year –  in the Northern Hemisphere is called the Summer Solstice which occurs around June 21, according to LINQ. The day varies because it is based on the earth’s rotation and not the calendar year. Summer ends at the Autumnal Equinox around September 22. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, your summer lasts from December to March. That means no snow for Christmas.

Summer is known for BBQs on July 4th or whenever the mood strikes you. It’s a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. But one barbeque actually won a Guinness World Record because it lasted over 80 hours, according to The Best Life Online. Jan Greef of Columbus, Georgia set the record on April 27, 2014 by grilling 1,000 hot dogs, 558 burgers, 526 sausages, 104 chicken pieces, and 200 ears of corn. The event benefited the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

More thunderstorms occur during the summer months than any other time of the year, according to the UK’s Met Office. That’s because the warm weather creates the perfect weather conditions of rising hot air and moisture to form thunderstorms. While these storms may put a damper on outdoor summer fun, they often bring cooler weather with them.

While the Olympics were celebrated in Ancient Greece and then disappeared from history, they were revived in the modern era in 1896 when the first Summer Olympics took place in Athens, according to Just Fun Facts. Officially called the I Olympiad, 241 athletes – all men –  from 13 countries participated in just nine sports. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics featured 33 sports.

The dog days of summer got their name from Sirius the dog Star in the Canis Major constellation, according to The Best Life Online. You can view the star in July to August; the hottest days of the year. But beware, the ancient Greeks and Romans believed this period brought fevers and other catastrophic happenings.

Watermelon is a favorite summer treat because it is a great thirst quencher. In fact, it consists of 92 percent water. Americans eat a whopping 15 pounds of watermelon annually. There is actually a National Watermelon Day that falls on August 3.

So you love long summer days? Then head up to the Arctic Circle where the sun never sets during the six warmest months. According to Wonderopolis. The places that are referred to as “the land of the midnight sun” include the most northern parts of  Canada, Greenland,  Alaska, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Iceland. Of course that also means that the sun never rises in the winter.

While Paris is loved in the springtime, you may want to visit during the summer when the iconic Eiffel Tower is actually its tallest, explains The Best Life Online. That’s because the 1,062-foot (323 meters) monument experiences thermal expansion that causes the structure to grow due to the summer heat. Be sure to go during the daytime because when the stars come out, the tower starts to shrink back to its original size.

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