Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to December 13, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate fancy fiddles and the convenience of cocoa.

Antonio Stradivari crafted about 1,100 stringed instruments during his lifetime. Today, they are amongst the most rare and valuable but none more so than The Messiah. This violin built in 1716 has the quality of being nearly new, though perhaps it’s because no one is allowed to play it. Valued at over 20 million dollars, The Messiah was reportedly played in a London shop by Nathan Milstein in the 19th century. He described it as an unforgettable experience. Today the instrument resides in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford as a shining example for repairing other Strads. Though the jury is out on which instruments produce the sweetest sound, celebrate National Violin Day, with your own appreciation of the classics.

Thousands of years ago the process of making hot chocolate was long and tedious. Aztecs roasted the fruit of the cacao tree and ground it with water, chilies and sometimes corn. The drink was prized for its effects and soldiers even drank several cups before battle. Though the recipe changed over the years, the tradition carried on and hot cocoa was even given to troops during the Revolutionary War as medicine and wages. Thanks to a Dutch chemist who separated out the cocoa butter, the powder could be mixed for a handy, packable drink. On National Hot Cocoa Day, celebrate this cold weather fix with some whipped cream or marshmallows.

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

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Welcome to December 12, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate two holiday favorites and how to extend the season.

The cheerful red poinsettia plant was first brought to the United States from Mexico by botanist Joel Roberts Poinsett in 1825. Today poinsettias range in color from blue to golden orange, though this is not always natural. These plants are often sprayed with paint and even glitter, which doesn’t help them live long past Christmas. So how has Ingrid from Missouri kept one poinsettia alive for more than 10 years? Her secret is to prune back the bracts or colored leaves in February or March. She then allows the plant 10 hours of natural light followed by darkness for the rest of the day. Her plant blooms season after season in a mixture of red and white. On National Poinsettia Day we celebrate the beautiful symbol of the season that can truly last all year.

The first gingerbread was often used in religious ceremonies thanks to the Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis. In 992 AD, he taught French Christians the art of molding his favorite food into the figures of saints. But when the Brothers Grimm told the tale of Hansel and Gretel and their fateful visit to a gingerbread house, German guilds began crafting the sturdy dough into candy-covered cottages. Perhaps they devised this story to keep hungry children from sneaking a bite of this holiday treat. Today there is no better way to invite the spirit of the season into your home than by baking up this treat. On National Gingerbread House Day build your own festive villages and celebrate the sweet, spicy scent of this holiday tradition.

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

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Welcome to December 11, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate stretching our limits and staying connected.

You may have heard that the key to a long life includes a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. While experts don’t agree on what to eat one thing holds true: a quality life includes movement. If you need a little motivation, look no further than Swami Sivananda, the oldest living yoga practitioner currently on the planet. At age 126, Sivananda still manages to stretch for hours at a time without any assistance. He is free from any medical conditions and even finds time to give service to those less fortunate than himself. You may not feel that stretchy these days, but have no fear. Practitioner assisted-stretching is on the rise and may hold the key to some serious health benefits. On National Stretching Day, open your mind to what is truly possible.

In 1997, the Nokia 6110 phone introduced a simple arcade game called Snake, which is considered by many to be the first mobile app. Almost 10 years later the iPhone was released and with it, users could access nearly 500 apps. Today there are millions of apps available for purchase and its estimated that more than 935 billion dollars will be generated in app sales by 2023. From navigation to learning and even performing surgery, apps have transformed our everyday lives. While they’ve come a long way from that first game of Snake, they are still used to entertain us and keep us in touch with family and friends. On National App Day, celebrate the convenience of your favorite apps by sharing them with those you love.

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

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Welcome to December 10, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate with a toast to Summer and those who change the world.

Lagers are distinguished from other beers by their cold-conditioning process. They are made with “bottom-fermenting” yeast that can develop at colder temperatures. Before the advent of refrigeration, brewers perfected this process in cellars dug into the ground that were filled with ice. The delicious results are often described as “crisp” and “refreshing.” With so many choices from pale, amber or dark to several craft varieties, you will likely add lager to your list of favorite things. On National Lager Day, grab your friends and celebrate the midwinter season with the taste of Summer.

At the age of 17, Alfred Nobel spoke five languages fluently. This was only the beginning of the young man’s accomplishments. Through the course of his life, Nobel amassed a fortune from his 87 businesses and 355 patents worldwide, including the patent for dynamite. In his third and last will, Nobel stated that the money should be given away to those who had done their best to benefit mankind. Each annual prize would recognize the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. Though it took nearly five years after his passing, the Nobel Committee has awarded these prizes every year since 1901. On Nobel Prize Day, we celebrate the generosity of Alfred Nobel and those who continue to make the world a better place.

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

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Welcome to December 9, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate popular posts and the first celebrity chef.

Sending a card during the holiday season hasn’t always been a tradition. In Victorian England, sending Penny Post was inexpensive and frequent. It was also considered rude to ignore a written message. One Englishman invented the holiday card out of necessity. Sir Henry Cole received frequent letters, which left him little time for other responsibilities. In 1843, he asked his friend J.C. Horsley to illustrate a design that he had in mind. Soon he was off to the printer and mailed the first Christmas card through the Penny Post to friends, family and acquaintances. Do you guys send cards? On Christmas Card Day, celebrate your own tradition of staying in touch with family and friends.

Pastry dough dates back to the ancient Mediterranean when it was rolled paper thin and baked into baklava. The Crusaders brought it to Europe where it became a versatile base for pies and pasties. But the variety of pastries we enjoy today is thanks to a French chef with a true rags to riches story. Antonin Careme grew up poor, but his baking career took off at age 15 when his larger than life creations reached the table of Napoleon Bonaparte. From there he served the royalty of Europe with his cream puffs, Danishes, quiches and tarts and became one of the very first celebrity chefs. On National Pastry Day we celebrate this rich dessert and the kid who shaped his future with it.

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

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Welcome to December 8, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate bending time and dessert on the go.

I always wish I had the nerve to celebrate Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day. This National Day began with a blog post in 2007, inviting participants to create a character from the future or past and to dress as that character for an entire day. How about you guys, would you choose to go to the future or past? On Pretend To Be A Time Traveler Day have fun baffling those around with your own version of Cosplay.

There are many versions of the origin story for brownies. Some say it was a forgetful chef who left the flour out of his batter by mistake. Another account tells of a home chef who improvised, when she discovered she had no baking powder for her cake. But an earlier version of the story starts with Bertha Palmer, an American socialite. Bertha wanted a special dessert that would fit neatly into a boxed lunch for her friends attending the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Her husband owned the Palmer House hotel and one of the chefs there devised the perfect cake-like dessert that could be eaten by hand. This same recipe is served by the Parker House hotel to this day, so it must be tasty. On National Brownie Day celebrate with your own favorite version.

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

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Welcome to December 7, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a sweet silver lining and remember the day that will live in infamy.

This treat is known in the Netherlands as “sugar spider.” The French call it papas beard. In Australia, it’s known as fairy floss. But here in the United States, we call it cotton candy. The treat was invented in 1897 by William Morrison and John C. Wharton, who unveiled their creation at the 1904 World’s Fair. Since then, children everywhere can be seen eating cotton candy at any fair or amusement park. The original inventors made a lot of money selling nearly 68,000 boxes of the treat for 25 cents a piece. But William Morrison undoubtedly made even more money than his partner because Morrison was a dentist. On National Cotton Candy Day, celebrate your own sweet tooth, just be sure to brush afterwards!

On this day in 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the Naval Station Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. The ambush was designed to destroy our U.S. Pacific Fleet. Up until this time the United States had remained neutral but on November 8th President Roosevelt announced the beginning of our military involvement in World War II. Today, the USS Arizona lies beneath the surface of gentle waves. More than 3,500 Americans lost their lives or were wounded that day and the site has become sacred to the souls of all those affected by this loss. On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day we display our nation’s flag at half mast until sunset and remember the day that will live in infamy.

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

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Welcome to December 6, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate good old St. Nick and shortwave miracles.

Saint Nicholas was born around 280 AD in modern day Turkey. His parents died when Nicholas was very young, leaving him with a large inheritance. Out of tragedy was born his generous spirit. Nicholas grew up to be a bishop and was known for his generosity and kindness, especially toward children and the poor. Even after he passed away, his legend grew. Children who left their shoes out by the fire would awake to find money or candy inside and this inspired the tradition of leaving out stockings for Santa. On St. Nicholas Day, celebrate the man who inspired the spirit of giving and discover how fun it still is to give gifts “just because.”

In 1945, Percy Spencer, a self taught engineer from Howland, Maine was working on an active radar set when he noticed something strange. A chocolate bar in his pocket had started to melt. The idea for dielectric cooking with a shortwave transmitter had already been demonstrated by Westinghouse at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Spencer picked a winner, however, when he tried his hand at cooking something irresistible with this method, popcorn. Raytheon filed a United States patent for Spencer’s microwave cooking process and by 1947 the first commercially available microwave oven was built. On National Microwave Oven Day, we still love celebrating with something delicious like popcorn.

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

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Welcome to December 5, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the rebel spirit and hidden warriors.

The controversial 18th Amendment banning the production, transport and sale of alcohol sparked a revolution. In the early 1800s, groups such as the Prohibition Party and the Anti Saloon League believed that drinking was the root of all evil. They pushed to eradicate it altogether and by 1919 the 18th Amendment was ratified. But this didn’t ban folks from drinking, and enforcing the law became expensive during the Roaring Twenties. Speakeasies flourished and the terms “gangster” and “moonshine” reached their peak. Though the experiment had good intentions, National Repeal Day has been celebrated since December 5th, 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified and Prohibition officially ended. Even Al Capone celebrated from his prison cell.

When we envision what a ninja looks like, it’s typically a person dressed all in black, carrying a sword and throwing stars. But that’s not exactly true. While they did carry these types of weapons, ninjas did not wear black. It turns out that the most effective color for a ninja to wear is actually navy blue, because at night, black clothing will stand out more than blue. If you would like to see for yourself, check with the Ninja Museum in Japan. On International Ninja Day, celebrate the history of these silent warriors and hope that we don’t end up on their bad side. Because if you do, you’ll never see them coming.

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

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Welcome to December 4, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate rolling out the fun in cookie dough and perfect pairs.

Cookies have been called by many names but they all translate into one sentiment: num, num, num num. Here in the United States, National Cookie Day was first proclaimed by Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster. Of course we all know he celebrates cookies every day. Then in 1987, Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company in San Francisco created Cookie Day and it has been celebrated on this day ever since. So here’s the desert island question: “What’s the one cookie you guys couldn’t live without? On National Cookie Day celebrate your own favorite kind that makes you say, num, num, num, num, num.

There is still a great mystery around where lost socks go, and you may not appreciate your favorite pair until one goes missing. In ancient times, only the wealthy wore socks. Peasants wore a kind of foot wrap that was more or less a strip of material wound up like a bandage. This kind of sock was still used by Eastern European armies until the late 20th century. The oldest surviving pair of socks was found in Egypt and is believed to be at least 1600 years old. There is a notch in the center for wearing them with sandals, which may have been the last time this look was considered cool. The socks are on display at the Victoria and Albert museum in England and are proof that some pairs stand the test of time. On National Sock Day celebrate this small wonder by sporting your favorite pair.

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

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