Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
May 17 is National Walnut Day
Today is National Walnut Day, created in 1949 by the Walnut Marketing Board, now known as the California Walnut Board. Supposedly, in March of 1958, Senator William Knowland proposed the holiday, which President Dwight D. Eisenhower later affirmed. I spent an hour trying to confirm that. I found no such proclamation or proposal beyond publication […]
National Sea Monkey Day
Today is National Sea Monkey Day, also known as Sea-Monkey Day. In 1957, entrepreneur Harold von Braunhut noticed that desiccated brine shrimp were able to survive for extended periods of time in a suspended state known as cryptobiosis. The result was a novelty item called Instant Life that could be reconstituted and grown in water. It […]
May 15 is National Slider Day
Today is National Slider Day, created in 2015 by the marketing geniuses at White Castle. Sadly, NYC Burger Week (May 1 -7) is now defunct, but you can still celebrate your belly bombs anytime during National Hamburger Month. There’s debate about the origin of the slider. According to White Castle, In 1921, Billy Ingram launched […]
May 14 is Underground America Day
Today is Underground America Day, created in 1974 by architect Malcolm Wells. After designing the RCA Pavilion for the 1964 World’s Fair, which would be torn down only two years later, he came to the conclusion that every structure he built needlessly destroyed that which had previously lived in its footprint. He described his epiphany this […]
May 12 is National Nutty Fudge Day
Today is National Nutty Fudge Day. Where did this tasty treat originate, and how did it get its name? The creation of American-style chocolate fudge is often credited to student Emelyn Hartridge and her Vassar Fudge recipe. She later revealed in a letter, preserved in the Vassar College Archives, that she had cheated: Fudge, as I first knew […]
May 11 is National Root Canal Appreciation Day
Today is National Root Canal Appreciation Day, created in 2005 by Wisconsin dentist Chris Kammer. Dr. Kammer became known as “America’s Favorite Rock’n’Roll Dentist” in July 2004 when he performed his original rap song “Get Out the Brush” at Madison Mallards collegiate league ballpark, inspiring 5,991 baseball fans to brush their teeth simultaneously. Sadly, that […]
Mother Ocean Day
May 10, 2025: Today is the twelfth annual Mother Ocean Day. It takes place on the day before Mother’s Day and spotlights the magnificent bodies of water that make life on Earth possible. Begun in 2013 in Miami, Florida, the holiday’s goal is to bring attention to the challenges we face as a consequence of […]
May 10 is Clean Up Your Room Day
Today is Clean Up Your Room Day. Our research into this so-called holiday has failed to uncover its inventor. We’re willing to bet it was devised by a clean person to pummel a messy one. The concept of “spring cleaning” is nothing new. In the days before electricity, people burned wood for heat and used […]
May 9 is Vast Wasteland Day
Today is Vast Wasteland Day. On May 9, 1961, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Newton Norman Minow gave a speech at the National Association of Broadcasters convention, chastising television programmers for their failure to serve the public interest. First, a little backstory on Mr. Minow is in order. He was born in Milwaukee, WI, on […]
May 8 is Have a Coke Day
Today is Have a Coke Day. The first glass was sold for five cents at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, GA, on May 8, 1886. The story of one of the most popular beverages on Earth began at the end of the American Civil War. Confederate officer and Freemason John Stith Pemberton was slashed across the […]