OCTOBER 9: INTERNATIONAL BEER AND PIZZA DAY
There’s no better day to throw a pizza and beer party than International Beer and Pizza Day. A combo of a frosty glass of beer and a warm slice of pizza is one of the world’s best food pairings. Right up there with great champagne and caviar — maybe even ahead of it.
Beer is one of the oldest drinks produced by mankind. It’s brewed from cereal grains, which contain starch sugars that produce ethanol and carbonation during the fermentation process. Beer consumption dates as far back as 5000 BC, in Iran. Recorded first in the history books of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the brew eventually spread around the world. In the Middle Ages, the beer-brewing process was a craft passed down as a family-oriented activity. By the end of this period, the beer production moved from a small-scale domestic industry to a large-scale export industry. The Industrial Revolution introduced a more controlled and mechanized process for brewing beer as technology developed in countries like Britain and Germany.
Pizza has a similar legacy based on cereal grains. In the case of pizza dough, the cereal grain is ground up together to make flour. The origin of pizza can be traced to ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. However, the modern birthplace of pizza is a Greek settlement in Italy founded in 600 BC. Back then, pizza was an inexpensive food that could be consumed quickly: a favorite of the working poor in the ancient city. The same is true now, except the formerly lowly pizza’s grasp on the human appetite has expanded to range from the slice-on-the-corner to some of the hottest-shot menus in the world.
As immigrants spread from Europe to the US, pizza, likewise, made the journey. Today, beer is made at small craft breweries and big corporate ones. It is drunk at bars, at get-togethers, at breweries, and at sporting events. Pizza is made in establishments ranging from small family pizzerias to big national chains, and can also be purchased frozen in grocery stores. It is enjoyed at parties, by the slice while on the go, and as a simple meal at home.
Pizza and beer definitely seem to be made for each other. Many would agree that certain types of beer taste especially good with certain types of pizza. This is because pizza and beer enhance or contrast flavors with each other. For example, Margherita pizza pairs well with a pale ale. The malt flavor of the ale complements the pizza’s toasty crust. Light beer, on the other hand, works well with a classic cheese pizza. Mushroom and spinach pizza? Try a stout. And many swear by the combo of pepperoni pizza and India Pale Ale. But let’s face it: any kind of beer plus any kind of pizza equals pretty close to Nirvana. Don’t drink alcohol? No worries. Pizza even tastes great with non-alcoholic beer.
OCTOBER 10: INTERNATIONAL STAGE MANAGEMENT DAY
On International Stage Management day, buy a ticket to see a theatre production in honor of the unsung heroes of the stage. International Stage Management Day celebrates and recognizes all the work that Stage Managers do behind the scenes. It’s also a day to learn more about what Stage Managers do.
Remember the last time you went to a live performance? Chances are, while you were watching, you didn’t think much about what was happening behind the scenes. How thrilling and exciting is it to be at the theatre watching actors sing, dance, and perform on stage with various props and equipment. You have Stage Managers and stage management to thank for that. What you sit and watch for a couple of minutes takes a lot of dedication, planning, prioritizing, and management to put together.
The people who do behind-the-scenes jobs are called Stagehands and Stage Managers. The show simply could not go on without them. Stage Managers don’t just manage the physical stage, they coordinate and support the different teams involved in the day-to-day running of theatre production — furniture and props; arranging costume fittings; liaising with theater departments, producers, actors, and technical crews. from rehearsals right through to performances — and then all post-show tasks. The more actors there are, the harder this is to do.
To do their job well, Stage Managers must possess the following skills:
Have excellent communication
Work well under pressure and deadlines
Be a motivator
Possess flexibility
Be able to organize the work of others
Stage Managers must also have knowledge of audio, lights, and other technology necessary for a performance. Because Stage Managers oversee each performance, they often know all of the actors’ lines. With all that they do, it’s no wonder Stage Managers are the director’s right-hand staff.
Stage management was a fairly new concept in the 1300s and only emerged as a distinct role in theatre in the 1600s. Stage management facilitates the organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage Managers juggle many balls during all phases of production. They’re planners, organizers, multi-taskers, and level-headed individuals who understand the importance of diffusing a stage crisis and maintaining a cool head.
International Stage Management Day has been observed annually since 2013 to appreciate the efforts of the stage management crews and to bring awareness to their importance in theatre production. After all: there would be no theater without them.
OCTOBER 11: INTERNATIONAL TOP SPINNING DAY
International Top Spinning Day occurs every second Wednesday of October to the delight of lovers of spinning tops around the world. The observance was initiated by the — believe it or not — Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum in Burlington, WI. They created this day in 2003 to spread the word about how much fun it is to play with a top and to highlight its historical significance.
Spinning tops are some of the oldest toys ever to be discovered by archaeologist. A clay top that’s over 5,520 years old has been found in modern-day Iraq. A wooden top found in King Tut’s tomb was carved in 1,300 BC. In the 8th century BC, the ancient poet Homer sang about the spinning top.
A spinning top is a toy with a squat body and a sharp bottom that is designed to be spun on its vertical axis. Tops come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, but they all have the characteristic of being able to defy gravity in exactly the same way: the gyroscopic effect that uses inertia, gravity, momentum, and centrifugal force. A spinning top gets held upright by angular momentum. Some tops can spin for over 50 minutes! According to Judith Schulz, Director of the Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum, “The earth spins around a single axis, just as toy spinning tops and yo-yo's do.” Today is meant to recognize and celebrate this scientific fact.
Throughout history, tops were made from a variety of materials. Usually, people carved them from wood, often with a metal tip. However, indigenous tribes made spinning tops from fruits and nuts. Historically, tops appear to have originated in different parts of the world but all have the characteristic of being set in motion by pulling a string or cord attached to their axis or by rotating it by holding its tail — usually the narrower part of its whole body — between your longest finger and thumb and sending it into a spin.
Tops appear to have originated on their own in different parts of the world. Besides being used as toys, they have also been used for prophecy and gambling. They are set in motion by pulling a string or cord attached to their axis or, rotated by holding its tail — usually the narrower part of its whole body — between your longest finger and thumb, and sending it into a spin.
Today, spinning tops are often made with plastic or metal, and are constructed in such a way that a pull string is no longer necessary. They also have been improved to often include a small hard tip made of ceramic or tungsten carbide. These are known as bearing tops.
Popular all over the world, spinning tops across the globe include:
Dreidels — Jewish communities use these four-sided tops during Hanukkah.
Koma — Japanese spinning tops, a traditional toy in Japan for thousands of years.
Gasing — found in Malaysia and Indonesia, painted with unique decorations.
Trompo — popular in Latin America, trompo championships are held throughout the region.
Kreisels — this kind of top is made in Germany, a country that produces high-quality wooden toys, including the spinning top.
OCTOBER 12: INTERNATIONAL MOMENT OF FRUSTRATION SCREAM DAY
Disappointment and displeasure are common in our highly pressurized, fast-moving world. Frustration is as common — a reaction to recurrent, unresolved stressors. And nothing good comes from frustration. It can come out in many ways: losing your temper, feeling on edge, getting easily annoyed or irritable, anger, depression.
One of the most important reasons for International Moment of Frustration Scream Day is the opportunity to let your aggravations out. Don’t use today to add to your frustrations. And whatever you do today, don’t find new things to fret over. This day was created so that you can scream your frustration out to avoid any buildup of negative energy. Go outdoors at noon, Greenwich Mean Time (that’s 8am, our time), and scream for 30 seconds. Yes, that’s right. Just let it out. You might just feel a lot better. That’s the goal: for everyone to feel better afterwards. (Note: the creators of the day also fear that all that screaming may cause the earth to fall off its orbit. Meh.)
The day was created by Ruth and Thomas Roy of Wellcat Holidays. It is co-sponsored by something called the Low Thresholders of the Earth League. (Yes, there’s a website. It’s, uhm, basic.) The holiday was inspired by The Scream, the iconic painting by expressionist artist Edvard Munch. The exact year of the observance’s founding is unknown, but we do know it has been around for at least 10 years. Little did the founders know that 2020 and 2021 would serve up 2 such wildly stressful, anxious year that people all over the world would quickly wish every day Moment of Frustration Scream Day, whether they realized it or not.
Hopefully, one International Moment of Frustration Scream Day, you’ll feel better after your 30 seconds of release and have let out your deepest frustrations. Indeed, there is some evidence that screaming may let off some steam and relieve stress. Shouting and screaming have long been used to relieve stress and are often touted as ways to battle stress and anxiety. It's natural, it’s healthy, and for some people, it's a part of their day-to-day routine.
Psychologists recommend going to the forest to scream, rather than into the void, and imagining a situation or person that causes stress or anger. Luckily, we just happen to have a “forest” right next door. Do note: though shouting has been known to reduce stress, it is important to choose a place to do it where you won’t frighten passers-by. That could result in a call to the police — which can be very frustrating, thereby canceling out the very thing one was working to get rid of. And then you’d have to wait another year for International Moment of Frustration Scream Day.
Here’s wishing you a very happy post-Moment of Frustration Scream Day. As an old song goes, Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
OCTOBER 13: NATIONAL M&M DAY
It’s National M&M Day, so get ready to celebrate a world-wide favorite. Created in 1941, this iconic candy has been a staple for over 80 years. Kids love ’em, adults feel nostalgic eating them, and they won’t melt in your hand, just in your mouth.
First, consider M&M’s foundation story. It’s the 1930s and Spain is in the middle of a civil war. Enter Forrest Mars, Sr., son of Mars candy company founder Frank C. Mars. What he was doing in Spain, who knows? But while there, he came across a candy enjoyed by British volunteer soldiers: chocolate pellets with hard tempered chocolate shells — shells that helped keep the candy from melting. Good for war time, but, figured Forresst Mars, also for warmer months in peace time. Mars used this candy as a model for M&M’s. Back in the US, as WWII started, Mars reached out to Bruce Murrie, son of William Murrie, an executive at Hershey. Mars was concerned there might be a shortage of chocolate in the conflict ahead. Partnering with Murrie, he figured, would guarantee a supply. Murrie and Mars became partners and the candy was named M&M’s in their honor.
A patent for M&M’s was received in March of 1941 and production of M&M's Plain Chocolate Candies began in Newark, NJ, using Hershey’s chocolate. The candy was packaged in cardboard tubes. Colors were orange, yellow, red, brown, green, and violet (tan later replaced violet). Once the US entered World War II, M&M’s were sold exclusively to the military and included in soldiers’ rations. They brought a love for M&M’s back home following the war, and the candy became a hit with the public. In 1949, Mars bought out Murrie’s share of the company for $1 million. But that second “M” stayed on.
In 1950, an “m” started being stamped into the candy so that consumers knew it was the “real thing.”Although the slogan now most associated with M&M’s is “melts in your mouth, not in your hand,” the phrase of the time was “look for the ‘m’ on every piece.” Originally black, the stamp was changed to white in 1954. That same year, M&M’s Peanut Chocolate Candies were born, the first change for the original M&M’s. At first the peanut version came only in tan, but in 1960 it began being made in the same colors as the originals.
Colors have changed throughout the years. From 1976 to 1987, there were no red M&M’s, after FD&C Red No. 2 was banned by the FDA because of a supposed link to cancer and fetal death. Orange M&M’s were introduced to replace red. Even though Mars didn’t use Red No. 2, the company figured there was no reason to alarm consumers. Red M&Ms were came back in 1987 when Red No. 2 was found not to be carcinogenic. In 1960, Red — along with yellow — M&M’s were introduced as the M&M’s “spokescandies.”
M&M’s have made their mark in history. In the 1980s, M&M’s began being sold in the Asia Pacific, Russia, Europe, and Australia. In 1981, they became the first candy in outer space, when they were included on the first space shuttle voyage. And M&M’s were the official snack food of the 1984 Summer Olympics.
The M&M’s family has continued expanding beyond plain and peanut. In 1989, M&M’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies debuted. M&M’s Minis Milk Chocolate Candies came in 1997. Blue M&M’s replaced tan in 1995. M&M’s Caramel Candies debuted in 2017. In 2004, M&Ms offered personalized message M&M’s. In 2008, they offered image-personalized M&M’s. M&M’s fans could upload a picture of their faces or even their dogs’ to create custom M&M’s, making them a “natural” for individual expression and as favors for birthdays, weddings, and all sorts of other occasions.
OCTOBER 14: NATIONAL DESSERT DAY
There’s always room for dessert! Thankfully, there are 54 specific dessert holidays. We celebrate them more as a tradition than an extra treat. Sort of a responsibility, if you think hard enough about it (and we do, we do!) In fact, it would almost be rude to pass on a creamy cheesecake if it’s July 30, National Cheesecake Day. If the holiday insists, we must simply abide and take an extra slice. In the name of duty, of course.
All those specific celebrations of different sweets come together on National Dessert Day! Celebrated by way of the local bakery, grandma's house, or chocolate shop, desserts include candies, pies, ice cream, fruits, cookies, pastries, cobblers, and donuts, too. No specificity to this day. Just go for it! (And, oh, by the way: this holiday shouldn’t be confused with Eat an Extra Dessert Day on September 4 each year. Just think of that as a warm-up period.)
The term “dessert” originates from the French word desservir, which translates “to clear the table.” That’s because dessert is served after a main meal’s dishes have been cleared. But that’s much further into the history of simply a sweet course after a nutritious meal than the actual existence of official desserts. A sweet course existed long before there was a proper title for it. As an act of worship, ancient civilizations would offer dried fruits and honey to their gods. In Ancient Greece, a special sweet bread was made with nuts and honey to make an almost cake-like dish called plakous. Indeed, it’s believed that Ancient Greeks may have also invented pie, as Aristophanes mentions sweetmeats and pastries filled with fruit in his plays. All hail, Ancient Greeks! A final, sweet course got its actual name around the 15th century, however, when chefs were adding a lot of sugar to savory dishes. Which is probably why desservir would eventually be associated with sweet treats.
The available ingredients of a region effect the range of its desserts. The very first desserts of ancient cultures were more focused on the nutrition for survival. Over the years, desserts have changed from natural candies and nuts to complex soufflés and multi-layered cakes. In modern culture, there are many more options available in desserts.
From the 19th century on, there were a variety of desserts that became popular in the US. In Boston during the 19th century, for example, a vanilla sponge cake filled with vanilla cream and topped with chocolate glaze became popular — otherwise known as Boston Creme Pie. About the same time, Key Lime Pie was introduced in Florida — probably because a century earlier the Spanish had planted an abundance of lime trees. Actually, the US has given birth to quite a few sweet after-dinner treats, such as Baked Alaska and the Banana Split. During the 1904 World’s Fair in St.Louis, the ice cream cone was invented. By 1912, cheesecake was king in New York City. Not all desserts have stayed the course of popularity, including Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake, Marionberry Pie, and Bananas Foster (though that final one may be experiencing a resurgence).
When did this holiday start? Who knows? But its birthplace is clearly known: the US. And, really, who cares when it started? As long as it continues on . . . and on . . . and on.
OCTOBER 15: NATIONAL GROUCH DAY
National Grouch Day sends out notices to all the grouches of the world to be their truest grouch. If you’re a grouch, today is your special day. This is a day to celebrate all the grouches we know — or to embrace the grouch that lives inside all of us. On this day, no one can stop us from complaining, being irritable, or wallowing in misery. Because that is what grouches do! Also, this day teaches us that it’s good to spend time processing our negative emotions.
Sometimes grumps give backhanded compliments. “Your hips don’t look so fat since you stopped wearing plaid.” Other times they say anything at all. Noise, silence, general activity makes a grouch generally unpleasant. It’s a skill.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, describes a grouch as:
a person who complains frequently or constantly
a habitually irritable or complaining person
It seems that a grouch may be happy (although they would never admit it) only when others are unhappy and grouchy. It is then that they feel most comfortable with having others share in their grumpy, cantankerous, surly world with them.
This holiday was created in the late 1950s as a way to recognize and appreciate grouches everywhere. It's an opportunity for us to take a break from our daily lives and indulge in some grumpiness. Whether you're feeling down in the dumps or just plain ornery, this is the perfect day to let it all out. So grab your favorite blanket, get comfortable, and enjoy all the grouchiness that comes with being a true Grouch! The day was “created for and inspired by” Alan Miller, a retired teacher from Clio, Michigan, who also happens to be the Chairman of the Board of something called the National Association of Grouches. Sesame Street Magazine picked up on the day at some point, embraced it, and made its readers aware of it by the easiest means possible: the Sesame Street character Oscar the Grouch.
The expression "to have a grouch on" dates to 1890, and the definition of a grouch as an “ill-tempered person” dates to 1896. Oscar the Grouch is perhaps the most famous grouch. He’s said to be fictional, but ask any 5-year-old and they’ll tell you the truth: Not only does Oscar live on Sesame Street, but he’s not the only one. A whole species of these furry creatures populate territory around Sesame Street. These grouches live close to garbage — in places like city dumps and broken down houses — and, in Oscar’s case, in a garbage can. They live for being as grouchy as possible, and to spread that feeling to everyone they meet. Additionally, they “enjoy” smelly, dirty, and rotten things, such as broken appliances, foods that people tend to avoid, out-of-tune songs, and mud baths.
Today we honor all grouches — both fictitious and real — and let them be their usual cranky, miserable, and grouchy selves. And if you, yourself, bear the moniker “Grouch,” you should know the Grouch Anthem. If you wish to learn it, embrace it, and sing it loud and clear, click here for instruction from the grouchiest grouch of all: Oscar.