Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
May 25 is Towel Day
Today is Towel Day, created to honor Douglas Adams, author of the beloved Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, after he passed away on May 11, 2001, at the age of 49. It took fans two weeks to organize a worldwide tribute to Adams. May 25th has remained Towel Day ever since. Why is it called […]
May 24 is International Tiara Day
Today is International Tiara Day, created in 2005 by Barbara Bellissimo as a one-time accompaniment to her self-improvement program Seasons of Success. In 2008, Lynanne White of American Rose Bridal asked for and received Barbara’s permission to make International Tiara Day an annual tradition. When she discovered May 24, 1819, had been Queen Victoria’s birthday, […]
May 23 is World Turtle Day
Today is World Turtle Day, a holiday created in 2000 by non-profit organization American Tortoise Rescue (ATR) to celebrate turtles and tortoises and to protect their habitats. Susan Tellem and her husband Marshall have rescued and re-homed more than 3,000 turtles since cofounding ATR in 1990. Ten years later, they started World Turtle Day because, as […]
May 22 is World Goth Day
Today is World Goth Day, a holiday that celebrates the global influence of the Goth subculture on music, literature and art. Many consider the 1979 release of Bauhaus’ first single, Bela Lugosi’s Dead, to be the genesis of the gothic rock genre, although the word “goth” had been used in a musical context for over than […]
May 21 is Sister Maria Hummel Day
Today is Sister Maria Hummel Day which celebrates the birth in 1909 of Berta Hummel, a German girl whose family recognized and encouraged her developing artistic talent from early childhood. She entered Munich’s Academy of Applied Arts in 1927, at a time when few German women were able to pursue higher education. After graduating in 1931 […]
May Ray Day
Today is May Ray Day. Its goal is simple. If you look out your window and it’s sunny, go outside and enjoy it. (Common sense tip: If you’re in the middle of a business meeting or driving a car, wait for a more appropriate moment to step outside.) In our research, we were unable to […]
May 18 is I Love Reese’s Day
Today is I Love Reese’s Day, a celebration of the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter and the visionary who got them together in the first place. In 1917, Harry Burnett Reese (May 24, 1879 – May 16, 1956) took a job on a dairy farm owned by the Hershey Company and later worked in the candy factory […]
May 17 is National Walnut Day
Today is National Walnut Day, created in 1949 by the Walnut Marketing Board. The holiday was affirmed in 1958 by the official proclamation of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Most walnuts come from the Persian or English tree, Juglans regia, originally grown in Asia and now cultivated around the world. The lesser-known eastern black walnut tree, Juglans nigra, […]
National Sea Monkey Day
Today is National Sea Monkey Day, also known as Sea-Monkey Day. In 1957, entrepreneur Harold von Braunhut noticed that desiccated brine shrimp were able to survive for extended periods of time in a suspended state known as cryptobiosis. The result was a novelty item called Instant Life that could be reconstituted and grown in water. It […]
May 15 is National Slider Day
Today is National Slider Day, created in 2015 by the marketing geniuses at White Castle. It follows NYC Burger Week from May 1-7 and falls squarely in the middle of National Hamburger Month. There’s debate about the origin of the slider. White Castle takes credit but others say it dates to the 1940s when the […]