National Paper Airplane Day
This holiday is featured in the Obscure Holiday Calendar app with emoji-style visuals, reminders, and daily fun facts.
Overview
National Paper Airplane Day, observed annually on May 26th, celebrates the simple yet enduring joy and ingenuity of paper aviation. This unofficial holiday encourages people of all ages to fold, design, and fly paper airplanes, appreciating the basic principles of aerodynamics and the creative spirit involved in turning a flat sheet of paper into a flying machine. It's a day to embrace the accessible art of origami and the thrill of launching your own handmade aircraft.
Observed each year on May 26, National Paper Airplane Day invites people to pause, share the story, and bring a little themed joy to their day.
Origin and story
The earliest known paper airplane designs are often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, who sketched flying machines and used parchment models to test principles for his ornithopter designs around the year 1488.
The current Guinness World Record for the longest flight time indoors by a paper airplane is 29.2 seconds, achieved by Takuo Toda (Japan) in 2010.
Quick facts
- DateMay 26
- TypeCultural / community observance
- Great forFriends, Families, Classrooms, Teams
Also on this date
Ways to celebrate
- Post a story with #national-paper-airplane-day and invite others to try a tiny activity.
- Bring National Paper Airplane Day to work or school with a short shout-out in a meeting or group chat.
- Plan a 10-minute activity that fits the cultural / community observance vibe and make it a mini tradition.
- Bring the theme into your day—decorate a workspace, cook or bake something inspired by National Paper Airplane, or play music that matches the mood.
- Add National Paper Airplane Day to your Obscure Holiday Calendar app widget so you get a reminder next year.
Fun facts
- The earliest known paper airplane designs are often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, who sketched flying machines and used parchment models to test principles for his ornithopter designs around the year 1488.
- The current Guinness World Record for the longest flight time indoors by a paper airplane is 29.2 seconds, achieved by Takuo Toda (Japan) in 2010.
- Despite their simplicity, paper airplanes demonstrate fundamental aerodynamic forces: lift, thrust, drag, and gravity, making them excellent educational tools for basic physics.
Sources and attribution
Source not provided.
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FAQ
- When is National Paper Airplane Day?
- It is observed on May 26 each year.
- What is National Paper Airplane Day?
- National Paper Airplane Day, observed annually on May 26th, celebrates the simple yet enduring joy and ingenuity of paper aviation. This unofficial holiday encourages people of all ages to fold, design, and fly paper airplanes, appreciating the basic principles of aerodynamics and the creative spirit involved in turning a flat sheet of paper into a flying machine. It's a day to embrace the accessible art of origami and the thrill of launching your own handmade aircraft.
- How do people celebrate National Paper Airplane Day?
- Post a story with #national-paper-airplane-day and invite others to try a tiny activity.
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