While many designations are quirky, others are beneficial — such as June 23 being National Hydration Day — or historic — Day of the Seafarer, June 25.
June 20 was Ugliest Dog Day; the 22nd, National Kissing Day. June is considered the national month for candy, soul food, country cooking and dairy.
Every day of every month, in fact, is a reason to focus on and “celebrate” something. While many designations are quirky, others are beneficial — such as June 23 being National Hydration Day — or historic — Day of the Seafarer, June 25.
Just who decides these daily themes is a historic hodgepodge. From 1870 to 1983, U.S. Congress voted on 11 official “national” days, or federal days, some of which are recognized wholly by non-federal businesses while others less so: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, Inauguration Day (every four years after a presidential election), George Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
But according to msn.com in October, the main reason daily national days became a “thing” is because Marlo Anderson co-founded nationaldaycalendar.com in 2013, with National Popcorn Day (observed annually Jan. 19) as the site’s first of 1,500 registered national days. Anderson, known as the “Guru of Geek” who started the podcast Tech Ranch, founded nationaldaycalendar.com as an online database and registrar of national days, weeks and months as one of his many “entrepreneurial exploits,” cited US News & World Report in May 2018.
Corresponding merchandise, recipes and trivia are offered on the site. Last year, Anderson announced an additional venture: “Piggybacking off that success, he’s started a marketing company called 3sixty5 meant to leverage National Day Calendar’s popularity for business clients,” said US News.
To have a day considered and accepted as “national,” an application is available at nationaldaycalendar.com. A committee decides on which holidays to declare, and applicants pay a fee. However, only businesses and organizations can apply currently due to overwhelming interest in registering a national idea. Plus, the site reminds that days, weeks or months designated to honor a specific individual require an act of Congress. Additionally, no birthdays or anniversaries are considered.
Based on the popularity of the National Day Calendar site’s success, Anderson is reportedly writing a script for a film, titled “National Daze,” informed US News & World Report.