Email
Print
FeedLesser-Known Holidays Taking Place in July
Lesser-known reasons to mark your calendars
Jul 6: International Kissing Day • Started by our stiff-upper-lipped cousins across the pond, National Kissing Day (as it was originally known in the UK) eventually morphed into International Kissing Day, aka World Kiss Day. The day is meant to promote the pure pleasure of the act—so pucker up and celebrate.
Jul 15-21: National Parenting Gifted Children Week • Founded in 2008 by psychologist and education expert James T. Webb, PhD, and his national nonprofit group SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted Children, Inc.), the purpose of the week, according to Webb, is “to celebrate the joys and challenges of raising, guiding, and supporting bright, young minds.”
Jul 25: National Carousel (Merry-Go-Round) Day • This holiday was founded in honor of the original wooden carousel, patented in 1871 by William Schneider of Davenport, Iowa, and celebrates the 200 wooden carousels estimated still to be in operation today.
Jul 27: Barbie-in-a-Blender Day • In 1999, Tom Forsythe was sued by Mattel for copyright infringement for a series of photos he shot called “Food Chain Barbie,” featuring the iconic doll in suggestive poses with various kitchen appliances. In 2004, a federal judge sided with Forsythe, citing his right to free speech, and Mattel was forced to pay Forsythe nearly $2 million. An international student group subsequently founded Barbie-in-a-Blender Day to use Forsythe’s victory in its efforts to promote free speech. On that day, people the world over are encouraged to take, post, and share their own humorous photos using Barbie.
Ben & Jerry’s devotees, romantics, and balding females take note: July is also National Ice Cream Month (thanks to Ronald Reagan, who made the designation in 1984), National Share a Sunset with Your Lover Month, and International Women with Alopecia Month.
