All - Leep Calendar

National Whipped Cream Day is an unofficial event with no sponsor. It celebrates the light cream topping, served to kings in the 17th century that has come to top everything from fresh fruits to cakes and pies.

Africa

Jan

Anniversary of the Storming of the US Capitol (2021): January 6

06:20 AM | -

INSURRECTION AT THE US CAPITOL Today is the anniversary of January 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol. For the first time since 1814, the US Capitol was attacked. In 2021, the assault was led by American rioters representing various groups, including white supremacists, QAnon conspiracy theorists, militias, anarchists, and Trump loyalists. Five people died when the rioters and the smoke cleared: four rioters and a police officer. The storming was planned on social media by various domestic hate groups, domestic terrorists, white supremacists, and attention seekers fueled by President Trump's refusal to accept election results and his Tweets encouraging participation. This alternate interpretation of election outcomes is a garrulous scheme initiated before 2016 by Mr. Trump, as the vanguard of his ego should he lose. At that time, he won the Electoral College. In 2020, despite a record-breaking turnout of voters, Mr. Trump lost the election to Mr. Biden by over 7 million votes, putting the Electoral College vote at 232 for Trump to 306 for Biden. Ratifying the Electoral College by Congress on January 6 following November's presidential elections is the final step in certifying a presidential election. THE WHY The rioters' aimed to stop the certification of the Electoral College by congress and prevent Mr. Biden from becoming the next president. They believed this would allow Mr. Trump, who lost the election, to remain in office, an objective equated with an in-house coup. Their belief that the election was rigged against Mr. Trump was carefully curated. It received enforcement through an echo chamber of right-wing media outlets and social media posts, nurtured by conspiracy theories, anger, and the perceived loss of societal privilege. They were primed, indoctrinated true believers, filled with fear, rage, and anger to burn. They needed a match to burst into flames. Mr. Trump supplied that match. He told his supporters that the only way he could lose the election was through fraud and that they needed to fight to take back their country and make it right. The president told them the media was their enemy and that COVID-19 was nothing to worry about. He told them Democrats were communists, Marxists, and socialists (though very few Trump disciples can define or differentiate each term). He told his believers and fans many things daily and month after month. His lies and distortions provided a narrative of victimization in repetitive soundbites, punctuated with fear, a sense of belonging and purpose that so many desperately needed. These scenarios, and their subsequent conspiracy theories, found traction with coronavirus lockdowns beginning in March 2020. Trump supporters received a steady diet of curated news for the next eight months. Messaging and confirmations meticulously inflamed passions, created doubt and promoted multiple conspiracy theories. It was a toxic stew on the edge of boiling over. By election day in early November, 46% of those identifying as Republican believed the election was being stolen from them and their beloved leader, Mr. Trump. They thought a coup was in the process due to voter fraud; for the cult members, there was no other explanation. What followed was a circus of 60 election lawsuits accusing voter fraud. Eventually, all but one case was dismissed. Three instances of voter fraud were identified in Pennsylvania, and all three were fraudulent votes for Mr. Trump. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE The theatrics of the vote didn't end with lawsuits. In several key states, including Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada, officials found themselves and their families receiving death threats and enduring violence for doing their job. One group of white supremacists, urged on by conspiracy theories, set out to kidnap the Governor of Michigan. The FBI thwarted them, given the kidnapping was planned on social media. Rather than rectify the rhetoric, Mr. Trump embraced it, nurturing, massaging, and cultivating it through speeches, social media, and live, in-person rallies (in the middle of a pandemic). His followers embraced his denials and accusations as gospel. Primetime right-wing opinion entertainers enthusiastically fueled the farce, even as their news divisions increasingly deferred toward fact-based reporting. Discounting the rhetoric was considered a betrayal by many Trump supporters, who sought out increasingly radical information sources to feed their fantasy. By Christmas, many Trump acolytes and an increasing number of Republicans convinced themselves the election was rigged. Officials from various branches of government, the judiciary, and even foreign observers, certified the 2020 US election was one of the most secure in history. Other than a scattering of isolated instances, all attested there was no fraud. The election was fair. Mr. Trump lost, period. In the newspeak language of the MAGAverse, a loss was impossible. Mr. Trump's supporters, encouraged by the president, continued to refuse any result that did not conform to their narrative. As the New Year approached and the final certification of the election results by congress on January 6 loomed, calls for "Stop the Steal" grew, especially on social media. Mr. Trump invited his fans to gather in Washington DC on January 6 for a rally to do just that, tweeting, "Be there. It will be wild!". That would become the understatement of a decade. A DAY OF CHAOS AND ANARCHY Hundreds of thousands of people answered Mr. Trump's call, pouring into Washington DC with flags, signs, MAGA hats, and anger, IMMENSE anger. In addition, a significant portion of the rioters came armed, something the Secret Service would point out to the president. The president didn't care because the rioters were not there to harm him. This sentiment of the president would be revealed during the January 6 Committee Hearings in 2022, along with other evidence pointing to the president's direct involvement in orchestrating the insurrection. Rioters arrived with guns, knives, and other weapons, including Molotov cocktails and spears. Additional weapons included baseball bats, body armor, bullhorns, chemical weapons including pepper spray, smoke bombs, flash-bang grenades, IEDs, nooses, and at least two pipe bombs. The day began around 08:20, with the president tweeting his usual disproved voter fraud and victimization allegations. At the same time, his fans gathered at the Ellipse south of the White House. By 11:30, several Trump officials and supporters began warming up the crowd for the 'Save America Rally.' Hardcore members of his fan club, many armed, simultaneously gathered at the Capitol building. At 12:49, two pipe bombs were found, one at the Republican National Committee and another at the Democratic National Committee. Police have since speculated the purpose of the bombs was to divert police away from the Capitol building. At noon, Mr. Trump ascended the stage, devoting the next hour to promoting conspiracy theories, his victimization, disproved allegations, and debunked election theft assertions. The fawning crowd of supporters, true believers, and diehard fans loved it. As the US Congress took its seats in their respective chambers at 13:00, Mr. Trump whipped his fans into a cheer-filled frenzy. He urged them to march down Pennsylvania Avenue and 'Stop the Steal' by protesting the joint chamber ratification of the electoral college results. Typically, this is a tedious ceremonial procedure for finalizing the election results. While most of Mr. Trump's fans raucously enjoyed the president's speech, 1.2 miles away, militant supporters began executing their social media plan to storm the Capitol. At 12:53, militants overran the first of three barricades, breaching all three ten minutes later and chasing Capitol police officers across the lawn of the Capitol. At 13:10, Mr. Trump finished his speech, and attending fans made their way up Pennsylvania Avenue. Tens of thousands of people moved from the Ellipse to the Capitol, joining the thousands already there. The president returned to the White House, where he watched the spectacle on television, doing nothing for nearly four hours. Ultimately four insurrectionists and two police officers died, several from medical causes. One insurrectionist was shot and killed, attempting to breach the Capitol further. ____________ Mr. Trump first alleged voter fraud in 2015, leading up to the 2016 election. This charge was quickly forgotten when he won but would be resurrected again leading up to the 2020 election, which he lost by 8 million votes.

Africa

Jan

Apple Tree Day (US/UK): January 6

06:20 AM | -

Apple Tree Day is a British custom as ancient as Christmas and part of the celebration of Epiphany. Of distinction is the practice of wassailing, or apple howling. Wassail is a traditional word indicating drinking for someone’s health, or on Apple Tree Day, drinking for the apple tree’s health. Apple Tree wassails are sung to the apple trees, and festivities are held in apple orchards on Twelfth Night Eve and Twelfth Night between January 5-6. Celebrations include: Creating bonfires in apple orchards. Wrapping favorite trees in ribbons. Whacking apple trees while reciting poetry. Drinking hard cider and pouring a portion of the cider on the roots of the trees to encourage a good harvest in the coming year. Today it is most common for children to wassail in the apple orchard during the day with non-alcoholic cider. But, for adults, it remains a reason to gather around the apple tree with noisemakers and instruments (to wake up the trees from their winter slumber), swap stories, and drink lots of hard cider, sharing a little with the tree.

Africa

Jan

Bean Day (1884): January 6

06:20 AM | -

Today marks the anniversary of the death of Austrian scientist Gregor Mendel in 1884. Mendel is the founder of the modern field of Genetics and performed his work by studying beans and legumes. He is the person who identified and described what we now call dominant and recessive genes. Because he died in the late 19th Century, Mendel never realized the importance of his discoveries and work. He laid the foundation for 20th Century advances in therapies and medicines, agriculture, and science.

Africa

Jan

Black Pound Day (UK): January 6

06:20 AM | -

Born in 2020 in the wake of the Black Lives Matter global protest, Black Pound Day in the United Kingdom is a monthly event occurring on the first Saturday of each month. The purpose is to ask consumers to support Black-owned businesses on this day by shopping at them or giving their patronage. Created by musician DJ Swiss.

Africa

Jan

Christmas (C)(AM): January 6

06:20 AM | -

Christmastide, or the 12 days of Christmas, lasts from Christmas through Epiphany, January 6. The Armenian Christian Church celebrates Christmas on the last day of Christmastide instead of the first.

Africa

Jan

Cuddle Up Day: January 6

06:20 AM | -

National Cuddle Up Day is your day to put the non-cuddling types in your life on notice and get them to step up their game. Or, you could cuddle up with a blanket on the porch before a fire or wherever your cuddle IQ takes you. Cuddling is an act of complete closeness and intimacy that even sex seems non-romantic and non-intimate compared to it. Cuddling is customary for most mammals and birds. At a primal, deep level, it provides comfort and joy. Cuddling displays and build trust and affection. The act of cuddling releases feel-good hormones, including Oxytocin and others in the brain. Cuddling makes us happier and relieves stress.

Africa

Jan

Epiphany (C): January 6

06:20 AM | -

Epiphany, or the 12th day of Christmas, marks the official end to the festive season known as Christmastide. Epiphany is the day that the three wise men (magi), following the star of Bethlehem, came upon Jesus Christ, Mary, and Joseph in the manger. It is also the day years later when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. In the West, Christians began celebrating the Epiphany in 361 AD.

Africa

Jan

Shortbread Day: January 6

06:20 AM | -

Shortbread Day celebrates the Scottish medieval biscuit twice-baked with sugar and spices. Shortbread originated in the early 12th century when the Crusaders brought sugar back from west Asia and introduced it to Europe. Other scholars attribute its invention to Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century.

Africa

Jan

Technology Day, Ntl: January 6

06:20 AM | -

People rarely change, but how we live our lives does due to technology. Technology can be simple, such as the humble beer can (first put on sale on this day in 1935) or as complex as a computer. Technology makes life easier, keeps us healthy, and often changes everything. Imagine life today without radio, smartphones, lights, or even a simple toilet. These are all technologies most of us would find difficult to forego. National technology day is about appreciating the little and significant advances we encounter daily. First run in 2015.

Africa

Jan

Bobblehead Day, Ntl: January 7

06:20 AM | -

First run in 2015, National Bobblehead Day is a celebration of this enduring German toy created in the 1700s based upon Asian (China and Japan) string dolls of the time. Their heads are enormous and dance above small bodies, bobbing back and forth. Originally they were made of porcelain, and today, they're plastic. In the 1990s, these whimsical moving dolls entered sports marketing via Alexander Malcolm, who was looking for a promotional toy to market the San Francisco Giants. He produced nearly 50 million bobbleheads and built a global company that creates bobbleheads of various sports and cultural figures. Today many of these promotional items are coveted collector's items.

Africa

Jan

Christmas, Orthodox (C): January 7

06:20 AM | -

Various Orthodox Christian faiths celebrate Orthodox Christmas in countries including Russia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Macedonia.

Africa

Jan

Gobind Singh (S)(1666): January 7

06:20 AM | -

Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, or Govind Singh, is a Sikh holiday commemorating the birth of Guru Gobind Singh's tenth Guru of the Sikhs. Even though he was born on December 22, 1666, his birthday is most often celebrated on January 7, depending on the calendar. Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti is a religious celebration during which the faithful pray for prosperity.

Africa

Jan

Golden Globe Awards: January 7

06:20 AM | -

The Golden Globe Awards honor excellence in film and television. The Golden Globe Awards are decided by the 93 Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) members and cover domestic and foreign film, television, and digital media. The annual ceremony and dinner of the Golden Globe are an anticipated event of the film industry's awards season, together with the Academy Awards.

Africa

Jan

Harlem Globetrotter's Day (1927): January 7

06:20 AM | -

The Harlem Globetrotters originated in 1926 as the Savoy Big Five, an exhibition basketball team focused on athleticism and comedic theater. From 1926 until now, the Harlem Globetrotters have played over 26,000 exhibition games in 122 countries and territories. The Globetrotters won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1940 and enjoyed a revived success in the 1990s. The Globetrotters were eclipsed with the rise of the NBA (National Basketball Association) back in the 1950s. Since then, a lot of Globetrotters have become some of the NBA's legends, including Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain, Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins, and others. Today marks the anniversary of their first game on January 7, 1927.

Africa