Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to January 12th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a spicy kiss and historical healthcare.

While there’s a one in four chance that the recessive gene for red hair will carry on in the offspring of two ginger parents, these rare beauties rarely get a fair shake. Today we tip the odds in their favor on Kiss a Ginger Day, which was founded by Derek Forgie in 2009. If you're one of the less than 2 percent that is crowned with a mane of fire, consider yourself a rock star today and celebrate with confidence this once bullied trait. Did you get bullied for having red hair, Marlo?

Marlo: No, not really, but I gave out gingerbread cookies and things. Did you get that? Gingerbread?

Anna: I did. Is that how you get all your kisses, then? By handing out cookies?

Marlo: Maybe so.

Anna: Pucker up and enjoy the ride on Kiss a Ginger Day.

Because of its busy port, Philadelphia was one of the fastest-growing cities in the American Colonies. As the population grew, so did the need for medical care. Enter Benjamin Franklin. In addition to all of his inventions and political influence, Franklin helped create America’s first public hospital along with the first hospital pharmacy. At the time, medicine was shipped in from Great Britain, so when the War of Independence began, drugs were in short supply. As a result, the role of the pharmacist became much more important. They found homeopathic remedies for their patients, which helped shape the future of medicine in the United States. On National Pharmacist Day we celebrate the men and women who continue to shape our healthcare system.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 11th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate changing things up and hidden treasures.

January is National Hobby Month and if you’ve never thought of hobbies as part of your selfcare routine this is your chance to explore what brings you a little bit of joy each day. Austin Kleon, the author of Steal Like An Artist says that hobbies are something creative that’s just for you; “something that gives but doesn’t take.” With this in mind, it’s time to try something new. Whether it’s painting, photography, exercising or crafting, making fun activities part of your daily routine will boost your mood and your overall well being. And that’s good for those around you too!

Some people treasure hunt for big money, but Carol Richards of Washington state does it to help other people. Carol and her husband David discovered an old suitcase in their garage belonging to David’s grandmother. Grandma Helen passed away in 1988 but she left a priceless collection of photographs from the early 1900s. When Carol realized how lucky it was that Helen’s photos were labeled, she decided to search for the descendants. Creating the Facebook page Helen’s Suitcase she began scanning and posting these perfect time capsules. One by one people were reunited and discovered new family ties. Carol’s favorite photo shows Helen as team captain of a girl’s basketball team and their 1911 Championship. On Heritage Treasures Day, discover the adventure that may be waiting for you in your own family relics.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 10th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the green indoors and dream vacations come true.

In 1989 NASA published a study that showed that plants may improve the air quality for indoor spaces. We all know that plants consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen as they do their photosynthesis thing, so this makes sense. But apparently some plants are better than others when it comes to this phenomenon of boosting your indoor air quality. Apparently, Boston ferns, spider plants, ficus, rubber trees and bamboo plants are more effective than other plants. You’re a big fan of talking to your plants eh, Marlo. On National Houseplant Appreciation Day, give some love to the species that helps you breathe easier.

National Shop For Travel Day was created in 2018 by the Travel Technology Association. Today it’s easier than ever before to get the scoop on planning your next big adventure. Check out apps like Hopper for monitoring airfare price drops. PackPoint lets you enter destinations, time of year and length of stay for customizing your packing list. Citymapper helps you plan the fastest route to your points of interest. And if you prefer a low tech solution, browse through the pages of Lonely Planet magazine or the good old Blue Guide books with more than a century of history to back them up. This day is all about daydreaming, which is the first step to making your virtual vacations come true.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 9th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate clearing space and reaching great heights.

Anna: Marlo, I know you don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I have a challenge for you right now, can you see the top of your desk?

Marlo: Kind of.

Anna: Well, you know I've heard this new thing about feng shui that if you're living in a messy world you're just going to feel more messy. I actually took that to heart and switched things up.

John: Okay you're officially a weirdo.

Anna: Okay but hear this out; if you look at your quadrants in your house my office is in the wealth corner and it was an absolute mess like a year ago and I'm cleaning that up and things are happening. I'm just saying.

Marlo: You have quadrants in your house?

Anna: Yeah, Yeah I could come over and read your office, Marlo...

John: They don't have Visas though, Marlo.

Marlo: That's good to know.

Anna: On National Clean Off Your Desk Day find out how much more productive you are with a little less clutter.

The first manned balloon flight in America took place on January 9, 1793. Jean Pierre Blanchard, ascended to a height of nearly 6,000 feet in a hydrogen filled balloon and then made a successful landing in New Jersey. Almost 200 years later, another aeronaut made a spectacular, but less famous flight in California. Larry Walters attached 42 weather balloons to an aluminum lawn chair, pumped them full of helium and sailed off into the air. Unfortunately, he had not planned his flight very carefully and soon found himself 16,000 feet above the ground. Walters stayed there for nearly 2 hours before he got cold and descended by popping balloons with a pellet gun. On National Balloon Ascension Day, celebrate by taking a balloon ride but please leave the piloting to the professionals.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 8th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate our mysterious universe and curious keys.

On this day in 1851 French physicist, Leon Foucault made an important discovery. As a med school dropout and amateur photographer Leon had not yet made his mark. Then on January 8th he suspended a pendulum from the ceiling of the Meridian Room of the Paris Conservatory and invited some fellow scientists to “...see the Earth turn.” As the pendulum swung through the air it traced a pattern that effectively illustrated that the Earth turns on an axis. On Earth’s Rotation Day, celebrate the mysteries of the universe that still manage to capture our imagination.

If you’ve ever looked at the top row of your keyboard, then you’ve noticed the made up word QWERTY. Turns out that the design was proprietary on purpose. The Remington company began producing typewriters based on the design of Christopher Latham Sholes, who came up with the QWERTY arrangement. When the Remington company sold the typewriters, they also held trainings on how to use them. This keyboard arrangement has been around so long that everyone just accepts it as normal. By the way, the word typewriter can be typed using only the top row of your keyboard. On World Typing Day celebrate at your own speed even if you’re in the hunt and peck lane.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 7th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate delicious imports and wobbly heads.

In the mid 16th century Nagasaki, Japan was a closed-port to most of the world, but the Portuguese were allowed to bring in Catholicism and with it, a food that they made during lent. The name tempura actually comes from the Latin quattuor anni tempora or Days of Ember when no red meat was eaten. The origins of these fritters likely came from Indian pakora, but the Japanese love for fresh foods put a lighter spin on the dish. As strange as it sounds, Japan had no tradition of frying food before this time. Today, tempura is a fundamental culinary technique that we celebrate on National Tempura Day.

Bobbleheads have been around since the 18th Century. They were brought to Europe from China, where they were known as temple nodders or nodding head figures. But the bobbleheads we treasure today, first became popular in the 1960s. That’s when sports teams began depicting their mascots and famous players like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame Museum houses the world’s largest collection and if you happen to be in Milwaukee you can drop in to see the exhibits. You could even celebrate with a custom made figure of yourself as long as you don’t let it go to your head on National Bobblehead Day.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 6th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate buttery biscuits and sneaky technology.

Originally called Biscuit Bread, these buttery, delectable cookies or “biscuits” began life in the 12th century as leftover bread dough dried out to form a hard rusk. Made famous in Scotland by French pastry chefs working for Mary, Queen of Scots, these became known as “petticoat tails”, likely due to the French name for them, petits gateaux or little cakes. Shortbread as it became known got its name from the crumbly texture via an old meaning of the word “short”, due to its high butter content. This final name was even fought for and defended by Scottish bakers in an effort to prevent having to pay a government tax on biscuits. On National Shortbread Day, enjoy this delicious “cookie” with a long history, just don’t call it a biscuit!

Ever get the feeling that your technology is spying on you? Turns out, it is, but probably not in the way you’re thinking! In the 1980s color printers were becoming popular in homes and the government was worried that people could use them to counterfeit money. Because of this, the Xerox corporation developed the Machine Identification Code to track printed documents. Using a series of practically invisible yellow dots arranged in a binary code, your documents could be traced by the time, date and printer serial number hidden on every page. This code was used successfully to track counterfeiters and the public didn’t become aware until 2004, almost 20 years later! So the next time someone talks about their phone listening to them, share this little story about their printer.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 5th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate sweet inventions and the wizards of words.

The first recipes for whipped cream date back to 1549 when they used a willow branch to beat the cream into “snow milk.” This technique lasted for the next few centuries until a clothing salesman from St. Louis changed all of that. During WWII when cream was rationed, Aaron “Bunny” Lapin began pedaling Sta-Whip, a substitute made of light cream and vegetable oil. Then in 1946 Crown Cork and Seal Company made the first seamless aerosol canister. Lapin used the technology, changed the name to Reddi-wip and with an army of milkmen to deliver it, he made a fortune in only a few short years. On National Whipped Cream Day celebrate Bunny Lapin’s birthday with a little extra on the top.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, To make a good film, you need three things, the script, the script, and the script. Without stories, we wouldn’t have TV or movies. Even if a book is used as the basis for a film, a screenwriter still needs to adapt the storyline so it works on the big screen. Unless you sit through the credits, you probably wont know who wrote the screenplays for your favorite blockbusters. This is your chance to start noticing these architects of entertainment. For homework you can check out Hitchcock's 1963 classic The Birds, which is also creepy fun for National Bird Day. Extra points if you can identify the screenwriter. On National Screenwriters Day take time to find out who is responsible for making your favorite shows especially entertaining.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 4th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate nerding out and seeing things in a different light.

If you’ve ever attended quiz night at a local pub, you know how exciting trivia can be. There’s a thrill that comes from knowing that a seemingly useless piece of information holds the key to winning a game. Even in the early days of television, trivia was all the rage. Quiz shows were so popular that when news broke about cheating on the shows, it became national news and Congress held hearings to get to the bottom of things. Celebrate National Trivia Day being a know-it-all by sharing this, or any other random facts.

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in a small French village. While playing in his parents saddle shop, he injured his eye and by age five Louis was totally blind. He learned by listening and the diligent student was enrolled in the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris. As fate would have it, a captain in Napoleon's army visited the school and taught the children Night Writing. This complex communication code used 12 dots, but young Louis believed he could make it more simple. By age 15 Louis Braille completed the 6 dot fingertip reading system with 64 characters in total. The code was adopted at Louis’s school in 1824 but a new school Director banned the Braille system in 1840, saying it would make sighted teachers obsolete. Thankfully, the world recognized the genius of Louis Braille and by 1916 his system was used in American schools for the blind. On World Braille Day, we celebrate the far reaching impact of a boy who saw things differently.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to January 3rd, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the sweet life and having the last straw.

If life is a bowl full of cherries, why not have yours dipped in chocolate? Folks in the 1700s knew what a perfect mid-winter pick me up this candy could be. In England they included kirsch or cherry liqueur. Here in the United States the treat evolved into a sweet liquid center surrounded by milk or dark chocolate. Even the National Confectioners Association has been known to recognize National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day as an annual event. But if this candy is a bit too much for your sweet tooth try any combination of cherries and chocolate in cookies, bars or cake.

You’ve heard the expression, that’s the last straw! But what about the first? The very first straws were used by ancient Sumerians for drinking beer. And because the beer barrels were too large to pass around, these long, communal drinking straws had to go the distance. The next ones were made from rye grass, which made beverages taste, well, grassy! Thanks to Marvin Stone, the paper straw replaced this kind, and folks began sipping in a more appealing way. We celebrate National Drinking Straw Day on January 3rd because that’s when Marvin received his patent in 1888. But with more than 500 million plastic straws going to waste each day, some people celebrate with new and improved ways to do their part. If you see plastic as the last straw for the environment, try paper ones or reusable straws made of metal, glass or bamboo.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices