National Paper Airplane Day
May 26, Monday
History and Origin
The exact origins of National Paper Airplane Day are unclear, but paper airplanes themselves have a long history. The concept of folding paper to create flying objects dates back thousands of years, with roots in ancient China and Japan. The modern paper airplane as we know it became popular in the 20th century, especially among schoolchildren and aviation enthusiasts.
How It’s Celebrated
People celebrate National Paper Airplane Day in a variety of ways, including:
- Hosting paper airplane contests to see whose design flies the farthest or stays in the air the longest
- Sharing creative paper airplane designs and folding techniques
- Teaching children how to make different types of paper airplanes
- Posting photos and videos of flights on social media using relevant hashtags
Types of Competitions
There are typically two main types of paper airplane competitions held on this day:
- Distance: Measuring how far a paper airplane can fly in a single throw
- Airtime: Measuring how long a paper airplane stays in the air before landing
Fun Facts
- The world record for the longest paper airplane flight in terms of distance is over 226 feet (about 69 meters), set by Joe Ayoob with a plane designed by John Collins in 2012.
- Paper airplanes are sometimes used in classrooms to teach basic principles of aerodynamics and physics.
- Some enthusiasts spend years perfecting their folding techniques to create high-performance paper aircraft.