Now here’s a holiday that just can’t be limited to being “national” in scope. Play-Doh is a popular child’s toy around the world. Originally, it was named National Play-Doh Day. However, in 2015, Hasbro Toys, the creator of this special day, wisely changed the title of this holiday to World Play-Doh Day. They believe emphatically that this childhood toy belongs to the whole world. This holiday is celebrated annually on September 16.

Both World Play-Doh Day and National Play-Doh Day celebrate a great childhood play toy. Play-Doh was invented in the mid-1950s. It has entertained millions of children, allowing them to express their creativity, both at home and in the classroom.

The invention was simple. A schoolteacher wanted a safe modeling clay for her pre-schoolers. She asked her brother-in-law Joseph McVicker, who worked at a chemical company, to come up with something. The result was simple….flour, water, and food coloring.

Did You Know? In 1998, Play-Doh was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, NY.

People love their pets. We quickly grow attached to our pets. National Pet Memorial Day is an opportunity to bring closure to the departure of our beloved pets. It allows us to fondly remember our departed pet(s).

There are all kinds of pets. Sure dogs and cats are by far the most popular. But, pets also include rabbits, fish, turtles, ferrets, crabs, snakes, hamsters, gerbils, and a huge assortment of other animals.

Your pet would want you to cherish their memory, then move on. Use this special day for this purpose.

Today is National Pepperoni Pizza Day, a September 20 holiday. Celebrate America’s favorite variety of pizza. Almost everybody loves pizza pie. And, it is so versatile. You can eat pizza for breakfast (often cold), lunch, dinner, and as a late-night snack. It is a very popular food for parties and events, too.  Many of us like it so much that we eat it whenever possible.

You can put all sorts of meats, vegetables, fruits, and even fish… Anchovies… on your pizza. But, today, is reserved for pepperoni pizza, the most popular variety.

Here is some interesting trivia on the ever-popular pizza:

• Specifically, both cheese and pepperoni is the most popular variety, preferred by 36% of the people.
• Over 3 billion pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year.
• More pizzas are sold on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year.
• Halloween is the second most popular day for eating pizzas.  
• Over 17% of restaurants are pizzerias or serve pizza.
• The first pizza was sold in Naples Italy in 1738.
• Pizzas most likely evolved as a variation of flatbreads.
• Americans consume over 23 pounds of pizza per year.

It is very easy to enjoy National Pizza Day. Have some pizza today. To enjoy this day to the fullest, you need to make homemade pepperoni pizza and have pizza for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and as a snack.

Happy National Pepperoni Pizza Day!

National Peanut Day is today. Without a doubt, this September 13 holiday is the peanuttiest of days on the entire list of daily holidays. Native to South America, the locals there surely couldn’t keep this great nut to themselves. Actually, peanuts are not nuts. They are “legumes”, like peas, beans, and lentils.

Peanuts are one of America’s favorite snack foods. And, it’s more than a snack food. They are the main ingredient in peanut butter. Peanuts star in a variety of recipes and is a topping for countless foods and desserts. Many Chinese recipes use peanuts in main menu items.   

Peanuts once took the rap as a not-so-healthy food. More recent research suggests that peanuts can reduce cardiovascular disease and lowers triglycerides in the body. Peanuts are high in protein and fiber and are now believed to help curb hunger, and therefore help in diet control.

Find out How to Grow Peanuts.

UN International Peace Day is a September 21 holiday. It was created by a vote of the United Nations General Assembly in 1981. This day is dedicated to establishing and promoting World peace. It is celebrated by countries around the world. World peace is a valuable and worthy proposition. You would think it easy to accomplish, as no one really wants war and unrest. Unfortunately, complete world peace still proves unattainable. This is not to say that it is impossible, or even that the world has not moved in this direction. The world is truly more peaceful today than it was yesterday or the day before.

World Peace, what a hopeful thought. What an important goal. Unfortunately, world peace has evaded humanity throughout history. Skeptics say world peace and tranquility is nothing more than a fantasy. Yet, no progress is possible unless we try. While it has certainly been elusive, the optimistic character of human nature causes us to believe it is possible to attain.

The United Nations goal for this day is “a day of non-violence and cease-fire”. Wouldn’t it be nice if this one day succeeded and spread, country by country, day by day until there is no more war or violence? Can this goal ever succeed?  Former Beatle John Lennon had the right vision in his song “Imagine“.

Pardon Day is today. It’s an opportunity to seek or offer forgiveness where needed. This September 8 holiday is also a day to say “Pardon Me” or Excuse Me” as appropriate. In today’s busy society, too many people race about their lives, forgetting the small courtesies in life. Among the easiest things to let slip by, is etiquette and manners.

Use this day to reaffirm your manners. Say “Pardon Me” or “Excuse Me” as appropriate. After all, people will like you more when you’re polite. And your mom will be so proud, too!

You can also use this day to seek pardon or forgiveness for mistakes and grievances you have committed. Once you’ve been pardoned, your slate is clean and you can start anew.

Oktoberfest is a two-and-a-half-week German beer and culture festival, held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. While it is a giant world festival in Germany, Oktoberfest celebrations are held around the world during this time. So, if you can’t get to the festival in Germany, you can participate in a local event. Oktober celebrations include beer, German foods, music, dancing, and German culture.

It’s time to eat, drink, and be merry! The mayor of Munich opens Oktoberfest each year by tapping a keg of beer. They make a special brew, aptly called Oktoberfest beer, for the festival.

Oktoberfest is not just a celebration of beer. It is a huge festival with lots of food, music, dancing, rides, and carnival booths. Each year millions of people from all over the world come to the fair. Oktoberfest celebrations and festivals are held around the world during this time. These festivals also celebrate the rich heritage of the German people.

Hold the press! We don’t want to read the newspaper today. As a matter of fact, we don’t even want to see it on our front doorstep. Turn off all media broadcasts. Today is No News Is Good News Day. We all know that bad events and disasters sell ad space on all forms of media outlets. Even talk show on television and radio is filled with bad news, false rumors, disasters, and scandals. So, on this September 11 holiday, we all could use a good announcement or two on television and radio.

Do not listen to radio broadcasts today. Nor, should you watch television newscasts. And, heaven forbid…avoid the newspaper at all costs. Your local fish wrapper is always filled with the bad things happenings in our community and in the world. news.  The media thrives on it. Take a day off from all the bad news.  

Newspaper Carrier Day honors everyone who is now, or once was, a newspaper carrier. This September 4 holiday also includes anyone who hawked the paper on the street, or at a newsstand. The list includes thousands, if not millions, of people. Years ago, this job was primarily populated by kids, from pre-teen through approximately sixteen. At that age, many, but not all, kids moved from newspaper delivery to restaurants, grocery stores, and retail type of jobs. Newspaper circulation has been dwindling for a few decades and will likely continue to do so. Online sources of news and information are replacing newspapers.

For the record: In 1950, there were 1,772 daily newspapers in the United States. Today, there are only 1,033. The number is expected to continue to drop. As a matter of fact, every time we check this number, it is lower.

Now, few kids deliver papers anymore except in small towns. But, the “Carrier Day” tradition lives. This job is now largely held by adults, many of them delivering the paper from their cars.

This day commemorates the hiring of the very first newspaper carrier. Newspaper carriers date back to the early 1800s. On September 4, 1833, 10-year-old Barney Flaherty became the first newspaper carrier. Benjamin Day, the publisher of The New York Sun, hired Barney Flaherty to sell papers for his penny press. The only job requirement was that he had to show that he could throw a newspaper into the bushes.

Nowadays, few kids deliver papers anymore except in small towns. But, the “Carrier Day” tradition lives. This job is now largely held by adults, many of them delivering the paper from their cars.

Let the sunshine into your life! Right now, we bet you’re thinking “this special day is about a tranquil weather day with neither rain nor snow”  ….wrong. Here’s the real scoop on this special day…. Neither Rain Nor Snow Day celebrates the opening of the first post office, the New York Post Office building on this day in 1914. This September 7 holiday is an annual event.

The following inscription was inscribed on the building:

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

Here is the second misconception: A lot of people assume the inscription represents the Post Office motto. This assumption is incorrect. But, this inscription is very close to the old Pony Express rider’s motto. This leads to a third misconception.. ……The Pony Express was not a government-funded predecessor to today’s Post Office. The Pony Express was a courier and message delivery service. However, it was privately owned and funded.

Now that we have the history and trivia out of the way, let’s go and enjoy the day. We hope you use Neither Rain Nor Snow Day to show your appreciation to your postal delivery people, especially those who walk their routes.