Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to August 18th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate fussy grapes and a satisfying sizzle.

Pinot noir grapes are notoriously hard to grow. Too much weather variation can ruin a crop very quickly. Plus, the grapes grow in tight, cone-like clusters, which can be a problem because the fruit is extremely thin-skinned. This growth pattern is what gives the grape—and the wine—its name. The clusters look a bit like pine cones, and the skin is dark. Pinot noir. Oenophiles know that this finicky little grape makes a complex wine that doesn’t overpower—perfect for pairing with everything from bleu cheese to roast duck. On National Pinot Noir Day, celebrate with a glass of red that’s worth all the fuss.

It’s a long held belief that food cooked outdoors just tastes better. Maybe that’s why the sizzle of fajitas became a household favorite. It began in the early 1930s when Mexican vaqueros in Southwestern Texas found a way to use throwaway cuts of meat. These hungry cowboys cooked over an open flame and transformed the ordinary into a tantalizing meal. They paired the fire roasted meat with corn and flour tortillas and a regional dish was born. Fajitas took off around the globe when restaurants began serving them with peppers and onions, guacamole and salsa. No matter how you dress them up, it’s the flame licked flavor that makes them special. On National Fajita Day make your taste buds happy with the sizzle that really satisfies.

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

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Welcome to August 17th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate cool cats and doing something good.

Perspective is everything. Take, for example, the black cat. In Ancient Egypt, cats were considered a sign of good luck. This is because felines helped to keep rats and mice away from food in storage. But in Europe, the same animal was seen as unlucky. As you’ve no doubt heard, a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. Mythology of Greek and Norse gods of the underworld were connected to the animal. Unfortunately, this is the superstition that became the most popular. On Black Cat Appreciation Day, drop the silly stereotype and embrace the cool-looking cat for all its charm and beauty!

Nonprofit organizations are the backbones of our communities. They inspire everyday folks to rise to the needs of those in their communities. Everything from reading to a child to performing surgery can be donated, thanks to organizations and capable people coming together. For those who want to lend a helping hand, but aren’t sure how, the nonprofit Do Something offers an opportunity to connect with any number of campaigns. It’s geared towards young people and allows users to select their interests and designate the amount of free time they are able to give. The good news is that no matter what your status is in life, there is likely a project that needs your help. On National Nonprofit Day celebrate your own spirit of giving with the charity of your choice.

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

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Welcome to August 16th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the need for speed and the spirit of the islands.

Roller coasters attract adrenaline junkies to amusement parks around the world. These rides are thrilling and sometimes scary. But oddly enough, they were invented to keep people away from drinking and gambling. LaMarcus Adna Thompson built the first roller coaster in Coney Island, New York and it became very popular. The cars were powered only by gravity and sometimes hit top speeds of…6 miles an hour. The ride only cost a nickel, but people would ride it multiple times. A tradition that lives on to this day. On National Roller Coaster Day, take a trip down memory lane or choose something a little more wild.

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. And in the 1600s when sugar production was booming, life gave the West Indies lots of molasses. This byproduct mostly went to waste until it was discovered that a delicious spirit could be distilled from it. Rum was first recorded in Barbados as rumbullion or kill devil and indeed it caused quite a stir. It is said that British sailors received regular rations of the liquor from the 18th century all the way through 1970. But when England began heavily taxing the Colonies for their sugar, molasses and rum a rebellion started brewing. Today this spirit inspires party drinks with umbrellas and on National Rum Day we celebrate with one of life’s best examples of turning lemons into lemonade.

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

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Welcome to August 15th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate kicking up our feet and a cheerful pastry.

The world seems to go a million miles an hour and we all need time to ourselves to decompress. For some, it’s meditation. For others, it’s getting a massage. And for a select few, it’s putting your feet in water and letting small fish chew away at dead skin. No really. That’s a thing. Fish pedicures are perfectly safe but it’s not for the squeamish. The point is that anything you do to relax is A okay as long as it chills you out. Today, please feel free to lean back and prop up your feet while you celebrate National Relaxation Day.

If you’re taking things easy on this sunny Summer day, then boy do we have the dessert for you. Bright as the sun and as “easy as pie” a lemon meringue would do nicely right about now. Though lemons grow year round and nothing brightens up a meal come rain or shine quite like lemon juice, it’s time to bake up this old fashioned shortbread crust with tangy yellow custard topped with fluffy clouds of sweet meringue. It’s rumored that Elizabeth Goodfellow first whipped up the dessert as we know it today in the 19th century, when she also founded one of the first cooking schools in America. On National Lemon Meringue Pie Day, celebrate with an all time classic that reminds us of sunshine in the clouds.

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

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Welcome to August 14th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a game with a checkered past and a code that changed the game.

In the 1830s and 40s, officials in Connecticut passed a law to ban bowling. Apparently, the excessive gambling associated with the sport made it a threat to public welfare. Bowling at the time consisted of 9 pins, which is what the state outlawed. As a way to get around this, bowlers added an extra pin, creating the 10-pin game we know today. This new version of the game caught on inNew England, though it took a few innovations before bowling caught on with the rest of the country. First, the material used for bowling balls was changed from wood to rubber. Then in the 50s the automatic pinsetter changed the game forever. On National Bowling Day get out and celebrate this family sport that’s still on a roll.

During World War II, the United States military became frustrated as the Japanese cracked every code used by the Allies. The solution to this problem came from an unlikely source, Native American tribes. Because many native languages such as Navajo and Comanche were unwritten and spoken only by tribespeople, they became the perfect basis for a new secret code. Native speakers were sent with army divisions to transmit and decode messages from the field of battle. The code they created could not be broken and helped change the course of history. On National Code Talkers Day, we celebrate these unsung heroes of World War II and the top secret role they played.

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

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Welcome to August 13th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate left handed compliments and celebrity Southpaws.

If you’ve ever wondered, “Where’s the beef?” after being served a filet mignon, then it’s probably not the steak for you. Mignon means “cute” in French and while filet refers to the most quality cut of the tenderloin, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. The French use the term filet mignon to describe pork not steak and you would have to ask for filet de boeuf in order to get a cute little steak in France. So where did this name come from? Turns out it was an American author, O. Henry who coined the term in his 1906 novel “The Four Million.” Apparently, he thought it was a more ironic way to size up a teeny, tiny steak, than asking the waiter, “Hey, where’s the beef?!” On National Filet Mignon Day, don’t get too cute with the waiter, after all this tenderloin is still delicious!

In ancient times being left handed was associated with witchcraft. Joan of Arc was supposedly burned at the stake for being left handed. The word sinister actually means “on the left” and for some reason this association has been around awhile. But fear not. Being a Southpaw actually has its advantages. In baseball, left handed batters are one step closer to first base. This automatically makes them more valuable players. Eight of our United States Presidents have been left handed. So were Einstein, Mark Twain, Beethoven and Bill Gates. With only ten percent of the population being left handed, chances are good that being a lefty means you’re in good company. On International Left Handers Day celebrate the difference that could make all the difference.

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

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Welcome to August 12th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate rocking the world and rocking around the clock.

What do Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney, and Thor have in common? Go ahead. Take a second to think about it. Give up? They’re all middle children. Well, not the actual Thor. It’s Chris Hemsworth—the actor who plays him. And oddly enough, so is Tom Hiddleston, who plays Loki right beside him. Middle children are often ignored while their parents lavish attention on their older and younger siblings. As a result, many of them seek attention from other sources…and that can push them onto bigger and better things. So if you’re the sibling stuck in the middle of the pecking order, National Middle Child Day is the perfect time to put your stamp on the world.

If you’re still hanging on to a collection of vinyl records, you are not alone. While you may catch some grief from family and friends over these dusty old relics from the past, vinyl record sales are on the rise. The largest collection contains more than one million LPs. Fans know they are much more valuable than the CDs they replaced. For audiophiles, there is no better sound than the distinct quality of a classic vintage record, and if you’re a collector you probably know that five of the top ten most expensive vinyls ever produced came from the Beatles. The White Album alone fetched a whopping 790,000 dollars. On National Vinyl Record Day give your records a spin and celebrate a sound that still makes you rock around the clock.

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

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Welcome to August 11th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate desserts of mass destruction and the Commanders in Chief who are not afraid to bomb.

When something is really great, we say it’s the bomb. But back in the day we called a bombe dessert. This molded confection that’s layered with ice cream, fruit and nuts gets its name from its resemblance to a cannonball. These beauties showed up in the French cookbooks of the 1880s, when Europeans went over the top making food look festive. Though it’s unclear if the dome shaped dessert was meant as a threat, it has certainly been a favorite of State dinners and royal banquets for centuries. On National Raspberry Bombe Day try a festive treat that is truly the bomb!

The responsibility of being President of the United States isn’t a laughing matter, but some of them have been really funny guys. Or at least able to take a joke. Even Lincoln knew how to get in a quick one-liner. When accused of being a liar, he said, "If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” But few had the quick wit of Ronald Reagan. He once rode horses with Queen Elizabeth II and her horse was a bit…gassy. When the Queen apologized on behalf of her mount, Reagan supposedly replied, “Quite all right, Your Majesty. I thought it was the horse.” On National Presidential Joke Day, have some fun learning about the silly side of our Commanders in Chief.

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

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Welcome to August 10th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a trying sport and tried and true dessert.

Few pastimes have inspired so much anger and frustration as golf. For something so popular, it sure makes people angry. Take, for example, Winston Churchill, who called the sport “…a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose.” Even pro golfers aren’t immune. PGA champion Gardner Dickinson lamented: “People say golf is like life, but don’t believe them. Golf is more complicated than that.” So why do we play? Probably because it’s often more about hanging out with friends than the game itself. During National Golf Month, have fun hitting the links and if things don’t pan out, you can always celebrate National Lazy Day instead.

The next time you’re camping and spinning up stories around the fire, consider the origin of the s’more. Most believe that it was Alec Barnum that first created the treat in the late 1800s. Not much is known, however, about the entrepreneur that left a sticky trail of myths and legends. Enter Loretta Scott Crew. This leader taught hungry girl scouts how to perfectly toast a marshmallow, and her recipe for s’mores was printed in the 1927 guidebook. Today Trampling and Trailing With The Girl Scouts is still known for this treat, though everyone has their own secret for making the gooey, crispy delight. On National S’mores Day celebrate the dessert that’s become a right of passage and worthy of one more log on the fire.

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

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Welcome to August 9th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate leaders who make a contribution for better or worse.

Julius Caesar made many important contributions to Western civilization. But he also set the world of books back by thousands of years. During his siege of Alexandria, he accidentally set fire to the world’s largest library. Another historical figure is at the opposite end of the bibliophile spectrum: Thomas Jefferson. When the United States Library of Congress was burned in 1814, thousands of books were lost, but Thomas Jefferson came to the rescue, providing 6,000 of his own to rebuild the library. And since then, it’s grown to be the largest in the world with more than 38 million volumes, not to mention all the photographs, maps, music, and special collections. On National Book Lovers Day, celebrate your own collection by cracking open a good page turner.

Daniel Tompkins, George Dallas, Hannibal Hamlin. You may have never heard of these men, but at one time they each held the office of Vice President of the United States. In modern times, when you vote for a President, the Veep is part of the package, but originally things were quite different. In our country’s early years, the office went to whomever finished with the second most electoral votes. That was until the election of 1800, when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied for second place. The messy outcome led to the passage of the 12th Amendment, which changed the system of voting at the time. Many of our Vice Presidents may have slipped into obscurity but on National Veep Day we celebrate the important office that can strongly affect a presidency.

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

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