June 25, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Global Smurfs Day - Celebrated on the Saturday closest to June 25th (or on June 25th when it falls on a Saturday like this year) this is a day to celebrate those lovable blue creatures that were created by Peyo, a Belgian comic artist. Peyo was born on this day in 1928 and created the Smurfs in 1958

Leon Day - This is a day that marks the point in the year that is exactly halfway to Christmas. It is Noel spelled backwards. You may, or may not, see this celebrated by stores having Christmas sales (I really hope I don’t see this.), radio stations playing Christmas music, charity organizations asking for money, local communities having concerts, parties, or fireworks, friends and neighbors wishing you a happy Christmas 6 months early, or family members beginning to hint about what they might enjoy receiving as a Christmas gift.

World Vitiligo Day - Vitiligo is a skin disease that destroys the cells that produce melanin, which means that people with dark colored skin will gradually have larger and larger white patches on their bodies.  It is often confused with leprosy in many countries and has a huge and negative social and psychological impact.  People are suffering from this disease are frequently shunned by family and friends.  This is a day to spread awareness of the disease and factual information about its’ causes and treatment.

National Strawberry Parfait Day – I understand that Parfait is French for perfect, and that is just what this dessert is, strawberry perfection.

Day of the Seafarer - This is a day to celebrate the people of the sea.  Working on the oceans and seas is a dangerous profession but without them we wouldn’t eat fish, or be able to transport anything by water.

National Catfish Day – This day was created by President Ronald Reagan's Proclamation in 1987. This is a day to eat farm raised catfish, the farming of which has become a sizable industry in America.

Color TV Day (CBS)- On this day in 1951, CBS broadcast the very first color TV program which very few people could enjoy since nearly everyone in America who owned a TV, owned a black-and-white TV since color TV's hadn't taken off yet and wouldn't for another decade. After all, why spend more money to buy a color TV if most of the shows on it were still black-and-white. Besides, TV was still pretty new at that point and many households had just recently purchased their first one. I'm sure they didn't want to turn right around and buy a new one.

Global Beatles Day – This is a day to celebrate the Beatles and the gifts they gave to the world because of their promotion of peace and love and the expansion of the human consciousness. They started a wave of global changes in fashion and art, among other things. This day was chosen to honor the first live global television broadcast of “All You Need Is Love” by John Lennon which occurred back in 1967 on this very day.

Great American Backyard Campout – On this day, thousands of Americans will gather in backyards all over the country to have their very own campout. Experience the outdoors without having to travel too far. This is a great option for people with young children who don't want to get too far away from indoor plumbing or who think their young children will not be able to last a whole night outside. This day is celebrated on the last Saturday in June every year.

Bartender and Mixologist Day - This is a day that is also celebrated on the last Saturday in June and is a day to celebrate the people who mix up our drinks. They take perfectly normal ingredients and mix them in all kinds of crazy ways into things that we then decide to drink. It is debateable if all of it is actually tasty or if people are just really, really weird. But since most people don’t have the recipe for many of their favorite drink concoctions memorized, this is the day to thank the people who do, and maybe give them a little bit nicer tip than usual.

International Ragweed Day - Ragweed is an invasive weed that many people are allergic to in some form or other. This day is celebrated on the first Saturday of the summer and was created by the International Ragweed Society on the suggestion of Prof. Dr. Kristof Nekam and Dr. Tamas Komives. I think that the main goal of celebrating this day is to work on reducing the number of ragweeds in the world. Dig it up people, bag it so it can’t propagate, and throw it away.

ARRL ( American Radio Relay League) Field Day – The most popular on-the-air event in the US and Canada. Celebrated on the fourth weekend of June every year by more than 35,000 ham radio enthusiasts and their clubs. Some celebrate with a contest, others by practicing emergency radio drills, still others with picnics and campouts.