National Pharmacist Day
When is National Pharmacist Day? This holiday is always observed on January 12
National Pharmacist Day is today, a January 12 holiday. It honors druggists and recognizes their important role in medical care. A Pharmacist must be knowledgeable of the chemistry of all medicines. They can inform you of a drug’s side effects, and all aspects of prescription medicine. Very importantly, they understand and recognize the interaction of drugs together…many people take numerous drugs.
National Pharmacist Day recognizes the important role of Druggists. If you are in the pharmacy today, make sure to wish your pharmacist a good day. Gifts and cards are not required.
Did you Know? Your local druggist knows more about individual drugs than your General Practitioners. It is important to realize that they know the interactions of any combination of drugs.
Pharmacist Day Quiz: What was the first name of Mr. Gower, the pharmacist in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”? See the answer below.
National Pharmacy Day Trivia and Fun Facts
Here are some fun pharmacy trivia and fun facts:
- Founded in 1950, there is a Pharmacy Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- The Rx symbol originated in Egypt. It symbolizes healing powers.
- Benjamin Franklin once worked as an apprentice pharmacist.
- Mass production of medicinal tablets began in 1884.
- In 1886, pharmacist John S. Pemberton invented Coca-Cola as a treatment for a variety of ailments.
- Dr. Pepper was also invented by a pharmacist.
- German pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner discovered morphine in the early 19th century.
- Before she began writing books, Agatha Christie was first an assistant pharmacist during World War I.
- There is an estimated 88,000 pharmacies in the U.S. They are staffed by over 337,000 pharmacists.
How to Celebrate National Pharmacist Day
Here are some things you can do to celebrate your local apothecary:
- Tell your local pharmacist that you appreciate the important job he or she is doing. Moreover, tell them you really appreciate them.
- Send them an Ecard.
- If you are a high school student, consider a pharmaceutical career. It is a professional, well-respected, and high paying career.
Thought for Today
“God must love the common man. He made so many of them.” – – Abraham Lincoln
History and Origin of National Pharmacist Day
You can be sure that National Pharmacists Day was created by a pharmacist group. However, we have yet to discover the group that started it. As we began our research on this day, we fully expected to find one or two national pharmacy groups. To our surprise, we found a couple national groups and many state groups. Yet, we did not find a group that claimed to have created this day.
Also, there is no evidence to suggest that this is truly a “National” day, which requires an act of Congress.
Definition of “National” Days – Learn why it is important to distinguish true National days.
Also, see How to Create a “National Day”.
This Day in History
While this is certainly an important and fun holiday, there are other notable happenings on this date. Here are another couple of happenings on this date:
Batman debuts on television. (1966)
The television comedy “All in the Family” premieres. (1971)
Jeff Bezos, founder, and CEO of Amazon.com was born on this day in 1964.
Answer to Pharmacy Quiz
Question: What was the first name of Mr. Gower, the pharmacist in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life?
Answer: Mr. Emil Gower was the Pharmacist. Upset over the death of his son in the war, Mr. Gower accidentally filled a prescription with cyanide. Then, George Bailey catches the mistake. As a result, he was eternally grateful. Mr. Gower was played by H.B. Warner (1875-1958).
More January 12 Holidays
Here are more January 12 holidays and events we are certain you will enjoy:
More About Today
Flower of the Day: Freesia
Today’s Recipe: Chicken ala King
Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any January calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!
Holiday Insights, where every January day is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. So, join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? In addition to National Pharmacist Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Many of these holidays are new. Despite the proliferation of new holidays, people and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.