Innehållsförteckning för December 2024 från The Primary Planet

Ho, ho, ho, TPPers! Welcome to my favourite issue of the year – the Christmas Special! Before we jump in with tinsel toes, how did you enjoy the Ig Nobels from last month’s issue? We had great fun during our research, so hopefully you had as much fun reading the fruits of our labour. Is it wrong that I’m already looking forward to next year’s awards? This month, we are delighted to present ‘A TPP Christmas Tale’ – especially because one of our very own TPPers penned it! I don’t think there is anything more enjoyable for an editor than when I can publish your work for all to read. What a proud moment for Kathryn, her school and her family! You will probably notice that we don’t often get…

Moonpig and Penny Penny O’Brien, a clever 10-year-old girl from Nenagh, and seven other young patients from Children’s Health Ireland have come together to design a Christmas card collection with Moonpig, in support of sick children across Ireland. After being diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer in 2020, Penny underwent treatment in Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and received loving care throughout the time she was there. When asked what she was most looking forward to this Christmas, Penny said ‘I’m excited about having Christmas Day without having to go to the hospital and being able to see all my cousins’. The collection has 10 unique card designs, each reflecting the magic and joy of Christmas in the style of each young artist. 100% of the money made…

This month in history 25 years ago On this day, American explorer Victoria (Tori) Murden became the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean solo. Aged 36, Tori rowed for 81 days, travelling 4,767 kilometres, from the Canary Islands (100 km off the coast of Africa) to Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. Her boat, Pearl, was seven metres long and weighed about 816 kilos. It was her second attempt, her first having been cut short due to the hurricane season in 1998. She was also the first woman to ski to the South Pole. 50 years ago On this day, the MITS Altair 8800, the first commercially successful personal computer, went on sale. It sparked the personal computer revolution. It was sold in kit form for $395 or fully assembled for $495…

In cinemas: from December 20 Cert: TBC Starring the voices of: Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Blue Ivy Carter as Kiara Directed by: Barry Jenkins A lion who would change our lives forever Everyone’s favourite lion returns in Mufasa: The Lion King – the long-awaited prequel to Disney’s The Lion King (2019). This time around, we travel back to the Pride Lands to hear the story of Mufasa’s rise to greatness and how his bitter relationship with brother Scar began. Narrated by Rafiki – the wise mandril shaman of the Pride Lands – and shared with young Kiara, Simba and Nala’s curious cub, the story follows Mufasa as an orphaned cub lost in the wild savannahs of Africa. When he meets Taka, a…

5 Fast Facts 1 Ahead of Lamborghini’s 60th birthday in 2023, it unveiled the Revuelto, which is the first HPEV (high-performance electrified vehicle) hybrid super sports car. 2 The Revuelto produces 1015 horsepower through a combination of a 12-cylinder internal combustion engine and three high-density electric motors, along with what Lamborghini calls a ‘groundbreaking’ transversal dual clutch e-gearbox. 3 Revuelto was the name of a Spanish fighting bull that fought in the arena of Barcelona in the 1880s. Lamborghini’s logo features a raging bull, so the name fits quite nicely! 4 The price of a new Revuelto starts at an eye-watering €535,000 – but that doesn’t appear to be putting people off. At time of writing the car is sold out! 5 Y-shaped headlights and tail-lights are new features by…

TPP's Book of the Month Check out The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens by Alan Nolan, our book of the month for December. Title: The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens Author: Alan Nolan Publisher: O’Brien Press Year: 2024 Set in 1859, The Riddle of the Disappearing Dickens is the third book in the ‘Molly and Bram’ series by award-winning author Alan Nolan. This latest instalment sees Molly and Bram travel to London with Bram’s parents to collect his brother, Thornley, from boarding school to bring him back to Dublin for the school holidays. However, Molly and Bram are not long in London before they find themselves involved in solving the mysterious disappearance of the famous writer – and Bram’s hero – Charles Dickens. To find the celebrated author, Molly and…

We have only just found the saola – and already we may be in danger of losing it forever. The saola (pronounced ‘sawla’) is one of the most threatened mammals on the planet. It is critically endangered. It is found only in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos. As forests are cut down to make way for agriculture and building, the saola is being squeezed into extinction. Spectacular discovery Called the Asian Unicorn – because it seemed like a myth – the existence of the saola wasn’t confirmed until May 1992! During a survey, conservationists found a skull with long, slightly curved horns in a hunter’s home. It was the first large mammal discovery in more than 50 years. Surprisingly, the saola is a cousin of cattle, but it…

Can Seamie end 2024 with a flourish? To do so, he’ll have to come up with somewhere better than the cover of the 2014 Primary Planet on page 11. What was he thinking?! Come on, Seamie, make the last hiding spot of the year a good one. For all you eagle-eyed TPPers who do come across him, here’s what you have to do: log on to www.theprimaryplanet.ie (or scan the QR code) and type his location, along with your name and school details, in the comment box provided. If you are correct, you will get entered into a draw for a super-cool O’Neills GAA county jersey of your choice. Thanks, O’Neills, as always! Once again, don’t stress if you don’t see your entry appear on the website. We’ll be hiding…

United Kingdom Battery-Powered Trains in the UK These days, it seems as though everything is going electric, and now, in the UK, it is the turn of the trains. The UK’s current fleet of diesel trains is approaching retirement, so environmentally friendly options are being considered. One of these options is to have battery-powered trains, making the whole train network diesel-free. Although this would be great for the environment, is it a safe option? Solely battery-powered trains are already being used in Japan and Germany, but experts in the UK believe that these trains could present fire safety challenges. However, engineers have carried out safety tests to ensure that passengers would be safe in an emergency. And, according to fire-safety expert Jon Simpson, lithium batteries are very safe if they…

Title: Hunters in the Snow Date: 1565 Artist: Pieter Bruegel the Elder Born: Breda, Netherlands c. 1525 Died: Brussels, Belgium, 1569 Nationality: Flemish Style: Genre painting Medium: Oil on panel On Display: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria Pieter Bruegel mostly rejected traditional artistic subjects like religion, mythology and portraits. He painted the lives of ordinary people (called ‘genre’ painting), especially country peasants. Often his paintings are packed full of figures and details, such as Children’s Games which includes 230 children and 83 games. Or so we’re told! The gorgeous Hunters in the Snow is one of a series, only five of which survive, based on medieval ‘Labours of the Months’ paintings showing country activities throughout the year. Here the month is probably December. 1565 occurred during a particularly cold period in northern Europe…

Christmas Cracker Because it’s Christmas, here’s something that’s definitely wonderful, although it was once thought quite wacky and weird! Tom Smith of London invented Christmas crackers in 1847. He was a maker of bon-bons (French-style sweets), which he sold in a twist of paper (the original sweet wrapper). As sales of his bon-bons slumped, he came up with new ideas – first by inserting love messages inside the wrappers. Then, the story goes, he was inspired to add a ‘crackle’, after hearing the crackle of a log he had just put on the fire. Tom was obviously well able to think ‘outside the box’! He bought the formula for the ‘snap’ in his crackers from a chemist who worked in a fireworks company and called his new sweets ‘Bangs of…

Pop on your favourite Christmas songs and sit back and enjoy a Christmas colour on us. When you have the picture completed, take a photo of your masterpiece and email it to schools@theprimaryplanet.ie. The top three entries will win a family pass (four tickets) to Joe The Magician Live! Closing date for entries: December 25, 2024. Name:Class:Age:School: Prize details 3 x Family passes (four tickets each) to Joe The Magician Live , taking place on Sunday May 18, 2025, at 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin. Doors 2:30 pm.…

Killarney’s Peculiar Plant Environmental scientists at Killarney National Park in Co. Kerry have spotted an incredibly rare plant. Last seen in 1896, the Yellow Bird’s Nest is unique because, unlike most plants, it doesn’t need any light to survive. It’s a saprophyte (sap-ro-fite), which means it gets its nutrients from dead wood and leaves. Conservation ranger Mary Sheehan said that finding the plant was ‘very, very special’. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another hundred years to return! The Yellow Bird’s Nest goes by many nicknames, including Dutchman’s pipe, false beech drops, and pinesap. What would you call it? Hunt Smarter, Not Harder New research has uncovered that Ice Age hunters used clever tactics to hunt mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers. Previously, scientists believed that hunters threw spears to bring down these…

Twenty years ago, I discovered the truth about the Fairy Tree. I was only ten at the time. My friend Sally and I were planning a sleepover. ‘How about we take our sleeping bags to the Fairy Tree?’ suggested Sally. ‘I don’t know. There’s a reason it’s called the Fairy Tree. I mean, the last person to climb it disappeared. What if –’ Sally cut me off sarcastically. ‘You don’t seriously believe in those silly superstitions, do you?’ I did believe something was off about that tree, and she knew it. But the look in her blue eyes was so desperate. ‘I guess,’ I mumbled. ‘But not tonight.’ ‘Fine, how about tomorrow?’ begged Sally. ‘Tomorrow,’ I agreed reluctantly. I left Sally’s house a few minutes later, hoping to get a…

Sport not to be missed this month Highlighting the best sporting action taking place this month Premier League derbies Dec 7-15 There are just too many games to choose from in December! Two of the standout matches are local derbies, with Everton facing Liverpool on December 7 and Ruben Amorim taking Manchester United across town to face Manchester City on December 15. World Darts Championship Dec 15 Jan 3 Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without the darts! Last year’s tournament was a cracker as Brendan Dolan reached the quarter-finals and Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler in a memorable final. Teenage sensation Littler heads to Alexandra Palace in fine form. NFL double -header Dec 25 Fancy some live sport on Christmas Day with a bit of Beyoncé thrown in? Well look no further than…

Amorim’s Mission Manchester United have pinned their hopes on Ruben Amorim to lift them out of the doldrums. The Red Devils quickly moved for Amorim following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, who paid the price after United made their worst start to a Premier League season. Amorim, 39, was one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe and had been linked with the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich. He won two league titles with Sporting CP in his native Portugal, ending the dominance of Porto and Lisbon rivals Benfica, who he played for. Amorim spent time in Belfast while completing his UEFA coaching qualifications. He is a fluent English speaker and has a talent for unearthing hidden talents, such as former Coventry striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has already…

As we prepared this issue for print on November 29, hundreds of thousands of voters were busy visiting polling stations across the country, casting their votes for the politicians they want to help run our country over the next number of years. Now, as you read this, the results of the election are likely confirmed, and a new government – or at least the blueprint for one – is now known to all. But what does forming a new government actually involve? How many seats have to be filled, and how will it compare to the previous government, which was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on November 8? To help you get to grips with the make-up of the new 34th Dáil Éireann, we’ve created a handy government plan…

Following the death of Oliver Cromwell, the Parliament in England decided to restore the king to the throne and so, in 1660, Charles II was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland. When he died in 1685, his brother James, who was a staunch Catholic, was crowned king and this led to a great deal of unrest in England and Ireland. William of Orange The Catholic population of Ireland were delighted with this as they believed King James II would be on their side. The Protestant ruling class in England, however, was determined to remove James from the throne and began plotting against him. They travelled to Holland and asked his son-in-law, William of Orange, to become King of England. He was given this name because he ruled a province…

#1 Balloon Break (from WWW News) Two tourists made a rather unexpected landing in a high-security Indian prison after strong winds blew their hot-air balloon off course. The two women, both from the West Indies, were flying over a camel fair and decided to get a closer look. However, when the operator accompanying them lost control, he aimed to land near a lake, only for powerful gusts to force them down onto the prison’s football pitch instead. When officers spotted the balloon descending, they thought a jailbreak was in progress. The operator and the two tourists were questioned for two hours before finally convincing guards they’d simply been blown off course. ‘Prisoners were in the barracks at the time,’ reported local news, ‘but the landing triggered a security alarm, throwing officers into…

How’s she cuttin’, Planet Farmers? Welcome to this month’s article – I hope you (and all your livestock) are safe and sound after our recent storms. As many of you will know all too well, Storm Bert arrived on the weekend of November 22 and battered towns, villages, parishes, GAA fields and farms up and down the country. I went to bed that Friday night hopeful that the storm would go easy on me, but my hopes were dashed early Saturday morning when I opened my curtains to see fields flooded and rain still hammering down. I was not alone – 60,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power on that Saturday morning. TikTok videos appearing in my feed of family farms showed fields, sheds and homes flooded. Many farmers…

The 47-year-old Voyager 1 space probe got back in touch with NASA in October 2024 from 24.8 billion km away in interstellar space, after a technical issue caused a communication blackout. Voyager 1 was launched in 1977 and ventured into interstellar space in 2012. Its twin, Voyager 2, had been launched two weeks earlier but Voyager 1 overtook it. Voyager 2 continued on its own mission and was 20.7 billion km from Earth as of October 2024. Technical glitches Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to cross out of our solar system. It’s now operating beyond the heliosphere – the sun’s bubble of magnetic fields and particles. Now, its time in deep space has taken a toll on its instruments and caused technical problems. Earlier this year, the team had…

Accepting and celebrating the differences in ourselves and others Every person in this world is unique – one of a kind! Even identical twins have differences, from their fingerprints to their personalities. It’s truly incredible when you think about it, especially with over eight billion people on the planet! Sometimes, it can feel hard to embrace being different – to stand out and truly be ourselves. But wouldn’t it be amazing if we could feel free to be ourselves while also respecting what makes others unique? Life would be so much happier if we allowed both ourselves and others to be who we are without judgment. Imagine the freedom of pursuing what we love without worrying about what others might think! Everyone’s feelings and opinions are important, real and valid…

Hayes Wins Camogie Award Laura Hayes is the 2024 Camogie Senior Player of the Year and was also among the eight Cork players who won All-Stars following their All-Ireland success. Cork retained their All-Ireland title with a three-point victory over Galway, who receive five All-Stars, while there was one apiece for semi-finalists Dublin and Tipperary. The Intermediate Player of the Year award went to Kilkenny’s Danielle Morrissey with Clodagh Tynan of Laois was the Junior winner. McAtamney Makes History Former Derry U20 player Jude McAtamney made his NFL debut for the New York Giants last month. He was promoted to the line-up for their game against Washington Commanders after the Giants’ first-choice kicker was ruled out due to injury. McAtamney kicked a touchdown conversion and a 31-yard field goal to…

Club rugby quickly comes back into focus this month as the 2024/25 Champions Cup gets under way. Fresh off a busy November of international action, Ireland’s players have no time to rest as they return to their provinces for a crucial run of fixtures. The top 24 clubs from Europe and South Africa will do battle in the coming weeks in a competition that, like soccer’s Champions League, has tweaked its format in recent years. It is a little complicated so let’s have a quick refresher … Pool stages Gone are the days where there were six groups of four teams. It’s now four groups of six, yet teams are actually playing fewer pool games – four instead of six! Teams no longer play opponents both home and away –…