Today is National Water Balloon Day!

Today is supposed to be toasty warm - downright hot in many places - so it is the perfect day to celebrate National Water Balloon Day! So, before you grab some balloons and gather the children you love for a fun time of water balloon mayhem, let's look at some water balloon fun facts and then a few facts about balloons - did you know . . .

• In 2011, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, made history by hosting the largest water balloon fight ever recorded. Over 9,000 participants gathered and threw an astonishing 175,141 water balloons, breaking the previous record.
• Water balloons were not initially created for the purpose of having fun in water balloon fights. They were actually invented by an English inventor named Edgar Ellington in the late 1800s as a medical device for patients recovering from surgery.
• The real secret to setting a world record is to get bizarrely specific. Certainly, no one had ever tried popping water balloons with their heads on a space hopper, which is one of those huge bouncy balls with a handle you sit on — yeah, those things apparently have a name — until Cherry Yoshitake busted 36 of them in one minute in 2022. 
• Throwing, filling, carrying, popping — these are all acts of cowardice compared to the pinnacle of water-balloon athleticism: getting hit with them. The man who holds that record, Ashrita Furman, actually holds the Guinness World Record for holding the most Guinness World Records, including several water-balloon-related ones. In 2019, he withstood 53 balloon hits in just one minute. Imagine that. Feel that. A true American hero.

You will find more fun water balloon facts at this link. Now for some fun facts about balloons - did you know . . .

• In 1824 Michael Faraday invented the first rubber balloon.
• Historically, the earliest balloons were made from animal bladders and intestines.
• The sound of a popped party balloon travels faster than the speed of sound, hence its loudness.
• Latex balloons can fly over three miles above the ground.

You will find more fun facts at this link. So share these fun facts with the children you love, get some water balloons, fill them, and gather the children you love for a fun way to cool down and spend time together on National Water Balloon Day! And, check this link for a really fun way to enjoy water balloons - water balloon pinata! Enjoy!