Celebrate Every Day

This Animal Causes Eyelash Envy In The Human And Animal Kingdom.

Welcome to February 19th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate lash envy and a winning combination.

If anyone understands the allure of chocolate and mint, it’s the Girl Scouts.  The Thin Mint has been a hands down favorite since it first appeared in 1939.  Back then they were called Cookie Mints and they’ve gone through  no less than 7 name changes. But the fact that they’ve never been retired is a testament to this winning combination.  About 50 million boxes of Thin Mints are sold in a season, making it the Girl Scout’s number one best seller.  Rabid fans know they are best served frozen, so that may account for why more of them are sold.  It’s easy to stock up.  But we also know there is something just perfect about these flavors that we celebrate on National Chocolate Mint Day.   

When it comes to thick, beautiful eyelashes, one animal stands head and shoulders above the rest. Giraffes have unique eyelashes that protect their peepers. In nature, lashes that are too long cause evaporation. Lashes that are too short don’t protect from dust and wind. And thick lashes make it hard to see. But giraffes go against all these rules. They have several rows of thick eyelashes that filter out sunlight and dust, which is very important when they’re standing around in the bright African plains. In the giraffe lashes are essentially built in sunglasses. On National Lash Day we celebrate the beauty and function of eyelashes. And secretly envy animals who don’t have to worry about leaving their sunglasses on the kitchen counter.

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

Welcome to February 18th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate mature wines and smart batteries.

Everyone goes through an awkward phase as they age, when they do a lot of dumb things. And the same applies to wine. Before a wine hits maturity, it can go through what’s known as a dumb phase. This means that its flavor and aroma are dulled, making for a very boring glass of vino. And, like people, you really have no idea when this phase is going to end—or if it will at all. These gawky, teenage years can sometimes transition into a bold, expressive bottle. And other times, it’ll turn out to be a loser whose glory days are long behind it—kinda like that guy that bullied you in high school and never amounted to anything. On National Drink Wine Day, raise a glass to making it through your awkward phase, even if you didn’t.

Have you ever noticed that smoke alarm batteries go dead in the middle of the night? This happens because batteries slow down when it’s cold, setting off that annoying sound.  As convenient as they are, batteries are far from perfect.  But there are reasons to celebrate these portable power sources by seeing just how far they have come!  A two thousand year old battery was discovered in a Baghdad museum, which combined a ceramic pot, a copper coil and a rod of iron. Alessandro Volta’s invention in 1800 seems light years better compared to that. Great minds are still making improvements and today smart batteries are even able to detect when they need changing. Maybe in the future they can wake themselves up in the middle of the night so you can spend National Battery Day recharging yourself!  

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

Did You Know That Ruby Red Grapefruit Was A Fluke Of Nature?

Welcome to February 17th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a sweet and sour accident and random acts. More after the break.

Back in the day, grapefruits got a bad rap. Most people considered it too sour and favored its smaller, sweeter cousin the orange. Both citrus fruits were grown in Florida, with a few orchards in Texas as well. But one day in 1929, a farmer in South Texas discovered something strange. A tree that grew the typical sour pink variety of grapefruits had somehow produced a fruit with red flesh inside and was much sweeter. It became known as the Ruby Red and only a few years later, the Texas citrus industry was booming. This variety of citrus became so popular that in 1993 Texas declared the grapefruit its official state fruit. During National Grapefruit Month don’t be a sourpuss; give this juicy fruit its due. 

If you know the power of kindness, you probably celebrate National Random Acts of Kindness Day every day. Spreading kindness comes back to you tenfold and sometimes it breaks Twitter.  When a dad posted an online request to send his 9 year old son Ollie a special birthday wish, he had no idea what was in store.  Ollie was being bullied at school and his dad was hoping that a celebrity could give the birthday boy a boost.  Russell Crowe answered the request along with 6500 others and 14,000 retweets.  Sure it’s nice to pay for a stranger’s coffee or a meal when they least expect it, but there are also ways that are absolutely free and also priceless.  One thing’s for sure, this habit is guaranteed to change your life! 

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

Just Why Is There A Plastic Baby In The King Cake?

Welcome to February 16th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate loveable grouches and traditional cakes.

One of the world’s more loveable grouches is Oscar from Sesame Street.  Everyone in the neighborhood does their best to bring Oscar around.  And even though he stays in his stinky “trash can mood,” once in a while we see him have a heart.  Jim Henson based this character on a grumpy waiter he encountered in a restaurant called Oscar’s Salt of The Sea.  Carroll Spinney performed Oscar’s voice based on a cranky New York taxi driver.  We all meet a grouch at some point in life and there’s one trick that works more often than not: doing something nice.  On National Do A Grouch A Favor Day try this method with your favorite grouch. Just don’t let them know which day you are celebrating.

While many foods are synonymous with Mardi Gras, one of the oldest traditions is king cake.  If you’ve ever tried a king cake, you know that there’s a prize baked inside. A tiny plastic baby. This odd custom began as a way to choose the king or queen of Mardi Gras celebrations. For years, the item baked into the cake was a crowned king’s head, which symbolized the three kings who had visited the baby Jesus with gifts. However, this became a problem during the French Revolution. The monarchy saw the heads as a thinly veiled threat. And since royalty during this time had become less popular, commoners were all too happy to swap it out with a baby. When king cake made its way to New Orleans, porcelain figures were used, until a baker ran out and needed a replacement.  He found a plastic version and that is the standard to this day. On Fat Tuesday celebrate with your favorite treat and enjoy the last hurrah before Lent. 

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

Welcome to February 15th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a candy king and a famous peak.

If you’ve ever played the board game Candy Land you’ll know there is no gumdrop king in the Gumdrop Mountains.  But there was one in real life.  Percy Truesdell was posthumously named the Gumdrop King for his improvement of the candy that was once a solid glob of sugar.  Thanks to his chemistry experiments in the labs of Ohio State University, Percy landed on the right amount of starch in the recipe and a smooth, chewy confection was born. The original flavors of clove, allspice, cinnamon and spearmint go nicely on gingerbread houses, where no one has to eat them.  The flavors of cherry, grape, orange and lemon are still popular today and thanks to the Gumdrop King we can celebrate National Gumdrop Day without breaking our teeth.

In 1885, Charles Rushmore was hiking through the Black Hills of South Dakota, checking on gold mines for his employer. As they passed by one of the big peaks, he looked up and asked his guide what its name was. The guide laughed and said, “It never had any but it has now. We’ll call the thing Rushmore”. Today the mountain is a breathtaking monument to some of the greatest presidents in United States history. Washington represents the country’s founding. Jefferson symbolizes its growth. Theodore Roosevelt, the conservation of its natural beauty. And Lincoln, the preservation of its union, no matter the cost. On Presidents Day, we celebrate the contribution of the folks who built the United States from the ground up. 

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

Have You Heard About The Couple Who Met In The Operating Room?

Welcome to February 14th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate matching hearts and birds of a feather.

Heather Krueger, who lived in a small town near Chicago, was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer at only 24 years of age.  To survive, she needed a liver transplant, and when no one in her family proved to be a match, her situation became critical. Chris Dempsey, a former Marine, volunteered to be Heather’s donor.  Although they had never met Chris believed strongly that, “Marine’s never run away from anything.”  He became Heather’s salvation when he underwent transplant surgery, donating 55 percent of his liver.  And during recovery, Chris and Heather finally got to know each other.  They eventually dated, fell in love and married in October of 2016. On National Organ Donor Day we celebrate the matches that are made in heaven and in the OR. 

In case you didn’t know, there was an actual St. Valentine. He was a bishop who was martyred by the Romans for presiding over Christian marriages. But the romantic holiday was invented by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th Century. In his poem Parliament of Fowls, he tells the tale of a group of birds who come together each Valentine’s Day to find a mate. Three male eagles compete with one another to see which can claim a female’s love. This popularized the idea of the holiday being about love and romance. And the tradition lives on to this day. Spoiler alert, in the poem, none of the eagles gets the girl, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t found your true love just yet. Celebrate Valentine's Day with the one you love, even if it’s yourself. After all, this love thing can really be for the birds. 

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

Did You Know That Cheddar Cheese Is Named For A Village In England?

Welcome to February 13th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate our gal pals and a better Cheddar.

If you’d like to get a jumpstart on celebrating love this month, why not plan an outing today with the ones you love through thick and thin: your gal pals. Amy Poehler’s character on the show Parks and Recreation kicked off this tradition in 2010, but the seeds of girl power were planted long ago.  For those who think Valentine’s Day is overrated or doomed to fail under the crush of impossible expectations, make this day all about fun. Gather up your besties anyway you can and celebrate the ones who make you laugh out loud. Guys can have their bromance, but Galentine’s Day is all about the girls. 

If you think Americans are crazy for cheddar cheese, imagine how smitten the Brits are over their very own village of Cheddar in Somerset, England.  Sometimes we forget that foods like cheese can be named for the place they are created. In the case of Stilton no one likely cares, but cheddar cheese accounts for more than half of the multi billion dollar cheese market in the UK.  Here in the States, cheddar is just behind mozzarella in popularity.  So how did this “cheddar love” migrate across the pond?  Enter Peter McIntosh, who brought his talent for cheese making to Tillamook County, Oregon in 1894.   His superior skills earned him the title of the Cheese King of the Coast, and today there are more cows than people in Tillamook County.  On National Cheddar Day savor the flavor that’s treasured on both sides of the pond.

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

Are You A Fan Of Plum Pudding? Can You Guess Which American President Loved This Dessert?

Welcome to February 12th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a classic love story and a birthday boy’s wish.

Two strangers meet, and immediately feel chemistry between them. Unfortunately, each of them is already in a relationship, so they can’t be together. But they make a pact that if they are single in six months, they’ll rendezvous at the top of the Empire State Building. If this plot sounds familiar, it should. It’s from An Affair to Remember. This classic love story, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, has been making audiences cry for over 60 years. The movie has also set the bar for romantic gestures impossibly high. I mean, how can you top the premise of meeting in such a spectacular location to declare your love to someone? February is An Affair to Remember Month. You might not be able to match the big gesture, but cuddling up with your honey to watch this film will win you some points anyway.

Most of us like cakes or pies on our birthdays, but one American president preferred plum pudding. While this dessert hails from England, Abraham Lincoln liked it so much that the recipe can still be found in White House Historical cookbooks. With no actual plums, the steamed pudding is made instead from apples, dates, raisins, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Back in the day people dimmed the lights to serve plum pudding and children played a game called snap dragon as they tried to snatch raisins from the flaming dessert.  On National Plum Pudding Day we celebrate Mr. Lincoln’s birthday with the dessert of his choice.

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

Did You Know That Tesla and Mark Twain Were Friends?

Welcome to February 11th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate snappy patties and a little creative spark from our friends.

Long before Charles Schultz began nettling Charlie Brown with the bracing character of Peppermint Patty, the icy cool candy of chocolate and mint was being perfected on the Isle of Man. Here the Quiggins brothers created the soft mint cakes enrobed in chocolate that would eventually form The Kendal Mint Cake Company.  But the ones we celebrate in the U.S. got their start in the York Cone factory, where they had to pass the snap test.  If they didn’t snap in two they were out! These are the same candies we enjoy today as York Peppermint Patties which just goes to show that snappiness is a virtue in our neck of the woods.  On National Peppermint Patty Day enjoy your own bracing kick of cool.

Nicola Tesla was one of the most important minds of the modern era, with inventions ranging from the radio to remote control. When testing his creations, he sometimes got a hand from Mark Twain. Tesla had long been a fan, and when the two met, they immediately became friends. Twain would often stop by Tesla’s laboratory to see what his friend was working on. During his visits, he helped with electrical testing, had X-rays shot at his head, and stood on something dubbed the earthquake machine to find its effects on the human body. Twain was so fond of the inventor that he based the main character in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court on him. On National Inventors Day, we celebrate the men and women who brought their ideas to life and the people who supported them along the way. 

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

What Is Better Than Cheesecake? How About Cream Cheese Brownies!

Welcome to February 10th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a smooth transition and fashionable bumbershoots.

As far back as ancient Greece, folks have been making cheesecakes.  They were served at weddings and even the earliest Olympics, and since then everyone has put their spin on it.  Marcus Cato wrote his recipe down, when he wasn’t busy with first century Roman politics.  Henry VIII had his chef whip up cheesecake, when he wasn’t busy switching out wives.  And here in America, we put in our own magic ingredient: well, cream cheese.  Before 1872 cheesecakes were made with slightly different forms of cheese, but a happy accident in a New York dairy produced the smooth creamy stuff we enjoy today.  Perhaps the best invention since then has been the combination of creamy cheesecake and gooey brownies.  On National Cream Cheese Brownie Day celebrate the smooth evolution of cheese as dessert and our own delicious twist.

The umbrella is something that people don’t typically think about until they need one. Then it’s suddenly the most important thing in the world. And in 19th Century British fashion, it was. EVERYONE had one. The way to stand out in the crowd was by customizing the handle. Some were made of ivory or gold. Others had flashlights, watches, or compartments for tobacco and cigars. And, of course, the occasional sword. This made the umbrellas very coveted items, so some came equipped with locks or alarms. And that makes sense given that they were a veritable Swiss Army knife in their day. Today we celebrate National Umbrella Day by being prepared with a tool that is still best at keeping us dry. 

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