Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to October 17, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate second chances and noodling around. A mulligan is a do over or a chance to hit the reset button. In golf it’s a term that means taking a second shot if things don’t go according to plan. No one is exactly sure which Mulligan gave us this term whether it was David Mulligan from Canada, John “Buddy” Mulligan from New Jersey...

Welcome to October 16, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate sweet rewards and healthy competition. National Sweetest Day encourages everyone to be generous even in the smallest ways. From its inception as Candy Day in 1916, this day reminds us that even small tokens improve the lives of those around us. And if you’re so inclined you can spread this sweetness around during the rest...

Welcome to October 15, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate love at first sight and bringing back that squeaky feeling. If your life ever feels like an episode of Job Switching, where Lucy has to beat the conveyor belt of candy by hiding them in her mouth, chances are you’ve already fallen in love with Lucy. This iconic tv show first aired on October 15, 1951 and for audiences it...

Welcome to October 14, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate rich desserts and crafty critters. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the most expensive dessert in the world is the Frrrozen Haute Chocolate ice cream sundae from the restaurant Serendipity 3. This frozen dessert is made with a blend of the priceless cocoas and 23 karat gold flakes. It’s served in a goblet l...

Welcome to October 13, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate digging up history and our Nation’s fighting spirit. In 1676, a giant leg bone was unearthed in England. Scientists didn’t know what it was, or where it came from, but they examined it and decided that it had come from—a giant. They were partially right. While they were envisioning a human-like, fairytale giant, it was ac...

Welcome to October 12, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a Southern melting pot and those who work the land. When we think of gumbo, the hearty stew of seasoned vegetables and seafood or meat, we immediately think of Southern cooking. For this we can thank it’s older West African roots that blended with Native American and European traditions to create a culinary classic. Tradi...

Welcome to October 11, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate kicking butt and an uncommon hero. If you’re running low on motivation these days, you’re not alone. Most of us think that successful people have some extra luck, but the truth is, they’re just people who pushed past the failure. Milton Hershey worked in a candy factory, but when he tried to make it on his own he failed –...

Welcome to October 10, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a walk in the park and the food of angels. How close is your closest park? You may not be aware of it, but on October 10, 2017 the Trust for Public Land launched the 10-Minute Walk Campaign. This movement calls on mayors across the country to ensure that people who live in cities have access to a quality park within a 10...

Welcome to October 9, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a soft spot for wool and a warm spot in the Cold War. In 1974, the sci-fi classic Doctor Who cast a new actor in the lead role. Costume designer James Acheson was given the task of creating a unique look for the Doctor. He thought the costume should have a scarf and he asked his friend Begonia Pope to knit one. Acheson dro...

Welcome to October 8, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a long standing game and a fluffy bite of history. In 1990, a group of friends, who called themselves the Tag Brothers started a game of tag. And it’s still going 30 years later. They’ve kept it up with a lot of work, creativity, and a little bit of craziness. In high school, they’d run up and tag someone. But as adults, t...

Welcome to October 7, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a happy accident and the big impact of short waves. Many of us can’t get going in the morning without a cup of joe. Luckily for coffee drinkers, Dimitris Vakondios was no exception. Dimitris was a Nestle employee in Greece who really needed a caffeine fix one morning. Unfortunately, there was no hot water in the office on...

Welcome to October 6, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate reaching new heights and going a little batty. No matter how transcendent their skills, every athlete needs someone to help them achieve greater success. This is where a great coach can make all the difference. Michael Jordan was already one of the NBA’s most dynamic players before Phil Jackson became coach of the Chicago...

Welcome to October 5, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate getting funky and paying things forward. As a child growing up in Georgia, James Brown was so poor that his clothes were little more than rags. Sometimes he was sent home from school for being too dirty. So when he became a professional musician, this shaped his image. He dressed in extravagant outfits—becoming known for w...

Welcome to October 4, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a smooth drink and an explosive food. During the golden age of Hollywood, vodka was popularized by celebrities, who drank cocktails at their swanky parties. However, America’s infatuation with the Russian alcohol came under fire during the early years of the Cold War. In the 1950s, when countries like the US and England we...

Welcome to October 3, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate making an entrance and embracing our inner geek. Joseph Merlin was a famous inventor who had a flair for the dramatic. When unveiling one of his new inventions, he preferred to do so in front of an audience. When he came up with the idea for roller skates, Merlin decided to make a splash, and so he debuted his new skates a...

Welcome to October 2, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate culinary adventures and man’s best mechanical friend. No matter how crazy or inventive recipes from today’s top chefs seem to be, they’d have a hard time rivaling anything in the Libro de arte coquinaria. This 15th-Century cookbook was compiled by the chef of an Italian cardinal and is housed in the Library of Congress. So...

Welcome to October 1, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate letting our hair down and showing off our spots. What do Audrey Hepburn, The Beatles, and Jennifer Aniston have in common? Every one of them had a major impact on pop culture. And not just for their performances, but for their hairstyles. Hepburn’s starring role in Breakfast at Tiffany’s popularized the beehive. The Beatle...

Welcome to September 30th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a Fall ritual and an old school way of freshening your breath. Wassail is an old Norse expression that literally means “be you healthy” Wassailing was an old English drinking ritual of warming cider with spices and other ingredients to ensure a good harvest of cider apples for the following year. Now that’s thinking a...

Welcome to September 29th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate Veterans of Foreign Wars and an iconic buzz. The VFW was founded in 1914 by veterans of the Spanish American War and soldiers who had served in the Philippines. The group was created to secure benefits and medical treatments for the sick and wounded veterans. At the time, soldiers returning home from duty had no Veter...

Welcome to September 28th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the folks on the porch next door and putting ourselves first. In the early 1970s, National Good Neighbor Day was created by Becky Mattson of Lakeside, Montana. What began as an effort to build goodwill in our communities, became a Presidential Proclamation in 1978. Jimmy Carter said: “As our Nation struggles to build...

Welcome to September 27th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the little things that comfort the body and soul. More after the break from Anna Devere. Scarves are a wonderful way to brighten up the gloom of fall and winter as they cozy up to our necks and keep us warm. The first scarves depicted in fashion are found in ancient Egypt, where Queen Nefertiti wore a tightly woven sc...

Welcome to September 26th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate tickling the ivories and an ancient breakfast. Before the piano arrived on the scene, the most popular keyboard instrument was the harpsichord. It made beautiful music, but its volume could not be varied while playing. Composers and musicians wanted an instrument with the ability for more controlled expression. This l...

Welcome to September 25th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate spooky searches and unsung heroes. As a child Ed Warren grew up in a haunted house. His future wife, Lorraine realized that she had clairvoyant abilities. When they married, the two became world-renowned paranormal investigators, helping people with hauntings and supernatural phenomena. Among their most famous cases w...

Welcome to September 24th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate perfect punctuation and dramatic desserts. Anna: To my parents, Ayn Rand and God!!!! Marlo: Why are you yelling? Anna: I’m just reading the script! Marlo: Maybe you should dial down the exclamation points. Anna: Haha. Hilarious, Marlo. Well, today is National Punctuation Day and that first sentence opens up a big deba...

Welcome to September 23rd, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate presidential pooches and great American pie. When Richard Nixon ran as Eisenhower’s Vice President in 1952 he was accused of receiving money and gifts illegally. He told his critics that if they found that he’d done anything wrong he would return everything except a black and white Cocker Spaniel named Checkers. Even...