odditudes-and-weirdities

Holidays today are about the little red wagons from many of our childhoods, the Eiffel Tower, Crayola crayons, civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, clam on the half shell, and manatees: Bunsen Burner Day Cesar Chavez Day Crayola Crayon Day Eiffel Tower Day Little Red Wagon Day Manatee Appreciation Day National Clam on the Half Shell Day Robert Bunsen , the inventor of the Bunsen burner from chemistry class, was born on March 30 in 1811 ... yet the holiday of his famous invention is on March 31. I'm not sure if that's a mistake in the creation of the holiday or not. The Eiffel Tower was completed on this date in 1889. Remember to protect the endangered manatees today too. NOAA on Unsplash

Today's holidays cover subjects like taking risks, funny women, backing up your data, potatoes, oranges/lemons, and whole grains: World Backup Day Whole Grain Sampling Day Red Pill Day National Tater Day National She's Funny That Way Day National Oranges and Lemons Day National Oranges and Lemons Day is probably related to Oranges and Lemons Day (3rd Thursday of March), though the documentation claims it's about literal oranges and lemons. (When life gives you oranges and lemons, make lemonade and orange juice.) For most of us, whole grains are a nutritious supplement to our diets.

On this date in 1999 the movie The Matrix was released, spawning a trilogy of influential sci-fi/action films. And in the movie the protagonist is presented with a choice of remaining in the safe/false life he'd always known, or to experience life as it really is: "This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes." Today is about taking the red pill, the risky path. Image by  Septimiu Balica  from  Pixabay

Holidays today cover topics like veterans of the Vietnam War, small business owners, the purchase of Alaska from Russia, the Knights of Columbus, lemon chiffon cake, an iconic waterfall sans water, distractions/diversions in magic: Knights of Columbus Founders Day Mom and Pop Business Owners Day National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day Niagara Falls Runs Dry Day Seward's Day Smoke and Mirrors Day Vietnam Veteran's Day On this date in 1848 upstream ice blocked the St Lawrence River, causing Niagara Falls to go dry. The last Monday of March commemorates the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. The holiday is named Seward's Day after William Seward , who negotiated the purchase. On this date in 1882 the Knights of Columbus was founded in New Haven, CT. Smoke and mirrors are keys to magician illusions; we celebrate their illusions today. Image by  Simon Giesl  from  Pixabay

Today's holidays are about reading road maps, going for broke, raisin and spice bar, deep dish pizza, sweet potatoes, caramel, bell bottom pants, dandelions, and the first warp speed flight in Star Trek: Bell Bottoms Day First Contact Day Go for Broke Day National Caramel Day National Dandelion Day National Deep Dish Pizza Day National Raisin and Spice Bar Day National Read a Road Map Day Sweet Potato Day In the Star Trek universe, the first warp speed flight by humans was on this date in 2061. This got the attention of the Vulcans, triggering humanity's first contact with aliens. The scourge of lawn purists, the dandelion, gets celebrated today. Jason Long on Unsplash

Today is Googol Day, when we celebrate the googol , the number represented as 1 followed by 100 zeroes, or 10^100, or 10,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000,​000. The number wasn't created for a mathematically important reason. Instead it was the invention of a 9 year old kid in 1920 named Milton Sirotta, though his mathematician uncle, Edward Kasner , would go on to popularize it. We celebrate Googol Day today because Kasner was born on this date in 1878. Related to the googol is the googolplex , the number represented as 1 followed by googol zeroes, or 10^googol. (Writing this number out would exceed the capabilities of my computer - or any other - computer.) If you like the idea of ridiculously large numbers, this holiday is for you.

Today's observances are concerned with lupus, introducing children to reading for enjoyment/entertainment, the penny, tatting, an ancient Roman festival for the goddesses Venus/Fortuna, the Assyrian New Year, discouraging the burning of fossil fuels, a San Francisco parade celebrating stupidity, atheism, sourdough bread, and April Fools: April Fools' Day Assyrian New Year's Day Atheists Day Edible Book Day Fossil Fools Day Internati onal Tatting Day National Sourdough Bread Day One Cent Day Reading Is Funny Day Saint Stupid's Day Veneralia On Saint Stupid's Day, San Francisco has a parade celebrating the stupidity around us. Tatting is making lacey items. Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a food culture expert who wrote The Physiology of Taste, is honored on today's Edible Book Day. I'm not exactly sure why this is One Cent Day. On April 21, 1787 Congress authorized the coining of the first US penny , though I wasn't able to find a connection to April 1. Im...

Observances today are about raising awareness about epilepsy, spending some time alone, celebrating someone/something important to you, legal assistants, nougat, spinach, and the solar system: Hypothetical Planet Day Legal Assistants Day Make up Your Own Holiday Day National Nougat Day Purple Day Solitude Day Spinach Day The idea of Purple Day is to wear the color to help raise awareness about epilepsy. Make Up Your Own Holiday Day suggests celebrating something/someone important to you that doesn't have a holiday of its/their own. On this date in 1859 a non-existent planet, Vulcan , was "discovered". By Jcpag2012 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40155118

Today's observances cover things like increasing awareness/acceptance/funding for bipolar disease, getting things under control, being content with what you have, turkey neck soup, doctors, pencils, and walking in a park: Grass is Always Browner on the Other Side of the Fence Day I Am In Control Day National Doctor's Day Pencil Day Take a Walk in the Park Day Turkey Neck Soup Day World Bipolar Day The first modern pencil/eraser was patented on this date in 1858. On this date in 1981 Secretary of State Alexander Haig, in the aftermath of the the assassination attempt on President Reagan, stated he was in control.Regardless of the intent, it was interpreted by some as him bypassing the line of succession. We've all heard the expression "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence", implying we're always envious of what we don't have. Today's similar-sounding holiday suggests maybe you're better off with what you have. With things warmi...

Observances today cover subjects like single parents, people with Down Syndrome, sustainable use of wood, awesome teenagers, poetry, puppetry, French bread, and forests: World Wood Day World Puppetry Day World Poetry Day World Down Syndrome Day Nationa l Teenager Day National Single Parent Day National French Bread Day International Day of Forests Today is a day to show some love to forests and their trees. Steven Kamenar on Unsplash

Syringe exchanges to improve safety among intravenous drug users, eliminating racial discrimination, fragances, exercising courtesy, California strawberries, memory, and flowers are topics on our minds today: Fragrance Day International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Memory Day National California Strawberry Day National Common Courtesy Day National Day of Action on Syringe Exchange National Flower Day Fragrance Day is about pretty much any product that smells good and is largely bought for the smell. Flowers aren't mentioned in the Fragrance Day article, perhaps because they're arguably more visual and olfactory. Here's one of our earliest wildflowers, the Virginia Spring Beauty . April 6, 2019 at Duke Farms

Today is another one of those days where there are lots of references to National Flower Day but there's a dearth of accompanying articles (other than the boilerplate ones that are almost identical to the writeup for National Light Bulb Day). So I can't tell you a lot how you're supposed to celebrate flowers, though it's easy to suspect that it has something to do with spring flowers beginning to reclaim the land from the ice and snow. So here's some daffodils from a couple years ago, since they're among the earliest ones I find. April 6, 2019 at Duke Farms

Holidays today cover topics like encouraging people to connect with their neighbors, hot tubs, picture books for children, decorating eggs, Eskimo Pies, any food served on a stick, black forest cake, respecting your feline companion(s), various Native American names for tonight's full moon, and weeds: Children's Picture Book Day Eat an Eskimo Pie Day Eggsibit Day Hot Tub Day National Black Forest Cake Day Neighbour Day Respect Your Cat Day Something on a Stick Day Weed A ppreciation Day Full Worm Moon aka Full Eagle Moon aka Full Goose Moon aka Full Crow Comes Back Moon aka Full Sugar Moon aka Full Wind Strong Moon aka Sore Eyes Moon Something on a Stick Day is a food holiday, and can be celebrated by eating anything from a stick, which can consist of quite a diverse suite of foods: shish kabobs, ice cream (aka Eskimo Pie), hot dogs, lollipops, marshmallows, etc. While "weed" is often used as a pejorative, many times weeds are just wildflowers growing someplace that v...

Quilting, the pursuit of happiness, abstaining from eating meat, fiancee kissing, extraterrestrial abductions, bock beer, book lovers, icosahedrons, and sparrows are all involved in today's observances: Bibliomania Day Bock Beer Day Extraterrestrial Abductions Day Great American Meatout Day Icosahedron Day International Day of Happiness Kiss Your Fiancée Day National Quilting Day World Sparrow Day On this date in 1990 Stephen Blumberg of Ottumwa, Iowa, was arrested for stealing over 23,600 books worth $20 million and weighing 19 tons, inspiring Bibliomania Day. One of our most common group of birds, the sparrows, get their day in the sun today. Here are at least three species that are around during NJ winters, the Song Sparrow, the Dark-eyed Junco (a sparrow despite the name), and the White-throated Sparrow. March 10, 2021 at Duke Farms

The spring equinox, expressing dislike for winter by burning snowpeople, wedding proposals, exposing children to the theater, remembering Fred Rogers and his Mister Rogers' Neighborhood children's program, the French language, ravioli, the Florida Panther, and frogs are what today's holidays are about: World Frog Day World Day of Theatre for Children and Young People Won't You Be My Neighbor Day UN French Language Day Spring Equinox Snowman Burning Day Save the Florida Panther Day Proposal Day National Ravioli Day Fred Rogers was born on this date in 1928. The Florida Panther (a type of Mountain Lion) is another of our endangered animals. And it's also a day to celebrate our amphibian friends the frogs. David Clode on Unsplash

Today is a day to celebrate the regular icosahedrons . The regular convex icosahedron is one of the  platonic solids , though there is also a regular concave icosahedron named the Great Icosahedron . A regular icosahedron is formed by putting 20 identical equilateral triangles together into a convex or concave  polyhedron . It will have 12 vertices, 20 faces, and 30 edges. (A non-regular icosahedron would can consist of any polyhedron with 20 faces with a variety of vertices and edges.) We celebrate icosahedrons on March (3rd month) 20 because it's composed of triangles (3 sides), and 20 of them. By Theon at French Wikipedia - own work. Transferred from fr.wikipedia to Commons.; Transfer was stated to be made by Theon., GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3563566

Today's holidays are about focusing on theater as a complex art form, the quirky song titles in some country music songs, businesspeople exchanging ideas on improving their communities, using Joe as your name for the day, Spanish paella, and brothers/sisters: Brothers and Sisters Day National Exchange Club Day National Joe Day National Spanish Paella Day Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day World Theatre Day Admittedly going to the theater has been one of the casualties of the pandemic; perhaps soon theater will reestablish itself in our cultural landscape. Image by  David Mark  from  Pixabay

On this date in 1859 it was believed that a planet was spotted inside the orbit of Mercury by  Edmond Modeste Lescarbault , an amateur astronomer. This "observation" was taken seriously by scientists like Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier , who had a theory explaining eccentricities of Mercury's orbit that required just such a planet. These eccentricities were later explained by Einstein's theory of relativity , which also ruled out any planet inside Mercury's orbit. This alleged planet was given the name Vulcan , which made a certain amount of sense since a planet that close to the sun would no doubt be pretty toasty. As we've explored the solar system, other planets destroyed ( Phaeton ) or beyond Neptune have also been hypothesized. Today is a day to recognize that while striving to understand our universe we sometimes make mistakes. By Lith. of E. Jones & G.W. Newman - Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3180.ct003790, CC0, https://com...

Observances today cover topics like slavery, Medal of Honor recipients, the settlement of what is now Maryland by Europeans, Greece becoming an independent nation, Lobster Newburg, waffles, pecans, and the transatlantic slave trade, and stories by J.R.R. Tolkien: Greek Independence Day International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade International Waffle Day Maryland Day National Lobster Newburg Day National Medal of Honor Day Old New Year's Day Pecan Day Tolkien Reading Day There are at least 2 Pecan Days; the other is on April 14. Apparently back when the Julian calendar was in use, the new year would start on this date. Intuitively this would make more sense since spring is a new start for many of the plants and animals around us. European settlers landed in Maryland on this date in 1634. Approximately on this date in 1821 Greece rose up to break off from the Ottoman Empire. The 25th of March is the date of the downfall of the Lord of ...

Today's observances are about educating the public about tuberculosis, paying tribute to achievers, cocktails, chocolate covered raisins, and cheesesteak sandwiches: International Day For Achievers National Cheesesteak Day National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day National Cocktail Day World Tuberculosis Day On this date in 1882 Robert Koch discovered the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. Image by  Gerd Altmann  from  Pixabay

Holidays today cover subjects like consumer rights, egg cream, the Pears Helene dessert, elderly people doing well, achieving a clearer conscience with healthier relationships, people who love peanuts, and attempting to make peaceful contact with extraterrestrial beings: World Contact Day World Consumer Rights Day True Confessions Day Peanut L overs Day National Wellderly Day National Pears Helene Day National Egg Cream Day Apparently egg cream used to be a whipped cream alternative. Today is a day to celebrate your love of peanuts with other peanut-loving friends. Photo by Bob Smith on Unsplash

Today's observations include topics like the start of the Roman New Year, a Roman rebirth/renewal goddess, the assassination of Julius Caesar, being dumbstruck, acting happy, police brutality, recognizing we're not as smart as we think, and buzzards: Act Happy Day Buzza rd Day Dumbstruck Day Everything You Think is Wrong Day Festival of Anna Perenna Ides of March International Day Against Police Brutality National Brutus Day Ancient Romans originally celebrated the Ides of March as the first new moon of the new year, and this was also the date for the rebirth/renewal goddess Anna Perenna's festival. National Brutus Day relates to a later event occurring on the Ides of March, the assassination of Julius Caesar. Everything You Think is Wrong Day - while an exaggeration - does suggest that we aren't always right about the things we think we know. Sorry to all the dumbfounded, astonished, and flabbergasted people out there, but today is all about the dumbstruck. I'm thi...

Observances today cover things like meteorology, taking diabetes seriously, one of the houses of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter books, chips and dip, melba toast, chia seeds, an asteroid that missed the Earth, rescuing/protecting bears, puppies, and kittens: Cuddly Kitten Day Diabetes Alert Day Melba Toast Day National Chia Day National Chip and Dip Day National Puppy Day Near Miss Day Ravenclaw Pride Day World Bear Day World Meteorological Day On this date in 1989 a mountain-sized asteroid came uncomfortably close to hitting Earth, inspiring Near Miss Day. Though bears are large and can be dangerous, it's also clear that we run the risk of exterminating them. Today is a day to appreciate these big lugs. Céline Chamiot-Poncet on Unsplash

Holidays today are about sustainable freshwater resources, goofing off, drawing attention to the cruelty of seal hunts, feeling young even if you're not, and Bavarian crepes: As Young As You Feel Day International Day of the Seal National Bavarian Crepes Day National Goof Off Day World Water Day Though attracting attention to seal hunting was the main inspiration behind the International Day of the Seal, I'm going to provide a non-hunting seal picture. John Dean on Unsplash