HOLIDAY PARTY!

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HOLIDAY PARTY! episodes

September 30, 2019SEPTEMBER 30 2019 – INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY! with Amy Cowan
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL PODCAST DAY! Join us as we celebrate the thing that we're doing while we're celebrating it! Today we're partying with pal and beloved guest Amy Cowan (aacowan.com)!! LET'S PARTY!!

Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM

Find Alyssa – Twitter: @alyssapants / Instagram: lettertalkpodcast / alyssapants.com

Find Disa – Twitter: @cinnamonenemy / Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/1243777842

SHOW NOTES

History/Fun facts about the holiday

According to Wikipedia, a podcast is “an episodic series of digital audio or video files which a user can download to listen. Alternatively, the word “podcast” may refer to the individual component of such a series or to an individual media file

Podcasting often uses a subscription model, whereby new episodes automatically download via web syndication to a user’s own local computer, mobile application, or portable media player

Some have labeled podcasting a “converged medium,” that is bringing together audio, the web, and portable media players, as well as a disruptive technology, having caused some in the radio business to reconsider established practices and preconceptions about audiences, consumption, production, and distribution

Listeners typically consume podcasts for free, and producers can usually create them for little to no cost. This sets podcast apart from the traditional 20th-century model of “gate-kept” media.

Podcasting is a horizontal media form--producers are consumers, consumers may become producers, and both can engage in conversations with each other

Variants of podcasts include

Enhanced podcasts, which can display images synchronized with audio. These can contain chapter markers, hyperlinks, and artwork

Podcast novels, also known as serialized audiobooks or podcast audiobooks. This is a literary form that combines the concepts of a podcast and an audiobook. Like a traditional novel is a work of long literary fiction; however this form of the novel is recorded into episodes that are delivered online over a period of time and in the end is available as a complete work for download. They can vary from new works from new authors that have never been printed, to well-established authors that have been around for years, to classic works of literature that have been in print for over a century

Video podcasts, which include video clips. Web television series are often distributed as video podcasts

Oggcast, which is a podcast recorded and distributed exclusively in the Vorbis audio codec with the Ogg container format, which is a format state that is unrestricted by software patents. The name is derived from “ogging”, jargon from the computer game Netrek, which came to mean doing something forcefully, possibly without consideration of the drain on future resources

Political podcasts, which focus on current events, usually last 30 minutes to an hour, often featuring journalists, politicians, pollsters, writers, and others with credentials in the public sphere. Most have a host-guest interview format and are broadcast each week based on the news cycle

Podguide, an enhanced audio tour podcast. It’s a single audio file where each chapter displays a picture and a number of what to look at a certain stopover. The numbers correspond to the numbers on a map that can be downloaded via the link incorporated into the artwork of the chapters in the podguide. Wikipedia describes it as being like a soundseeing tour but with pictures and a map, so users can take the tour themselves

It was previously known as “audioblogging”, and has its roots dating back to the 1980s. With the advent of broadband internet access and portable digital audio playback devices, podcasting began to catch more mainstream hold in late 2004.

In the 1980s, Radio Computing Services (RCS) provided music and talk-related software to radio stations in a digital format

Before online music digital distribution, the MIDI format as well as the Mbone, Multicast Network was used to distribute audio and video files. The Mbone was a multicast network over the internet used primarily by educational and research institutes, but there were audio talk programs

In 1993, Carl Malamud launched Internet Talk Radio which was the “first computer-radio talk show, each week interviewing a computer expert.” It was distributed “as audio files that computer users fetch one by one.” Malamud said that listeners could pause and restart the audio files at will, as well as skip content they didn’t like

In 2001, Applian Technologies introduced Replay Radio, a TiVo-like recorder for Internet Radio Shows. One of the features was a Direct Download link, which would scan a radio publishers site for new files and copy them directly to a PC’s hard disk. The first radio show to publish in this format was WebTalkGuys World Radio Show, produced by Rob and Dana Greenlee

In September 2000, the first system that enabled the selection, automatic downloading and storage of serial episodic audio content on PCs and portable devices was launched from early MP3 player manufacturer, i2Go, which introduced a digital audio news and entertainment service called MyAudio2Go. This enabled users to download episodic news, sports, entertainment, weather, and music in audio format for listening on a PC, the eGo portable audio player, or other MP3 players. The app could be programmed to automatically download the latest episodic content from user selected content types to a PC or portable device. Unfortunately, the service succumbed after a little over a year, due to the i2Go company running out of capital during the dot-com crash.

In October 2000, the concept of attaching sound and video files in RSS feeds was proposed in a draft by Tristan Louis, and implemented by Dave Winer. Winer had received other requests for “audioblogging” features and had discussed the enclosure concept with Adam Curry in the same month. They are credited in 2004 for coming up with the idea to automate the delivery and syncing of textual content to portable audio players

In September 2003, Winer created a special RSS-with-enclosures feed for his colleague Christopher Lydon’s weblog, which previously only had a text-only RSS feed. When Lydon had accumulated about 25 audio interviews with bloggers, futurists, and political figures, Winer gradually released them as a new RSS feed. Winer challenged other aggregator developers to support this new form of content and provide enclosure support.

Lydon’s blog eventually became Radio Open Source and is now the oldest, still-running podcast

Matt Schichter’s The Backstage Pass is widely believed to be the first podcast to be published online, despite lacking a commonly accepted identifying name for the medium. The chat show was launched in October 2003

Ben Hammersley originally suggested the word “podcast” as a portmanteau of “iPod” and “broadcast” in February 2004

Other names in limited use include “net cast,” which is intended as a vendor-neutral term without the loose reference to the Apple iPod. Other sources have suggested “portable on demand” or “POD” for similar reasons

In September 2004, blogger and columnist Doc Searls began keeping track of how many “hits” Google found for the word “podcasts”. His first query reportedly returned 24 results. On September 28, there were 526 hits on Google for “podcasts”. On October 1, there were 2750 hits. The number continued to double every few days

In June 2005, Apple released iTunes 4.9, which added formal support for podcasts, thus negating the need to use a separate program in order to download and transfer them to a mobile device. While this made access to podcasts more convenient and widespread, it also effectively ended advancement of podcatchers by independent developers. Additionally, Apple issued cease and desist orders to many podcast application developers and service providers for using the terms “iPod” or “Pod” in their products’ names

In July 2005, US President George W. Bush became a podcaster of sorts when the White House website added an RSS 2.0 feed to the previously downloadable files of the president’s weekly radio addresses

Also in July of that year, the first People’s Choice Podcast Awards were held during Podcast Expo, with awards being given in 20 categories. The Awards are still held annually and now better known as the Podcast Awards, and the now-22 categories are the following. I also added who won for 2018:

People’s Choice--The Fantasy Footballers

Best Produced--N/A

Best Video Podcast--N/A

Best Mobile Podcast--N/A

Arts--We Like Drinking

Business--Extraordinary Women Radio

Comedy--2 Girls on a Bench

Education--Our Fake History

Entertainment--We’re Drunk and We Know Things

Food and Drink--N/A

Games & Hobbies--Trivial Warfare

General--N/A

LGBQ--Derek and Romaine

Health--A Better Night’s Sleep

Government & Organizations--Democracy Works

Kids & Family--Cool Facts About Animals

Mature--Turn Me On

Music--The Modern Vinyl Podcast

News & Politics--Consider This

Religion & Spirituality--For the Love with Jen Hatmaker

Science & Medicine--Curiosity Daily

Society-Culture--Travel Oddities

Sports & Recreation--The Fantasy Footballers

Technology--Why’d You Push That Button?

Travel--N/A

TV & Film--Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Podcast

This year’s award ceremony was live streamed on September 29

On September 28, 2005, Google found more than 100M hits on the word “podcasts”

In December 2005, “podcast” was named the word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary, and added the word to the dictionary in 2006

In February 2006, Lance Anderson became the first to take a podcast and create a live venue tour with his podcast The Lance Anderson Podcast Experiment

In 2014, This American Life launched the first season of their Serial podcast, and went on to achieve 68 million downloads by the end of Season 1 and became the first podcast to win a Peabody Award. The show is also credited with popularizing true crime podcasts. As of December 2018, Serial is the most downloaded podcast of all time, with 420 million total downloads

NPR is the most popular podcast publisher with 175 million downloads and streams every month.

According to a Chartable blog post by Dave Zohrob published in February 2019, we are entering the “Golden Age of Podcasting.”

“Podcasts have been around since at least 2004. But unlike text-based news and blogs, which have gone through waves of centralization and disruption thanks to Facebook and Google, the podcast industry has remained stubbornly decentralized. There are dozens of popular podcast players, and no single gatekeeper in the industry. Despite many attempts, there has never been a ‘Netflix of podcasts.’”

Spotify appears to be on an acquisition spree and will be spending hundreds of millions of dollars purchasing podcast hosting platforms, studios, and podcasts themselves.

The article states that “Spotify CEO Daniel Ek explicitly referenced Netflix’s strategy as part of their motivation

This could signal that we’re on the cusp of a Netflix-style change for podcasting, with “a marked increase in the amount and quality of original audio programming.”

Between 2018 and 2019, weekly and monthly listenership jumped from 15% to 23%, or 20 million more frequent listeners in the US alone

In total, around 60 million people are listening a few times a week or more, and 91 million people are listening at least once a week

In 2018, an average of 575 podcasts were started every day, or about 1 every 3 minutes. Chartable is tracking over 670K podcasts in the Apple Podcasts directory, and over 210K of those published their first episode in 2018

In contrast, there are 35 million YouTube channels, so there is still plenty of room for new entrants in the audio world

The article goes on to say that podcasting is exploding because they’re a great way to connect directly to an audience. “There’s no single gatekeeper, or gatekeeping algorithm, that will prevent you from reaching our audience.

Edison Research data shows that 87% of podcast listeners listen to most or all of each podcast they listen to, even despite the fact that many episodes may run for hours. This is in contrast to the way that our attention works with other media. Some sources claim that our average attention span is down to 8 seconds. The average watch time for Facebook Watch videos is around 23 seconds. A “good” YouTube consumption rate is somewhere around 50%

Listeners binge on podcasts the same way that they binge a new Netflix season

Chartable also explains why the podcasting boom is happening now, 15 years after the creation of the medium. There are several broad trends converging, starting with Spotify and getting serious about competing with Apple, increasing their investments in podcasting in 2018.

Google launched a native Google Podcasts app for Android, which has the advantage of working on any Android device without requiring an app installation, meaning that hundreds of millions of Android users now have a “universal link” for podcast listening

While Spotify has allowed podcast listening for about three years, they didn’t open the platform to all podcasters until 2018. Spotify has significantly increased the prominence of podcasts, which is showing in their downland stats, having doubled from 2017-2018 from 4.4% to 8.5%. Most of those listeners are new to podcasts, meaning that Spotify didn’t poach listeners from other hosting platforms, but rather created new listeners simply by exposure

Additionally, the prevalence of smartphones is crucial for the podcast boom, since smartphones are by far the most popular device for audio listening. Streaming media make up the majority of mobile data usage, and that share is continuing to grow

Another factor is connected car adoption. A quarter of all listeners do most of their listening in the car, and as more cars adopt Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto, people are choosing to listen to podcasts or streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music rather than traditional AM/FM radio

Other converging trends include the popularity of smart speakers, and that generally more audio of various kinds are being more widely consumed and easily accessed, such as streaming music services, meditation apps, and audiobooks.

Chartable predicts that this Golden Age of Podcasts will lead to more high-quality shows, podcasts will continue to grow their share of overall attention, new models for funding the production of a show will emerge, advertisers and other funders will be able to expect more precise and transparent measure of audience engagement (other than download numbers), Spotify will create more exclusive content to aggregate and retain listeners, but Apple will maintain a strong position

The blog post closes out with this optimistic comparison: “Our current Golden Age of Television started 80 years after the invention of TV, and a decade after the invention of the Web. And despite some dire warnings, the trend in more and better TV programming has yet to slow. In comparison, the Golden Age of Podcasts only took 15 years since the invention of the medium, and it’s just getting started.”

International Podcast Day history

The holiday was co-founded in 2014 by a father and son team, Steve and Dave Lee. They also co-host the podcast The Waves of Tech, which was launched in March of 2007 and currently consists of nearly 500 episodes.

From a 2018 article by Morgan Hines on discoverpods.com, it was seven years after they started their podcast that they had the idea to create the holiday. Steve was driving and “heard a radio commercial for National Senior Citizen Day and wondered immediately why there wasn’t a day to celebrate podcasters and podcasting.” They chose September because the first podcast was released in September 2004, and the day after their 2014 National Podcast Day event, they “heard overwhelmingly from the international podcasting community to be represented and involved--hence, the birth of International Podcast Day.”

From their website, internationalpodcastday.com, they describe the day a “great opportunity to connect with fellow podcasters, podcast listeners, podcast enthusiasts, and leaders in the podcasting industry.”

Since the inaugural holiday, Steven and Dave have featured podcasters from 55 countries. The day is comprised of several events that take place in both an official and unofficial capacity. They host a 33-hour live video stream, where podcasters present their story or topic in their own language, though the majority are presented in English. The holiday events start at 8AM on September 29 and end at 10PM on the 30th. They note that podcasters around the world also take part in their own ways, coming up with unofficial events of their own. Internationalpodcastday.com has a page listing such events, and continues to take submissions from podcasters trying to spread the word about their own. When I checked the page in mid-September, there were events listed in Poland, Paris, Germany, North Carolina, Wisconsin, India, and Brazil

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, they created the holiday as a way to raise awareness of podcasting as an excellent entertainment and educational medium

Fun facts/stats--from weeditpodcast.com, wikipedia, podcastinsights.com, podcastprogress.com

Of 300K podcast listeners, 63% bought something that the host had promoted on their show. Of that same group, 71% said they had visited a sponsor’s website, while 62% said they would consider paying for the advertised product or service

Podcast subscriptions soared past the 1 billion mark back in 2013

There are 7 billion mobile devices worldwide, and 58% of Americans own a smartphone. One in four podcast consumers play their audio device in their car “nearly every day.”

Only 6% of all marketers are using podcasting as a form of content (2016)

Podcast listeners consume more than 105 minutes of audio per day than the average American. They spend more than 35% of that total audio time listening to podcasts

Today, there are more than 115K English-language podcasts available, and dozens of websites available for distribution for little or no cost to the producer or listener

According to one 2017 survey, 42M Americans above the age of 12 listen to podcast on at least a weekly basis

As of June 2019, there are currently over 750K podcasts, with over 30million episodes

A huge jump from April 2018, at which point FastCompany stated that there were “over 525K shows and over 18.5million episodes”

(podcastprogress.com) According to Chartable in 2018, an average of 757 podcasts were launched every day, or about one every three minutes.

There is a high level of podfading--few people keep it going after a few episodes. Between 50% and 75% of podcasts end up podfading after 7 episodes

51% of the US population has listened to a podcast

49% of podcast listening is done at home. 22% is done in the car

80% of listeners listen to all or most of each podcast episode and listens to an average of 7 shows per week

Listenership is split between women and men at about 44%/56%, respectively

50% or over 60 million homes are podcast fans

70% of the US population is familiar with the term “podcasting”--up from 64% in 2018

51% of the US population has listened to a podcast--up from 44% in 2018

32% (90 million) listened to a podcast in the last month

22% (62 million) listen to podcasts weekly

16 million people in the US are “avid podcast fans”

45% of monthly podcast listeners have household income over $75K--vs 35% for the total population

27% of US podcast listeners have a 4-year college degree

36% of podcast listeners are non-white

Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of 6 shows

19% of listeners increase the speed

65% of monthly podcast listeners have been listening for less than 3 years

Comedy is the most popular podcasting genre, followed by education and news

Podcast listeners are much more active on every social media channel (94% are active on at least one vs 81% for the entire population)

Listeners are more likely to follow companies and brands on social media

Listeners are also more likely to subscribe to Netflix or Amazon Prime--meaning that they are less likely to be exposed to TV advertising

Listeners are more likely to own a smart speaker such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home

51% of bottled water households are podcast listeners, as are

57% of baby food households

53% of beer households

56% of juice households

54% of milk households

54% of cereal households

69% agreed that podcast ads made them aware of new products or services

South Korea leads the world in the percentage of people who have listened to a podcast in the past month with 58%

The top five are rounded out with Spain at 40%, Sweden at 36%, Australia at 33%, and the US at 33%

Classes of MBA students have been commissioned to research podcasting and compare possible business models, and venture capital flowing to influential content providers

Podsafe music refers to tracks, by independent as well as signed acts, that are available for use on podcasts without significant cost or licensing difficulty

Podnography is also becoming a thing. Also called sexcasts, these are audio clips that may contain porn reviews, kinky storytelling, and interviews with porn writers

Activities to celebrate

Use #InternationalPodcastDay and #PodCastDay to share on social media

Visit internationalpodcastday.com, who suggests that you can celebrate by spreading the word about the day to your friends, share the celebration on your podcasts and social media feeds

Grab your mic and camera, ask someone about their favorite podcast. Share the response on social media

Join in events in your region and around the world

Promote by posting the official banner image on your website

Play the International Podcast Day audio or video promo on your show

Change your social media image to the International Podcast Day logo

Explain to someone what a podcast is and get them hooked

Share your favorite podcast with someone

Send feedback to your favorite podcasters and tell them thank you

Provide a rating and review in Apple podcasts and other platforms

Subscribe to a new show and talk about it using one of the hashtags

Not a podcaster? Become one!

Internationalpodcastday.com also has merch for sale, including shirts, hoodies, hats, mugs, and tote bags. If you order a shirt, you can send a selfie of yourself wearing it that the site will display on their Podcast Day Proud page

They also have a podcasting quiz, where you can test your knowledge about podcasting. I got 7/11 right, or 63.63%, or a solid D

National Today suggests

Finding a new podcast: “With apps like Pocket Cast (for Android) and Downcast (for IOS), it’s never been easier to find an interesting podcast. Browse by category, or by popularity, and you’re bound to find at least a dozen that you’ll have a hard time turning off

Creating your own: “You can create your very own podcast, and you’ve likely already got the tools you need to get started. Between your mobile phone and your computer, you’ve likely got a microphone, and some app like Garageband or Audacity. Recording the podcast is the easy part--the real challenge comes when you’re trying to pick a topic worth listening to!”

Donating to your favorite podcaster: “Many of the most popular podcasts survive on minimal ad revenue and donations ‘from viewers like you.’ As much as even hearing those words can put one to sleep, they’re there for a reason! Consider throwing a few dollars toward your favorite podcasts so that they can keep on broadcasting.”

SOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_podcasting

https://internationalpodcastday.com/podcasting-history/

https://internationalpodcastday.com/promotion/

https://internationalpodcastday.com/

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/international-podcast-day-september-30/

https://nationaltoday.com/international-podcast-day/

https://discoverpods.com/founding-creation-international-podcast-day/

https://www.weeditpodcasts.com/14-podcasting-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind/

https://www.podcastinsights.com/podcast-statistics/

https://podcastprogress.com/podcast-facts-and-figures-2019/

https://musicoomph.com/podcast-statistics/

https://chartable.com/blog/golden-age-of-podcasts

https://musicoomph.com/podcast-statistics/
1 hr 27 min
September 24, 2019 SEPTEMBER 24 2019 – NATIONAL TYPO DAY! with Pete Musto
HAPPY NATIONAL TYPO DAY! Jon us as we celebrate those typgrpacial erros that we all kno and love! Today we're celebrating with pal and comedian Pete Musto (midnightgardenersleague.com / Facebook: MidnightGardenersLeague)!! LET'S PARTY!! | Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM
1 hr 9 min
September 24, 2019 SEPTEMBER 24 2019 – NATIONAL TYPO DAY! with Pete Musto
HAPPY NATIONAL TYPO DAY! Jon us as we celebrate those typgrpacial erros that we all kno and love! Today we're celebrating with pal and comedian Pete Musto (midnightgardenersleague.com / Facebook: MidnightGardenersLeague)!! LET'S PARTY!!

Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM

Find Alyssa – Twitter: @alyssapants / Instagram: lettertalkpodcast / alyssapants.com

Find Disa – Twitter: @cinnamonenemy / Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/1243777842

Find show notes at https://laughowenslaugh.com/holiday-party-september-24-2019-national-typo-day-with-pete-musto/

1 hr 9 min
September 18, 2019 SEPTEMBER 2019 – NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH! with Dan Kapr
HAPPY NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH! Join us as we celebrate having our shit together when life surprises us with disastrous bullshit! Today we're celebrating with friend and comedian Dan Kapr (danhasjokes.com / Twitter: @danhasjokes / Instagram: danhasjokes)!! LET'S PARTY!! | Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM
1 hr 39 min
September 18, 2019SEPTEMBER 2019 – NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH! with Dan Kapr
HAPPY NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH! Join us as we celebrate having our shit together when life surprises us with disastrous bullshit! Today we're celebrating with friend and comedian Dan Kapr (danhasjokes.com / Twitter: @danhasjokes / Instagram: danhasjokes)!! LET'S PARTY!!

Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM

Find Alyssa – Twitter: @alyssapants / Instagram: lettertalkpodcast / alyssapants.com

Find Disa – Twitter: @cinnamonenemy / Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/1243777842

SHOW NOTES

History/Fun facts about the holiday

Lifted straight from Wikipedia: “Preparedness refers to a very concrete research-based set of actions that are taken as precautionary measures in the face of potential disasters. These actions can include both physical preparations, such as emergency supplies depots, adapting buildings to survive earthquakes, etc., and trainings for emergency action. Preparedness is an important quality in achieving goals and in avoiding and mitigating negative outcomes.”

There are different types of preparedness, including public health preparedness, local emergency preparedness or snow preparedness, and “disaster preparedness,” which is probably the most developed type.

“Disaster Preparedness” is defined by the UN as involving “forecasting and taking precautionary measures to an imminent threat when advance warnings are possible.” Along with natural disasters, this type can include all kinds of severe damage caused in a relatively short period of time, including warfare.

Preparedness is a major phase of emergency management, and is particularly valued in areas of competition such as sport and military science

Methods of preparation include research, estimation, planning, resourcing, education, practicing, and rehearsing

In the US, preparedness used to be largely viewed as the responsibility of first responders and other emergency services. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it became evident that first responders can and will become overwhelmed in a large-scale disaster; unable to effectively respond to the emergency. The idea of whole community preparedness is, “By working together, everyone can keep the nation safe from harm and resilient when struck by hazards, such as natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and pandemics.”

National Preparedness Month has been observed every September since 2004, and is sponsored by FEMA. It is part of a governmental effort to strengthen the United States’ preparedness capabilities. The national preparedness architecture encompasses prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts to prepare the US for all hazards, whether terrorist attack or natural disaster

September was chosen “as the tragedies of the September 11, 2001 highlighted to the nation the importance of being prepared.” It was also partly chosen because the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season occurs in mid-September

As of 2016, the National Household Survey revealed that while more than 75% of Americans surveyed report having supplies set aside in their homes just for disasters, less than 50% have a household emergency plan

National Preparedness Month serves to encourage people to take important preparedness steps including: getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the different emergencies that may affect them, as well as taking the necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community preparedness and response efforts

Some big-picture basics that you can personally assess and adjust may include (from consumer.ftc.gov) organizing your finances by having your financial documents up-to-date, in one place, and portable; replacing missing documents; checking your insurance to see if any of them will pay for temporary shelter, replacement clothing, furniture, or other items; preparing your home against fires, earthquakes, high winds and tornadoes, storms, or flooding; planning for your pets; and signing up for alerts and warnings in your area

A typical emergency or survival kit could include a knife (often a Swiss army knife or a multi-tool), matches, tinder, first aid kit, bandana, fish hooks, sewing kit, and a flashlight. The American Red Cross recommends an emergency preparedness kit that is easy to carry and use in the event of an emergency or disaster

The general contents of an emergency kit depend on the location, though basic components address the needs of first aid, food, water, shelter and warmth, navigation, and signaling

The Wikipedia article for Survival Kits has a relatively exhaustive list of options for each of these components, so you can check there or the American Red Cross for ideas to customize your own kit

The article also includes information for other types of survival kits, such as for lifeboats, military, spacecraft, mini-survival or “Altoids tin” kits, and vehicle kits

The spacecraft kits are provided due to the difficulty of predicting where a spacecraft will land on its return to earth, especially in the case of an equipment failure. For example, the Apollo program kit was “designed to provide a 48-hour postlanding survival capability for three crewman between 40 degrees North and South latitudes” and contained “a survival radio, a survival light assembly, desalter kits, a machete, sunglasses, water cans, sun lotion, a blanket, a pocket knife, netting and foam pads.”

“Altoid tin” kits generally contain a few basic tools, such as a small compass, waterproof matches, minimum fishing tackles, large plastic bag, small candle, jigsaw blade, craft knife or scalpel blade, and/or a safety pin

For natural disasters, the US government Homeland Security provides a list of recommended in-home kit items, with the content focusing on the basics of survival: fresh water, food, clean air, and materials to maintain body warmth. These items comprised into a kit are known as a bug-out bag, and include:

At least one gallon of water per person for each day of drinking and sanitation

Non-perishable food for at least three days, which does not require being cooked or refrigerated

Emergency food bars, preferably products with 2400 or 3600 calories and contain no coconut or tropical oils to which many people may have an allergic reaction

Battery- or hand-powered radio with the Weather band

LED type flashlight, either battery- or hand-powered

Extra batteries for anything needing them, lithium being preferred for shelf life

First aid kit

Copies of any medical prescriptions

A whistle for signaling

Dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place

Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation

Wrench or pliers to turn off water valves

Can opener

Local maps

Spare keys for household and motor vehicles

Sturdy, comfortable shoes and lightweight rain gear

Contact and meeting place information for the household

Bug-out bags, or BOBs, are variably known as “Personal Emergency Relocation Kits, or PERKs, or “get out of dodge” (GOOD) kits. They’re typically backed into backpacks or duffel bags, and designed specifically to be more easily carried by the individual in case alternate forms of transportation are unavailable or impossible to use

Some additional pointers to consider, from epa.gov, include

How to report emergencies:

Call 911 if you are in immediate danger--although that might not work anyway, as we can glean from a very recent case in Arkansas. According to the Daily Wire, 47-year old Debra Stevens called 911 on August 24 while on her newspaper delivery route when her SUV was trapped in a flash flood. The call lasted 22 minutes, during which time Debra conveyed her fear and confusion and the dispatcher responded dismissively and callously.

NOTE: I will not be going over the full details of this case, because they’re deeply upsetting. I made the mistake of listening to some of the audio of the 911 call and I greatly wish I hadn’t

SYNOPSIS: Stevens called 911 when her car was suddenly swept away from rapid flash flood waters and into a grove of trees. The dispatcher was dismissive, rude, and condescending throughout the call, in response to Stevens’ panic and distress. By the time first responders were attempting to reach Stevens, she had drowned.

Stevens, while in her car that was trapped amongst a group of trees: “I have an emergency--a severe emergency. I can’t get out, and I’m scared to death, ma’am. Can you please help me”?

Dispatcher: “You’re not going to die. I don’t know why you’re freaking out...You freaking out is doing nothing but losing your oxygen in there. So, calm down.”

“Stevens said that she hadn’t seen the water and had plunged into it; that the water was now as high as her chest. She added that she could see people in the distance who were likely laughing at her. She apologized to the dispatcher, adding that she felt she was about to throw up.”

Dispatcher: “Well, you’re in water, you can throw up. It’s not going to matter.”

Stevens: “Please help and get me out of this water, dear Father.” Then she apologized again for her rudeness.

Dispatcher: “This will teach you next time don’t drive in the water.”

Stevens: “I couldn’t see it ma’am. I’m sorry or I wouldn’t have.” She said she had delivered the newspaper on the same route for 21 years and never seen anything like it.

Dispatcher: “I don’t know how you didn’t see it. You had to go right over it. The water just didn’t appear.”

The dispatcher went on to take other calls, including relaying to first responders that “she is legit freaking out.” When Stevens said, “I’m going to die!”, the dispatcher responded, “ Miss Debbie, you’re breathing just fine because you’re screaming at me. So, calm down. I know you’re scared. Hold on for me.”

Roughly an hour later, rescuers found Stevens’ car. She had drowned.

The dispatcher had already submitted her resignation earlier in August. Her last day was reportedly the day Stevens died. That dispatcher had previously been awarded Police Dispatcher of the Year

To report oil, chemical, or hazardous substance releases or spills, call the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802

For pesticide poisoning, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222

For individuals and homeowners, you should know ahead of time where you can run a generator. Generator exhaust is toxic and can sicken or kill you. Always put generators outside well away from doors, windows, and vents. Never use generators inside a home, basement, garage, crawlspace, tent, shed, or any other indoor or enclosed area. Carbon monoxide, the deadly gas produced by generator use which you cannot see or smell, can build up quickly, and linger for hours

In April 2015, a father and his seven children were found dead in their Maryland home from carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator they were using because they could not afford their electricity bills. The father, Rodney Todd Sr. was 36, and his childrens’ ages ranged from 6-16

Extended family noted that he’d purchased the generator to keep his family warm after the electricity was cut off due to an outstanding bill. The generator was out of fuel and turned off when the family was discovered

If your drinking water is from a private well, know your state or local contacts for inspecting the safety your drinking water after a flood. Keep at least a 3-day drinking supply per person, as well as additional water for any pets

If your home is on a septic system, know whom to call to have it inspected after a flood before you use it

Preppers!

The term “prepper” generally refers to an individual who participates in a movement known as “survivalism” and who actively prepares for emergencies, including possible disruptions in social or political order, on scales from local to international. The survivalism movement also encompasses preparation for personal emergencies, such as job loss or being stranded in the wild or under adverse weather conditions. Overall, there is an emphasis on self-reliance, stockpiling supplies, and gaining survival knowledge and skills, and it’s not uncommon for preppers to acquire emergency medical and self-defense training, stockpile food and water, prepare for self-sufficiency, and build structures such as survival retreats or underground shelters that may help them survive a catastrophe

Use of the term “survivalist” dates back to 1976

The use of the term “prepper” appears to have taken on the more pejorative use around the year 2000, after Y2K failed to bring about “the end of the world as we know it”, and preppers were subsequently mocked for their panic and ridiculed as “kooky”

The origins of the modern survivalist movement in the UK and US include government policies, threats of nuclear warfare, religious beliefs, and writers who warned of social or economic collapse

The Cold War era civil defense programs promoted public atomic bomb shelters, personal fallout shelters, and training for children. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints had long directed their members to store a year’s worth of food for themselves and their families in preparation for such possibilities, but the current teaching advises only a three-month supply

The Great Depression is often cited by preppers as an example of the need to be prepared

“Interest in the movement picked up during the Clinton administration due in part to the debate surrounding the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and the ban’s subsequent passage in 1994. Interest peaked again in 1999 triggered by fears of the Y2K computer bug

Another wave of survivalism began after the 9/11 attacks and subsequent bombings in Bali, Madrid, and London. Additional events that have nudged this ideology along include the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the 2008 Great Recession, the advent of H1N1 Swine Flu in 2009

Following the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the “prepper” community worried they would face public scrutiny after it was revealed the mass murderer’s mother was a survivalist

To recap, on December 14, 2012, 20-year old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people, 20 of whom were children under the age of 7, after shooting his mother at their Newtown home. He then shot himself in the head.

In addition to the three firearms that Lanza took with him to the shooting, he had access to three additional firearms at the home that he shared with his mother, and she was described as a “gun enthusiast who owned at least a dozen firearms. She often took her two sons to a local shooting range, where they learned to shoot.”

Common preparations among the community include the creation of a clandestine or defensible retreat, haven, or bug out location, in addition to the stockpiling of non-perishable food, water, water-purification equipment, clothing, seed, firewood, defensive or hunting weapons, ammunition, agricultural equipment, and medical supplies

Survivalist terminology!--survivalists maintain their group identity by using specialized terminology not generally understood outside their circles. So I’m about to bust. That. Shit. Down. They often use military acronyms such as OPSEC or Operations Security, and SOP or Standard Operating Procedure, as well as terms that are unique to their own survivalist groups, including:

Alpha strategy: the practice of storing extra consumable items, as a hedge against inflation, and for use in barter and charity

Ballistic wampum: ammunition stored for barter purposes

BOB: Bug-Out Bag

BOL: Bug-Out Location

BOV: Bug-Out Vehicle

Doomer: A peak oil adherent who believes in a Malthusian-scale social collapse

EDC: EveryDay Carry. What one carries at all times in case disaster strikes while one is out and about. Also refers to the normal carrying of a pistol for self-defense, or the pistol which is carried

EOTW: End of the world

EROL: Excessive rule of law, describing a situation where a government becomes oppressive and uses its powers and laws to control citizens

Goblin: a criminal miscreant

Golden horde: the anticipated large mixed horde of refugees and looters that will pour out of the metropolitan regions WTSHTF (when the shit hits the fan)

G.O.O.D: Get out of dodge. Fleeing urban areas in the event of a disaster

G.O.O.D. kit: Get out of dodge kit, synonymous with BOB

I.N.C.H. pack: I’m Never Coming Home pack, or a pack containing everything needed to walk out into the woods and never return to society. It is a heavy pack loaded with the gear needed to accomplish any wilderness tasks, from building shelter to gaining food, designed to allow someone to survive indefinitely in the woods. This requires skills as well as proper selection of equipment, as one can only carry so much. For example, instead of carrying food, one carries seeds, steel traps, a longbow, reel spinners, and other fishing gear

Pollyanna or Polly: Someone who is in denial about the disruption that might be caused by the advent of a large-scale disaster

Prepper: A synonym for survivalist that came into common usage during the early 2000s. Used interchangeably with survivalist much as retreater was in the 1970s. Refers to one who is prepared or making preparations

SHTF: Shit hits the fan

TEOTWAWKI: The end of the world as we know it. The expression is in use since at least the early 1980s, however others claim the acronym may have been coined in 1996

Uncivilization: A generic term for a great catastrophe

WROL: Without rule of law, describing a potential lawless state of society

YOYO: You’re on your own

Zombie: Unprepared, incidental survivors of a prepped-for disaster, “who feed on… the preparations of others”

Zombie apocalypse: Used by some preppers as a tongue-in-cheek metaphor for any natural or man-made disaster and “a clever way of drawing people’s attention to disaster preparedness”. The premise of the Zombie Squad is that “if you are prepared for a scenario where the walking corpses of your family and neighbors are trying to eat you alive, you will be prepared for almost anything.” Though “there are some… who are seriously preparing for a zombie attack.”

Some famous preppers include (from trueprepper.com):

Nathan Fillion, who apparently is a self-taught welder so that he can armor up his SUV for the zombie apocalypse. He was on Conan and jokingly argued that he’d be valuable in such an environment, and people would be incentivized to help him survive

Ronda Rousey is a prepper that lives on her homestead in Southern California with her husband and a ton of goats. She has stated, “A lot of these skills that were common place, every generation we know less and less and less about them because it makes people for us not to know. Every single person in here their survival plan is a grocery store. If all the grocery stores closed, what would you do? That’s a scary thought.”

Zooey Deschanel also outed herself on Conan as something of a prepper, mentioning that she tries to dress in order to be able to make a quick getaway at any time--flat shoes, a cross-body bag, “agile” clothing. She also looks for the exits in any room, has an earthquake kit including a tent

Roseanne Barr is a very active advocate for prepping. In one of her tweets, she’s said, “In America: be prepared by organizing with your neighbors to grow wholesome food/store water/vitamins/guns.”

Jamie Lee Curtis is a Red Cross advocate and has consistently supported them in their mission to teach the importance of preparedness, including shooting a 2-minute video showing how to customize an emergency kit. Her recommendations included a photo of the family to comfort any children, candy and games for said children, rechargeable flashlights, dental floss, comfort food, sturdy shoes for foot protection, and a mobile means of keeping the kit such as a backpack.

The National Enquirer “outed” Ryan Seacrest in 2017, with his staff reported that he stocks up on protein bars and that he’s “gripped by weird, unreasoning terror that LA is waay overdue for another devastating earthquake!”

In November 2018,, a hunter in Wisconsin discovered a door “peeking out from behind some thick underbrush off a dirt trail.” The door had been built into the earth and hidden strategically behind branches and shrubs. He reported the finding to police, but authorities were “unsuccessful with any results” during their follow-up. The hunter, Thomas Nelson, ruminated on his creepy discovery for nearly a year before he decided to retrace his steps to further investigate the door on his own, and returned to the location in August of this year.

When Nelson opened the door, he found a man lying in a bed in the cave-like hideout. Nelson quickly contacted police and lead them directly to the site, where officers made 50-60 verbal commands and banged on the cave roof until the mystery man emerged about 20 minutes later, fully dressed in camouflage

The guy turned out to be Jeremiah Button, a man who had been two weeks away from standing trial for charges of child sexual assault and child pornography charges before he abruptly disappeared in February 2016.

Button had been out on $25k bond for 18 months, and in that time he built his small, wooden bunker into an embankment along the Ice Age Trail in a state park near Ringle, Wisconsin

When he emerged from his cave with his hands up, he stated, “I am a wanted man,” and officers noted that he was “extremely chatty and remarked how ‘it was nice to talk to some human beings.’”

Button apparently chose the location due to its remoteness and proximity to a local landfill, which he would regularly forage for food and supplies. This is even where he found his camouflage outfit, which he called “a really great find.”

Other than his landfill excursions, Button had stocked up with backpacks of canned goods, and other supplies, including a flat-screen TV. On top of the cave, officers found several solar panels and car batteries, which Button later stated he used to power his radio, TV, lights, and fans

For backup power, he created a generator using a bicycle that he would pedal

He ensured that he always had water by seeking out a particularly wet part of the woods and building a well. He would then filter the water through charcoal and sand-lined filters before boiling it

Prior to his disappearance, “Button was set to stand trial for four counts of child sexual assault and child pornography from 2014, including first-degree sexual assault and incest with a child,” charges to which he had pleaded not guilty

In order to trick people into believing he fled the midwest, Button left his wallet at his mother’s house with a note that he was moving to Florida. “He then hopped into a train’s coal car in Stevens Point and covered himself with coal. Once he got to an area near his bunker, he got lost, taking two days of walking to find his way back to it.

Fortunately, he is currently in custody and awaiting his next day in court, which is September 16.

From the Cracked article “6 Odd Things Doomsday Preppers Stockpile (That Make Sense)”, preppers are known to have a more-than-healthy supply of the following:

Non-lubricated condoms, since they’re apparently useful for starting fires by protecting tinder from moisture, hunting for food by turning it into a slingshot, transporting up to 2 liters of water, using as stand-ins for rubber gloves, and protecting the muzzle of your gun

Dog gear. Dogs can carry their own supplies without complaint, sniff out food and water, and search for and bring down prey. They also “have a long...history of offensive and defensive combat use. Essentially, prepping for your dog’s survival may be imperative to your own odds of survival

Booze, and not just for partying or drowning your lonely sorrows after everyone you know has died of syphilis because they didn’t pack any condoms. In the past, adding spirits to potable water that’s been sitting around for a long time will make it much more palatable. Liquor distillation was originally invented in part for medical purposes, and alcohol can be used as a solvent to dissolve medicinal herbs, as well as to knock out patients for surgery when modern anesthesia wouldn’t be available. If the ABV is high enough, alcohol can also be used as ignition fuel. It may also be useful as a bartering good, since money will basically be worthless

Baking soda, to be used for brushing your teeth so that you can continue to easily eat, cleaning your dishes, preventing body odor for when you’re sneaking up on a prey animal with a keen sense of smell, dousing an accidental fire, and preventing “trench foot” by absorbing the moisture your feet produce every day. Trench foot occurs when your feet are wet for long periods of time, with extreme cases leading to the tissue dying and falling off which may result in the loss of toes, the heel, or the entire foot. We learned on National Laundry Day that you perspire about 1.6 gallons of sweat each day, and half of that is through your feet.

Cigarettes for currency. In traumatic situations, like war for example, cigarettes are often valued more highly than food. Cigarettes are also useful for starting fires, and the filters can be used to clean water. You can also use water-soaked cigarette butts as natural pest control on any produce you attempt to grow

And finally epinephrine, AKA adrenaline, which can be used as a drug for blood pressure support and vasoconstrictor. The latter is particularly useful to aid in faster wound repair, which would be especially desirable in the even that sanitization resources become limited. The longer a wound stays open and bloody, the more likely you are to get infections, which are not always easily survivable even with today’s medical treatment options. Epinephrine also increases your heart rate and blood flow to your muscles, which could obviously prove life-saving in a harrowing situation

If you want to be a prepper, or consider yourself one already, you might appreciate the website prepperwebsite.com! The font is super annoying, but the front page will regale you with many, many recent blog posts with tips and ideas, including such gems as:

“How Long Do Potatoes Last? 7 Tips to Maximize Shelf Life”

“All-Natural Fruit Tree Bait for Insects: It Works!”

“Disinfecting Instruments”

“4 Canning Dangers to Be Aware Of”

“Silkie Chickens: Should You Get Them?”

Activities to celebrate

Each year features a different theme. According to ready.gov, the theme for 2019 is Prepared, Not Scare. Be Ready for Disasters

This theme is then broken down into weekly themes, with specific suggestions included on the website for each week

Week 1: Save early for Disaster Costs

Week 2: Make a Plan to Prepare for Disasters

Week 3: Teach Youth to Prepare for Disasters

Week 4: Get Involved in Your Community’s Preparedness

They recommend using the following hashtags during the course of the month:

#YouthPrep, #ReadyKids, #Prepare Now, #FloodSmart

Share public service announcements and instructional videos https://www.ready.gov/videos

Print, share, or order FREE emergency preparedness publications https://www.ready.gov/publications

Download the FEMA app for disaster resources, weather alerts, and safety tips https://www.fema.gov/mobile-app

Sign up for preparedness text messages. Text PREPARE to 43362 (4FEMA) to receive preparedness tips https://www.ready.gov/get-tech-ready

Share preparedness information from ready.gov in 12 other languages https://www.ready.gov/languages

Remember to include emergency preparedness messages in your social media, email signature, monthly newsletters, or other messaging tools

From National Day Calendar: “Preparing for a disaster might seem like an impossible task and we hope you never have to experience one. But if you do, government agencies like FEMA and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as organizations like the American Red Cross, provide excellent websites with enough information to get you started. These websites also offer suggestions on how to plan in specific instances, like being without power for weeks. Your insurance companies will also have information you can use as you prepare. Insurance companies encourage families to prepare for disasters. It makes their jobs easier once the emergency is over and it also gives you peace of mind that were covered correctly.”

Use #NationalPreparednessMonth in social media postings

An organization can become a National Preparedness Month Coalition Member by agreeing to participate in a preparedness activity or event in the month of September. Coalition members have agreed to promote emergency preparedness through a variety of different ways. Members can sponsor events, coordinate Disaster Preparedness Days, create Disaster Checklists, assist with the creation of emergency kits and survival kits, along with many other Preparedness activities

SOURCES

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-preparedness-month/

https://www.ready.gov/september

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Preparedness_Month

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preparedness

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/national-preparedness-month.html

https://www.epa.gov/natural-disasters/september-preparedness-month

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/09/its-national-preparedness-month-make-plan

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivalism

https://www.prepperwebsite.com/

https://www.cracked.com/blog/6-odd-things-doomsday-preppers-stockpile-that-make-sense/

https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/prepper/

https://www.trueprepper.com/famous-celebrities-survivalists-preppers/

https://www.theorganicprepper.com/rich-famous-preppers/

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/briannasacks/a-man-wanted-on-child-sex-assault-charges-disappeared-3

https://allthatsinteresting.com/debra-stevens-donna-renneau-911-call

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/dad-who-died-7-kids-carbon-monoxide-rodney-todd-never-n337341
1 hr 39 min
August 26, 2019 AUGUST 26 2019 – NATIONAL TOILET PAPER DAY! with Amy Cowan
HAPPY NATIONAL TOILET PAPER DAY! Join us as we celebrate the amazing rolls of paper we rub our nether regions with! Today we're celebrating with friend, sister and toilet paper user Amy Cowan (aacowan.com / Twitter: @aacowan / Instagram: aacowan)!! LET'S PARTY!! | Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM
1 hr 20 min
August 26, 2019AUGUST 26 2019 – NATIONAL TOILET PAPER DAY! with Amy Cowan
HAPPY NATIONAL TOILET PAPER DAY! Join us as we celebrate the amazing rolls of paper we rub our nether regions with! Today we're celebrating with friend, sister and toilet paper user Amy Cowan (aacowan.com / Twitter: @aacowan / Instagram: aacowan)!! LET'S PARTY!!

Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM

Find Alyssa – Twitter: @alyssapants / Instagram: lettertalkpodcast / alyssapants.com

Find Disa – Twitter: @cinnamonenemy / Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/1243777842

SHOW NOTES

“Toilet paper is a tissue paper product people primarily use to clean the anus and surrounding area of fecal material after defecation and to clean the perineal area of urine and other bodily fluid releases. It also acts as a layer of protection for the hands during these processes.” --Wikipedia

According to WordHippo, other names for toilet paper include: toilet tissue, TP, bum wad, loo paper, loo roll, bog paper, or bog roll

According to Urban Thesaurus, additional synonyms include: shit ticket, ass polish, geneva convention, US constitution, bill of rights, certificate of deposit, bung fodder, bum fodder, poop eraser, manpon, rectum ribbon, moon squares, moon tape, bowel towels, poop mittens, clint eastwood paper, poo or poop tickets, dookie tickets, parachute, mountain money, shistapape, dunny roll, shatner, hole roll, yugio cards, moon floss, daily mail, alpha whiskey, ghetto kleenex, and butt scroll

Among many, many, many other terms with definitions adjacent to toilet paper but not direct slang terms for it

Most modern toilet paper in the developed world is designed to decompose in septic tanks

Toilet paper comes in various numbers of plies, or layers of thickness, from 1- to 6-ply, with more back-to-back plies providing greater strength and absorbency

Toilet paper products can vary greatly in the distinguishing technical factors, such as size, weight, roughness, softness, chemical residues, “finger-breakthrough” resistance, and water-absorption

Quality is usually determined by the number of plies, coarseness, and durability. Low grade institutional toilet paper is typically of the lowest grade of paper, has only one or two plies, is very coarse and sometimes contains small amounts of embedded unbleached/unpulped paper. Mid-grade two ply is somewhat textured to provide some softness and is somewhat stronger. Premium toilet paper may have lotion and wax and has 2-4 plies of very finely pulped paper. If it’s marketed as “luxury”, it may be quilted or rippled, perfumed, colored or patterned, medicated, or treated with aloe

In order to advance decomposition of the paper in septic tanks or drainage, the paper used has shorter fibers than facial tissue or writing paper. Manufacturers try to reach an optimal balance between rapid decomposition (which requires shorter fibers) and sturdiness (which requires longer fibers)

Another use for toilet paper is toilegami, which refers to a common practice by hotels to fold the first sheet of a toilet paper roll to indicate to guests that the room has been cleaned

The practice has been considered an emblematic example of a meme copied across the world from one hotel to another to the point that most of them now do it

There are recreational uses for toilet paper such as “TP-ing”, which is the act of throwing rolls of toilet paper over cars, trees, houses, and gardens, causing the toilet paper to unfurl and cover the property, creating an inconvenient mess

Children and cats may take to unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper by spinning it until it completely unravels on the floor, or as a game by children wadding up one end, putting it in the toilet bowl without tearing it and then using the flushing of the toilet to pull new paper into the toilet with the objective of flushing the entire roll down the toilet section at a time without the toilet paper breaking

Toilet paper pranks include musical toilet paper holders and inserts that are activated by the unrolling of the toilet paper and will loudly play an embarrassing song, calling attention to the person defecating

Other gags include custom toilet paper printed with jokes, stories, or politicians’ images

From toiletpaperhistory.net, wrapping and padding material known as paper was invented in China in the 2nd century BC, and there are “many evidences” that confirm that they used that paper like toilet paper as well.

The first modern toilet paper was created in 1391 for the Chinese Emperor family, and each sheet of toilet paper was perfumed.

It wasn’t until the late 15th century that paper became widely available, though mass manufacturing of modern toilet paper didn’t begin until the late 19th century

Prior to toilet paper, wealthy people would use wool, lace, or hemp to wipe, while poorer people would often use their hand when defecating into rivers, or cleaned themselves with materials such as rags, wood shavings, leaves, grass, hay, stones, sand, moss, water, snow, ferns, plant husks, fruit skins, seashells, or corncobs

In Ancient Rome, a sponge on a stick was a popular option. The tool would be placed into a pail of vinegar or heavily salted seawater after use

Other sources indicate that ancient Jewish practice included the use of small pebbles that would be carried in a special bag, as well as the use of dry grass or the smooth edges of broken pottery jugs

In 1857, Joseph C. Gayetty created the first commercially available toilet paper, which were comprised of loose, flat sheets of paper medicated with aloe. It was dubbed “Gayetty’s Medicated Paper,” with Joseph Gayetty’s name printed on every sheet. Sadly, this invention ultimately failed.

In 1879, the Scott brothers founded the Scott Paper Company, which offered the first toilet paper sold in rolls. However, they struggled to get the public to openly buy the product because Americans were so embarrassed by bodily functions. In fact, the Scott brothers were so ashamed of the nature of their work that they didn’t take proper credit for it until 1902

In 1871, Zeth Wheeler patented rolled and perforated toilet paper, and began selling the paper in 1897

By the end of the 19th century, more homes were being built with sit-down flush toilets attached to indoor plumbing systems. Because people required a product that could be flushed away with minimal damage to the pipes, widespread acceptance of toilet paper finally took hold

In 1935, Northern Tissue invented splinter free toilet paper

It was popular in the 1960s to buy colored toilet paper to match or complement the colors of one’s bathroom. Colors included pink, lavender, light blue, light green, darker green, purple, and light yellow. US manufacturers fully discontinued color paper lines in 2004, though colored paper remains commonly available in some European countries

In 1973, Johnny Carson allegedly created a toilet paper shortage in the US after a joke he told on The Tonight Show.

From Snopes, which lists the rumor as a “mixture” of fact and fiction: “In December 1973, Carson made a joke during his opening monologue of The Tonight Show about an upcoming toilet paper shortage. While Carson was not the first to comment on the situation, [he] was blamed for causing a nationwide toilet paper shopping spree.”

1973 was a rough year economically for Americans. In the beginning of the year, the stock market crashed and lost over 45% of its value. In October, an Arab oil embargo saw gas prices rise from $3/barrel to nearly $12/barrel

After inflation, that equates to a rise from about $17/barrel to about $69/barrel (for reference, our prices today appear to range from $55-65/barrel)

The US experienced a period of economic stagnation that it hadn’t seen since the Great Depression

As a result, gas, electricity, and onions were heavily reported to be in limited supply, and Americans cultivated a “shortage psychology.”

The toilet paper shortage started with an unsubstantiated rumor in November 1973 with several news agencies reporting a tissue shortage in Japan. A republican congressman in Wisconsin, Harold V. Froelich, then released a series of press releases stating that “the US may face a serious shortage of toilet paper within a few months...we hope we don’t have to ration toilet tissue...a toilet paper shortage is no laughing matter. It is a problem that will potentially touch every American.”

The media took this and ran with it, setting the ground for a consumer panic. Johnny Carson’s reference to the shortage on his shown is oft-cited as the spark that ignited the legitimate shortage that followed. He said, “You know, we’ve got all sorts of shortages these days. But have you heard the latest? I’m not kidding. I saw it in the papers. There’s a shortage of toilet paper!”

Millions of Americans went on toilet paper shopping sprees, leading to some store owners setting limits on two rolls per customer. Some creative thinkers requested toilet paper as gifts to their baby showers.

The shortage last for four months. Toilet paper was bartered and traded, and a black market even emerged before the panic subsided in February of 1974

Carson issued a serious apology on his talk show, saying, “I don’t want to be remembered as the man who created a false toilet paper scare. I just picked up the item from the paper and enlarged it somewhat...there is no shortage.”

In 2015, Venezuela faced a similar crisis. Reports surfaced that the country’s government’s price controls may lead to a lack of toilet paper, the citizens panicked and induced their own shortage.

The situation got so out of hand that President Jorge Arreaza occupied a toilet paper factory, and issued this statement: “[We] will not allow hoarding or failures in the production and distribution of essential commodities. There is no deficiency in production.”

Wet wipes were first introduced in the UK in the 1990s. It was promoted as a flushable product but it has since been implicated in the creation of fatbergs (a congealed mass in a sewer system formed by the combination of non-biodegradable solid matter, such as wet wipes, and congealed grease or cooking fat

Since 2013, there have been a number of notable fatbergs that have been discovered and extricated from sewers in Great Britain, Australia, and the US

In September 2017, a fatberg of congealed fat, wet wipes, and waste was discovered under the streets in Baltimore, Maryland that caused the spillage of 1.2 million US gallons of sewage into Jones Falls

In February 2019, the largest fatberg in UK history, so far, was discovered in a sewer at Birchall Street in Liverpool. It weighed 400 tons and was 250 meters long. As of recording, it is still in the process of being removed, as it is proving to be difficult to break down using conventional tools and equipment

In many parts of the world, especially where toilet paper or the necessary plumbing for disposal are unavailable or unaffordable, toilet paper is not used. Many people also consider using water as much cleaner and more sanitary practice than using paper. Cleansing may then be done with other methods or materials, such as a bidet, a lota (a small water vessel made from brass, copper, or plastic used in parts of South Asia), rags, sand, leaves, corn cobs, animal furs, sticks, or hands

History of the holiday

It was tough to pin down the inaugural Toilet Paper Day, but I did manage to find a mention of it in an article from 2010 on theyearoflivingunofficially.com

The date was chosen to commemorate the first time toilet paper was ever sold on a roll, August 26, 1871

Fun facts and anecdotes!

More than 7 billion rolls of toilet paper are sold yearly in the US. Americans use an average of 23.6 rolls per capita per year

The average American uses 50 lbs of tissue paper per year, which is 50% more than the average person of other Western countries or Japan. This may be explained by the fact that people in other countries use bidets or hoses to clean themselves

Americans use an average of 8.6 sheets of toilet paper each time they go to the restroom

One tree produces about 200 rolls of toilet paper and about 83 million rolls are produced per day

Global toilet paper production consumes 27k trees daily

Millions of trees are harvested in North and South America leaving ecological footprint concerns

It takes 37 gallons of water to make a single roll of toilet paper

Friction from toilet paper contributes to and exacerbates the 23 million annual cases of hemorrhoids, UTIs, and anal fissures

During Desert Storm, the US Army used toilet paper to camouflage its tanks--this is a fact I found listed in several places, but I wasn’t able to find anything to corroborate it or to explicate what that looked like

About 4 billion people in the world do not use toilet paper

An average of 666 rolls are used every day in the Pentagon

7% of Americans admit to stealing toilet paper rolls from hotels

When asked what they’d bring if they were stuck on a deserted island, 49% of people said they’d bring TP before food

Renova is the most expensive brand of toilet paper in the world. From Portugal, the paper is three-ply, perfumed, available in red, black, blue, and green, and is apparently a favorite among celebrities like Beyonce and Kris Jenner. It’s about $15 for a 6-roll pack

On the International Space Station, they still use regular toilet paper but it has to be sealed in special containers and compressed

Women tend to wad paper, while men tend to fold. Women wipe from front to back, and men just wipe however they want to

From a 2016 AskReddit thread, titled “What is your ‘there’s no toilet paper’ horror story?”, here are some of the better answers

“I’m Venezuelan… Do I have to say more?”

“Every time I have a ‘there’s no toilet paper’ situation I turn it into “I need a replacement pair of socks’ situation.”

“Got food poisoning while staying on a friend’s couch. In the middle of the night I went to the bathroom about to burst from both ends. There was no toilet paper, so I searched for about 15 minutes everywhere in the house for any paper product. There wasn’t anything. I was really sweating at this point because I just couldn’t hold it anymore. I ended up grabbing some old wrestling magazines printed on newspaper that my friend had lying around (she’s a hipster) and using that. It wouldn’t flush, so after I was done, I had to fish it out of the toilet and throw it out.”

“One day, when I was a kid, I had to take a huge shit at little league practice. Of course, we were at a baseball field with not a single restroom around. So I went behind the dugout and took the biggest shit a 6 year old has ever taken. Obviously, there wasn’t any TP. So I tried using grass, to no avail. At the end of practice, everyone was checking their shoes to make sure they hadn’t stepped in any dog shit. And as you would guess, it was me they were smelling.”

In July 2019, a man was caught on camera stealing toilet paper from a Fresh Value Marketplace in Trussville, Alabama. The toilet paper was on pallets on the sidewalk by the store, and a man in a hat, white wifebeater, and jeans, smoothly steals four packs of toilet paper and yeets out of there

In 2006, a town employee in the Bavarian village of Fuchstal accidentally ordered two truckloads of toilet paper. When the first vehicle rolled up to the small town of 4k people, the authorities realized the mistake and managed to cancel the second truck, but the village was left with the logistical problem of storing the paper

Officials set up a four-person team to distribute the toilet paper in several public buildings, filling the attic of the local storage building as well as all available closets and cabinets in local schools, the town hall, and the firehouse.

Ordinary citizens showed little interest in the paper, as it turned out to be a gray, single-ply brand that tended to yellow and grow brittle under prolonged exposure to sunlight

It took the village 12 years to get through all of the toilet paper, with the last roll used in March 2019

There was an upside--the town saved over $1,130 because the price of wood went up the following year, which lead to higher prices for toilet paper

The village has already placed its next large order of toilet paper, however the paper this time would be white, two-ply, and not delivered all at once

In 2017, German non-profit Goldeimer took to pulping Nazi federal election pamphlets and turning it into toilet paper, as well as any other material the group deemed hateful, as part of a “hate is for assholes” campaign

They’re quoted as saying, “In Germany, hatred has once again taken hold of the political climate. This is somewhat unfortunate. That is why Goldeimer is calling for a hate-free campaign. Up until the federal election, all campaign material that incites hatred and causes hurt will be taken out of circulation. Afterwards, from the crude slogans, we will make a velvety-soft special edition toilet paper.”

All money raised was donated to the CURA organization, which aids victims of right-wing violence

The paper, dubbed “Shitty Paper-Made from hate”, sold out in less than 24 hours

SOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_paper

http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-history/history-of-toilet-paper/

https://www.checkiday.com/e84b3688c059d0c7918a4b78549aba22/national-toilet-paper-day

https://home.howstuffworks.com/toilet-paper.htm

https://www.trussvilletribune.com/2019/07/26/video-man-caught-on-camera-stealing-toilet-paper-from-fresh-value-marketplace-in-trussville/

http://mentalfloss.com/article/23210/toilet-paper-history-how-america-convinced-world-wipe

https://www.cleanitsupply.com/blog/happy-national-toilet-paper-day/

https://www.bostonstandardplumbing.com/15-facts-to-help-you-celebrate-national-toilet-paper-day/

https://hellotushy.com/blogs/the-posterior/why-is-national-toilet-paper-day-a-thing

https://www.lifehack.org/343424/fun-facts-about-toilet-paper-that-will-blow-your-mind

https://blog.restockit.com/2016/08/03/21-fun-facts-about-toilet-paper/

https://priceonomics.com/the-great-toilet-paper-scare-of-1973/

https://www.dw.com/en/wiped-out-town-flushes-final-roll-of-12-year-toilet-paper-supply/a-47884449

https://www.dw.com/en/german-non-profit-flushes-away-right-wing-hate/a-40534628
1 hr 20 min
August 05, 2019 AUGUST 5 2019 – NATIONAL UNDERWEAR DAY! with Brenna Cully
HAPPY NATIONAL UNDERWEAR DAY! Join us as we celebrate everything from thongs to bodysuits or whatever we wear underneath! Today we're celebrating with friend and underwear expert Brenna Cully (Twitter: brenna_jo)!! LET'S PARTY!! | Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM
1 hr
August 05, 2019AUGUST 5 2019 – NATIONAL UNDERWEAR DAY! with Brenna Cully
HAPPY NATIONAL UNDERWEAR DAY! Join us as we celebrate everything from thongs to bodysuits or whatever we wear underneath! Today we're celebrating with friend and underwear expert Brenna Cully (Twitter: brenna_jo)!! LET'S PARTY!!

Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM

Find Alyssa – Twitter: @alyssapants / Instagram: lettertalkpodcast / alyssapants.com

Find Disa – Twitter: @cinnamonenemy / Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/1243777842

SHOW NOTES

“Undergarments” are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled or damaged by bodily excretions, to lessen the friction of outerwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it.”

Undergarments are generally of two types, those that are worn to cover the torso and those that are worn to cover the waist and legs, although there are also garments which cover both.

Different styles of undergarments are generally worn by females and males (though do you, bb). Undergarments commonly worn by females today include bras and panties (known in the UK as knickers), while males often wear briefs, boxer briefs, or boxer shorts. Items worn by both (and any, all, or none) genders include T-shirts, sleeveless shirts, bikini underwear, thongs, and G-strings.

Undergarments are known by a number of terms: Underclothes; underclothing; underwear, smalls, unmentionables, Reg Grundys, or Reginalds.

Reg or Reginald Grundy was an Australian entrepreneur and media mogul. I could not find the origin of this use of his name, and it seems he was well-liked. It appears that the primary goal to use “grundies” is that it simply rhymes with “undies.”

In the US, women’s underwear may be known as delicates due the recommended washing machine cycle or because they are, simply put, delicate

Women’s undergarments collectively are called lingerie, intimate clothing, and intimates

An undershirt (or “vest” in the UK) is a piece of underwear covering the torso, while underpants (or “pants” in the UK), drawers, and shorts cover the genitals and buttocks

Not wearing underpants under outer clothing is known in American slang as “freeballing” for men, “free buffing” for women, and as “going commando” for either sex. The act of a woman not wearing a bra is sometimes referred to as “freeboobing.”

The function of underwear can range from the following: preventing outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, urine, semen, menstrual blood, and feces; women's brassieres provide support for their breasts (although this is now in dispute due to some recent studies which claim that bras may worsen breast sagging due to the inactivity of the ligaments that already support them); men’s briefs serve the same supportive function for their balls and dick; a corset may be worn as a foundation garment to alter a woman’s body shape; men often wear more tightly fitting underwear, such as jockstraps and protective cups, for additional support and protection when playing sports; sports bras provide greater support to women, thus increasing comfort and reducing the chance of damage to the ligaments of the chest during high-impact exercises such as jogging.

In cold weather, underwear may also constitute an extra layer of clothing to help keep the wearer warmer.

Underwear may also be used to preserve the wearer’s modesty, such as camisoles and slips under clothes that are sheer

Conversely, some types of underwear can be worn for sexual titillation, such as edible underwear, crotchless panties, and thongs

Some undergarments may also have religious significance (PICTURES IN THE SHOWNOTES)

In Judaism, the tallit katan is often worn beneath the shirt. This is a fringed garment traditionally worn either under or over one’s clothing by Jewish men. It is a poncho-like garment with a hole for the head and special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit (TASSELS) attached to its four corners

While all four cornered garments are required to have tzitzit, the custom of specially wearing a tallit katan is based on a verse in Numbers 15:38-39 which tells Moses to exhort the Children of Israel to “make them throughout their generations fringes in the corners of their garments.”

Following their endowment in a temple, Mormons wear special temple garments which help them to remember the teachings of the temple. These are worn both day and night, and are required for any adult who previously participated in the endowment ceremony to enter a temple

They are intended to provide the member “a constant reminder” of the covenants they made in the temple, since members are instructed to wear the garments day and night--i.e. They “should not partially or completely remove any portion of the garment to participate in activities that can reasonably be done with the garment worn properly beneath the clothing,’ such as ‘working in the yard.’” Swimming is given as an example of an activity that would justify removal, but members are further instructed to “put it back on as soon as possible.”

The nature of the protection is ambiguous and varies between adherents. In fact, they are sometimes derided as “magic underwear” by non-Mormons

Researchers who interviewed a sample of LDS who wear the garments reported that virtually all wearers expressed a belief that wearing the garment provided “spiritual protection” and encouraged them to keep their covenants

Some of those interviewed “asserted that the garment also provided physical protection, while others seemed less certain of any physical aspect to protection.”

In Mormon folklore, tales are told of Latter-Day Saints who credit their temple garments with helping them survive car wrecks, fires, and natural disasters

The garment was first described in the 1840s as a one-piece undergarment extending to the ankles and wrists, resembling a union suit, with an open crotch and a collar. It was made of unbleached cotton and held together with ties in a double knot

A union suit is a type of one-piece long underwear, created in Utica, NY, originating as women’s wear during the 19th century as an alternative to constricting garments. The first union suit was patented in 1868 as “emancipation union under flannel.” It was traditionally made of red flannel with long arms and legs, buttoning up the front, with a button-up flap in the rear covering the buttocks (which was colloquially known as the “access hatch,” drop seat,” fireman’s flap,” and “crap flap,” among other things”)

In 1923, a letter from LDS Church president Heber J. Grant stated that after careful and prayerful consideration the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church had unanimously decided that specific modifications would be permitted to the garments:

Sleeves could end at the elbow;

Legs could be shortened to just below the knee;

Buttons could be used instead of strings

The collar was eliminated

And the open crotch was closed

Protestors against the LDS church have used the garments to publicly mock and parody the wearing of the garments, including spitting and stomping on them in view of attendees of an LDS Church General Conference in 2003. One protestor reportedly blew his nose into a garment he was wearing around his neck.

A scuffle broke out between a protester and two church members who attempted to take the garments from him

In response, the municipality of Salt Lake City planned stronger enforcement of fighting words and hate speech laws for the 2004 conference, in order to avoid a repeat of the conflict. They also enacted new protest buffer zones

In Sikhism, one of the five articles of faith is a certain style of underpants similar to boxer shorts and known as the kacchera

This tradition started in 1699 as a religious mandate from Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of Sikhism, and the garment is worn by baptized Sihks, serving as a symbol of one’s commitment and dedication to the order of the tenth master

It is considered the Guru’s gift and remind the Sikh’s of the Guru’s message regarding the control of the Five Evils or Five Thieves. These are the five major weaknesses of the human personality at variance with its spiritual essence, known as “thieves” because they steal a person’s inherent common senses. They consist of lust, wrath, greed, attachment (love of and attachment to worldly things and relations), and pride. he primary aim of a practicing Sikh is to subdue these five vices and render them inactive.

I hadn’t previously known about the parallels to the Christian Seven Deadly Sins, which are lust, wrath, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, and pride. The Sins are often thought to be abuses or excessive versions of one’s natural faculties or passions

It’s intended to remind the Sikhs that they should control their sexual desire or lust, and meant to give a feeling of dignity, modesty, and honor to the person who wears it, as well to remind the Sikh of the Guru’s commandment to think of members of the opposite sex as he or she would think of immediate family and not as objects of lust

The kacchera is secured and tied with a drawstring, so as to remind them that when one is untying it, one is given time to think about what one is about to do

Zoroastrians wear an undershirt called a Sedreh that is fastened with a sacred girdle around the waist known as a Kushti

The Sedreh contains a small pocket in the front, which is supposed to collect one’s good deeds

It is considered a spiritual shield from evil

History of underwear as a concept!

The loincloth is the simplest form of underwear and was probably the first undergarment worn by humans. In most civilizations this was the only undergarment available. It continues to be worn by people around the world

Archeologists have found the remains of loincloths made of leather dating to at least 7000 years ago, including on our old pal Otzi the Iceman. Otzi was found sporting not just some of the earliest evidence of tattoos, but also a goatskin loincloth under his furry leggings.

I included two photos of Otzi in the shownotes, one of his original form and one of a reconstruction of what he may have looked like

King Tut was apparently buried with 145 spare loincloths

In ancient Rome, pants were known as subligaculum, which was a unisex garment. Female performers were known to have also worn an additional “boob tube’ (a flat bit of stretched cloth) to protect their modesty

Bras were worn at least somewhat during the 15th century, as evidenced by four medieval bras that were found in a hidden vault underneath floorboards in an Austrian castle. This 2012 discovery “astonished costume historians, who had always declared the bra to be a 20th-century invention.”

During the Middle Ages, the loincloth was replaced by loose, trouser-like clothing called braies, which the wearer stepped into and then laced or tied around the waist and legs at around the mid-calf. Wealthier men often wore chausses as well, which covered only the legs

By the Renaissance, braies became shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses, which were also giving way to form-fitting hose, which covered the legs and feet.

Braies were usually fitted with a front flap that was buttoned or tied closed. Know as a codpiece, this allowed men to urinate without having to remove the braies completely

Henry VIII, whose reign ran from 1509-1547, began padding his codpiece, which caused a spiralling trend of larger and larger codpieces that only ended by the end of the 16th century

It’s been speculated that the King may have had syphilis, and his large codpiece may have included a bandage soaked in medication to relieve its symptoms

He also wanted a healthy son and may have thought that projecting himself in this way would portray fertility

Codpieces were sometimes used as a pocket for holding small items

During the 16th century, the farthingale became popular. This was a petticoat stiffened with reed or willow rods so that it stood out from a woman’s body like a cone extending from the waist (AKA a hoop skirt. Photo rendition is in the shownotes)

Corsets also began to be worn about this time. At first they were called “pairs of bodies,” which refers to a stiffened decorative bodice worn on top of another bodice stiffened with buckram, reeds, canes, whalebone, or other materials. These were not the small-waisted, curved corsets familiar from the Victorian era, but straight-lined stays that flattened the bust

The mass production of underwear became possible with the invention of the spinning jenny machines and the cotton gin in the latter half of the 18th century, since they made cotton fabrics widely available

Women’s stays of the 18th century were laced behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and erect posture.

Stays became shorter and were unboned or only lightly boned, and started being called corsets. As tight waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was again boned and laced to form the figure.

By the 1860s, a tiny (“wasp”) waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty, and the corsets were stiffened with whalebone or steel to accomplish this.

Tight lacing of a corset sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to the “fainting room”--this was a private room used during the Victorian era to make women more comfortable during the home treatment of female hysteria, particularly for privacy while receiving pelvic massages

Jumping through time to discuss used underwear :(

The sale of used female underwear for sexual purposes began in Japan in stores called burusera, and they were even sold in vending machines.

With the advent of the internet, which made anonymous mail-order sales possible, some women began selling their dirty panties and other underwear.

Some men find the odor of a woman’s bodily secretions sexually arousing, and will use the panties as a masturbatory aid

The sale of dirty panties, sometimes worn for several days and sometimes customized with requested stains, is a significant niche in the sex work field. A far smaller market sells used male underwear to other men

Celebrity underwear is sometimes sold. A framed pair of Elvis Presley’s dirty underwear sold for $8k in 2012. Undergarments of Marilyn Monroe, Queen Elizabeth, and Franz Joseph have been sold at auction. Some celebrities, including Jarvis Cocker, Alison Goldfrapp, Nick Cave, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ricky Gervais, Jah Wobble, Fergie, and Helen Mirren have donated their underwear to be sold for charity

History of the holiday itself can be traced back to 2003, according to nationalunderwearday.com. The holiday was founded by Freshpair, which is a privately held online retailer of men’s underwear and women’s intimate apparel, headquartered in Fairfield, NJ. The company was founded in 2000.

So that means this holiday is now old enough to drive!

Freshpair established National Underwear Day in an effort to “shine light on ‘unmentionables’”, starting by advertising heavily congested areas of New York City. In 2012, they promoted the holiday by launching a pop-up shop near Columbus Circle.

In 2013, they advertised the holiday in Times Square by attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in their underwear. However, the company was tragically unable to break the record, which is currently held at 2,270 by the Utah Undie Run. The event topped out at around 800 people

The Undie Run is an event where a large number of people disrobe down to their underwear, and then run. The Utah record was set on September 24, 2011. That run was held to protest Utah’s conservative laws.

COED Magazine, a US magazine marketed to college students, reported that Undie Runs are the “number one university sanctioned event.”

The earliest known Undie Run was started by student Eric Whitehead at UCLA in the fall of 2001

Freshpair participates in the annual Underwear Run in Manhattan, sponsored by Aquaphor (my favorite post-tattoo protectant!)

According to nationalunderwearday.com, a website run by Freshpair, the holiday has been featured on CBS, Good Morning America, Fox News, Live with Kelly and Michael, The Huffington Post, and dozens more!

In 2018, it was endorsed by the Ellen Degeneres show, and I included a link to part of the segment in the shownotes. There are a lot of screaming middle-aged women ogling the many male models, Justin Bieber, and Mario Lopez cuts included in this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMCrflGHOFQ

Fun facts and statistics! From online articles “11 Weird Facts About *Panties* We Bet You Didn’t Know!”, “39 Amazing Facts About Underwear”, “63 Interesting Facts about Underwear”

The average American woman owns approximately 21 pairs of underwear

Approx. 10% of women own over 35 pairs

Trend analysts observe that a woman who wears a g-string is typically a woman who feels more uninhibited and more confident to display her body. Sexually, she is more willing to try different and creative positions

Thongs were invented in 1939, after NYC Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia passed a law that nude dancers needed to wear them rather than going bare

Sexual researchers note that a woman who chooses to wear white cotton panties tends to be a low maintenance and no-frills type. Researchers note that this is akin to letting a man see her without makeup

The same sexual researchers also observe that men who wear the “boyish” briefs “may not be ready to grow up”

The average woman will wear six different bra sizes throughout her life

A recent survey found that nearly ⅔ of women are wearing the incorrect bra size, and 29% of those women are completely unaware of it

Most bras should be replaced every 6 months

The size of an average woman is 5’4” and 135 lbs. The average size of a Victoria’s Secret model is 5’10” and 112 lbs. The typical measurements for a Victoria’s Secret model are a 34” bust, 24” waist, and 34” hips

A 2008 survey revealed that 9% of American men have underwear that is at least 10 years old. 15% own underwear that is between 5-9 years old

Italians consider it good luck to bring in the New Year wearing red coloured underwear

On October 14, 1996, a student pledging for the Kappa Alpha frat at Texas A&M required emergency care after receiving injuries from a wedgie. He had to have one of his testicles removed as a result of the injury

After Michael Hirschey gave Erik Kurtis Low a wedgie on May 8, 2003, Low fatally shot Hirschey. The prosecutor for the case said in his closing arguments “that receiving a wedgie is not a reason to kill somebody.”

The word “wedgie’ is allegedly derived from “wedge-heeled shoe” and became popular in the 1970s from the effect it gave the victim

Single people are less likely to change their underwear on a daily basis than married people--82% vs 88% respectively

To avoid urinary tract infections, among other things, physicians recommend changing underwear at least once a day

There is also an estimated 1/10 of a gram of fecal matter in most people’s underwear

Quick reminder that Disney World made their employees wear communal underwear until 2001, when they finally killed that policy due to lice and scabies outbreaks

The world’s most expensive underwear is a chastity belt that costs $2000. It’s a gold, diamond, and pearl chastity belt created by jeweller Uwe Koetter for a private client

The most expensive lingerie set is the Susan Rosen Diamond Bikini, which was designed exclusively for the 2006 Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue and is worth $30M

This thing is just basically threads tying together what look like upside down heart-shaped nipple pasties made of diamond and metal mesh. On the crotch, it’s just a g-string with a heart-shaped cover over the model’s pubic mound, with a massive diamond in the center. Photo in the shownotes.

Panty raids were a popular American college prank in the 1950s, consisting of large groups of boys who would invade the womens’ dorms to steal panties, later putting them on display as a trophy of a successful raid

Jack Singer of New York wore 215 panties simultaneously on June 13th, 2010, setting a world record for panty wearing and breaking the previous record of 200 pairs

Kindergartners in Siberia run outside in their underwear and dump freezing water over themselves to strengthen their immune systems

On August 14, 1945, more than 1K Japanese officers raided the Imperial palace to destroy the recording of the Emperor’s speech of surrender. Confused by the layout of the palace, the rebels never found the recording. It was later smuggled outside in a basket of women’s underwear for broadcast.

In 1995, Boris Yeltsin, the then president of Russia, and when visiting DC was found drunk in his underwear trying to hail a cab to find pizza

Actress Tallulah Bankhead was infamous for not wearing underwear. During the filming of Lifeboat, the crew complained about her flashing them when she had to climb a ladder. Director Alfred Hitchcock reportedly quipped that he didn't know if it was a matter for wardrobe or hairdressing.

The British Army issues antimicrobial underwear that can be worn for three months at a time

Carrie Fisher wore no underwear in Star Wars because George Lucas convinced her “there is no underwear in outer space”

We learned on National Laundry Day that this is a lie! Astronauts incinerate their underwear

In Finland, the word ‘kalsarikannit’ means to get drunk at home, alone, in your underwear

The makers of Edible Underwear were denied patent protection on the grounds that “candy and pants were incompatible”

Major league baseball umpire required by rule to wear black underwear, in case they split their pants

Abercrombie & Fitch was forced to remove a line of thongs in childrens sizes made specifically for pre-teen girls. The front of the underwear read phrases such as “Eye Candy” and “Wink Wink”

An 18-year old man tried to eat his underwear in the hope that the cotton fabric would absorb alcohol before he took a breathalyzer test

A majority of American women prefer to wear bikini underwear, coming in at 37%. Briefs are second at 23%, thongs at 19%, boy shorts at 17% and “other” at 4%

Some early American settlers had themselves sewn into their underwear for the winter, since it was easier than having to button so many buttons. It also meant that they didn’t bathe until spring. I’m guessing these were some variation of the union suit, with a crap flap option

Scholars note that women seemed to wear corsets during times in history when their lives were severely restricted and they had few rights. As women gained more rights, they rejected the more restrictive underwear

In the 1990s, hip-hop artists made it fashionable for men to wear their pants below their waists and showing their underwear. This style, called “sagging,” is said to have originated in prison when jail inmates had their belts removed because they might be used as possible weapons. Other historians believe this style as a sign of availability among homosexuals

After police in Colfax, Washington (about a 5 hour drive from Seattle, basically the Idaho border), arrested Greg Flaherty for hanging around an apartment laundry room, they discovered he had stolen over 1613 (so...1613.5?) pairs of women's underwear. “Reports do not indicate whether they were stolen before or after they were washed.”

SOURCES

https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-egypt/from-loincloths-to-corsets-a-brief-history-of-underwear-with-horrible-histories-greg-jenner/amp/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undergarment

https://mashable.com/2015/07/22/underwear-facts/

https://www.popxo.com/ampstory/2017/04/surprising-facts-about-panties/

https://www.kickassfacts.com/39-amazing-underwear-facts/

https://www.factretriever.com/underwear-facts

https://nationaltoday.com/national-underwear-day/

http://nationalunderwearday.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undie_Run

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freshpair

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/underwear-day/

Tallit Katan

Temple garments

Kacchera

Sedreh

Farthingale

OTZI!!

OTZI ALL GLOWED UP

:/
1 hr
July 17, 2019 JULY 17 2019 – NATIONAL TATTOO DAY! with Nicki Fuchs
HAPPY NATIONAL TATTOO DAY! Join us as we celebrate getting inked and heart shapes that say "Mom"! Today we're celebrating with comedian, engineer in biotech, and tattoo owner and enthusiast Nicki Fuchs (Twitter: @nfewks / Instagram: @nfewks)!! LET'S PARTY!! | Find Holiday Party online – Patreon: patreon,com/HOLIDAYPARTY Twitter: @HOLIDAYPARTYPOD / Instagram: HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / Facebook: @HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST / HOLIDAYPARTYPODCAST.COM
1 hr 8 min

About HOLIDAY PARTY!

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Holiday Party! is a podcast about the "important" holidays in our lives. Come celebrate with hosts Disa and Alyssa as they learn and talk about some of the most under-appreciated, yet so important…

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