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"National" Days Definition

National Doughnut Day

Date When Celebrated : Always the first Friday in June

National Doughnut Day honors the Salvation Army "Lassies" of WWI. It is also used as a fund raiser for needy causes of the Salvation Army.

The original Salvation Army Doughnut was first served by Salvation Army in 1917. During WWI, Salvation Army "lassies" were sent to the front lines of Europe. These brave volunteers made home cooked foods, and provided a morale boost to the troops. Often, the doughnuts were cooked in oil inside the of the metal helmet of an American soldier. The American infantrymen were commonly called doughboys. Salvation Army lassies were the only women outside of military personnel allowed to visit the front lines. Lt. Colonel Helen Purviance is considered the Salvation Army's "first doughnut girl".

On National Doughnut Day, look to see if your local doughnut shop, or other organizations, are offering free donuts to solicit donations for the Salvation Army or for another needy cause. If you find them, please be generous.

Did You Know? The official dictionary spelling of the term is "Doughnut", and is most often seen in print. The word "Doughnut" is often shortened to "Donut". Both spelling have been around for a long time. While "Doughnut" arrived first, "donut" has been around since the 1800s. If you see the term National Donut Day, it's the same day.

Related Holidays:

Cream Filled Donut Day

Thought for Today: Age 60 is the new 40, and 9:00 is the new midnight.

The origin of the term "Doughboy":

The term "Doughboy" was popular in referring to U.S. Army infantryman during World War I. American foot soldiers were occasionally called doughboys during the Civil War. The earliest references to the term, comes from the U.S-Mexican war.

See  The Origin of the Doughboy

The History and Origin of National Doughnut Day:

National Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression, and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts and other foods for thousands of soldiers.

We did not find any documentation confirming this to be a "National" day. We found no congressional records or presidential proclamation. However, given the importance of this day, we believe it warrants the "National" title.

Definition of "National" Days

What happened on this day? This Day in History

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Flower of the Day: Trumpet Vine

Recipe of the Day: Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any June calendar holiday, occasion, observance or event. Or, just for the fun of it!

Holiday Insights, where every day in June is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.

Did You Know? 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, and more are being created on a regular basis. June Holidays are no exception. At Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and record the details of each one as completely and accurately as possible.

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