BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – On October 12, Judith Schulz ’71 and 20,000 others across the world will throw their spinning tops, creating the characteristic gravity-defying rotation in honor of International Top Spinning Day.
International Top Spinning Day is held in celebration of the toy that has endured centuries. While some may have forgotten about these seeming antiques, participants in the upcoming festivities will range from as far as South Africa, France, Switzerland and Romania, reminding Schulz that, “the earth is just like a large spinning top, rotating around a single axis.”
In celebration of the rich history of the top and to educate people on the science behind these toys, Schulz created in 1987 The Spinning Top Museum, which she opened in Burlington, Wis. Over the past 24 years, the museum has evolved into an exhibition with over 2,000 items, hands-on games, experiments and tours. Schulz says that when she arrived at Illinois Wesleyan as an art education major, she never would have guessed how her four years at the University would influence her to one day open such a place with the most extensive collection of spinning tops in the world.