June 30, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Social Media Day - This is a day that was begun in 2010 in order to recognize the tremendous impact social media has had on communication around the world. Thanks to social media, we can find out what is going on in the world almost instantly. It also has a downside because pictures or events that you don’t necessarily want to be public can also travel around the world in a matter of moments.

National Meteor Day – Keep your eyes open for meteors tonight. You never know when you're going to see one. Sometimes astronomers can give us a heads up when we will get a meteor shower, but even if there is no shower expected, you could still see a stray meteor. These are also known as shooting stars.

National Handshake Day – Celebrated on the last Thursday in June, this is a day for an old fashioned hand shake. No fist bumps or high fives or crazy secret handshake routines. No sir, people have been shaking hands for centuries. There was a time when a handshake was as good as a signed contract. People shake hands to say hello and to say goodbye, and to offer congratulations. You may be thinking that you are experiencing some deja vu today because we just had a Handshake Day back on the 21st, but that was a worldwide event. This day is only for the United States to celebrate. The rest of the world can just put their hands back in their pockets today. Unless you want to come over here and shake our hands, because that would be perfectly acceptable.

National Bomb Pop Day – Bomb Pops are a frozen Popsicle type of dessert that is made by Blue Bunny. They were invented in 1955 by James Merritt and D.S. Abernethy in Missouri. They even have a sugar free variety so unless you are allergic to one of the ingredients, you have no reason to not get them for your family today. This day is celebrated on the last Thursday in June.

Asteroid Day - This is a day to do whatever we can to protect our planet and our people from asteroid impacts. It is held on the anniversary of the 1908 asteroid impact in Siberian Tunguska, which is the largest impact in what scientists call “recent history”. It isn’t so recent that I remember it, even though my children have, on multiple occasions, suggested that I should be old enough.

Leap Second Time Adjustment Day – This is a day to make a one second adjustment to our time in order to stay close to the average solar time. Apparently our daily rotation is not exactly 24 hours but is a fraction of a second longer. Therefore, every now and then, at the end of June or December, we need to add a second to the clock so that we don't eventually have days when midnight comes sometime in the afternoon. There are scientists whose job it is to track the Earth’s rotation and they have told us that we do not have to add any seconds this time. The last time a second was added was June 2015.

NOW Day (National Organization for Women) – Founded on this day in 1966, by 28 women, this organization is about fighting for equality for women in all aspects of life.

Roswell UFO Days – The first day of a four day festival. At this festival, the City of Roswell tells the Universe that if they are looking for a place to crash, Roswell is ready to receive them. UFO experts, enthusiasts and skeptics are invited to Roswell to celebrate “one of the most debated incidents in history.”