Looking Ahead to August Observances
Here in the US, August is the month in which there are no major holidays. It’s the height of summer and when you’re out in the back yard with the barbecue fired up, you can feel like you’re on vacation anyway. Some people have pointed out that many of the holidays we now celebrate were once minor observances, so who knows if that might happen one day with these August observances.
International Friendship Day
We have a day for key family members, so why not have a day for honoring friends? Congress named the first Sunday in August National Friendship Day in 1935. Since then the celebration has spread to other countries around the world.
International Left Handers’ Day
Launched almost 20 years ago in the UK, this annual celebration of Left Handers has become an international event. It takes place on August 13. As you would expect from the British, there’s a bit of humor involved, including special posters you can download and print to declare your office space a lefty zone.
National Airborne Day
We take parachutes for granted now, but it wasn’t always that way. August 16, 1940 was the date of the US Army’s first official parachute jump, paving the way for a change in airborne warfare. That date is now the official observance of National Airborne Day, which honors airborne soldiers past and present.
National Aviation Day
August 19 was Orville Wright’s birthday and in 1939, Franklin D Roosevelt proclaimed it National Aviation Day. Mr Wright was still alive at the time of the proclamation. The Wright Brothers invented the steering controls that allowed fixed wing flight to happen, paving the way for modern aircraft.
Women’s Equality Day
August 26th is Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates women getting the right to vote thanks to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, passed on that date in 1920. It’s a day to celebrate the achievement and a day on which many organizations highlight continuing work in this area.
Those are the major observances for August, but there are a few more of interest to those with a sweet tooth. While I’m watching the Olympics this month, I’ll also enjoy National Chocolate Chip Day (August 4), S’mores Day (August 10) and National Toasted Marshmallows Day (August 30).
August 31st, 2012 at 7:04 am
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