Children’s Day celebration was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1954 to celebrate childhood and guard against children working long hours in dangerous places and allow children access to education. Universal Children’s Day is celebrated on November 20th, every year. However, various countries around the world have different dates fixed for celebrating this day.
In Nigeria, children’s day is celebrated on May 27th with numerous activities around the country. It is a public holiday for children, with many fun activities that create a lot of excitement for them.
In celebration of this year’s Children’s Day, here are some famous inventions by children:
1. My Locator Mobile App by Tomisin Ogunnubi
In 2017, Tomisin Ogunnubi, a 12-year-old pupil of Vivian Fowler College for Girls developed a mobile application named “My Locator”
The “current location” setting on the app enables the user to see where they are and the neighboring streets around them. Another feature of the app allows users to save their locations for future reference.
The My Locator App also features an alert button, which when pressed alerts the Lagos State Emergency Services by dialing 767 and sending a message showing the user’s current location.
2. Square Rotor Rotary Engine by Chakroun Abdellah
Chakroun Abdellah is one of the youngest inventors in the African continent from Morocco. His first invention was completed at the age of 18.
Square Rotor Rotary Engine, one of his popular inventions, increases power and speed, (compared to the engines available in the market) and also reduce fuel consumption.
3. The Braille System by Louis Braille
At age 15, Louis Braille who had been blind from the age of five invented a system which enabled him to read and write. This invention is now being used globally to enable blind people to read.
4. Trampoline by George Nissen
At age 16, George invented Trampoline, a strong fabric sheet connected by springs to a frame, used as a springboard and landing area in doing acrobatic or gymnastic exercises.
5, Crayon Holders by Cassidy Goldstein
Crayon Holders were invented by Cassidy Goldstein at age 11. Crayon Holders are clear plastic tubes that hold your crayons so they can still be easily used even if they break.
6. The Oink-a-Saurus App by Fabian Fernandez-Han
At age 12, Fabian Fernandez-Han came up with the concept, the components, and design and worked with a team of developers to develop Oink-a-Saurus mobile app.
Oink-a-Saurus is an iPhone/iPad app that teaches kids about finance, money management, investing and the stock market.
7. Earmuffs by Chester Greenwood
At age 15, Chester Greenwood developed an earmuff by sewing flaps of flannel or beaver fur onto some wires that he could bend around his head. He would later become the owner of an earmuff factory that produced 50,000 of them every year.
8. Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, both at 18, created a cartoon character (amidst other numerous characters) called “The Superman”. They later sold the rights to National Allied Publications (the precursor to DC Comics).
Happy Children’s Day to all Nigerian children and children all over the world!
