Today in 1997, a very gourd day on the campus of Cornell University: people found a very large pumpkin on top of McGraw Tower, 173 feet in the air. Plus: this Sunday, in Austin, Texas, it’s Quesoff.

HOW THE PUMPKIN GOT ON THE TOWER (Cornell Sun via Archive.org) 

Quesoff

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Welcome to National Newspaper Week. The newspaper business has changed a lot since the peak of print, like how the New York Times took a very small but important punctuation mark out of its logo. Plus: there's now a luggage set you can buy where the cases are shaped like LEGO.

The Daily Heller: The Designer Who Put a Full Stop to the Period! (Print Magazine)

LEGO Luggage (The Awesomer)

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Today in 1957, Sputnik because the world’s first artificial satellite. This changed the world around us in countless ways, including one that doesn’t get a lot of attention: it gave the English language a brand new word. Plus: today in 1992, two Toronto Blue Jays stars pranked their rookie teammate by pretending to give away his car on Fan Appreciation Day.

How the Beat Generation Became “Beatniks” (JSTOR Daily)

WHEN THE BLUE JAYS GAVE AWAY DEREK BELL’S CAR, AND OTHER PRANKS (SB Nation)

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It's National Roller Skating Month, and we’re going all the way back to the guy who created the first skates. It's a little reassuring that even he had trouble rolling along like the rest of us. Plus: Starting tomorrow in Massachusetts, it’s SandwichFest.

The History of Roller Skating (HowStuffWorks)

Sandwich Fest 

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Today in 1869, inventor Hippolyte Mège-Mouriès received the French patent for margarine. The butter substitute is used around the world today, though for a while it was banned in parts of the US. Plus: an explorer accidentally drops his GoPro off the side of a cruise ship and ends up with a kind of candid camera for sea life.

This week in science history: Margarine inventor’s fame spreads (Cosmos via Archive.org) 

The Butter Wars: When Margarine Was Pink (National Geographic)

Man Drops GoPro Overboard on Cruise Ship, Captures Incredible Undersea Footage (My Modern Met)

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Today in 1935, the birthday of Walter De Maria, an artist behind one of the most unusual art installations you’ll ever come across: a loft in New York that he filled with dirt. Plus: the Morris Arboretum and Gardens at the University of Pennsylvania is now home to an immersive audio installation by artist Richard Hamilton.

Inside The SoHo Apartment That's Been Filled With Dirt Since 1977 (Gothamist)

Take a Journey of Sound Through the Morris (Morris Arboretum & Gardens)

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Today in 1951, the birth of Barry Marshall, a Nobel Prize winning doctor who, while working with colleague Robin Warren, proved what was behind most ulcers by giving himself an ulcer. Plus: an 11 year old in England saves an engraving from the dumpster that turns out to be pretty important.

The Doctor Who Drank Infectious Broth, Gave Himself an Ulcer, and Solved a Medical Mystery (Discover Magazine)

Dürer Engraving Found by 11-Year-Old in Dumpster Sells for $44,000 (Hyperallergic)

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Tomorrow is International Rabbit Day, so today we’re going to celebrate the real and very cute sport known as rabbit show jumping. Plus: starting tomorrow in Nevada, it’s the Genoa Candy Dance, a fundraiser with a long and electric history.

Rabbit, Run Is an Exhortation Oft Heard in England Now (Wall Street Journal)

Genoa Candy Dance 

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Around this time of year, volunteers on the Westman Islands, off Iceland's southern coast, are on puffling patrol, trying to help lost baby puffins get to sea by tossing them off cliffs. As one does. Plus: starting this Sunday, it's the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival.

Why it's perfectly normal to see baby puffins thrown off cliffs in Iceland each year (NPR)

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin' Festival 

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Astronauts who live and work on space stations have to make sure to clean every last spot in their quarters, partly to keep big balls of moldy goo from growing! There's research underway to help keep the microbes from moving in. Plus: starting tomorrow in Kingwood, West Virginia, it’s the Preston County Buckwheat Festival. 

Keeping mold out of future space stations (Ohio State University)

Preston County Buckwheat Festival
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