Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
October 21 is Back to the Future Day
“We’re descending toward Hill Valley, California, at 4:29 pm, on Wednesday, October 21st, 2015.” Fire up the DeLorean and put the pedal to the metal. You’ll need 1.21 gigawatts of power at 88 miles per hour to get back to the future or, in this case, the past. Today is Back to the Future Day. In the second […]
October 20 is Information Overload Day
Today is Information Overload Day. Why? Here’s a hint. In April 2016, Statista published a study regarding media usage. In it, the company reported that U.S. adults spent an average of just over twelve hours per day consuming media on their televisions, mobile phones, tablets and computer screens, among other sources—sometimes simultaneously. In it, the statistics company […]
October 18 is World Menopause Day
For women dealing with menopause, every day is World Menopause Day. The International Menopause Society (IMS), creator of the holiday, attempts to make it fun by choosing a new theme each year. It’s a little like the prom: full of sweaty, uncomfortable seniors driven crazy by hormones. “What Comes to Mind: Menopause and the Aging […]
October 12 is International Top Spinning Day
Today is International Top Spinning Day, created in 2003 by the Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum of Burlington, WI, to celebrate one of the oldest toys in the world. It always takes place on the second Wednesday of October. The earliest known tops, constructed of clay, date back to around 3500 BC. Archaeologists discovered them […]
Columbus Day
Columbus Day might not seem to qualify as a weird holiday, but why not take a closer look? Why do we celebrate the second Monday in October every year? How did this become a federal holiday in 1968? A Congressional Research Service report entitled Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application explains: By commemorating Christopher Columbus’s remarkable voyage, the […]
September 26 is Presidential Debate Day
Today is Presidential Debate Day. It commemorates the first televised debate, which aired on September 26, 1960, and changed the way American citizens select their leaders. Democratic senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon met in a Chicago studio to debate domestic policies. Kennedy, telegenic and seemingly at ease in front of […]
September 23 is Checkers Day
Today is Checkers Day, also known as National Dogs in Politics Day. On September 23, 1952, Senator Richard M. Nixon addressed the nation to dispute allegations he had taken $18,000 from a secret campaign slush fund. His speech became known as the Checkers Speech because of his reference to the family dog. General Dwight D. Eisenhower […]
September 22 is Hobbit Day
Today is Hobbit Day, the longest-running holiday celebrated by fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth Cycle books, The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings. It originated in 1973 after Tolkien’s death on September 2 of that year. It honors the birthdays of characters Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, which occurred on the same date in 2890 […]
September 21 is Miniature Golf Day
Today is Miniature Golf Day. The first miniature course was created in 1867 on the grounds of St. Andrews Links in Scotland. Legendary golfer Thomas “Old Tom” Norris laid out the nine-hole course over land that frequently flooded and was riddled with rabbit holes. The course was designed for the newly-formed St. Andrews Ladies’ Putting […]
International Eat an Apple Day
Today is International Eat an Apple Day, celebrated on the third Saturday of September. So, eat an apple. That is all.