Paper aeroplane day in the USA on 26 May
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For over 150 years, young and old have been enthusiastically folding paper aeroplanes. The 26th of May is "National Paper Airplane Day" in the USA. This unofficial holiday is intended to draw attention to this entertaining pastime and encourage people to have fun folding and flying with family and friends on this day.
The history of paper aeroplanes
The first printed instructions for folding a paper aeroplane probably appeared as early as 1859 in a book of activities for children. As the word "aeroplane" had not yet been invented, it was called a "paper dart" at the time. It was not until the 1950s that the term "paper aeroplane" became established.
Competitions and records
Paper aeroplane competitions are very popular. In particular, the "Red Bull Paper Wings", which has been held in Salzburg every three years since 2006, is regarded as the unofficial world championship. Records are set in various disciplines such as flight distance and flight duration.
The current Guinness record for the longest flight duration is 29.2 seconds, set in 2010 by Takuo Toda from Japan. The record for the longest flight distance has been held by a team from the USA since 2022 with 88.318 metres.
Suggestions for the paper aeroplane day
On this special day, many exciting activities can be organised around the theme of paper planes:
- Folding competitions: Who can fold the most planes in a given time? Who can create the most original design?
- Target throwing competitions: Who will hit the bull's eye most often with their aeroplane?
- Craft workshops: Folding and trying out new designs and flying techniques together.
- Teamwork exercises: Groups compete against each other and score points with creativity and flying skills.
There are no limits to the imagination to celebrate this day in style. At the end of the day, what counts is enjoying the activity together. With this in mind: Have a successful flying day!
