odditudes-and-weirdities

Honoring park rangers, raspberry cake, enthusiasm regarding jelly beans, cotton candy, dancing, unusual musical instruments, and mixed breed dogs are all getting our attention today: Mutt's Day National Cotton Candy Day National Dance Day National Jump for Jelly Beans Day National Raspberry Cake Day Uncommon Instruments Awareness Day World Ranger Day Some examples of uncommon musical instruments are  here . Rangers around me probably spend most of their time educating the public about how to conduct themselves in our natural environments, but it's worth remembering that in parts of the world they're engaged in armed conflicts with poachers. December 2 has a holiday very similar to Mutt's Day: National Mutt Day. Photo by Rafael Shiga on Unsplash

Today's holidays cover topics like talking to people during elevator rides, supporting public education, fathers-in-law, friendship, cheesecake, system administrators, and paperback books: Father-in-Law Day International Friendship Day National Cheesecake Day National Support Public Education Day Paperback Book Day System Administrator Appreciation Day Talk In An Elevator Day All too often people ride elevators in silence. Today is a day to try and strike up a conversation during elevator rides. Books can be pricey, and today we celebrate those somewhat less expensive relatives to hardcover books, the paperback book.

Holidays today cover subjects like rainfall in a Pennsylvania town, lipstick, lasagna, chili dogs, chicken wings, sacrificial cheese purchases, : Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day Chicken Wing Day International Tiger Day National Chili Dog Day National Lasagna Day National Lipstick Day Rain Day Waynesburg PA has been paying attention to rainfall on this date since the late 19th century, apparently due to an offhand remark by a local farmer. It doesn't sound like there's a solid theory regarding the reason for today's Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day. Purchasing cheese is pretty routine, but sacrificing it afterwards sounds less conventional. (Though I doubt this is the intent, it sorta sounds like buying a block of cheese and donating it to a food bank would meet the literal wording of the holiday.) International Tiger Day may be for tigers everywhere, but the creators hoped to save tiger territory in India. Photo by Hans-Jurgen Mager on Unsplash

Today's observances are about raising awareness of hepatitis, recognizing the contributions of a 19th century all-black Army regiment, a children's book author, hamburgers, milk chocolate, and nature conservation: Beatrix Potter Day Buffalo Soldiers Day National Hamburger Day National Milk Chocolate Day World Hepatitis Day World Nature Conservation Day Created during the Civil War and continuing on after it, the Buffalo Soldiers were a couple of all-black cavalry regiments of the US Army. They continued as separate regiments until the military integrated during WWII. Beatrix Potter , the author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and frustrated biologist (the scientific world was fairly misogynistic in her time), was born on this date in 1866. Finally, today is a day to consider how to conserve/restore our natural world. Photo by Natalia Slastnikova on Unsplash

Taking a walk with a houseplant, taking a walk with pants, hostility towards Barbie dolls, Korean War veterans, walking on stilts, Scotch whiskey, trans-Atlantic communication, and bagpipes all have ties to today's observances: Bagpipe Appreciation Day Cross Atlantic Communication Day National Barbie-in-a-Blender Day National Crème Brûlée Day National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day National Scotch Day National Sleepy Head Day Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day Take Your Pants for a Walk Day Walk on Stilts Day I have to wonder if Take Your Pants for a Walk Day is a corruption of Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. In Finland the last person to wake up on National Sleepy Head Day is believed to be heading to a year of being lazy and non-productive. On the anniversary of the 1953 Korean War Armistice, we honor the veterans of that war. On this date in 1866 the first sustained trans-Atlantic telegraph cable was functional, greatly improving communication between Europe and North

Advocating for world peace, increasing opportunities for the disabled, aunts/uncles, taking chances, bagels, and coffee milkshakes are topics for today's holidays: All or Nothing Day Aunt and Uncles Day Disability Independence Day National Bagelfest National Coffee Milkshake Day One Voice Day On One Voice Day people are supposed to recite the Universal Peace Covenant. The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed on this date in 1990. All or Nothing Day is about taking chances rather than playing it safe. A coffee milkshake and bagels sounds filling, but still appealing. Photo by Mae Mu on Unsplash

Observances today are about things like navigating a tricky maneuver, invisible illnesses, parents, maternal figures who are not parents, peace, merry-go-rounds, better living through hypnosis, culinarians, wine/cheese combinations, and hot fudge sundaes: Auntie’s Day Culinarians Day Day Out of Time Day Health and Happiness with Hypnosis Day National Hot Fudge Sundae Day National Merry-Go-Round Day National Parents Day National Wine and Cheese Day Red Shoe Day Thread the Needle Day Auntie's Day supports a very broad definition of aunt whereby pretty much any woman who cares about children who aren't her own can be recognized/honored today. Red Shoe Day is a day to remember those who suffered with illnesses that weren't apparent to others. The Day Out of Time Day holiday is sorta about peace and sorta about a moon-based astrology calendar. William Schneider was awarded a patent for the first modern carousel on this date in 1871. Photo by Melanie Vaz on Unsplash

Holidays today cover concepts like the American cowboy, Mormon pioneers, drive-thru businesses, cousins, old jokes, tequila, and an early woman aviator: Amelia Earhart Day Cousin's Day National Drive-Thru Day National Tell an Old Joke Day National Tequila Day Pioneer Day The National Day of the American Cowboy Though Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone might come to mind when thinking about pioneers, today's Pioneer Day is about Brigham Young and his fellow Mormons getting to Utah in 1847. On this date in 1897 aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart was born. By NASA on The Commons - Amelia Earhart, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51432963

Today's observations pertain to subjects like dry eyes, skipping over uninteresting parts of a story/discussion, inquiring about the weather, attractive grandmothers, vanilla ice cream, Native American full moon names, and Batman: Buck Moon aka Feather Moulting Moon aka Salmon Moon aka Berry Moon aka Moon When the Chokecherries are Ripe aka Moon of the Ripe Corn aka Raspberry Moon aka Thunder Moon aka Halfway Summer Moon Batman Day Gorgeous Grandma Day Hot Enough for Ya Day International Yada, Yada, Yada Day National Vanilla Ice Cream Day World Sjögren's Day Rather than being boring, today is a day to use the "yada yada yada" phrase to fast forward over unimportant/uninteresting parts of a story/discussion. I suspect that this summer is already "hot enough" for most people in the US. Batman has been protecting us from strangely-named villains for 82 years now.  "Batman"   by  kevin dooley  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0

Holidays today cover topics like summer leisure activities, getting a larger-than-equal share of something, hammocks, the Pied Piper legend, a variety of slips of the tongue, penuche, and the number pi: Hammock Day Lion's Share Day National Penuche Day Pi Approximation Day Ratcatcher's Day Spoonerism Day Summer Leisure Day Ratcatcher's Day relates to the legend of the  Pied Piper of Hamelin . Today's holiday corresponds to the date for the Pied Piper given in a  Robert Browning  poem; another version of the holiday is celebrated on June 26, which corresponds to the date for the Pied Piper given in a  Brothers Grimm  story. Summer Leisure Day may not be as leisurely as the name implies; it advocates for engaging in forms of play more than resting. (Don't expect to use that hammock.) Spoonerisms are slips of the tongue like "tips of the slongue" ... if "slongue" was a word. Basically you switch the consonant sounds of nearby words. A common approxi

Today's holidays are about stuff like the anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial, a national minimum age for purchasing alcohol, bringing the likeness of a favorite poet in to work with you, tug-of-war contests, junk food in general, hot dogs in particular, and inviting an extraterrestrial to reside in your home: Invite an Alien to Live with You Day National Hot Dog Day National Junk Food Day National Legal Drinking Age Day National Tug-Of-War Day Take a Monkey to Lunch Day Take Your Poet to Work Day I have to admit to changing my mind about tug-of-war contests. When I was young I thought they were a pretty cool display of strength/toughness, but it sounds like they may cause more injuries than they're worth. The National Minimum Drinking Age Act was signed on this date in 1984. Invite an Alien to Live With You Day is celebrated on the birthday of the late actor/comedian  Robin Williams , who played an alien on the Mork and Mindy TV show. Take a Monkey to Lunch Day is held on t

Holidays today cover subjects like ugly trucks, friendship, lollipops, fortune cookies, the first Moon landing, and chess: Chess Day Día del Amigo Fortune Cookie Day Lollipop Day Moon Day Ugly Truck Day Another Fortune Cookie Day is celebrated on September 13. On this date in 1969, the first humans (Apollo 11 crew) landed on the Moon. Neil Armstrong, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The childish gesture of sticking out your tongue, being forgiven for transgressions, flight attendant's role in airline safety, hugging your children, cake, rum-based cocktails, rewarding a happy marriage, and the ocean are on our holiday schedule today: Flight Attendant Safety Professionals' Day Flitch Day Global Hug Your Kids Day Marine Day National Daiquiri Day National Get Out of the Dog House Day National Raspberry Cake Day Stick Out Your Tongue Day Being in the doghouse is a phrase implying that someone, especially a spouse, is treating you badly because they blame you for something. So getting out of the doghouse is a day when people are supposed to let bygones be bygones. A flitch is a half of a pig, and it's an old English reward given to a happily married couple. Marine Day isn't about a branch of the armed services. It's a day to thank the ocean for its bounty. Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash

Listening, being inspired by the life of Nelson Mandela, extreme vehicles, caviar, and ice cream all relate to today's holidays: Extreme Vehicle Day Mandela Day National Caviar Day National Ice Cream Day World Listening Day World Listening Day is about various ways of listening, whether it's attempting to decipher messages from the environment, questioning our attitudes, or even learning about the sounds around us that are outside our hearing range. You might think that your dune buggy or pickup truck is extreme in being able to function off-road, but Extreme Vehicle Day is about vehicles much more extreme than that. Think about space vehicles and deep sea vehicles instead. Mandela Day - named after South African activist Nelson Mandela - is about inspiring change and becoming an active citizen in your community. Photo by Igor Eberling on Unsplash

Going in the wrong direction, international justice, emojis, 1940s station wagons partly made from wood, tattoos, peach ice cream, getting over regrets, and the number 17 have ties to today's holidays: National Tattoo Day National Woodie Wagon Day Peach Ice Cream Day Toss Away the "Could Haves" and "Should Haves" Day World Day for International Justice World Emoji Day Wrong Way Day Yellow Pig Day On this date in 1938 Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan began his trans-Atlantic flight from New York. The only problem was that his flight plan was to fly to California instead. While pondering the combination of ways to represent 17 (like the sum of the first 4 primes (2+3+5+7) and the sum of powers of 4 (4^0 + 4^2)), a bunch of mathematicians from Princeton hypothesized a yellow pig with 17 teeth, 17 toes, 17 tails, etc. And eventually a holiday evolved from this theoretical yellow pig. "#SillyHoliday Yellow Pig Day"   by  Tatiana Mik  is licensed under

Talking to telemarketers, personal chefs, corn fritters, fresh spinach, guinea pigs, and snakes comprise today's observances: Atomic Bomb Day Guinea Pig Appreciation Day National Corn Fritter Day National Fresh Spinac h Day National Personal Chef's Day Talk to a Telemarketer Day World Snake Day A similar Personal Chef Day is celebrated on February 26. Another potential name for this holiday would probably be Things I Cannot Afford Day. On this date in 1945 a test of a Manhattan Project atomic bomb was successful. Guinea pigs are content to share a holiday date with snakes, though they'd prefer not to share a cage with them. Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Today's holidays are about learning to understand your customers, predicting British weather, tapioca pudding, Gummi Worms, feeling affection for horses, respecting Canada, and dorkiness: Be a Dork Day Get to Know Your Customer Day Gummi Worm Day I Love Horses Day National Respect Canada Day St. Swithin's Day Tapioca Pudding Day In Britain they can predict the weather due to St Swithin, the weather saint. On his day, whatever the weather is like, the weather is supposed to stay the same for the next 40 days. (Some of this might be predictable; if it's hot today, it'll probably be hot during much of the summer.) Some people struggle to embrace their inner dork. For those with questionable social skills, unusual interests, and unorthodox fashion tastes, we can do this quite easily. Today is a day to respect our northern neighbors, the Canadians. Photo by Pam Menegakis on Unsplash

The Storming of the Bastille, the ancient Egyptian New Year, nudity, pandemonium, the Grand Marnier liquor, tape measures, chimpanzees, sharks, and orcas: Bastille Day Festival of Wepet Renpet National Grand Marnier Day National Nude Day Pandemonium Day Shark Awareness Day Tape Measure Day World Chimpanzee Day World Orca Day   There seems to be another Pandemonium Day on February 28th. (Pandemonium is another thing that you could argue shouldn't be celebrated.) On this date in 1789, the  Bastille was stormed , a landmark event of the  French Revolution . Today we celebrate animals that have things in common with humans. Sharks (at least some of them), orcas, and humans are all apex predators. And chimpanzees, orcas, and humans are considered among the smartest animals. Photo by NOAA on Unsplash