Celebrate Every Day

This Dish Was Named For The Richest Man Of His Time.

Welcome to January 10th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the best day of the week and shelling out the green.

National Sunday Supper Day invites you to celebrate the great tradition of breaking bread together. Sundays are usually lazy days, especially in winter, so why not make the most of it? Take time for “slow food” that gives you room to catch up on what’s been going on during the week. The menu is not as important as spending time together, even if it’s to laugh about the shows you’ve been bingeing lately.  And if you’ve reached the bottom of the barrel on tv entertainment, there are plenty of good stories from the family archives.  You may even find more intrigue and better plotlines. On National Sunday Supper Day start a new family tradition that may just become a way of life.

What’s in a name?  When it comes to oysters, this dish was named for the richest man of the day, John D. Rockefeller.  The New Orleans restaurant, Antoine's began serving Oysters Rockefeller in 1889 and the recipe became a well guarded secret.  Other chefs could only guess at what made it so delicious, with garlic, butter and breadcrumbs being common  ingredients.  The mystery remains in what made it green? Some say it’s parsley or spinach, which was a nod to Rockefeller’s wealth. While the restaurant doesn’t give away their recipe, they do keep track of the number of orders they’ve served, which to date is more than three and a half million.  On National Oysters Rockefeller Day you don’t have to shell out a lot of clams to get that authentic, Antoine’s taste.  

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Did You Know That Lightening is Basically Static Electricity?

Welcome to January 9th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate shocking effects and reaching new heights.

Marlo, did you ever rub your feet on the carpet and then zap someone?  Then you already know the magic of static electricity!  When the positive and negative charges of an atom are out of balance and have nowhere to go they build up and stay static in one place, until they are released. A spark of static electricity can measure thousands of volts, but has very little current and only lasts for a short period of time.  Lightening is a powerful and dangerous example of static electricity and while it has the power to knock over trees it’s also relatively harmless.  About 70 percent of people struck by lightning survive. On National Static Electricity Day celebrate this force of nature that’s useful in photocopiers and printers and also good for annoying your friends.

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 out his flight and soon found himself 16,000 feet above the ground. He stayed there for nearly 2 hours before he got cold and descended by popping balloons with a pellet gun. As we celebrate National Balloon Ascension Day, take a balloon ride and soar among the clouds, but please leave the flying to the professionals. 

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! 

Welcome to January 8th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the frothy side of life and a break from tradition.

We all need a well deserved break now again and a tub filled with bubbles may be just the thing.  But did you know the man behind Mr. Bubble was a well known workaholic?   Harold Schafer from Stanton, North Dakota spent his early days trying just about everything for work from candling eggs, to shoveling snow but found his niche in sales.  In 1942 he started the Gold Seal Company in his basement where he typed his own labels for floor wax.  With a modest profit he continued to develop products that eventually landed national attention, including Mr. Bubble in 1961.   It’s still the number one brand of bath products today, though Mr. Schafer threw in the towel in 1986 and spent the rest of his days as a beloved philanthropist.  On National Bubble Bath Day, enjoy a break from the every day grind.

Fans of English toffee may be surprised to learn that the treat they’ve enjoyed all these years isn’t toffee at all. Hang on, let me explain. Most of the English toffee we eat in America is actually buttercrunch. So what’s the difference? It’s all about the ingredients. Toffee in England uses brown sugar in its recipe, but the buttercrunch we make in the United States is made with white sugar. Also, we often add nuts and other flavorings, while our British friends do not. Then why do we call this treat English toffee? Maybe it’s because it just sounds more posh. No matter which recipe you prefer, on National English Toffee Day celebrate the sweet, buttery crunch found on both sides of the pond.  

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! 

Do You Know Which Bobbleheads Collectors Go Crazy For?

Welcome to January 7th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the origins of a Japanese foodie favorite and famous noggins.

You may think of tempura as a Japanese dish, but the art of batter frying first came to Japan from Portuguese missionaries. 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 made during lent.  The name tempura actually comes from the Latin quattuor anni tempora or Days of Ember when no red meat was eaten.  And with fresh veggies, prawns and fish in a delicious light batter, apparently no one was missing it.  The dish caught on with street vendors called yatai, and it soon became a foodie favorite.  On National Tempura Day we celebrate this culinary technique that covers everything from ice cream to squid.

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, when sports teams began depicting their mascots and famous players. Some of the earliest were Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. Then in 1964, the first modern bobbleheads that didn’t depict an athlete were made of the Beatles, and they’re still some of the most sought after by collectors today.  Now you can find a bobblehead of just about anyone famous. On National Bobblehead Day, you can even get a custom one made of yourself, as long as you don’t let it go to your head.  

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! 

Did You Know That Most Of The Technology We Enjoy Today Had It's Critics? Yep, Even Trains, Planes and Automobiles Were Not To Be Trusted!

Welcome to January 6th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate staying cozy and talking tech.

If you think you’re cold this winter, try living in Antarctica. In winter, the wind chills can plunge to minus 76°F. One of the only animals who can survive in this climate is the Emperor Penguin and they do it by cuddling together. Their system is simple; one penguin stands in place, surrounded by its friends who protect it from the cold wind. Then, that penguin steps out and another takes its turn in the warm center of the circle. They keep rotating until everyone gets a chance to be nice and cozy. On National Cuddle Up Day snuggle up with someone you love, and be glad it doesn’t take a village to stay warm.

Everything from the invention of the wheel to your smartphone can be considered technology. History is shaped by these gadgets and achievements, and no matter how far into the future you daydream, if you can imagine it, someone will create it.  I myself have ridden in flying cars, toyed around with drones and seen countless apps that make everyday life better.  But there are still some who consider technology dangerous.  When you put this in context, it’s not uncommon for people to be skeptical of new inventions.  Everything from railroads to cars to electricity were protested and derided back in their day.  On National Technology Day we celebrate the wonders that advance our world and keep us a buzz with food for thought.   

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! 

Do You Know The Screenwriter Who Wrote Your Favorite Movie?

Welcome to January 5th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate sweet success and the wizards of words.

The first recipes for whipped cream date back to 1549 when they were already calling it “snow milk.” These early chefs were likely whipped after an hour of beating the cream with a willow branch, a technique that 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 and Lapin put Sta-Whip on the map.  With a shiny, red lithographed can, a new product name and an army of milkmen to deliver it, Reddi-wip made Lapin a fortune in only a few short years. On National Whipped Cream Day pile on a little extra and sing happy birthday to Bunny Lapin, if you’re so inclined.

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. And unless you sit through the credits, you probably won’t know who wrote the screenplays for your favorite blockbusters. This is your chance to start noticing these architects of every great story and juicy role. On National Screenwriters Day take time to find out who is responsible for making your favorite shows especially entertaining.

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! 

What's Your Favorite Way To Top Spaghetti?

Welcome to January 4th, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate noodling around and nerding out. More after the break.

On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese was first sung by folk singer Tom Glazer in 1963, but on National Spaghetti Day, we invite you to pick the sauce or optional meatballs, as this day is all about the noodles! The long, thin cylindrical pasta gets its name from the Italian word spaghetto, or the diminutive of spago, meaning “thin string” or “twine.”  But it’s not Italy’s favorite pasta as you might think.  That distinction goes to Americans who hold the world record for largest bowl of spaghetti: a California swimming pool filled with 13,000 pounds.  Enough spaghetti is sold each year in the United States to circle the globe 9 times.  And while we make up folk songs and ways to play with our food, on National Spaghetti Day we are also slurping it up with pleasure.  

Who was the only unmarried president of the United States? The answer in a bit. 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. And now for the answer to today’s trivia question: James Buchanan, our 16th president. Not only was he unmarried, he’s also the only president to have been born in Pennsylvania. Celebrate National Trivia Day being a know-it-all by sharing this, or any other random facts.

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Are You Ready To Launch Certain Holiday Leftovers?

Welcome to January 3rd, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a final fling and the last straw.

One of the best-selling foods during the holiday season is fruitcake. It’s also one of the most disliked and chances are good, this eyesore is still staring you in the face. The people of Manitou Springs, Colorado have a solution. For the last 20 years they’ve hosted an event that gives folks a chance to work out their seasonal frustrations by hurling this leftover into the sky.  That’s right, people come from near and far to beat up on fruitcakes by flinging them either by hand, cannon, or giant slingshot. There areeven competitions to see who can propel them the farthest. The price of admission to this event is a non perishable food item which is donated to charity. Don’t worry, Aunt Ethel will understand if you launch her gift skyward on National Fruitcake Toss Day.

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.

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

What Is Your Favorite Sci-Fi Story?

Welcome to January 2nd, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate keeping your options open and brave new worlds.

Still not decided on your New Year’s resolutions? Hmmmm. it’s National Buffet Day!  Not too many of those open right now. Oh, oh, oh!  It’s National Cream Puff Day!  I’m not actually hungry after the year 2020.  Ok ok!  It’s also National Personal Trainer Awareness Day and while I’m aware that I probably need some extra help sticking to a fitness goal, how in the world are people working out with one these days?  Believe it or not there are some pretty affordable trainers online that make your resolutions not only possible, but doable from your own home gym.  If the thought of transforming your body in privacy is appealing to you, check out your local sports club for this great option!

Jules Verne is famous for books like 20 Thousand Leagues Under The Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. He’s also known as the Father of Science Fiction. And his novels weren’t only exciting for his time, they also imagined technology that didn’t yet exist. Things like helicopters, submarines, space travel, and even videoconferencing! Though he probably didn’t foresee coworkers forgetting to mute themselves during a call. As a rule, science fiction blends technology with imagination, but Verne almost seems like a time traveler with the accuracy of his predictions. They say art imitates life, but in the case of Jules Verne, maybe it’s the other way around. Celebrate National Science Fiction Day with some classic sci fi books or movies and your own voyage of the imagination.

National Fruitcake Toss DayIf you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!

Did You Know That The New Year Used To Begin On March 1st?

Welcome to January 1st, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we enjoy the sound of silence and a whole new year with reasons to celebrate.

Both as a member of The Beatles and as a solo artist, John Lennon created some of the most popular songs of the 20th Century. He also recorded one of the most obscure. On his album Unfinished Music No. 2, there’s a track titled “Two Minutes of Silence.” Here’s an excerpt: It’s exactly what it says—silent. While Lennon took it to the extreme, there is a whole genre of what’s known as Silent Recordings—tracks that are nothing but white noise or ambient sound. They’re meant to to help us refocus and enjoy the quiet moments of life. During National Silent Record Week, take some time to meditate after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Simply be present and enjoy a break from noise.

New Year's Day is one of the most recognized holidays around the world.  Celebrated for thousands of years, the exact beginning of a new year has gone through many changes.  In ancient Rome, the calendar started with Martius or March and only had ten months.  January and February were added later and the twelve month Julian calendar was eventually adopted.  In ancient Babylon, new year’s resolutions were about paying back debts and returning borrowed stuff and if that’s on your list, it’s a great start.  As the new year begins may we follow the advice of author Tom Peters who said, “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” 

If you’d like to know more, be sure to follow us on Facebook and check out our website TheNationalDailyShow.com. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day!