JANUARY
January 1: Bloody Mary Day
1st January 1919 - J. D. Salinger's birthday, author of Catcher in the Rye
1: New Years Day/Quaker Jubilee
In 1788 Quakers in Pennsylvania freed their slaves, anticipating the emancipation of chattel slaves in the United States some seventy five years later. Together with free blacks, abolitionist evangelicals, and slaves who were willing to risk their lives, Quakers led one of America’s most vibrant faith-based justice movements—the Underground Railroad. Committed to simplicity, religious freedom, and nonviolence, Quakers have contributed to movements for peace and justice throughout U.S. history.
1: Frankenstein is Published
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in the second edition, which was published in Paris in 1821.
1: In Defense of Food is Published
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto (released internationally as In Defence of Food)[1][2] is a 2008 book by journalist and activist Michael Pollan. It was number one on the New York Times Non-Fiction Best Seller List for six weeks. The book grew out of Pollan's 2007 essay Unhappy Meals published in the New York Times Magazine.[3] Pollan has also said that he wrote In Defense of Food as a response to people asking him what they should eat after having read his previous book, The Omnivore's Dilemma.[4]
1: Beastie Boys
By Darryl "DMC" McDaniels
In the early days of rap, the conventional wisdom was that only black people were supposed to like hip-hop and only white people were supposed to like rock. But it wasn't like that. In Run-DMC, we were rapping over rock beats. The Beasties were a punk band listening to hip-hop.
I met the Beastie Boys in Rick Rubin's dorm room at NYU. What bugged me out about the Beasties was that they knew everything about hip-hop — the Cold Crush Brothers, the Treacherous Three and Afrika Bambaataa, all the old-school shit. In addition, they could rap, they could sing and they could play instruments.
Run-DMC gave "Slow and Low" to the Beastie Boys. The song was basically their blueprint. But then they started writing anita kunztheir own rhymes, and when Licensed to Ill came out, it went to Number One. They were writing songs we wished we had written, like "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." They put rock with rap like we did, but it made so much sense when they did it because they were punk rockers.
The first time we toured with the Beastie Boys was the Raising Hell tour in 1986: Run-DMC, Whodini, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. We were playing the Deep South — Crunkville, before there was crunk — and it was just black people at those shows. The first night was somewhere in Georgia, and we were thinking, "I hope people don't leave when they see them." But the crowd loved them, because they weren't trying to be black rappers. They rapped about shit they knew about: skateboarding, going to White Castle, angel dust and television. Real recognizes real.
One of the most significant things about the Beasties is their longevity. They've put out genius records for decades. When Paul's Boutique came out, it didn't sell as well as their debut. Now people realize it's one of the best albums of the Eighties.
Each of the Beastie Boys has a different personality. Mike D is the examiner: He looks around, he takes in all the information, he's a little laid-back. MCA was always the mature one, but he could be a fool when it was time to be a fool. And Ad-Rock is just full of life. He's approachable, affectionate and funny. But maybe my favorite thing about the Beastie Boys is that they're worldly. They taught me and many other people a lot about life, people and music.
Beastie Boys[a] were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978.[2] The group was composed of Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar, programming).
January 2, 3 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids is an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at its peak. It is thought to be produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, which was discovered in 2003. The shower runs annually from January 1-5. It peaks this year on the night of the 2nd and morning of the 3rd. The waning gibbous moon will block out most of the faintest meteors this year. But if you are patient, you should still be able to catch a few good ones. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Meteors will radiate from the constellation Bootes, but can appear anywhere in the sky.
2: National Science Fiction Day (US)
National Science Fiction Day promotes the celebration of science fiction as a genre, its creators, history, and various media, too. On January 2nd annually, millions of science fiction fans across the United States read and watch their favorites in science fiction.
The date of the celebration commemorates the birth of famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. An American author and Boston University professor of biochemistry, Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Yudovich Ozimov on January 2, 1920. He is best known for his works of science fiction and his popular science books. Isaac Asimov, whose works are followed by many, died on April 6, 1992.
Considered a master of hard science fiction, Asimov, along with Robert A. Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke, was considered one of the “Big Three” science-fiction writers during his lifetime. Many regard the Foundation Series as Asimov’s most outstanding piece. His other major series are the Galactic Empire Series and the Robot Series.
Some of the successful television shows recognized by science fiction fans include Star Trek-The Next Generation, The X-Files, Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who, and The Twilight Zone.
As we look back at some older science fiction in our current technology-infused world, how close do the writers come to imaging our futures? Long before Asimov created his first work, humans imagined machines that allowed them to soar like birds. Another man, Leonardo Di Vinci, looked to the future, too. He designed contraptions worthy of the science fiction in his time.
Science fiction impacts life in ways we may not even consider – even those who don’t enjoy reading or watching science fiction.
The day encourages reading or watching science fiction. However, consider exploring science fiction in other ways. For example:
Introduce science fiction to an entirely new generation. Offer to read excerpts from your favorite science fiction author to a youth group at a library.
Explore the authors of science fiction you’ve never read before.
Study the history of science fiction and how it has impacted modern culture.
Share your favorite science fiction story or character.
You can also explore these 9 Books to Unleash the Time Traveler in You.
Use #ScienceFictionDay to post on social media.
Since at least 2011, science fiction lovers have been honoring Isaac Asimov and other science fiction contributors. In 2013, asimovs.com published a guest editorial by Ed Finn. The writer talks about doomsday predictions while also looking toward the future – all moving toward the true meaning of National Science Fiction Day. Read the complete article, Celebrate National Science Fiction Day by Learning to Live in the Future.
3: J.R.R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL (/ruːl ˈtɒlkiːn/;[a] 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and academic, best known as the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
He served as the Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon and Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford, from 1925 to 1945 and Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, from 1945 to 1959.[3] He was a close friend of C. S. Lewis—they were both members of the informal literary discussion group known as The Inklings. Tolkien was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 March 1972.
3: Festival of Sleep Day
No need to stifle those yawns this Festival of Sleep Day on January 3! Created to help you catch up on your Zs after a busy festive season, this day of rest and relaxation means you can snuggle up and doze off. So cancel those plans and plump your best pillow, because we’ve got the dreamiest ideas for getting a bit of shut-eye, along with some fun facts to make sleep your new favorite hobby.
We’ve been enjoying forty winks ever since the human race came into existence, but we haven’t always understood it. Early speculation by the Ancient Greeks about the reason for sleep was that it is due to lack of circulation, causing the body to become unconscious for a period of time while it rebalanced. Theorists were divided at first on whether this was due to the brain or the heart, which were known to be the two most important organs.
Back then, sleep was separated into a first and second sleep of the day, instead of the single long stretch we enjoy today. In the interlude between sleep, people would socialize and relax. This routine stayed the same for centuries but was disrupted by the Industrial Revolution and the invention of artificial light, which allowed for a longer working day and therefore pushed together the periods of sleep. The socializing section of the day was moved to before bed instead.
The desire for success in the newly industrialized world would eat into the sleeping time of many workers and businesspeople, as it continues to do today. A new regulation was introduced by Ford in 1926, when it became the first American company to provide employees with a fixed schedule of an eight-hour working day and a 40-hour working week, allowing those on the payroll to get to bed on time.
Festival of Sleep Day is a modern-day celebration, supposedly invented to help us recharge our batteries from all the lost sleep around the festive season at the end of the year. It reminds us to practice self-care for the coming year and take advantage of the numerous benefits of a good night’s sleep.
Celebrate sleep by catching up on some! Get up late, go to bed early, or even have a nap during the day.
If you know someone who could do with a few extra winks, help them get the space they need by taking some things off their plate.
The more tired you are from physical exercise, the better you’ll sleep. So tire out your body before you hit the hay tonight.
January 4: National Spaghetti Day
4: Film History: The Lumiére Brothers Give Birth to Film
Inventors had been trying to make moving pictures work for years, but in the 1890s, it was French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiére who brought film to the masses. The first film they screened? A 46-second long cut of workers exiting a factory. Audiences couldn't get enough.
5 & 6: Twelfth Night/Epiphany
Celebrating the end of Christmas and the coming of Epiphany.
http://www.fisheaters.com/epiphanyeve.html
Things to do:
- Discuss things that you have come to realize (epiphanies) over the past year.
- Drink Wassail
- Make Crowns
- Three Kings Cake: http://www.fisheaters.com/epiphanyeve.html
- Last night of Christmas sabbatical
7: Greta Thunberg
Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who is internationally known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action against climate change.
7: Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891[1]:17[2]:5 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on hoodoo.[3] The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. She also wrote more than 50 short stories, plays, and essays.
Bowie changed the music industry with his glam-rock style, selling 140 million albums and introducing the world to his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust.
9: Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (/baɪz/;[1][2] born January 9, 1941)[3] is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist.[4] Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice.[5] Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing over 30 albums. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has also recorded songs in at least six other languages.
9: David Byrne
David Byrne (/bɜːrn/; born 14 May 1952) is a British-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, and filmmaker, who was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American new wave band Talking Heads.
Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with various media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has received Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe Awards, and he is an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Talking Heads.[1]
10: Maxwell Lemuel Roach
Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history.[1][2] He worked with many famous jazz musicians, including Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Abbey Lincoln, Dinah Washington, Charles Mingus, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy, and Booker Little. He was inducted into the DownBeat Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1992.[3]
11: Mary J Blige
Mary Jane Blige (/blaɪʒ/; born January 11, 1971)[4] is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. Her career began in 1991 when she was signed to Uptown Records.[1] She went on to release 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold 50 million albums in the United States and 80 million records worldwide. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards and has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its original song "Mighty River". Furthermore, she also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year.
11: National Hot Toddy Day
Do you crave festive cocktails? Do you need to be warmed up? Then you’ll want to celebrate National Hot Toddy Day on January 11. The warm drink is created in a kettle with various kinds of alcohol (usually rum, brandy, or whiskey), along with honey, lemon, water, and a cinnamon stick. It’s best enjoyed by the fire — preferably with snow falling outside. This toasty drink is even rumored to relieve cold and flu symptoms, but we’ll leave that part up to you.
There are all kinds of twists on the classic recipe, from tea and coffee, to butter and apple cider.
Use hot toddies as an excuse to bond with an old friend or a new one. If they don't drink, whip up a virgin version.
Snap a pic of your hot toddy to share on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Remind your friends that #NationalHotToddyDay is meant to be celebrated.
5 TYPES OF HOT TODDIES
Switch out the traditional liquors with Scotch, but be warned — it's strong!
Mix the alcohol of your choice with some apple cider — we recommend whiskey.
Mix the typical ingredients with some ginger-flavored liquor like Domane de Canton.
This just says cozy. Combine cinnamon schnapps with hot apple cider and cuddle up.
For one of the most lavish versions of the hot toddy, combine the usual ingredients with a few tablespoons of butter. That's smooth.
12: John Griffith London
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney;[1] January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916)[2][3][4][5] was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing.[citation needed] He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.[6]
12: The Call of the Wild
The Call of the Wild is a short adventure novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. The central character of the novel is a dog named Buck. The story opens at a ranch in Santa Clara Valley, California, when Buck is stolen from his home and sold into service as a sled dog in Alaska. He becomes progressively primitive and wild in the harsh environment, where he is forced to fight to survive and dominate other dogs. By the end, he sheds the veneer of civilization, and relies on primordial instinct and learned experience to emerge as a leader in the wild
London spent almost a year in the Yukon, and his observations form much of the material for the book. The story was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post in the summer of 1903 and was published later that year in book form. The book's great popularity and success made a reputation for London. As early as 1923, the story was adapted to film, and it has since seen several more cinematic adaptations.
12: Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami (村上 春樹, Murakami Haruki, born January 12, 1949) is a Japanese writer. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages[1] and selling millions of copies outside his native country.[2][3] His work has received numerous awards, including the World Fantasy Award, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, and the Jerusalem Prize.[4][5][6]
12: Zack de la Rocha
Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, and activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of rock band Rage Against the Machine.[1][2] Through both Rage Against the Machine and his activism, de la Rocha promotes left-wing political positions and opposes corporate America, the military-industrial complex and government oppression.[3]
12: Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley’s birthday comes around in the beginning of the year on January 8. Despite many people telling him he couldn’t hold a tune, he went on to become one of the most popular singers and performers in American history. Many Americans make the pilgrimage to Graceland, Presley’s former estate in Memphis, to celebrate the man and his life.
Elvis Aron Presley was born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. His identical twin brother was delivered 35 minutes before him, stillborn. In high school, Presley received a C in music. When his music teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing, he brought in his guitar and sang recent hit, “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers Off Me”. A classmate later recalled that the teacher agreed that Elvis was right when he said that she didn’t appreciate his kind of singing.
In August 1953, Presley paid for a few minutes of studio time to record a two-sided acetate as a gift for his mother, with slight hopes of being discovered. In 1954, Presley cut a second acetate, but nothing came of it. Not long after, he failed an audition for a local vocal quartet and professional band, both telling him he had no future in singing.
Sam Phillips, Sun Records producer who had taken an interest when Elvis recorded his first acetate, was looking for a white man who could bring black music to a broader audience. He brought Elvis in to record Jimmy Sweeney’s ballad “Without You”, but he was unable to do it justice. Phillips asked Presley to sing as many numbers as he knew and was affected enough to invite two musicians to work something up for a session. In a moment of unwinding and messing around, Presley took his guitar and started to play a blues song while jumping and dancing. Bassist, Bill Black and guitarist Winfield “Scotty” Moore, started dancing and playing with him. Phillips, who was starting to leave, stuck his head back in and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“We don’t know!”
“Well back up… and do it again.” Phillips began taping their session. This was the sound he was looking for.
12: Gandhi’s Fast for Peace
On January 12, 1948, Mohandas Gandhi began his last successful fast in New Delhi to convince Hindus and Muslims in the city to work towards peace. Six days later, convinced that harmony was achieved, he ended the fast. For most of his adult life, Gandhi read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount every morning, convinced that it contained a truth more powerful than the empire that occupied his native India or the enmity that divided Hindus and Muslims. Through “experiments in truth” like the public fast, he sought to put Jesus’ teachings into practice for the sake of peace.
COMMUNITY RHYTHMS PRAXIS (WAYS TO HONOR THIS DAY):
- Take the weekend to read about Mahatma Gandhi's life.
- Watch the Movie Gandhi
- Find ways to engage with those who think or believe differently than you in a positive way (Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, atheist, opposing political philosophy, etc)
o Write an email with a desire to converse with, visit, or celebrate with, a local faith community.
o Connect with your local interfaith community and ask how you might listen better, encourage them, or join in their work.
- Experiment with fasting:
o Take a weekend off from social media, read resources regarding the life and work of Gandhi.
o Choose a plant-based diet from Friday through Sunday.
- Wage Peace. Give more. Question your motives. Slow down. Pay attention to the needs around you. Be gracious with others. Be gracious with yourself. Speak kindly of others. Lay aside judgement.
12: ‘Led Zeppelin’ is Released
Led Zeppelin is the debut album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records.
January 13 - New Moon. The Moon will located on the same side of the Earth as the Sun and will not be visible in the night sky. This phase occurs at 05:02 UTC. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects such as galaxies and star clusters because there is no moonlight to interfere.
January 13: National Gluten Free Day
13th January 1941 - James Joyce's birthday, author of Ulysses
13: The Times They Are a-Changin' is Released
The Times They Are a-Changin' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 13, 1964 by Columbia Records.[1][2] Whereas his previous albums Bob Dylan and The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan consisted of original material among cover songs, Dylan's third album was the first to feature only original compositions. The album consists mostly of stark, sparsely arranged ballads concerning issues such as racism, poverty, and social change. The title track is one of Dylan's most famous; many feel that it captures the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.
13: Korean American Day
On January 13 we celebrate Korean American Day to honor and highlight our friends of Korean descent who have made immeasurable contributions as small business owners, military service members, faith leaders, doctors, artists, and elected officials for over a century. Ever since the first immigration wave happened way back in 1903.
It was in 1903 that just over 100 Koreans first arrived in the United States. That number quickly grew and within two years a further 7,500 Korean immigrants had made the same journey. In the years that have passed, Korean-Americans have made a valuable contribution towards society, and it’s on Korean American day that we honor and celebrate their contribution.
There has been a lot to celebrate for Korean Americans over the past century or so. Sammy Lee was a two-time Olympic gold medalist in diving, Wendy Gramm served as U.S Commodity Futures Trading Commission chair under Presidents Reagan and Bush, David Hyun was the architect who revitalized Little Tokyo in LA, and Hines Ward Jr played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As well as the impact of individuals, Korean culture, in general, has left a sizable footprint in the U.S. Korean food has become incredibly popular, and going for bibimbap with a side of kimchi is now commonplace, as is listening to a few K-Pop tunes on the drive home. Among the more Korean Americans
In 2005, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed the resolution to consent for what Korean American Day stands for and its aspirations. Korean American Day is now enjoyed each year on January 13, which is the perfect excuse to snack on some kimchi.
Learn more about Korean Americans then and now. Read books about their experiences or watch documentaries available all around the Internet.
You can visit Korean American Story to hear their stories or document your own. Find out more or share your experience by using #KoreanAmericanDay on social media.
Look up concerts, music, restaurants, events, and plenty more cultural hotspots organized to honor Korean Americans.
5 FACTS ABOUT KOREA
92 percent of South Korea’s population are internet users and they boast the world’s fastest average connection speed.
It’s believed to have been invented approximately 2,000 years ago.
Cheomseongdae Observatory, in South Korea, was built in the mid-600s.
It is law in South Korea that online banking must be done through Internet Explorer.
South Korea was one of the poorest countries on earth in the 50s but within the space of 20 years they turned into one of the richest nations on earth.
Experiencing new cultures opens your mind and is great fun. Korean culture is rich, and there is plenty for you to explore. Go deep, learn, and have fun.
If you’ve not yet realized how good Korean food is then you have some catching up to do. Our advice is to visit your local Korean restaurant and try a selection of items from the menu.
If you know any Korean Americans, make an extra effort to connect with them today. Go grab a bite to eat with them or send them a message.
January 15: National Bagel Day
15. Rosa Luxemburg
On January 15, 1919 revolutionary socialists Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered in Berlin by the right-wing para-military Freikorps, who were acting on the orders of the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (Social Democratic Party of Germany; SPD). Luxemburg and Liebknecht has played an important part in the German revolution of 1918-1919.
Rosa Luxemburg (German: [ˈʁoːza ˈlʊksəmbʊʁk] ( listen); Polish: Róża Luksemburg; also Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish Marxist, philosopher, economist, anti-war activist and revolutionary socialist who became a naturalized German citizen at the age of 28. Successively, she was a member of the Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania (SDKPiL), the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Independent Social Democratic Party (USPD) and the Communist Party of Germany (KPD).
After the SPD supported German involvement in World War I in 1915, Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht co-founded the anti-war Spartacus League (Spartakusbund) which eventually became the KPD. During the November Revolution, she co-founded the newspaper Die Rote Fahne (The Red Flag), the central organ of the Spartacist movement. Luxemburg considered the Spartacist uprising of January 1919 a blunder,[1] but supported the attempted overthrow of the government and rejected any attempt at a negotiated solution. Friedrich Ebert's majority SPD government crushed the revolt and the Spartakusbund by sending in the Freikorps, government-sponsored paramilitary groups consisting mostly of World War I veterans. Freikorps troops captured and summarily executed Luxemburg and Liebknecht during the rebellion.
Due to her pointed criticism of both the Leninist and the more moderate social democratic schools of socialism, Luxemburg has had a somewhat ambivalent reception among scholars and theorists of the political left.[2] Nonetheless, Luxemburg and Liebknecht were extensively idolized as communist martyrs by the East German communist regime.[3] The German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution asserts that idolization of Luxemburg and Liebknecht is an important tradition of the German far-left.[3]
Angelina Emily Grimké Weld (February 20, 1805 – October 26, 1879) was an American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of the women's suffrage movement. She and her sister Sarah Moore Grimké are the only white Southern women who became abolitionists.[1] The sisters lived together as adults, while Angelina was the wife of abolitionist leader Theodore Dwight Weld.
Although raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Angelina and Sarah spent their entire adult lives in the North. Angelina's greatest fame was between 1835, when William Lloyd Garrison published a letter of hers in his anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator, and May 1838, when she gave a speech to abolitionists with a hostile, noisy, stone-throwing crowd outside Pennsylvania Hall. The essays and speeches she produced in that period were incisive arguments to end slavery and to advance women's rights.
Drawing her views from natural rights theory (as set forth in the Declaration of Independence), the United States Constitution, Christian beliefs in the Bible, and her own childhood memories of the cruel slavery and racism in the South, Grimké proclaimed the injustice of denying freedom to any man or woman.[citation needed] She was particularly eloquent on the problem of racial prejudice. When challenged for speaking in public to mixed audiences of men and women in 1837, she and her sister Sarah fiercely defended women's right to make speeches and participate in political discourse.
In May 1838, Angelina married Theodore Weld, a prominent abolitionist; see The abolitionist Weld–Grimké wedding. They lived in New Jersey with her sister Sarah, and raised three children, Charles Stuart (1839), Theodore Grimké (1841), and Sarah Grimké Weld (1844).[2] They earned a living by running two schools, the latter located in the Raritan Bay Union utopian community. After the Civil War ended, the Grimké–Weld household moved to Hyde Park, Massachusetts, where they spent their final years. Angelina and Sarah were active in the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association.
17: Muhammad Ali
He was The Greatest. What else do you need to know, really? Ali is still known as one of the best boxers and sportsmen of all time.
Muhammad Ali (/ɑːˈliː/;[3] born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.;[4] January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer, activist, entertainer and philanthropist. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
17: In Cold Blood is Published
In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel[1] by American author Truman Capote, first published in 1966; it details the 1959 murders of four members of the Herbert Clutter family in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas.
18: MLK Jr Birthday (observed on the Monday closest to the 15th)
On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. In celebration of his contribution to the civil rights movement, U.S. Congress made the third Monday in January a national holiday in 1983. While we celebrate Dr. King’s contribution to America, we also remember his insistence that the church exist as the “conscience of the state,” speaking prophetically to those in power. We honor Dr. King with all Americans, but we also remember that the sermon he intended to preach the Sunday after his assassination was titled, “Why America May Go to Hell.”
1. Plan to fast from both breakfast and lunch on this day.
o Make sure to stay hydrated with water and juice.
o Engage in positive conversation (or do a personal study), regarding the civil rights movement, during your normal breakfast and lunch times.
2. Host or Co-Host a potluck for the evening of January 16, 2017. Invite, invite, invite!
o Small group or large, whatever is best for you, your family, and home.
o Be intentional, think of those who would benefit from this evening, from friendship, good conversation, etc...
o Share the video and the idea with as many as you can
Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE (January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705][Note 1] – April 17, 1790) was a British American polymath and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Franklin was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions.[1] He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department,[2] and the University of Pennsylvania.[3]
The American Film Institute named Cary Grant the second greatest male film star, behind only Humphrey Bogart. With more than 70 movies under his belt, everyone has a favorite Cary Grant performance.
Even nearly 50 years after her death, the Recording Industry Association of America still ranks Janis Joplin as one of the top-selling artists, with more than 17.5 million albums sold. Other notable 1943-ites: George Harrison and Robert De Niro.
Edgar Allan Poe (/poʊ/; born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature as a whole, and he was one of the country's earliest practitioners of the short story. He is also generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.[1] Poe was the first well-known American writer to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.[2]
19: National Popcorn Day
National Popcorn Day is celebrated annually on the 19th of January.
However you like to enjoy yours, what better day to treat yourself than today! Whether you’re a more conservative popcorn eater, and you prefer to stick to the time honoured sweet stuff while you’re watching a movie, right down to the experimental popcorn eaters out there snacking on popcorn ice cream, right down to my personal favourite, the Popcorn Cake, (for which i’ve included an exciting link to a fab recipe below, you can thank me later!)
https://nationaltoday.com/national-popcorn-day/
January 20: National Cheese Lover’s Day
20: George Burns
George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; Yiddish: נתן בירנבוים; January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and writer. He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film, and television. His arched eyebrow and cigar-smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three-quarters of a century. He and his wife, Gracie Allen, appeared on radio, television, and film as the comedy duo Burns and Allen.
At age 79, Burns had a sudden career revival as an amiable, beloved, and unusually active comedy elder statesman in the 1975 film The Sunshine Boys, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Burns, who became a centenarian in 1996, continued to work until just weeks before his death of cardiac arrest at his home in Beverly Hills.
20: Bob Dylan’s ‘Blood on the Tracks’ is Released
Blood on the Tracks is the fifteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on January 20, 1975[1][2] by Columbia Records. The album marked Dylan's return to Columbia Records after a two-album stint with Asylum Records. Dylan began recording the album in New York City in September 1974. In December, shortly before Columbia was due to release the album, Dylan abruptly re-recorded much of the material in a studio in Minneapolis. The final album contains five tracks recorded in New York and five from Minneapolis.
In 1964, Sidney Poitier won an Academy Award for his role in the 1963 film “Lilies of the Field’, becoming the first black actor to win the award. He was knighted in 1974 and in 2009 received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.*
22: Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook[2] (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964),[2] known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He was also influential as a composer and producer, and is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocals and significance in popular music.[3]
By Art Garfunkel
Sam Cooke was grounded in a very straightforward singing style: It was pure, beautiful and open-throated, extraordinarily direct and unapologetic. Let's say you're going to sing "I love you for sentimental reasons." How do you hit that "I"? Do you slur into it? Do you put in a little hidden "h"? The attack on that vowel sound is the tip-off to how bold a singer is. If you pour on the letter "i" from the back of your throat, the listener gets that there is no fudge in the first thousandth of a second. There's just confidence from the singer, that he knows the pitch, and here's the sound. That's what Sam was great at. He had guts as a singer.
Sam also threw a lot of notes at you. Today you hear everyone doing those melismatic notes that Mariah Carey made popular. Sam was the first guy I remember singing that way. When he's singing, "I love you for sentimental reasons/I hope you do believe me," the next line should be, "I've given you my heart." But he goes, "I've given you my-my-mah-muh-my heart/Given you my heart because I need you." It's as if he's saying, "Now that I've sung the word, I'm going to sing it again, because I've got all this feeling in my heart that demands expression." He gave us so much that he could have given us less, and that would've been enough, but he put in all those extra notes, as in "You Send Me," where he's scatting between the lines: "I know, I know, I know, when you hold me."
He had fabulous chops, but at the same time fabulous taste. I never felt that he was overdoing it, as I often feel with singers today. He stayed rhythmic and fluty and floaty; he always showed brilliant vocal control.
I must have sung "You Send Me" to myself walking up and down stairwells at least a thousand times. It was on the charts right when I was having my first little success with Paul Simon as Tom and Jerry. Our "Hey, Schoolgirl" was on the charts with "You Send Me" and "Jailhouse Rock." "Jingle Bell Rock" had just come out. I was just a kid, calling on radio stations for promotional purposes, and all I heard was "You Send Me." Sam was great to sing along with. He was my hero.
There was a deep sense of goodness about Sam. His father was a minister, and he obviously had spent a lot of time in church. His first success came early as a gospel singer, and he expanded into R&B and pop. It looked like he was making the right choices in life until he got shot by the night manager of a motel. You wonder who he had fallen in with.
Paul Simon, James Taylor and I covered "Wonderful World," which he also wrote. It was a teenage short story like Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" or "School Days." You're stroking the teenager's sense of style with those pop songs. Sam was a master of that idiom. "Wonderful World" was unsophisticated but very Tin Pan Alley.
Sam came along before the album was discovered as an art form. You think of him in terms of songs. My favorites are "Sad Mood," "Wonderful World," "Summertime," "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" and "You Send Me." I think that "A Change Is Gonna Come" shows where he could have gone if he had lived through the Sixties, doing Marvin Gaye kind of lyrics about the society we live in. It was a tremendous loss when he was killed. I remember thinking, "Oh, that can't be." He was such a rising star, a fabulous singer with intelligence. And that brilliant smile.
I used to think he was just a great singer. Now I think he's better than that. Almost nobody since then can touch him.
22: Celebration of Life Day
Though Celebration of Life Day, which lands on January 22, was originally instituted to celebrate the children in our lives, it has come to signify all that’s good about being alive. It’s easy to forget sometimes, but we are all fortunate to be here. Take time to celebrate that the good far outweighs the bad in this life. It all starts with gratitude and appreciation for where you are right now, and wherever you hope your dreams take you. Every life is precious, individual, and a huge gift, so take a little extra time today to celebrate it.
23: National Pie Day
National Pie Day, is an annual celebration of pies started in the mid-1970s by Colorado nuclear engineer, brewer and teacher Charlie Papazian after he declared his own birthday, January 23, to be National Pie Day. Since 1986, National Pie Day is sponsored by the American Pie Council. Mr Papazian had already founded the Association of Brewers so he was well placed to promote and encourage National Pie Day.
Although National Pie Day seems like an opportunity to gorge on your favourite sweet and savoury pies, the Pie Council was actually established to assist and improve the Pie industry across the country. The Council work with industry leaders as well as fledgling cooks and companies to promote the good work within the industry and new flavours and products. In 2014, the American Pie Council also partnered with Paramount Pictures in promoting the romantic thriller film Labor Day in conjunction with National Pie Day.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL PIE DAY
One of the oldest prepared foods, pie shows up in written recipes dating back as far as the ancient Romans. The first known pie recipe was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie. The Romans made pies with a variety of meats, seafood, and fruit, and developed a dense pie called placenta, similar to cheesecake. At sumptuous Roman feasts, pie played a role in several courses.
Until recently, pie crust was mostly used as a vehicle for filling. Unlike many of today’s luscious, buttery crusts, early pie crusts often didn’t get eaten at all. The crust acted as a container to keep the meat moist and prevent it from burning.
Pies first appeared in England in the 12th century, still mostly filled with meat. The dubious origin of some pie fillings gave rise to jokes and horror stories, including the penny dreadful that would become “Sweeney Todd.”
When the Puritans and other English settlers fled for the New World, they took pie with them. But although no American Thanksgiving table is complete without sweet pumpkin and pecan pies, sweet pies didn’t make an appearance at the so-called “First Thanksgiving” and pumpkin pie didn’t become popular until the 1800s. Today, sweet pies overwhelmingly outsell savory pies, and pumpkin pie is an enduring fixture of the Thanksgiving meal.
Not to be confused with National Pi Day, National Pie Day has nothing to do with math and everything to do with that sweet American treat. Created in the 1970s by Charlie Papazian (who conveniently placed the day on his birthday), National Pie Day encourages us all to take a break with America’s favorite dessert.
23: Casablanca
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. Filmed and set during World War II, it focuses on an American expatriate (Bogart) who must choose between his love for a woman (Bergman) and helping her and her husband (Henreid), a Czech resistance leader, escape from the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca to continue his fight against the Germans. The screenplay is based on Everybody Comes to Rick's, an unproduced stage play by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison. The supporting cast features Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Dooley Wilson.
23: Lead Belly
Huddie William Ledbetter (/ˈhjuːdi/; January 23, 1888 – December 6, 1949),[1] better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer, musician and songwriter notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", and "Boll Weevil".
Lead Belly usually played a twelve-string guitar, but he also played the piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, and windjammer.[2] In some of his recordings, he sang while clapping his hands or stomping his foot.
January 24 - Mercury at Greatest Eastern Elongation. The planet Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation of 18.6 degrees from the Sun. This is the best time to view Mercury since it will be at its highest point above the horizon in the evening sky. Look for the planet low in the western sky just after sunset.
24: Aaron Neville
Aaron Joseph Neville (born January 24, 1941) is an American R&B and soul vocalist and musician. He has had four platinum albums and four Top 10 hits in the United States, including three that went to #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. His debut single, from 1966, was #1 on the Soul chart for five weeks.
25: Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter. A classically-trained pianist, Keys began composing songs by age 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records. After disputes with the label, she signed with Arista Records and later released her debut album, Songs in A Minor, with J Records in 2001. The album was critically and commercially successful, producing her first Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'" and selling over 16 million copies worldwide. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002.
25: Etta James
Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind".[1] She faced a number of personal problems, including heroin addiction, severe physical abuse, and incarceration, before making a musical comeback in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.[2]
25: Voodoo is Released
Voodoo is the second studio album by American neo soul singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo. It was released on January 25, 2000, by Virgin Records.
Released on this day in the year 2000, D’Angelo’s second studio album Voodoo debuted at number one on the Billboard top 200, won a Grammy for best R&B Album, and has been considered a “creative milestone” within the neo-soul genre.
25: The Razor's Edge
The Razor's Edge is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story begins through the eyes of Larry's friends and acquaintances as they witness his personality change after the war. His rejection of conventional life and search for meaningful experience allows him to thrive while the more materialistic characters suffer reversals of fortune.
The novel's title comes from a translation of a verse in the Katha Upanishad, paraphrased in the book's epigraph as: "The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path to Salvation is hard."[1][2]
The book has twice been adapted into film: first in 1946 starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney, with Herbert Marshall as Maugham and Anne Baxter as Sophie, and then a 1984 adaptation starring Bill Murray.
January 27: National Chocolate Cake Day
27: Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (/ˈlʌtwɪdʒ ˈdɒdʒsən/; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English writer of children's fiction, notably Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass. He was noted for his facility with word play, logic, and fantasy. The poems Jabberwocky and The Hunting of the Snark are classified in the genre of literary nonsense. He was also a mathematician, photographer, inventor and Anglican deacon.
Carroll came from a family of high-church Anglicans, and developed a long relationship with Christ Church, Oxford, where he lived for most of his life as a scholar and teacher. Alice Liddell, daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, Henry Liddell, is widely identified as the original for Alice in Wonderland, though Carroll always denied this. Scholars are divided about whether his relationship with children included an erotic component.
In 1982, a memorial stone to Carroll was unveiled in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey. There are Lewis Carroll societies in many parts of the world dedicated to the enjoyment and promotion of his works.[
27: Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart[a] (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791), baptised as Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart,[b] was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period.
Born in Salzburg, in the Holy Roman Empire, Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. At 17, Mozart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but grew restless and travelled in search of a better position. While visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He chose to stay in Vienna, where he achieved fame but little financial security. During his final years in Vienna, he composed many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas, and portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35. The circumstances of his death have been much mythologized.
27: Holocaust Remembrance Day
In 2005, the United Nations designated 27 January as an International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
1. Invite friends and family over to watch a film honoring the lives of those affected by the Holocaust.
a. Schindler’s List
b. Life is Beautiful (La Vita e´ Bella)
c. The Pianist
d. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
2. Connect with your local Jewish synagogue or cultural center and discover ways to honor the lives lost in the Holocaust.
January 28 - Full Moon. The Moon will be located on the opposite side of the Earth as the Sun and its face will be will be fully illuminated. This phase occurs at 19:18 UTC. This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Wolf Moon because this was the time of year when hungry wolf packs howled outside their camps. This moon has also been know as the Old Moon and the
Moon After Yule.
January 28: National Blueberry Pancake Day
28: Pride and Prejudice is Published
Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Its humour lies in its honest depiction of manners, education, marriage, and money during the Regency era in Great Britain.
Thomas Paine Day – One of the founding fathers of the United States and author of The Age of Reason, Paine promoted reason and free thought, and argued against institutionalized religion in general and Christian doctrine in particular.
29: Dr. Strangelove Opens
Released on this day in 1964, the legendary classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, stars Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and Slim Pickens, and was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. Loosely based on the 1958 novel Red Alert by Peter George, this black and white dark comedy, a satire on the fears and institutional conflict between the U.S. and Soviet Union, was nominated for 18 awards, winner of 9, including the BAFTA United Nations Award. – P.K.
January 30: National Croissant Day
30: F.D.R.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (/ˈroʊzəvəlt/,[1] /-vɛlt/[2] ROH-zə-velt; January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A member of the Democratic Party, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which defined modern liberalism in the United States throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office.
30: Gandhi Assassinated
While walking to evening prayer in New Dehli, India, Mohandas Gandhi was shot five times at point blank range and died almost immediately. Gandhi was the primary political and spiritual leader of India during his country’s independence movement. He was one of the first in India to practice mass civil disobedience and nonviolence against the tyranny in his country, inspiring a host of 20th century activists.
January 31: National Hot Chocolate Day
Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball when he started as the first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
31: National Backwards Day (US)
National Backward Day is celebrated on January 31, encouraging us to do things oppositely. It’s a time to take a look at our actions to see how reversing them can be effective and fun at the same time. One example of how doing things backward can be enlightening is by reverse poetry, which is a form that uses a reverse method to convey different messages depending on how the poem is read. They can be read forwards top to bottom with one meaning and backward from bottom to top with another. Spend the day finding new ways to do things in reverse!
An interesting example in history of doing things in reverse was from none other than one of the world;s most well-known artists, Leonardo da Vinci. He famously practiced mirror writing, which is where text is written in the opposite direction so that it can be read in a mirror. There are multiple theories as to why Da Vinci did this. Firstly, it made it harder for people to steal his ideas, or he could’ve been hiding his work to avoid religious persecution. Another theory is the artist simply wanted to prevent smudging of ink. Also, Da Vinci was left-handed, and starting right to left could have made it easier for him.
Backwards Day was created by two women, Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, who came up with the idea while on a farm. They were milking cows, thinking about arts and crafts when the initial idea came to them. The two women came up with the rules of and created it on January 29, 1961. The next day, word had spread around and the community was doing things backward. The pair then made the day on January 31 and so it has remained.
Throughout the decades, the benefits of doing things in reverse have become more visible. Some schools celebrate National Backward Day where students can wear their clothes inside out, their shoes on the opposite feet, write their names backward, and so on. Adding a little fun to the school day adds some entertainment to what could be just another ordinary day.
We’re all accustomed to doing things a certain way, but the point of National Backward Day is to break ourselves out of those routines. Have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner and pay attention to any differences you might experience. Does it feel just a little off, or are you completely at home switching it up? You might surprise yourself.
We tend to stay on autopilot when it comes to conversing with one another, why not change it up? Instead of saying “good morning” in the morning, say “good night” at night and vice versa. Challenge a friend to a battle and see how long you can keep up speaking oppositely. It might make you feel like you’re in a world where up is down and down is up.
It’s difficult enough writing a poem, and it’s even harder writing one in reverse. If you’re up for the challenge, test your literary skills by writing a reverse poem. Decide what meaning you want the poem to have from top to bottom, and what meaning you want it to take on from bottom to top and judge how well you were able to execute it.
5 FACTS ABOUT BACKWARD THINGS THAT WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
A study showed that students who reversed the order in which they normally prepared for tests had a high success rate.
It has been theorized that bananas are meant to be peeled from bottom to the top.
Superman's opposite-based villain Bizarro comes from Bizarro world, a fictional planet where everything is backward including their Earth which is called Htrae.
There are conspiracy theories that claim certain songs played backward, like certain Led Zeppelin songs and The Beatles songs, reveal hidden messages.
Penguins are known for being adorable flightless birds, but they’re also unable to walk backward.
YAD DRAWKCAB LANOITAN
.yad doog a si sihT
January 31st honors everything backward with National Backward Day. The day provides an opportunity to reverse our ways, our direction or simply our shirt. Dessert for breakfast, perhaps? There are many ways to celebrate this fun day, so just let your imagination be your guide.
This day is very popular with school-aged kids, but there is no age limit on who can participate in all of the backward fun. So EVERYONE, let’s have some fun!!
FUN FACT: Leonardo da Vinci wrote backward. Not only did the artist and inventor write from right to left, but he also wrote his letters backward.
After polling several National Day Calendar staff members, we opaquely have an idea on how to celebrate this day.
Go out the back door
Have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
Instead of coming unglued when you’re upset, get glued.
Add coffee to your milk.
Add ice cream to your chocolate.
Do your work in reverse order.
Say, “Goodbye,” instead of “Hello,” when answering the phone.
Twiddle your pinkies not your thumbs.
Wear your sweatshirt backward.
Write your name backward.
Write an entire sentence backward.
Run the bases in baseball backward.
Watch a movie backward.
Read a book starting with the last page.
Play a record backward.
Do things backward and use #NationalBackwardDay to post on social media.