Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
February 22 is World Thinking Day
Today is World Thinking Day. It doesn’t mean we get to lay off thinking the rest of the year. It doesn’t mean the Earth is a sentient being. What is it? Read six (very short) paragraphs to find out. In 1899, Robert Baden-Powell wrote a field manual for fellow British soldiers called Aids to Scouting. The […]
Single Tasking Day
Today is Single Tasking Day. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to do just one thing at a time, without participating in the sham called multitasking. Unlike computers, humans are not wired to work on many complex problems at once. Switching focus quickly from one thing to another can make us perceive that […]
National Handcuff Day
Today is National Handcuff Day. On February 20, 1912, George A. Carney was awarded U.S. patent number 1,017,955 for his “swinging bow ratchet-type” adjustable handcuff. Prior to Carney’s invention, there was no standard style and handcuffs were heavy and awkward to use. His lightweight design features a freely swinging arm that enables law enforcement officers to secure […]
February 19 is Prevent Plagiarism Day
Today is Prevent Plagiarism Day, created by freelance writer, columnist and “Queen of Holidays” Jace Shoemaker-Galloway to call attention to the rampant problem of high-tech theft of words, images and ideas that is all too easy in the Internet age. When does copying and pasting from a source constitute plagiarism? The Harvard College Writing Program’s guidelines help students define […]
February 18 is Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day
Today is Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day. This self-explanatory holiday commemorates the first documented flight of a cow. (It’s possible one snuck aboard an earlier flight disguised as a businessman but we can’t confirm it.) On February 18, 1930, a cow known as Nellie Jay to locals in Bismarck, MO (then Elm Farm […]
National Champion Crab Races Day
Today is National Champion Crab Races Day. How did it get its start? “There’s only one Kentucky Derby, there’s only one Indy 500, and there’s only one crab race – the NCRA.” So says Jim Morgan, who founded the National Crab Racing Association (NCRA) in 1979. His first act was to appoint himself “Commissioner for Life,” […]
Do a Grouch a Favor Day
Today is Do a Grouch a Favor Day. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary gives this definition of grouch: Noun /ˈgrau̇ch/: A habitually irritable or complaining person Origin: probably alteration of grutch grudge; from Middle English grucche, grugge, from grucchen First Known Use: circa 1895 Synonyms: bear, bellyacher, complainer, crab, crank, croaker, crosspatch, curmudgeon,fusser, griper, grouser, growler, grumbler, grump, murmurer, mutterer, sourpuss, whiner […]
February 15 is Susan B. Anthony Day
Today is Susan B. Anthony Day. Susan Brownell Anthony, born February 15, 1820, was an American abolitionist and feminist who fought for women’s rights, including the right to vote, until her death in 1906. The only weird thing about this holiday is that it is officially observed in only five states: Wisconsin, Florida, West Virginia, New York, […]
February 14 is National Ferris Wheel Day
Today is National Ferris Wheel Day, a holiday that celebrates the birth of George Washington Gale Ferris on February 14, 1859. At age 33, he designed the first Ferris Wheel, which was introduced at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The exhibition was also known as the Chicago World’s Fair and commemorated the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ […]
February 13 is Get a Different Name Day
Today is Get a Different Name Day. Why did Ruth and Tom Roy of Wellcat create this holiday? “For the pity of millions of us who hate our birth names. On this day, we may change our names to whatever we wish and have the right to expect colleagues, family and friends to so address us.” […]