Yellow Pig Day
About Yellow Pig Day
When is Yellow Pig Day? This holiday is always on July 17
Yellow Pig Day is a mathematician’s holiday celebrating yellow pigs (is there such a thing!?!), and the number 17. It is a July 17 holiday and is celebrated annually since the early 1960s, primarily on college campuses, and primarily by mathematicians. On campus, Yellow Pig Cake and Yellow Pig Carols are traditions!
If you are a mathematician, spend part of the day thinking and working in multiples of 17.
Another Pig Day? There are also some references to this holiday” on January 17th. The references are only found in online calendars and on Ecard companies. We did not find it in any published documents. We did not find any factual evidence supporting this day on January 17th.
Color of the Day: Of course, it comes as no surprise that today’s favorite color is yellow. Hence we wear yellow shirts, eat yellow beans or yellow squash, and drive yellow cars, if possible.
Did You Know? Pigs are one of the smartest animals on the planet. They rank fourth, behind humans, apes, and dolphins.
Piggy Trivia and Fun Facts
Here are some great pig trivia and fun facts. Use them to impress your friends on all things piggy.
- A wild boar is a wild pig native to Eurasia and North Africa.
- They have a keen sense of smell, despite often living in a sty.
- A pig can drink up to 14 gallons of water a day. They need water to properly digest their food.
- Pig iron is a raw, unrefined form of iron. It is created by first smelting the ore in a blast furnace.
- Do you know a gross or contemptable person? Then, you know the other meaning of a swine.
- “Big Bill” holds the Guinness World record as the largest boar in the world. He weighed 2,552 pounds and once stood an amazing five feet tall at the shoulders.
- Canadian bacon comes from the pork loin of a pig. It contains less fat than American bacon. It is sometimes called back bacon or rashers.
How to Participate in Yellow Pig Day
Without a doubt, Miss Piggy will celebrate this holiday to the fullest. Here are some ways you can join in on the fun:
- First, adopt a piglet as a pet. Then, see what tricks you can train them to do.
- Go to a farm to see them.
- Draw pictures of hogs in school or at home. Don’t forget to draw their curly, squiggly tails.
- Use the number 17 in mathematical formulas and equations.
- Do you know what 17 squared is? Calculate it in your head.
- They are astronauts! In 2009, China sent a pig into space as part of a research project.
Did You Know? The number 17 is a prime number. Do you recall what that means?
Today's Sage Advice
Always stay calm when you encounter cannibals. Certainly, you don’t want to get into a stew.
Did You Know? The term “A pig in a poke” is an old English saying that means “buyer beware”.
History and Origin of Yellow Pig Day
This day was the brainstorm of mathematicians Michael Spivak and David C. Kelly in the early 1960s. They were students at Princeton University, studying mathematics. History was made as they were listing interesting properties of the number 17. Evidently the number 17 has many interesting properties. During this thought wave, the yellow pig was born. Most likely, it had 17 toes, 17 teeth, 17 eyelashes, etc. The yellow pig and the number 17 have been linked ever since.
The reason for celebrating this holiday on the 17th is clearly obvious.
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:
- The air conditioner was invented. (1902)
- Walt Disney’s Disneyland opens in Anaheim, Ca. (1955)
- David Hasselhoff, actor, “Baywatch” was born on this day in 1952.
Related Holidays
If you like Yellow Pig Day, then you will also like:
More July 17 Holidays
In addition to Yellow Pig Day, here are more July 17 holidays and events you are sure to enjoy.
More About Today
Flower of the Day:Okra and Tomatoes
Recipe of the Day: Ice Cream Pie – make it with peach ice cream
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Did You Know? In addition to Yellow Pig Day, there are literally thousands of daily July holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. July holidays are no exception. 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.