National Missing Children's Day – Begun in 1983, this day was created in the memory of Etan Patz, a six year old boy who disappeared on this day in 1979. He has not yet been found. Today we honor law enforcement officers who have performed above and beyond their call of duty in order to safely recover a missing child, or have helped a child who has been sexually exploited over the course of the year.
National Tap Dance Day – This is a day to celebrate tap dancing. It was created by Carol Vaughn, Nicola Daval and Linda Christensen, and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. It is also celebrated in a few other countries like Japan, Australia, India & Iceland. This day was chosen for celebrating tap dancing because it is the birthday of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.
Towel Day – This day is a tribute to late author Douglas Adams. We are to celebrate by carrying a towel everywhere we go today. Fans of Adams' book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, need no further explanation. For the rest of you, I will explain only that if you are an interstellar hitchhiker, or you want to be prepared in case you unexpectedly become one, you absolutely MUST have a towel with you at all times. If you want to know more, read this marvelous, inventive and entertaining novel.
National Wine Day - Back in February we celebrated National Drink Wine Day. Today is a little different. You don’t have to drink wine if you don’t want to...although why wouldn’t you want to? I’m joking, I know wine isn’t for everyone. But if you do enjoy wine, celebrate today by going to a local vineyard for a wine tasting. While you are there, learn a little bit about how wine is made and see if your vineyard knows anything about the history of wine.National Brown-Bag-It Day – This is a day to celebrate the simple brown bag that we all used to use to carry our lunches to school. These days we have fancier bags that keep things cold or warm, but bringing your lunch to school or work is still called brown-bagging-it. I bring my lunch nearly every day. If you don't, you might want to consider doing so at least now and then. It's healthier, depending on what you pack, and it's definitely cheaper than eating out every day.
Cookie Monster's Birthday – There’s a little confusion here with this day. Cookie Monster's birthday is really November 2nd, but the voice of Cookie Monster, Frank Oz, celebrates his birthday today. So have a cookie today in honor of the Cookie Monster's voice.
Nerd Pride Day or Geek Pride Day – This day was chosen for this particular celebration because on this day in 1977, the first Star Wars film, A New Hope, was released. The idea for today is to play up your unique geekiness or nerdiness in any way you choose.
Red Nose Day - This is a day to pick up a red clown nose from Walgreens and wear it to make people laugh. It’s all about raising money to help kids suffering from poverty. There’s a two hour comedy special this evening on NBC that will be all about fun and laughter and helping kids.
European Neighbours’ Day - Created in Paris, France in 2000, this is a festival that has spread to more than 36 countries and more than 30 million people. It’s a day to fight the European trend toward isolationism by making a simple, nice gesture to your neighbours. Invite them to a meal, and build some social bonds and friendships that will eventually stand the test of time. Any city or neighborhood who wants to participate and spread the word is welcome. The date of this day changes from year to year. This is celebrated on the last Friday in May.
Don't Fry Day – Celebrated on the Friday before Memorial Day, this is a day to think about saving your skin from the sun. Having fair skin, I have to be extra cautious about this and have turned into a sunscreen nazi, I have to admit. I time how long the kids have been in the pool and pull them out to dry off and reapply the sunscreen far more often than they like. But there are other things you should do besides applying sunscreen. See this website for more skin saving tips.
National Wig Out Day – Also celebrated on the Friday before Memorial Day, this is a day to have fun. Put on a wig and try out a new hairstyle without risking your actual hair, or put on a wig and an alter ego and pretend to be someone else today.
Heat Awareness Day – While we all have at least a few days in the summer when we find the heat unbearable, sometimes we forget that heat actually kills hundreds of people every year. It's hard to believe it, but heat kills more people than tornadoes, floods, lightning, and hurricanes combined. There are things you can do to keep yourself safe when the temperature runs too high, make sure you know what those things are and do them. The website I have referenced will help with that. Also try to keep an eye on your elderly relatives or neighbors this summer. This day is celebrated on the fourth Friday in May.
National Death Busters Day - Celebrated on the Friday before Memorial Day, this is apparently one of the most dangerous days to be on the road in a motor vehicle. So please be careful in your travels people, I don’t have very many readers of this blog and I would hate to lose a single one of you. I’m just kidding about that, but I am serious about asking you to be careful. Let’s make a goal of having everyone on the roads follow all the rules and have zero accidents in America today.
National Title Track Day - It looks like this day is celebrated on the fourth Friday of May, if that is incorrect please set me straight in the comments. Now my musical vocabulary is very limited so I am not really certain what a title track is, but from my research (which consists of web sites that assume that people know what a title track is) it seems to me that it is the song on the album (do they still call them albums?) that shares the same name as the album. So this is a day to listen to all the title tracks on all of your albums. That would be easy for me because I only have about 10, but if they mean my husband’s albums as well, that could take all day.
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