Many of the October holidays center around Halloween, pumpkin, and apple themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. Increase Your Psychic Powers Day, is a perfect example. This October 31 holiday is one of those special days that you might predict should be celebrated this month.

Are you clairvoyant? Do you have the potential to become a fortune teller or mystic soothsayer? If so, you have some form of Extra Sensory Perception (ESP). Two things are important to developing and honing your psychic powers. First, you need to believe in ESP and other psychic powers. Second, you have to practice, practice, practice. This strengthens these capabilities.  After all, as they say “practice makes perfect”. Armed with a heightened level of mystic and metaphysical powers, you can become a fortune teller and even raise the dead when you hold a seance. 

Let’s test your psychic skills. For example, I’m thinking of a number from one to ten. Okay, take a guess…….what number is it?? You only have a one in ten chance of getting this right. But, if you truly have psychic powers, you would not have guessed correctly. Rather, you would have known the correct number. Now, for the nine out of ten of us who guessed incorrectly, we need to work on our psychic powers. And, today is “the” day to increase them.

I’m getting a reading in my mind that you will have a happy and fun-filled Increase Your Psychic Powers Day.

Grab your stethoscope, blood pressure monitor, and tongue depressors.  National Physician’s Assistant Day is today. This October 6 holiday celebrates and recognizes the importance and skills of this career. The highly trained Physician’s Assistant, abbreviated as “PA”, is an invaluable aide to physicians and general practitioners. They can perform many of the tasks of general practitioners.

The profession of Physician’s Assistant was created in 1965 by Dr. Eugene Stead at Duke Medical Center. The first PAs graduated from Duke University on October 6, 1967. Since then, this job has grown to tens of thousands of people. Their numbers continue to grow.

Did You Know? The first Physician’s Assistants graduated from Duke University in 1967. So, this is a somewhat new career field. For example, farmers, soldiers, and doctors have been around for thousands of years.   

Old Farmers Day, an October 12 holiday, honors the hard labor of farmers throughout American history. Early American culture was heavily a farming culture. Early settlers cleared fields and pristine woods, to farm the rich land. They brought seeds and farming methods with them. They also found new seeds and learned new methods along the way. Many of those new farming methods came from Native Americans, who were already farming the land. Most notably, was the NaAtive American technique of hilling, or mounding soil.

The month of October is a very appropriate month to celebrate and honor farmers. At this time, the harvest is largely complete. It means that farmers can take a break from their labors, to enjoy this celebration.

A farmer’s work is long and hard. It certainly doesn’t make a person rich. It has its good years and its bad ones. There is no guarantee of a good crop. Weather, pests, and disease problems often prove disastrous. But, through it all, farmers have persevered. And, their ceaseless hard work sets an example for all.

As Americans, we tip our hat to all farmers, young and old, for their contributions to American culture, values, society, and the economy. Happy Old Farmers Day!

No Beard Day is an October 18 holiday. It exists so you finally have a good reason to shave your beard. Now, the fundamental question, is “do you want to shave your beard”? If not, you can always begin to grow it back tomorrow.

You’ve had a beard so long, that you don’t know what you’d look like without one. And, your lady friend isn’t so fond of it. Today brings the extra incentive you need, to shave it off and go without a beard for the first time in who knows when. So, bare it all and show off your chin. 

As you begin to shave, you have an important question to consider. Does the mustache go, too? 

Have a happy and clean-shaven No Beard Day !!

Today is Navy Day, an October 27 holiday. It is in honor of the men and women who serve in the U.S Navy, the mightiest naval force sailing the seven seas. Many of the October holidays center around Halloween and pumpkin themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of important holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. Certainly, this holiday about naval history is an important one. So, we believe that the month of October is a great time to honor our sailors, both past and present.

Ahoy there, Sailor. Above all, this day is for you! Many nations around the world celebrate their navies, with a special day dedicated to them. Each country selects a date relevant to its navy, often the birth date of the navy.

In the United States, Navy Day is celebrated on October 27th.  This date was selected as it was the birth date of President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid supporter of the U.S. Navy. In the 1970s, research determined that the birthday of the U.S. Continental Navy was October 13, 1775. At the time, efforts were made to move Navy Day to this date. However, Navy Day in the United States is still largely recognized as October 27th.

On this holiday, give a salute and some well-deserved attention to your proud U.S. Navy, and to the sailors who serve our country…….Salute!

Many of the October holidays center around Halloween and pumpkin themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. There’s certainly room in October for a nutty day. National Nut Day is today, an October 22 holiday. It’s a little kooky and crazy if you ask me, as it is the P-nuttiest of all of the holidays.

This day is promoted by the Fair Trade Organization in the U.K. Not surprisingly, it is an organization that promotes and sells healthy nuts. The company has two goals: First, is to raise awareness of the Fair Trade organization’s nut products. No surprise here. The second goal is to encourage us to include healthy nuts in our diet.

Extensive research shows that eating nuts is indeed healthy for us. They are rich in vitamins E and B2, they contain lots of protein, and they are high in fiber. Studies show consuming nuts helps to avoid coronary heart disease, as well as lower bad cholesterol. So, celebrate National Nut Day by adding more nuts to your daily diet.

Like many other holidays, the goals and meaning of National Nut Day have evolved somewhat over the years. Many people use this day to celebrate their kooky and nutty friends. We think this is quite alright and encourage you to continue to do so.

Of course, it is always possible that some of us may use National Nut Day to celebrate the “nut” that screws onto a bolt for fastening things. Perhaps that is a little nutty, perhaps not. You make the call.

Whatever reason you choose to celebrate today, we hope you have a very nutty National Nut Day.

Does this holiday have something to do about moles in your lawn? Nope. Chemistry majors, teachers, and chemistry buffs, this special day is for you. It is National Mole Day, an October 23 holiday. By the end of this day, you will be an ace chemistry student and understand Avogadro’s Number.

National Mole Day commemorates Avogadro’s Number (6.02 x 10^23). To thoroughly enjoy National Mole Day, one must first understand what a “Mole” in Chemistry is. A “mole” is a basic measuring unit. It equals the atomic mass of a single molecule. It is measured in grams. This measure was discovered by Italian Amadeo Avogadro.

Chemistry teachers celebrate this day, by getting kids more interested in chemistry. They create special lessons and lab experiments around the theme of chemical measurements.

Why celebrate from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m? Look at the chemical formula for a mole. It starts with the number 6.02.

Do you wonder why this day is not called “Avogadro’s Day”? While he was well known in the chemistry world, his fame did not extend far beyond this science.

Today is National Dessert Day, an October 14 holiday. This is a rich day filled with yummy treats! Many of the October holidays center around Halloween and pumpkin themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. Without a doubt, there’s room in October for a holiday centered around sweet treats!

Celebrate National Dessert Day today. In fact, have an extra, guilt-free piece. For just one day, forget about the calories and high-fat content in many desserts. Then, tomorrow you can go back to your diet.

It’s easy to enjoy this day. You can make your own desserts, buy them at the store, or go out to a restaurant and enjoy a dessert, or two. Make sure to have dessert with family or friends. It’s even more fun that way.

May we suggest having dessert at every meal today!?

National Bologna Day, an October 24 holiday, is full of baloney! Properly spelled Bologna, it is sometimes spelled “Baloney”. It is pronounced like the latter spelling. Bologna is a sausage. It’s commonly used as luncheon meat. Mom and the kids know it well. Also, bologna is for those on a tight budget. Enjoy it cooked or uncooked. Fried bologna is the best-known way to make it. Quite surprisingly, you just might find this on a restaurant lunch menu.

When it comes to bologna, there definitely is variety. There is what you and I would call regular Bologna, German, Beef, Kosher varieties, and more. Depending upon the variety, it could include pork, beef, chicken, and spices. We certainly hope that at the end of National Bologna Day, you are “full of Baloney”!

Did You Know? In the United States, it is considered a “poor man’s” meat. However, in Bologna, Italy where it was first created, its ingredients are significantly different. And, residents there consider it a delicacy!

Today is U.K. National Waiters Day in the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world for that matter. And, let’s be fair. Consider this holiday U.K. National Waitresses Day as well. When it comes to having a pleasant and memorable experience, a waiter or waitress is worth their weight in gold. This October 20 holiday is your opportunity to express your appreciation for all the waiters and waitresses at the restaurants, bars, and clubs that you frequent. It was created “for waiters and waitresses all over the world”.

There are two goals for this day. The first is to change the perception of waiters. However, we are not certain what needs changing.  Second, this day recognizes their excellent hospitality skills. Much of a waiter’s compensation comes from a tip you give them. As a result, they have to be “on top of their game” all of the time, whenever they are working It’s not always easy to have a smile on your face, and a song in your voice, as a waiter must do. They can’t be in a bad mood, feel down or depressed, or it will show on their faces or attitudes.

To maximize their tips, they need to be always pleasant, even if the guy at the table next to you is being nasty or in a snit. Like other service jobs, rule number #1 is “the customer is always right”. This applies even when the customer is wrong. So, being a good waiter or waitress can be trying at times.

If you go out to a restaurant today, show your appreciation to your waiter or waitress. Let them know that you appreciate all of their efforts. And, put a little, make that big, bonus in their tip!