Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
June 4 is Old Maid’s Day
Today is Old Maid’s Day. It all began in Denton, TX, when Dorothy Babb, a Latin professor at North Texas State College (NTSC) jokingly complained she was sick of spending money on gifts for weddings, baby showers and Mother’s Day when, as a single woman, she only received presents at Christmas. The school’s news director wrote […]
June 3 is Repeat Day
Today is Repeat Day, an unofficial holiday of unknown provenance that celebrates the do-over. But does it imply that we must reenact this moment exactly as it is, in excruciating detail? Can we achieve that level of granularity or even comprehend it? If we are able and willing to participate in this endeavor, must we start right now? (If so, must we keep […]
National Doughnut Day
Today is National Doughnut Day, also known as National Donut Day, celebrated in the U.S. on the first Friday of June. In 1938, the Chicago chapter of the Salvation Army, an international charitable organization, held the first Doughnut Day event to raise funds for the needy during the Great Depression while honoring the women who […]
International Sex Workers Day
Today is International Sex Workers Day, known in some countries as International Whores’ Day. On June 2, 1975, approximately one hundred prostitutes in Lyon, France, took over the Saint-Nizier Roman Catholic church to protest dangerous working conditions. While police harshly punished prostitutes, their johns were allowed to go free. They, along with the French government, […]
Heimlich Maneuver Day
June 1st is Heimlich Maneuver Day. In 1974, the journal Emergency Medicine published Dr. Henry Heimlich’s invention of a method to combat choking that has saved countless lives. At the time, a series of blows to the back was the treatment of choice. Thoracic surgeon Heimlich set out to find a better way. He realized that […]
May 31 is Speak in Complete Sentences Day
Today is Speak in Complete Sentences Day. Celebrating this holiday may prove more difficult than you’d think. The advent of text and email messages has led to an economy of words and a profusion of symbols, acronyms and slang. Sentence structure has been sacrificed on the altar of expediency. Emojis and acronyms are quick, convenient ways to […]
May 30 is Water a Flower Day
Today is Water a Flower Day. We don’t know who started this day of observance, but we’re hoping that you won’t play favorites and show all your plants some love. Dictionary.com defines a flower as: 1. the blossom of a plant 2. Botany. a. the part of a seed plant comprising the reproductive organs and their […]
May 29 is Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day
Today is Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day, a new take on an old tradition. Although we can find no origin for the practice, legend has it that at the turn of the 20th century, people in Europe and the U.S. placed a piece of cloth in their larders, cool spaces where they stored […]
May 27 is National Grape Popsicle Day
Today is National Grape Popsicle Day. In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson was sitting on his porch, stirring powdered drink mix into water, when he was called inside and forgot to bring the cup with him. His hometown of San Francisco, CA, was hit with record low temperatures that night. When Epperson ventured outside the next morning, […]
May 26 is Sally Ride Day
Today is Sally Ride Day. It celebrates the achievements of the astronaut, astrophysicist, engineer, philanthropist and author best known as the first American woman to travel to space. Today’s date honors her birthday on May 26, 1951. Women weren’t considered for America’s space program until 1978. Ride was selected from the first group to apply after NASA announced […]