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30 Offbeat Holidays to Celebrate in June
The official start of summer is upon us! Let's celebrate all month long with some unconventional holidays.
1. June 1: Heimlich Maneuver Day
Named after the doctor who invented it, the Heimlich maneuver has seriously curbed the hazards of choking since its introduction in the 1970s.
2. June 1: Say Something Nice Day
Seems simple enough.
3. June 2: National Rocky Road Day
While this iconic ice cream flavor is generally associated with feelings of happiness and pleasure, its inception was the result of some pretty dire times. Recognizing the “rocky road” ahead for Americans after the Stock Market Crash of 1929, ice cream purveyor William Dreyer dreamed up this recipe as a temporary salve to the economic ills in the United States. Though some naysayers contest whether the credit for this cream-marshmallow-almond-chocolate chip recipe belongs 100 percent to Dreyer, few people will contest that Rocky Road ice cream is 100 percent delicious.
4. June 3: National Doughnut Day
No matter how you spell it (we're a doughnut family), today's the official day to celebrate this hole-iest of confections. This holiday, celebrated annually on the first Friday in June, was founded in 1938 to honor the role the sweet treat played in World War I. Members of the Salvation Army, who became known as "Doughnut Dollies," distributed donuts to soldiers to supplement their rations. Years later, during the Great Depression, the Salvation Army created the holiday to remember these earlier services and encourage fundraising by giving symbolic paper "donuts" out in exchange for donations. But these days people celebrate with the real thing.
5. June 3: National Leave the Office Early Day
You don’t have to tell us twice.
6. June 3: Chimborazo Day
Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the highest mountain on Earth (yep, higher than Mount Everest). Even though it's technically shorter with an elevation of 20,564 feet versus Everest's 29,029 feet, Chimborazo's location gives it a boost: the equatorial bulge means that its peak is farther away from the planet's center than anywhere else.
7. June 3: National Repeat Day
June 3: National Repeat Day.
8. June 4: Hug Your Cat Day
As if you needed an excuse!
9. June 5: Global Running Day
Whether you passionately love it or passionately hate it, few people feel neutral on the subject of running. In light of the positive passions, runners around the world take to the streets on the first Wednesday of every June to express their love of optional physical duress.
10. June 6: National Yo-Yo Day
Donald F. Duncan had more to celebrate about his life than an amazing name; he helped popularize the yo-yo. Though technically invented by a man named Pedro Flores in the late 1920’s, the yo-yo didn’t hit the mainstream until the entrepreneurial Duncan purchased Flores’s Yo-Yo Toy Company, mass-produced this circular piece of plastic and string, and introduced it to the world. June 6th is believed to be Duncan’s birthday.
11. June 8: World Oceans Day
In 2008, the United Nations officially designated June 8 as a day to honor the part of the planet covered in water. Which is to say, most of it. Even before that it was celebrated by the Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network. These days, it's a growing global event with a focus on education and preservation.
12. June 8: Name Your Poison Day
Although this holiday is widely open to interpretation, we recommend no one take it literally. Instead, muster up the courage to boldly acknowledge the one vice in your life that you simply cannot resist no matter how terrible it may be for you. Unless said “poison” happens to be arsenic.
13. June 10: National Ballpoint Pen Day
Put away your quills, fountains, and felts, for today we honor the gravity-dependent ink dispenser we know as the ballpoint pen. It may not have the panache of a gel writing utensil, or the precision of a roller ball. But when it comes to getting ink onto paper and the bottoms of shirt pockets, ballpoints certainly get the job done.
14. June 12: National Jerky Day
No explanation required: chew and be merry.
15. June 14: World Blood Donor Day
A holiday created to bring awareness to the immense amount of good you can do just by donating blood—find a drive near you today!
16. June 15: World Juggling Day
If you're coordinated and like party tricks but felt left out of National Yo-Yo Day, this offbeat holiday is for you—no clown costume required. It’s celebrated by juggling clubs around the world (presumably by juggling things).
17. June 16: Bloomsday
Each year, on the anniversary of the day that James Joyce's Ulysses takes place, fans of the author celebrate his life and work in cities around the world as part of a holiday named for the protagonist: Leopold Bloom.
18. June 17: National Eat Your Vegetables Day
You had better be prepared to finish those Brussels sprouts today if you know what’s good for you! Like Brussels sprouts, for example. They’re a great source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
19. June 18: International Sushi Day
Any food worth its salt, or umami, has its own holiday. But if you're looking for an excuse to eat sushi, June 18th seems as good a day as any other.
20. June 18: International Picnic Day
Since it falls during the workweek this year, International Picnic Day may also have to stand for International Personal Day. But a basketful of goodies, domestic or international, and a nice patch of grass will definitely be worth calling in with a mysterious “summer cold.”
21. June 19: World Sauntering Day
A man named W.T. "Bill" Rabe, a publicist allegedly rampant self-promoter, is said to have conceived this holiday in the 1970s on Mackinac Island, Michigan. According to Merriam-Webster, to saunter one must merely “walk about in an idle or leisurely manner.” So for all of you who balked at a running holiday, thank Rabe for providing a much more casual holiday for getting around.
22. June 21: Go Skateboarding Day
Founded by the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC) in 2003, this holiday coincides with the summer solstice.
23. June 21: Take Your Dog To Work Day
Created in 1999 by Pet Sitters International, this is a day intended to encourage people to adopt pets from animal shelters—presumably by making all your dog-less coworkers incredibly jealous.
24. June 22: National Onion Rings Day
National Onion Rings Day: for those of you who like your holidays deep-fried.
25. June 23: Let It Go Day
Technically not related to Disney's Frozen (but thematically relevant), this is a day for letting go of baggage and hang-ups, and it's a good opportunity to get that song stuck in your head for the next six months.
26. June 24: International Fairy Day
A relatively young holiday for a relatively old mythical creature, International Fairy Day was created by artist Jessica Galbreth for “believers, collectors, and the young at heart to celebrate all that is Fae and reconnect with their imagination and child-like wonder.”
27. June 26: Log Cabin Day
This holiday is all about reconnecting to a simpler, more quiet time. In lieu of a log cabin, maybe sit under a tree or don't check Twitter for five minutes?
28. June 27: National Handshake Day
Celebrate by reading up on the proper handshake etiquette from around the world.
29. June 28: National Eat At A Food Truck Day
The annual celebration gives you an excuse to support local businesses by chowing down on a gourmet donut or "mustache pretzel."
30. June 28: Insurance Awareness Day
Do you have insurance? If you answered that question, you just observed this holiday.