Happy International Top Spinning Day! On the second Wednesday of October, today celebrates the joy and wonder that spinning tops bring into the world.
According to archaeologists, spinning tops are the oldest toys in the world. The oldest spinning top ever found was dated back to the 35th century B.C., which was six thousand years ago!
In the 8th century B.C., the ancient poet Homer sang about the spinning top. Throughout history, tops were made from a variety of materials. Usually, people carved them from wood.
However, indigenous tribes made spinning tops from fruits and nuts. Modern tops are made from metal, glass, or plastic.
Tops may come in different sizes and shapes. However, they all defy gravity in the exact same way. A spinning top gets held upright by angular momentum.
Some tops can spin for over fifty minutes! Tops are popular all over the world.
Spinning tops across the globe include:
• Dreidels – Jewish communities use these four-sided tops during Hanukkah.
• Japanese spinning tops – known as Koma, they have been a traditional toy in Japan for thousands of years.- • Gasing – found in Malaysia and Indonesia, they paint the tops with unique decorations.
- • The Trompo – popular in Latin America, trompo championships are held throughout the region.
- • Kreisels – this kind of top is made in Germany, a country that produces high-quality wooden toys, including the spinning top.
Have you ever spun a top? If not, today is the perfect day to try it out! If you have kids, be sure to introduce them to this wonderful toy.
On June 20, 2018 in Netcong, New Jersey, Breaking Toys and Fearless Toys had officially broken the Guinness World Record™ title for the longest-running mechanical spinning top. This was with a non-stop total of 27 hours, 9 minutes and 24 seconds!
The previous Guinness World Record™ title holder achieved a time of 24 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds. However, LIMBO broke that record by more than two hours.
HOW TO OBSERVE
The goal of International Top Spinning Day is to get at least ten thousand tops spinning around the world.
To participate, invite a group of people together to spin tops. Take a photo of your group and e-mail it to the Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum.
During past top spinning events, contestants submitted photos from all over the world, including France, Poland, England, and South Africa.
Each year, the contest encourages participants to think of fun and unusual places to spin a top. Families, businesses, churches, and schools are all encouraged to take part in International Top Spinning Day.
Whether you are spinning a top solo or with a group, be sure to share your picture or video on social media with #TopSpinningDay.
HISTORY
In 2003, the Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum in Burlington, Wisconsin created International Top Spinning Day.
Judith Schultz, director of the museum, likens a spinning top to the Earth spinning around a single axis.
@nichecinema
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