Welcome to our series featuring Unique Holidays: October 22nd, 2022. I would like to ask you to check out the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which Holiday you most want to celebrate and why you picked that Holiday.
Make a Difference Day– fourth Saturday of the month, neighbors helping neighbors
Did you know National Make a Difference Day began in 1992. National Make a Difference Day is a national holiday is for devoted to helping others by doing volunteer work in the community. The activity can be almost anything. On this day, millions of Americans participate in community improvement projects. Activities can take almost any form: cleanup, fix-up, painting, and repair in poorer neighborhoods, parks, and municipal facilities. It doesn’t matter what project you take on. Nor, does it matter whether you help a non-profit organization, the community, your town, a nursing home, Church, a food kitchen, or any other group in need. What matters is that you participate.
Commit to helping others for just one day and make a difference on Make a Difference Day!
Each year on Make a Difference Day, ex-President Jimmie Carter gets out his hammer and saw, and helps to build or rebuild housing in underprivileged areas. There is no better example of people helping others than this!
How to Celebrate National Make a Difference Day
- Get the neighbors together and clean up your street.
- Assist a neighbor in need.
- Organize a group to clean and spruce up a local park.
- On a personal level, do something to a make a difference in your life.
History and Origin of National Make a Difference Day
National Make a Difference Day was created by an article written in the USA Newspaper in 1992. The article encouraged its readers to do a good service to their community and support those in need.
Needless to say, the idea caught on and quickly spread around the Country.
We did not find any documentation confirming National Make a Difference Day to be a “National” Holiday. The is no record of a congressional or presidential proclamation. However, the importance of the work performed during this Holiday merits the word “national” in the title.
National Fossil Day – date varies- National Fossil Day October 12, 2022. Earth Sciences Week October 8-14, 2022.
National Fossil Day comes during Earth Sciences Week. National Fossil Day is a very special Holiday. It is not a day for us old fossils among the general population. Rather, National Fossil Day is a day to learn about and preserve rocks containing the remains of ancient life on earth. Comprised of animals and plants, they are a record of what life existed on the planet. Carbon dating identifies when these animals and plants lived. Fossilized rocks are found all over the planet. Fossilized rocks may be buried in your backyard, or a creek bed near your home. Paleontology is the study of fossilized rocks. If you choose this as a career, you are a Paleontologist.
In 2010, the U.S. National Park Service created the first National Fossil Day. According to their website, National Fossil Day is “a celebration organized by the National Park Service to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their Scientific and educational values.”
The oldest fossils are bacteria.
We hope you shake your bones and have a happy National Fossil Day
Future Dates of National Fossil Day and Earth Sciences Week
The date for these holidays vary each year.
For 2022:
Earth Sciences Week: October 9-15, 2022
National Fossil Day is October 22, 2022
For 2023:
Earth Sciences Week October 8-14, 2023
National Fossil Day is October 11, 2023
For 2024:
Earth Sciences Week: October 13-19, 2024
National Fossil Day is October 16, 2024
For 2025:
Earth Sciences Week: October 12-18, 2025
National Fossil Day is TBD
How to Celebrate National Fossil Day
There are many ways to participate in National Fossil Day.
- Museums, schools, and other organizations can use National Fossil Day, to hold educational programs for the general public.
- Parks around the Country with known fossil beds can also hold educational programs, along with tours of fossil beds.
- As individuals, we can participate in these programs and tours.
- Pursue a career in Paleontology.
History and Origin of National Fossil Day Day
National Fossil Day was created in 2010 and it was created by the U.S. National Park Service
This relatively new, yet important holiday, is called a “National” holiday. We found no congressional or presidential proclamation making this holiday a true national day. However, it was created by an official Department of the United States, making the “national:” tag official.
National Nut Day– always observed on October 22nd
Many of the Holidays in October center around Halloween or Pumpkin themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. There’s certainly room in October for a Nutty holiday. National Nut Day is today, an October 22nd holiday. It’s a little kooky and crazy if you ask me, as it is the P-nuttiest of all of the holidays.
National Nut Day is promoted by the Fair Trade Organization in the U.K. Not surprisingly, its an organization that promotes and sells healthy Nuts. The company has two goals: First, is to raise awareness of the Fair Trade organization’s Nut products. No surprise here. The second goal is to encourage us to include healthy Nuts in our diet.
Extensive research shows that eating Nuts is indeed healthy for us. Nuts are rich in Vitamins E and B2, Nuts contain lots of protein, and Nuts are high in fiber. Studies show consuming Nuts helps to avoid coronary heart disease, as well as lower bad cholesterol. Celebrate National Nut Day by adding Nuts to your daily diet.
Like many other holidays, the goals and meaning of National Nut Day have evolved somewhat over the years. Many people use National Nut Day to celebrate their kooky and nutty friends. We think this is quite alright and encourage you to continue to do so.
Of course, it is always possible that some of us may use National Nut Day to celebrate the “Nut” that screws onto a bolt for fastening things. Perhaps that is a little nutty, perhaps not. You make the call.
Whatever reason you choose to celebrate today, we hope you have a nutty National Nut Day.
Nutty Facts
- Peanuts are not really Nuts they’re Legumes, a member of the “Pea” family.
- The center of Seeds, like Pumpkins and Squash, is called a “Nut”.
- People spend approximately $800 million a year on Peanut Butter.
- Walnuts are the oldest known tree food.
Related Holidays
There are three days to celebrate Pecans!
How to Celebrate National Nut Day
- Make desserts for both lunch and dinner.
- Have a dessert for breakfast.
- If you don’t have room for dessert after a big meal? Switch the menu around today. Eat dessert as the first course.
History and Origin of National Nut Day
National Nut Day was created by the Liberation Foods Company, the United Kingdom’s fair trade, farmer owned company. We do not know when National Nut Day was first celebrated but National Nut Day appears to have been in existence since the early 2000’s.
Interestingly, National Nut Day was created as a “National” day in the United Kingdom. Yet, those who are promoting it, are encouraging National Nut Day to be “celebrated around the world”. Why didn’t they declare National Nut Day as a “World” or “International” day!? Some questions we will never know the answer to.
We did not find any documentation confirming this to be a true “National” Holiday in either the U.K. or the U. S. As far as we can tell neither the British Parliament nor the Queen Mum declared National Nut Day as a “National” Holiday. In the U.S., we found no congressional records or presidential proclamation supporting this to be a National Holiday.
Smart is Cool Day – always observed on October 22nd
Are you a highly intelligent human being? You know you’re head and above, “smarter than the average bear”. You’ve got everyone thinking you’re so “un-cool”. Why can’t you be smart and cool at the same time? Well, you can. Today is your day to be cool, if only for a day. Today is Smart is Cool Day. Now you can celebrate the smarts God gave you, and appreciate all of the benefits of being highly intelligent. Certainly, being smart is a really cool thing, even if no one else knows it or appreciates it.
I don’t know why, but to many people, being highly intelligent is not considered cool. Nowhere is this more evident than in High School. Brainiacs certainly take more than their share of teasing and grief. Brainiacs are stereotyped, often viewed as nerds, geeks, or stuffy, having their noses up in the air, and occasionally being a snob. People think of smart people as the “Absent Minded Professor” or “Nutty Professor” type. Highly intelligent people are often observed with their minds in a Cloud, completely absorbed in their thinking, and unaware of others and things going on around them.
Spend today enjoying how intelligently cool you are.
Do you know if your IQ is 228? If so, you are in some highly intelligent company. American columnist Marilyn vos Savant is the smartest person in the world with an IQ of 228.
How to Celebrate Smart is Cool Day
- Show your pride in your high IQ.
- Take an IQ test.
- Watch the television game show “Jeopardy” see if you can score higher than the contestants.
History and Origin of Smart is Cool Day
Smart is Cool Day was first celebrated in 2013 in West Hartford, Ct. Smart is Cool Day was wisely created by Signe Rogalski. Smart is Cool Day was first created to honor Hartford teacher of the year Mario Maiero and West Hartford teacher of the year John Mastroianni. From there, Smart is Cool Day quickly grew in popularity.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
