Today we celebrate:
World Stationery Day - Celebrated on the last Wednesday of April, this day was created by someone who knows how important it is to handwrite notes and you can never have too much stationery. It was organized by the London Stationery Show.
National Telephone Day - We all know that the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. He is the one who first successfully submitted a patent. He is not the only one who was working on such a device, however. Elisha Gray submitted a patent for a telephone on the very same day that Bell did, he was just a few hours too late.
Parental Alienation and Hostile Aggressive Parenting Awareness Day - This is about recognizing that the behavior displayed by a parent, grandparent, or other relative or guardian, could create alienation between that parental figure and a child. It can cause a rift in the relationship, and can be harmful to the child both emotionally and mentally which can last for years and years.
Hairstylist Appreciation Day - This is a day to appreciate your hair stylist. Not the hair style, mind you...that day comes later in the month. But perhaps you could give your stylist a little extra tip today. They work hard to make you look good. Not to imply that it is hard work to make you look good because you are probably one of those people who look good from the moment you get up in the morning.
World Penguin Day – Who doesn't love penguins? Today is a day for the whole world to love them! Did you know that penguins are piscivorous? That means they only eat fish.
DNA Day – On this day in 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin published papers on the structure of DNA. Then, on this day in 2003, the genome project was declared as complete as it was financially able to be. The Senate and House of Representatives declared April 25, 2003 to be DNA Day, intending it to be just a one day celebration. However, several other non-governmental groups have declared it to be World DNA Day or International DNA Day, every year since then.
East Meets West Day – On this day in 1945, U.S. and Russian troops met in Germany for the first time. Some groups have turned this into a reason for having sporting events such as a team from the east of an area playing against a team from the west.
Malaria Awareness Day or World Malaria Day – Established in 2007 by the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, this day is intended to focus our awareness on the plight of all of the people who suffer from this disease. They are primarily located on the continent of Africa where 3,000 children die every day and over a million people die every year from this treatable disease. We need to spread awareness of how to control the mosquito population that spreads the disease, and how to treat it once it has been contracted.
Hug A Plumber Day or Plumbers Day – For those of us who are not handy in this area, where do we go when the toilet stops flushing or the sink leaks? That's right, you go to someone who knows what they are doing with water and pipes and such, your friendly neighborhood plumber. Give him a hug before he climbs under the sink and gets all dirty.
Red Hat Society Day – Born of the simple idea of having fun as you age, this wonderful group of ladies has only been around for 16 years and in that time they have grown in number from one to thousands all over the country. Ladies 50 and up wear red hats and purple clothes (the clashing is on purpose) and Ladies under 50 wear pink hats and lavender clothes. Founded by Sue Ellen Cooper on this day in 1998, when this day falls during the week, some chapters will celebrate on a close Saturday instead.
ANZAC Day - Celebrated in Australia and New Zealand, today we remember the landing, on this day in 1915, of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps on the Gallipoli Penninsula in Turkey during World War I. More than 11,000 men from these two countries died and 25,000 were wounded. In total, there were more than 130,000 casualties among the Allied Forces for that very long battle that lasted many months. Today, this day is used to remember all of the Australian and New Zealander veterans who have died for their country.
Robigalia - According to the Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary by Cherie D. Abbey, Robigus was one of many Roman Gods but this one has the distinction of being the God of blights on crops. The Romans didn’t know what to do about the mildew, rust and other things that would attack their crops periodically, so on this day every year, they prayed and sacrificed to Robigus hoping that he would have mercy on them.
Administrative Professionals Day or Secretary's Day – Celebrated on Wednesday of the last full week in April, this is a day to recognize the hard work of receptionists, secretaries, administrative assistants, and other administrative support personnel. Without their support, the management of almost any company would not be able to function. Other countries also have special days like this celebrated at different times of the year. Australia, for example, celebrates on the first Friday in May.
Denim Day - At first glance you might think that this day is about jeans. Well, while wearing jeans is indeed what Peace Over Violence wants you to do, the reason why is the important part. This is a day to spread awareness of the prevalence of Sexual Violence and to protest the fact that in many societies in this world it is allowed. In others, it may not be allowed, but it certainly isn’t punished as it should be. The day was begun when the Italian Supreme Court ruled against a victim because they decided that since she was wearing tight jeans, she had to have helped her rapist remove them which they said implied consent. So that is why jeans are the visual symbol of this social statement. Wear them today and remind the world that no one has the right to force any woman to do anything she doesn’t want to do. And if you don’t know if she wants to or not, ask her. Anything other than a “yes” means “NO”! This day is celebrated on the last Wednesday of April.
International Guide Dogs Day – There is some discrepancy on when this day is to be celebrated, so I could be mistaken but I believe it is on the last Wednesday of April. This is a day to celebrate the important role that guide dogs play in maintaining the independence and mobility of people with a wide range of disabilities. It started out in the late 1920's with Dorothy Eustis, who had heard about the possibility of training dogs for this purpose from a school in Pottsdam, Germany, that went out of business after World War I. She wrote an article about it which Morris Frank, a blind man from Nashville, heard about and it went from there. Mr. Frank was the first blind man to have a seeing eye dog and he went on to create a training program here in the states that is still going today. Guide dogs are such amazing creatures that can be trained to do an amazing number of things from the simple to the impressively complex. They can even detect when your sugar levels are going too high or too low so that a diabetic can fix it before it becomes a dangerous problem.
National Walk @ Lunch Day - Also celebrated on the last Wednesday of April. This is a day to encourage fitness for all people. Schools are encouraged to have their students participate, and businesses of all kinds are to encourage their employees to make the choice to get out there and walk as well. Hopefully it’s not raining in your area.
International Noise Awareness Day - Who doesn’t love to crank up the volume when jamming to Iron Maiden, Kelly Clarkson and Frank Sinatra? Don’t judge me, I have eclectic tastes. Today however is a day to raise awareness of the effect noise has on your health. We don’t usually think about it unless the police come knocking at our door telling us that the neighbors are complaining….not that that has ever happened, because of course it has not. But since we don’t usually think about it unless it comes to extremes like that or in the opposite direction with deafness, this day was created by the Center of Hearing and Communication (CHC) to be celebrated on the last Wednesday of April by taking part in in lectures from health specialists, sound specialists, and other assorted experts.
National Golf Day - Celebrated for the last 10 years, this is a day to NOT play golf. I’m sure that this news surprises you and I hope you have someone close by who knows CPR. NO GOLF TODAY. Instead, this is a day to go to Capitol Hill and TALK about golf, which is almost as fun, I’m sure. The powers that be in the golf community want to make sure that rules and regulations governing golfing are fair and appropriate so they spend some time every year discussing this with our Senators and Representatives.
National Day Of Silence – Sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, celebrated on the last Friday in April, and begun in 1996 by the students at the University of Virginia, this is a day to take a vow of silence of some kind to take a stand and make a statement against bullying, specifically against bullying the LGBTQ community. Bullying anyone for any reason is just wrong. You don't have to agree with the choices other people make, or the lifestyles they live. You can even flat out disagree with them, but no one has the right to bully, or persecute, anyone for those choices or lifestyles. On this day, if you are a student you are encouraged to inform your teachers ahead of time about your vow of silence but you must know that during classroom instruction time, if a teacher requires you to vocally participate in any way, you must do so. Some teachers, if they know ahead of time, might support your stand, but not all will and so you need to be prepared to suspend your vow of silence during classroom time. 
