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Forget weight loss and penny-pinching, make a resolution to keep this year a little more unconventional. What better way to start than with a few offbeat holidays and anniversaries you can easily observe?
1. January 1: First Foot Day
A Scottish New Year tradition, the first person to step into someone’s home is called the “first-footer” and is thought to represent good fortune entering the household—in the form of gifts including coal, whiskey, cash, and/or cheese and bread. Sorry ladies and blond men—in order to be considered lucky the first-footer should always be a dark-haired man.
2. January 1: 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
On this date in 1863, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signed this famous document proclaiming to the Executive Branch of government that all enslaved in Confederate territory were now free.
3. January 3: Fruitcake Toss Day
Although it may sound like a culinary Olympic event, Fruitcake Toss Day just marks the time when it is finally socially acceptable to trash all of the holiday fruitcakes you received. If you choose to turn the event into a throwing contest, make sure to have paper towels handy.
4. January 4: National Trivia Day
Here’s how we celebrated last year: 119 Amazing Facts for National Trivia Day.
5. January 4: World Braille Day
The birthday of Frenchman William Louis Braille, after whom this tactile code is named, doubles as a celebration of his groundbreaking system which has provided greater equal opportunities for the visually impaired worldwide since its invention in 1824.
6. January 7: 225th Anniversary of the First U.S. Presidential Election
In 1788, new nation and future world power the United States of America kicked off its very first Presidential election (which ended in January 1789). As a surprise to no one, except perhaps opponents John Adams and John Jay, George Washington took the race in a landslide.
7. January 8: Bubble Bath Day
If ever there were a day to relax in a bath full of aerated water or foam, today is the one. Once a thing of luxury, the effervescent bath became a kid-friendly—and more affordable—treat in the mid-20th century thanks to companies like Mr. Bubbles.
8. January 10: League of Nations Day
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The rather ill-fated predecessor to the United Nations, the international peacekeeping organization League of Nations formally came to be on this date in 1920. Though the vocal support of President Woodrow Wilson certainly helped its inception, the League quickly fell into disarray, leaving it virtually powerless to prevent World War II. In 1946, Woodrow Wilson’s dream was officially dissolved.
9. January 10: 150th Anniversary of the Underground Railway
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The London Underground, a.k.a. “the Tube,” a.k.a. the transit system formerly known as the Metropolitan Railway, opened its doors in 1863, making it the first underground railway—or subway—in the world.
10. January 17: Kid Inventors Day
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The Kid Inventors Day website attributes television, water skis, earmuffs and the Popsicle to the minds of brilliant minors. Technically, the man who invented the first working television, Philo Farnsworth, applied for the patent at age 21 in 1927, but he showed an early design for his TV to his teacher at age 14. The purpose of Kid Inventors Day is to celebrate and encourage the ingenuity of children—so the Farnsworth blueprint counts!
11. January 18: Thesaurus Day
On this day in 1779, British lexicographer Peter Mark Roget was born. He is most famous for publishing The Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases (aka “Roget’s Thesaurus”) in 1852. This holiday is a day to honor, celebrate, extol, laud, praise, revere, or salute his contributions.
12. January 22: National Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day
If animals could talk, what would they say? We may never know the real answer, but January 22nd is a day to remember the thoughts and feelings of your domestic feline. Don’t worry if cat whispering isn’t your forte. Cat-oriented websites like Cat Channel offer some great icebreakers to get the conversation started. For example, “Are hairballs a common malady? What can my human do to prevent them?”
13. January 23: 56th Anniversary of the Frisbee
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After fighting in World War II, American inventor Walter Frederick Morrison returned to the States and designed what he thought would be the world’s first flying disc. After a few iterations over the course of nearly a decade, he came up with his design for the “Pluto Platter.” On this date in 1957, he sold his rights to this design to the Wham-O toy company. Later that year, Wham-O decided to rename the toy “Frisbee,” a term that came from a Connecticut pie company named Frisbie, whose empty pie tins had become ad-hoc toys.
Wham-O owns the trademark to the term “Frisbee,” so any flying disc from any other manufacturer is technically not a Frisbee.
14. January 24: Beer Can Appreciation Day
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Seventy-eight years ago to the day, the first beer was sold in cans. Since then, the beer can has become a barbecue staple, a collector’s item, and a maligned receptacle for some beer snobs. Today, pause before chugging, shotgunning, or crushing, and take a moment to reflect on what your beer can means to you.
15. January 28: National Kazoo Day
Founded by Chaplin Willard Rahn of the Joyful Kazoo Band, National Kazoo Day celebrates 162 years of this plastic or metal instrument. The organization behind the holiday, Kazoo America, hopes to one day make the kazoo “America’s official musical instrument.” They ask that you please remember the kazoo is definitely not related to the Vuvuzela.
16. January 29: Thomas Paine Day
Thomas Paine, who was born 276 years ago on this date, became a highly influential figure preceding the American Revolution with the publishing of his Common Sense pamphlets in the colonies. After publishing another series called The American Crisis, and a little war known as the American Revolution, Paine actually returned to live in London. His revolutionary spirit could not be quelled though, and he got back into the action, this time in France. After ruffling some feathers and facing possible execution—pardon our sweeping generalization of history here—Paine returned to the United States to live out his final days.
While we don’t recommend a complete governmental overthrow, today why not honor the spirit of Paine by starting a tiny revolution of your own?
17. January 30: FDR’s 131st Birthday
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Credited by many for pulling the United States out of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt left an indelible impression on American history. He also holds the distinction of being the only American President ever to be elected four times. So celebrate!