Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to August 5th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate beers and dogs that go the distance.

When German immigrants arrived in the United States, they introduced America to lager beers, a traditional German style. So it’s ironic that lagers became popular during World War II at a time when our country hated everything German. American soldiers serving in Europe discovered the brew and loved it. Lagers had lower alcohol content than ales and came in cans, for easy transport. When the soldiers returned home, they brought their taste for the beer, as well as the tradition of drinking it from cans—something that was once frowned upon. On International Beer Day we celebrate our heritage as a cultural melting pot and the small things that never fail to bring us together!

Before snowmobiles and airplanes, the best way to get around in snow country was via dog sled. This method of transportation is rare today, but once a year in Alaska, racers and their teams of dogs keep the tradition alive with a race called the Iditarod. Sleds travel from Anchorage to Nome, a journey of nearly 1,000 miles! It takes the team of 16 dogs at least a week to complete this distance. This not only commemorates the role that dogs played in the settlement of Alaska, it defines the saying “work like a dog.” On National Work Like a Dog Day, you may wanna let your pooch curl up on the couch while you do the heavy lifting.

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

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Welcome to August 4th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate one smart cookie and a bitter beer.

Ruth Wakefield ran the Toll House Inn with her husband in Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth was a renowned baker, but she is best known for adding semisweet chocolate to her butterscotch cookie dough. This recipe became a regional favorite, and during World War II it caused a cookie craze. Soldiers from Massachusetts that were stationed overseas began to receive chocolate chip cookies in care packages from home. Soon Wakefield was inundated with requests for her cookie recipe from all around the globe. Nestle offered her a lifetime supply of chocolate in exchange for it, and to this day the Toll House recipe is printed on every bag of chocolate chips. On National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day celebrate the sweet success of one smart cookie.

In the late 1700s, the British Empire spanned the globe, and one of its largest colonies was India. The Brits living there demanded goods from back home which created a significant trade route between the two countries. One of the most popular imports was beer, which didn’t age well when it was shipped to warmer climates. George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery came up with a solution. He brewed a lighter beer, called pale ale, then increased the amount of alcohol and hops in order to prevent spoilage. The downside was that the hops would lose their fruity flavor and produce a bitter taste. And so India Pale Ale was born. Some say this drink is an acquired taste, but on National IPA Day we celebrate beer that really went the distance.

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

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Welcome to August 3rd, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate protein on the go and Summertime’s juiciest fruit.

Nuts have been a healthy snack for thousands of years. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon featured pistachio trees. And the Ancient Greeks believed that hazelnuts could cure baldness. But here in America, the most popular nut is actually a legume. Thanks to the cartoon character known as Mr. Peanut, this snack has enjoyed one of the best ad campaigns of all time. In 1916 young Antonio Gentille submitted his drawing of the character for a contest run by Planters. The company paid him five dollars for his design, but later paid his college tuition, after realizing the value of this icon. Mr. Peanut still appears in Super Bowl ads and on National Grab Some Nuts Day we celebrate this healthy way to get some protein on the go.

Summer wouldn’t be the same without a slice of juicy watermelon. Most of us look forward to the season when the round or oval melons can be seen stacked one on top of one another. Unless you’re in Japan. There, the watermelons are square. It’s not some weird mutation—the fruit is intentionally grown this way. When the melons are still small, they are put into square boxes made of tempered glass. As they grow, the fruit takes on the shape of the box. This makes for easier storage and display in grocery stores. But no matter how you stack it, National Watermelon Day is the perfect time to enjoy this refreshing treat.

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

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Welcome to August 2nd, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate two old school ways to treat the kid in all of us.

Any kid who’s spent a rainy afternoon cooped up in the house with a coloring book owes a debt of gratitude to Kate Greenaway. The Victorian-era artist became famous for her work with popular children’s authors of the day. In the late 1800s, she teamed up with the McLaughlin Brothers to put together a book of black and white drawings that would later be known as coloring books. They were initially meant to be used with watercolor paint, but coloring books really took off when paired with their best friend—the crayon. On National Coloring Book Day, celebrate the kid in all of us with the best way to brighten up any day.

If you are a fan of the ice cream sandwich, you can thank a pushcart salesman, who invented the treat in 1899. Though his name remains a mystery, it’s believed that this inventor peddled his creation for one penny, in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. Carts soon popped up everywhere and by 1940, ice cream sandwiches were sold in grocery stores nationwide. Today it is estimated that around 48 sandwiches are consumed every second in the United States alone, and around 50 percent of them are consumed on the Eastern Seaboard. On National Ice Cream Sandwich Day celebrate this classic treat that never goes out of style.

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

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Welcome to August 1st, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate our gal pals and the other things that make us happy too.

While these two redheads were both comedians, their age gap of 22 years made them an unlikely pair. But when Lucille Ball first saw Carol Burnett in an off-Broadway production of Once Upon A Mattress, she had to go backstage and pay her respects to this funny gal. On their very first meeting Lucy told Carol, “Kid, if you need me for anything, give me a call.” And Carol took her up on it when she invited Lucy to be on her show. CBS had given Carol a break by inviting her to do an hour long special, but only if she could land a big name star. Lucy said “yes” and it more than launched Carol’s career, the two became lifelong friends. On National Girlfriends Day celebrate the bffs who have always got your back.

Abraham Lincoln said that “Folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” What a great reminder as we turn the calendar page to discover that August is Happiness Happens Month. If you believe that happiness is an emotional habit then why not commit to changing your own outlook. They say it takes 21 days to create a new habit and 90 days to make a permanent change. Choose a “glass half full” perspective for the next three weeks and you may just find that Happiness Happens Month lasts all year.

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

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Welcome to July 31st, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the extraordinary deeds of an ordinary breed and a mighty fruit.

No one is really sure how the scruffy little dog named Owney came to be at a post office in Albany, NY. He just showed up one day and became a part of the team. People speculate that Owney was attracted to the smell of the leather mail bags, which he even followed onto trucks and trains! Soon he was escorting mail carriers all around the state and the country. At each new location, the workers would add a tag to his collar, marking his travels. Owney collected so many tags that the Postmaster General ordered him a custom harness to wear instead of the collar. The little mutt was given his own special memorial in the Smithsonian Institution for his service to the U.S. Postal Service. On National Mutt Day, celebrate the ordinary breeds that find a special place in our hearts.

While the Aztecs knew the power of the mighty green avocado, it took a modern company to put this fruit on the map. Model Meals founded National Avocado Day in 2017 and since then we have discovered lots of reasons to celebrate. For one, avocados target insulin resistance with heart healthy fats. They also fight Alzheimers with their Omega 3 fatty acids. Another avocado superpower is preventing and repairing damage with its source of Vitamins C, E and K. Best of all avocados taste great in guacamole, sliced over a salad and topping off a burger or chicken sandwich. And if you’re not a huge fan, you can still celebrate National Avocado Day by slipping some into a smoothie.

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

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Welcome to July 30th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate healthy cheesecake and a juicy Summer fruit.

Family recipes often get passed down through several generations before anyone thinks to write them down. According to historical records, the Ancient Greeks invented cheesecake over 4,000 years ago. It was considered a healthy food that was a good source of energy. So much so that Olympic athletes would eat it before competitions. Cheesecake was even served as a wedding cake. But no one thought to write out the recipe until the Greek author Atheneaus did so in the year 230 CE. Though it’s not the same style of cake we know today, you can still find it online and give it a try. On National Cheesecake Day, celebrate with your own family recipe and don’t forget to share!

Georgia is known as the Peachtree State, but it’s not the biggest producer of peaches in the United States. That distinction goes to California, which grows over 468,000 tons of the fruit each year. Nearly 14,000 times as much as Georgia. However, the southern state prides itself on producing the highest quality peaches anywhere. Peach County, Georgia is the unofficial peach capital of the world, and holds the world record for the biggest peach cobbler ever made. It used 75 gallons of peaches plus 150 pounds each of flour and sugar. During National Peach Month, celebrate this juicy stone fruit that’s just as good on its own as it is in cobblers and jams.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m John McClain filling in for Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us

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Welcome to July 29th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a perfect pucker and a bar food favorite.

Lipstick has sparked some controversy throughout the ages, and it may surprise you to learn who was on each side of the argument. George Washington himself wore lip rouge. Winston Churchill believed that lip color boosted morale in an excellent way. On the other hand Queen Victoria thought it was impolite to color your lips and in the 1770s, British Parliament banned lipstick, calling it a devilish attempt to trick men into marriage. Some people associated lipstick with witchcraft and it could be because it contained poisonous additives. Today our lips are liberated with multiple shades from shocking red to barely pink. On National Lipstick Day, celebrate with your signature shade.

Sometime in 1964, the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY received too many chicken wings from their supplier. Pub owner Teressa Bellissimo wasn’t sure what to do with them, until her son and his friends showed up hungry. Teressa deep fried the wings and served them with a spicy sauce, in the hopes of using up the surplus wings. The guys loved them so much that chicken wings became a staple on the Anchor Bar menu ever since. Oh…and the bleu cheese dressing and celery? Teressa claimed she didn’t have anything else to serve and added them to the plate. I don’t know about you but I’m excited that it’s National Chicken Wing Day.

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

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Welcome to July 28th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate savoring the sweet life and a Summer oasis.

We can all thank the Mayans and Aztecs for bringing us drinking chocolate, but today we celebrate the sweet candy bars that most of us crave. It was a Dutch chemist who invented the process of separating cocoa butter from cacao in the early 1800s. But in 1875 when Daniel Peter added powdered milk to chocolate liquor, the milk chocolate lovers rejoiced. Here in North America a whopping 71 percent of us prefer milk chocolate over dark. Sure we know that dark chocolate counts as a health-food, but the sweeter milk chocolate has a smooth way of winning us over. Companies such as Hershey's make out either way, but on National Milk Chocolate Day we can all celebrate the sweet side of this debate.

About midway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, sits a small abandoned body of water called Lake Dolores. It doesn’t look like much now, but it was once home to one of America’s first water parks. Bob Byers built the area around the lake as a place for camping, then over the years added waterslides. Throughout the early ‘70s and ‘80s, Lake Dolores was one of the most popular tourist attractions in Southern California. Although many of the rides—including a stand-up waterslide—seem dangerous by today’s standards, Byer’s creation helped pave the way for more elaborate parks. On National Waterpark Day, celebrate by taking the plunge on a thrill seeker’s ride or cooling off in the lazy river.

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

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Welcome to July 27th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the “essence of smooth” with a sweet dessert and a dram of class.

If someone offered you a dish called “burnt cream” you’d most likely say no thanks. But say it in French and you get the much more appealing “crème brûlée.” It starts off with cream that is steeped with vanilla, sugar and egg yolks that all end up in a warm bath that is baked to perfection in the oven. With a crisp, burnt sugar shell, this creamy custard has been an elegant finish to any meal since 1691. The English claim they created this dish in the 15th century calling it Cambridge Cream. And the Spanish claim they have been serving flan as far back as the 5th century. But today we are celebrating the “essence of smooth” with National Crème Brûlée Day.

Whiskeys get their distinctive flavor from the distillation process or the type of barrels in which they’re aged. In the case of Scotch whiskey the flavor comes from peat. Peat gives Scotch its unique smoky flavor and comes from the bogs and marshes around the Scottish countryside. The level of smokiness depends on the time the barley grain is exposed to peat smoke during the 30 hours it dries before being distilled. Meant to be sipped from a glass or even paired with a fine cigar, good Scotch should be savored. On National Scotch Day, celebrate by pouring yourself a dram of this sip of class.

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

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