(PCM) January 21, 2016 marked the 30th anniversary of “National Hugging Day”, a festival of physical affection invented by one Kevin Zaborney (a guy who knew someone who knew someone who made calendars back in 1986).
The creators of National Hugging Day embraced January 21st because it is the mid-point between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The lull in between holidays can be rough, particularly in winter. This is something many of us relate to: the …
(PCM) On this day in 1779, Peter Mark Roget, the father of the modern thesaurus, was delivered, produced, came into being, born. After a long career as a physician, scientist and tinkerer (he also invented a slide rule), Roget retired from medicine and dedicated his time to cataloging, assembling, gathering, composing, and compiling a dictionary of synonyms.
First published in 1852, Roget’s Thesaurus (from the Greek thēsauros, meaning storehouse, treasury or treasure) is still …
(PCM) Happy Birthday Sherlock! Beloved super sleuth Sherlock Holmes was created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. He is one of (if not the) most adapted fictional characters in literature, appearing in upwards of sixty stories written by Doyle himself and countless other books, plays, comics, films, and television shows in the one hundred plus years since. What’s your favorite Sherlock incarnation?
Although Doyle never explicitly mentioned Holmes’ birthday, January 6th has been accepted as …
(PCM) The Winter Solstice falls on or around December 21st. On this day in the Northern Hemisphere, the earth is tilted away from the sun as far as it can get.
As the shortest day of the year and the absolute height of winter (astronomically speaking), the Solstice was an important ritual day in many ancient religions. It continues to coincide with modern holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. Many early pagan midwinter …
(PCM) December 20th is National Sangria Day. We’re not really sure why, other than “because the internet says so,” but hey – if you’ve made it this far into December, then cheers! Who needs a better reason to celebrate?
Sangria (from the Spanish word for blood. Yum?) is a deep red cocktail or wine punch that includes a mixture of wine (usually an inexpensive red), fruit, sweeteners, other alcohol such as brandy or liqueurs, and …
(PCM) In ancient Rome, the period between December 17th and December 23rd was known as the Saturnalia, a festival to honor the god Saturn.
Saturn ruled over such things as abundance, destruction, and time. He gave his name to our largest planet as well as everyone’s favorite day of the week (Saturday). His celebration began with a ritual sacrifice in his Temple at the Roman Forum, followed by a week of banquets, gift-giving, candles …
(PCM) Happy Special Education Day! On this day in 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was signed into law, giving all children with disabilities access to free and appropriate public education.
Though IDEA has since been revised many times, it is still the basis for special education law in the United States. IDEA defines the rights of disabled school children and their caregivers, provides guidelines for schools and families to work together, and …
(PCM) If you were stranded on a desert island and could have a lifetime supply of only one kind of food, what would you choose? If you said peanut butter, then have we got something exciting for you!
No, it’s not a one-way ticket to the Caribbean; it’s better: an entire month dedicated to celebrating peanut butter (and peanut butter lovers like you).
Peanut Butter Lovers Month started as Peanut Butter Lovers Day on November …
(PCM) They say that writing is a lonely profession, but not today! In 1949, the U.S. government designated November 1st as National Author’s Day, due in part to one Mrs. Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, a super fan who wanted to give thanks to American authors for their contributions.
If your life is made better because of books, let the world know! Buy more books! Recommend them to your friends! Write reviews, share links, follow …
