January 13: Rubber Duckie Day

A rubber duckie, or rubber duck, is an iconic children's bathtime toy, usually yellow and sometimes with a squeaky noise. Here's some more information about them:

1. The first rubber ducks were made from vulcanised rubber and didn't float. They weren't intended to float, but to be chewed. Nowadays they are made from plastic.
2. The iconic Yellow rubber duck first appeared in the 1940s and was based on a sculpture of a duck by Peter Ganine, which he patented and marketed as a floating toy.
3. There are numerous variations on the yellow design including glow in the dark ducks, ducks with internal LED lighting, wind up ducks which can swim, and character ducks with Sunglasses and those which represent professions or famous people.
4. In 2014, students at the University of York sent a rubber duck into space. The duck in question was attached to a weather balloon and was dubbed Astroduck. It reached a height of 19 miles (30km) and beamed back pictures and data before parachuting back to Earth. Its current whereabouts are unknown but thought to be somewhere in the Yorkshire Moors.
5. They've also been in the pop music charts a couple of times. A song called Rubber Duckie performed by Ernie from Sesame Street was a hit in 1970 and a version of it was once performed by Little Richard. Later on "Rubber Duck" was the handle of the narrating character on C.W. McCall's hit song Convoy.
6. There is a giant rubber duck which tours the world, appearing at festivals. It was created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in 2007. It's not always the same duck - there have been numerous versions in various sizes. Some met with unfortunate ends at the hands of vandals, Earthquakes, floods and collisions with signs. The largest of the rubber ducks which appeared in Saint Nazaire, measured 26m wide, 20m long and 32m high.
7. Rubber ducks have helped scientists learn more about ocean currents. In 1992, 29,000 rubber ducks fell off a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean. They washed up all over the world, including England, Australia, South America, and the west coast of Canada, and are still being found to this day.
8. There's even a rubber duck in Buckingham Palace. A workman repainting the Queen's bathroom in 2001 spotted a rubber duck in there, with an inflatable crown on its head.
9. Rubber ducks are collector's items. A woman called Charlotte Lee in the USA has a record breaking 5,631 rubber ducks - no doubt her collection has grown since the record was established. There's also a Guinness World Record for getting your ducks in a row. 17,782 rubber ducks were lined up in Seattle, Washington, USA, on 5 June 2011. The line measured over 1.6 km (1 miles).
10. Plastic duck races are a popular charity event with many cities, towns and villages with access to a river or stream may hold. Anything up to 205,000 ducks (the number taking part in the largest ever duck race, the Great British Duck Race (UK) on 6 September 2009 on the river Thames from Hampton Court Palace) are purchased by individuals for a small fee and are released along a stretch of flowing Water. There is usually a cash prize for the owner of the first duck to cross the finish line.

See also

Quotes about Bathtubs

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Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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