Volunteer Recognition Day, an April 20 holiday exists to honor the legions of volunteers who dedicate themselves to causes and helping others. They are making big and small differences in the lives of millions of people all over the world. Volunteers save lives. They improve lives and provide care and comfort. They assist people, animals, and nature.

While they deserve ur thanks and recognition for their efforts, most volunteers do not ask for recognition. They just want to help and to “give back” where they can.

In documenting special and unique days, this author attempts to avoid editorializing and keeps to reporting the facts. But, I will step away from the norm when speaking about this topic. It is vital and essential that more people get involved. There are so many groups and causes that need volunteer efforts. And, the needs are so broad and urgent, that everyone can find someplace to volunteer and make a difference.

BTW: Volunteers are keeping a big secret from those that don’t volunteer. Volunteer activities are energizing and rewarding. And, it is lots of fun and camaraderie. Try it and you will see!

Tweed Day, an April 3 holiday is today. This holiday celebrates one of two things. Either it celebrates the warm, fashionable woolen clothing that originated in Scotland. Seemingly always in fashion, Tweed is a rough, woolen fabric that keeps you warm and looks good, too. It should come as no surprise to learn that tweed is more popular in the north, and not often worn in the south. Or it celebrates the birthday of Boss Tweed, a corrupt New York City politician.

William Magear “Boss” Tweed, was born on April 3, 1823. Boss Tweed was a politician from NYC. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a NY State Senator. His claim to fame was being convicted of graft and corruption, for stealing millions of dollars from NYC. Our problem with this theory is why a special day for a convicted crook!?

We’d like to believe that Tweed Day celebrates Tweed suits. Conversely, do we really want to celebrate the birth date of a crook??? We’ll let you make the call.

Definition of Tweed: Originating in Scotland, this material is a thick woolen, twill-style. It is used to make jackets, suits, and slacks.  

Titanic Remembrance Day, an April 15 holiday, is dedicated to the memory of the luxury liner Titanic, and over 1500 people who died when she sank. The Titanic set sail from Southampton, England on April 10, 1912. It was her on her maiden voyage. On this day in 1912, the Titanic sank in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

The Titanic was called “unsinkable” and the “safest ship afloat” by her builder and designer. However, on her maiden voyage from England to New York City, the cruise ship Titanic hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. This occurred on April 14, 1912, at 11:40 p.m.  Two hours later, with a gaping gash in her side, the ship quickly sank into icy waters. 1522 passengers and crew died.

The historic sinking of the Titanic spurred numerous television documentaries, specials, and big-screen movies. The most recent was the blockbuster movie Titanic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

Did you know? The Titanic had a sister ship, the Olympic. The ships were constructed around the same time, with the Olympic starting first. The Olympic was launched in 1910. She served as a cruise liner until pressed into service during WWI as a troop carrier. She retired in 1935.

Today is That Sucks Day. This April 15 holiday is a celebration of all that sucks in our lives, and in the world. And, let’s face it, a lot of things stink. Events, the weather, unpleasant things you need to do, and many things spoken aloud really suck. However, on the positive side, you can enjoy a lollipop today. Now, that really sucks.

We’ve all had bad days, unpleasant events, bad situations, and relationships that suck. It’s a reality of life. This special day gives well-deserved recognition of the fact that a lot of experiences in our lives suck. And, it can happen frequently.

Bruce Novotny, the creator of this day, established this day to be celebrated on April 15th, as there are several major events in history that suck… on this date. They include tax day, the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and the sinking of the Titanic.

We hope that this day does not suck for you. You can always use today to recognize other things that suck.

National Tell a Story Day is an April 27 holiday in the United States. Its original objective is to promote and market brands through storytelling techniques. This holiday has grown to celebrate storytelling of all kinds, most notably to young children. It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or non-fiction, a tall tale, or folklore. Today is a day to tell ’em all. Stories can be from a book, other written material, or from memory, too.

Our research discovered two distinct holidays, one in the U.S. The other is in Scotland and the UK. The latter is by far more prominent and organized. These two holidays are exactly six months apart. 

Make Tell a Story Day an important and pleasure-filled experience. To enhance the enjoyment of the story, try setting the atmosphere. If it’s an eerie or spooky story, turn down the lights. Bring decorations and memorabilia that speak to the theme. If it’s about a person, display a picture of the individual.

Are you an honest person? If you ever need to tell a lie or a little fib, today is the day to do so. It’s Tell a Lie Day, an April 4 holiday. But please, do not make a habit of lying. Liars can’t be trusted. And, it only results in giving you a bad reputation. Being caught in a lie can have disastrous results.

We don’t create these days, we only report them. Why someone would create a day to encourage a person to lie is hard to comprehend. Be that as it may, today is the day to tell lies, big and small. If you choose to participate in this day, we suggest you take the opposite approach and never tell a lie. A person who is known never to tell a lie gets a reputation as an honest and truthful person who can be relied upon under any circumstance.

Tomorrow, we can all get back to the virtue of “honesty is the best policy”.

If you find today a bit discomforting, you can look forward to National Honesty Day later in the month.

Important Note: If you choose not to participate in this day, we will look up to you!

Did You Know? Three separate authors wrote a book titled “A Book of Lies”. They are: Aleister Crowley, Brad Meltzer, and James Molony.

Today is Teflon Day, a special day to stick on your calendar, even though little or nothing sticks to Teflon. This April 6 holiday celebrates the accidental invention of this remarkable coating for your pots and pans.

What an amazing discovery. Teflon coated on kitchen pots, pans, cookie sheets, and other cooking objects, saves you countless time in scouring and scrubbing at the kitchen sink.  While it is best known as a nonstick coating for cookware, there are many other uses.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is widely used as an industrial coating. It also is used in many other common products, including fabric and rug protection, hair styling tools, nail polish, and windshield wiper blades, to name a few.

Some of the best inventions occur by accident. Dr. Roy Plunkett was working in the laboratory trying to create a refrigerant. On April 6, 1938, he accidentally discovered Teflon. Teflon was trademarked in 1945. In 1961, in Kansas City, Missouri professor Marion A. Trozzolo took Teflon from the lab to the kitchen. The first Teflon-coated frying pan was called “The Happy Pan”. Cookware has not been the same since.

Did You Know? Teflon is a good electrical insulator. That’s the reason why Teflon tape exists.

BTW. Have you ever heard someone called the “Teflon Man”? Some people never seem to catch the blame for anything. Problems and blame seem to slide right off of them. We can also use today to recognize these lucky devils. 

Now here is a very lofty and worthwhile cause. National Teach Children to Save Day is an annual event. It is essential that children learn the value of the dollar and how to save before they become adults. This reduces the likelihood that they will fall into debt, especially credit card debt and its high, usurious rates. On this day, bankers across America teach fiscal responsibility to children of all ages. The goal of this K-12 program is to instill in children a lifetime of good financial practices and management of their money. It starts with learning not to spend every penny you get, and to save a few of those pennies for a rainy day, and for the things they want. This financial education will help them as adults, to avoid high credit card debt and even bankruptcy. So, encourage your kids to become penny pinchers.

Children and teenagers need to learn to be frugal and thrifty. And, when money is tight, they need to know how to become a penny pincher. All too often Don’t leave practical financial management education to bankers and educators. While these professionals are beneficial, kids need your teaching and insight, too. This means practicing what you preach. Kids pick up on the example you set. What you do now, they will do later in life. 

Today’s Slogan: “A penny saved, is a penny earned.” Of course, now that pennies are no longer minted, we probably need to restate this saying to “A nickel saved is a nickel earned.”

The Ultimate Penny Pincher: Ebenezer Scrooge

Today is not a time to be risk averse. Rather, it is a day for risk-takers to “go for it”.  To many people, there’s a certain thrill and excitement to face danger or to put it all on the line. If you are a gambler, you will just love this day. Today is Take a Chance Day. This April 23 holiday sounds pretty risky (but fun) to me……..

Life is filled with risks. To get what you want, sometimes you have to take a chance. And, today is created to do just that. Today is the day to take a chance on virtually any object or goal. Will it be love? will it be luck? Or, will it be lollipops? There is no room for procrastination today. So, we hope you fully participate in this day, and that you attain everything you seek. So go ahead and take a chance. As they say: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

Note: If you are going to “take a chance” at winning the lottery, and have never played the lottery before, we suggest you only buy one ticket. After all, everyone is going to take a chance today, so the odds are really low.