When is the “supermoon” in 2013?

The “supermoon” or the closest and largest full moon of the year falls on June 23, 2013. This full moon is the moon’s closest encounter with Earth for all of 2013. The moon will not be this close to Earth again until August 2014.  

Source: http://earthsky.org/tonight/is-biggest-and-closest-full-moon-on-june-23-2013-a-supermoon

What is the most popular tourist attraction in the United States?

With 41,900,000 annual visitors, Times Square in New York City is the most visited tourist attraction in the U.S. according to Travel and Leisure Magazine.  Central Park, Union Station, the Las Vegas Strip, and Grand Central Terminal round out the top 5 most visited attractions.

For the full list visit: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-visited-tourist-attractions.html

When did the U.S. Postal service begin using zip codes?

 Announced on April 30, 1963, and put into effect on July 1, ZIP—or Zoning Improvement Plan codes gave the post office a better, more efficient way to sort mail. "The first digit designated a broad geographical area of the United States, ranging from zero for the Northeast to nine for the far West. This number was followed by two digits that more closely pinpointed population concentrations and those sectional centers accessible to common transportation networks. The final two digits designated small Post Offices or postal zones in larger zoned cities."

Source: http://mentalfloss.com/article/50450/50-things-turn-50-2013

What is the World’s longest commercial flight?

Flying 9,535 miles, for a total duration of 18 hours and 50 minutes, the longest non-stop flight is from Newark, New Jersey to Singapore. Singapore Airlines flight SQ21 carries up to 100 business class passengers across 12 time zones. This title will soon change as this flight will be cancelled, as it proved to be too costly.  When the flight from New Jersey to Singapore ends in November 2013, the new record for longest flight will be Qanta’s service from Dallas to Sydney totaling 8,576 miles or 15 hours and 25 minutes. 

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2012/05/19/worlds-longest-flights/

What is National Library Workers Day?

National Library Workers Day or NLWD is a day for library staff, users, administrators and Friends groups to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. This year NLWD is on April 16, 2013 which also coincides with National Library Week which is April 14-20.          

Visit our website http://69.16.205.74/ for more information on library programs and services!                      

How did April Fool’s Day originate?

The history of April Fool's Day  is not totally clear. Most people identify the beginning of April Fool's Day to be 1582, in France. Prior to that year, the New Year was celebrated for eight days, beginning on March 25. The celebration culminated on April 1. When the Gregorian Calendar was introduced, New Year's Day was moved to January 1.

Since the news traveled by foot, many people did not receive this news for several years. Others refused to accept the new calendar and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. These folk were labeled "fools" by the public. They were subject to some ridicule, and were often sent on "fools errands" or were made the butt of practical jokes. This harassment evolved, over time, into a tradition of prank-playing on the first day of April. It spread around the world and April Fools' Day became an international fun fest.

Source: http://southeast.patch.com/articles/april-fools-day-how-did-it-start-554e2518