All - Leep Calendar

National Bandana Day in Australia raises funds for childhood cancer survivors and celebrates the scarf as a symbol for people living with cancer. Promoted annually by CanTeen, an organization that fights against teen cancer, National Bandana Day raises awareness, inspires people to help cancer survivors, and donates to cancer facilities and research. People show their support by sporting a bandana for the day.

Africa

Oct

Champagne Day, Global: October 28

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Global Champagne Day occurs in October. Champagne is a region of France, and only sparkling wines from this region are permitted to be called champagne. The beverage was invented in the 1600s by Pierre Pérignon, a Benedictine monk of the Abby of Hautvillers. One of his duties at the Abby was to care for the wine cellars. Today we know him as Dom Pérignon. The original nickname Pérignon gave champagne was "mad wine." The bubbles characterizing it were not desirable and downright aggravating to Pérignon. He was attempting to produce white wine, and quality white wines don't have bubbles. In a twist of fate, Pérignon gave in to the mad wine, developing the méthode champenoise in 1670. Pérignon spent 47 years caring for the wines of the Abby, where he developed many pressing and fermenting processes still used today. Champagne would later become the preferred beverage of the elite and the universal symbol of congratulations and celebration.

Africa

Oct

Chocolate Day, Ntl.: October 28

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National Chocolate Day is one of several chocolate days on the calendar, including World Chocolate Day on July 7 and International Chocolate Day marks the birthday of Milton S. Hershey (September 13, 1857), the founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chocolate beans have been used since around 1900 BC by the people of Central America, usually as a bitter drink, alcoholic, or with red peppers. (It is quite a treat if you’ve never tried hot chocolate with red peppers using hot water instead of milk!) On his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus brought this delicious bean to Europe. He noted the encounter in his ship’s log on August 15, 1502. A few decades later, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés would bring the bean back in bulk (he was only 17 when Columbus found it). But in its Central American form, it wasn’t the sweet treat we see today. That required several inventions: John Baker’s process of grounding cocoa beans between millstones to create a powder in 1764 turned it into a spice. Conrad Van Houten developed a method for extracting cacao liquor from the fat in the cocoa bean in 1828, which made chocolate affordable. And finally, the development of conching by Swiss chocolatier Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 made it into candy. The rest is sweet history. There are several different types of cocoa beans. Though native to the Americas, nearly two-thirds of cocoa production today occurs in Africa, and Ivory Coast is the largest producer.

Africa

Oct

Daylight Savings (JO, SY) Ends: October 28

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Daylight Savings Day in Jordan and Syria commences on the last Friday in March (Spring Forward) and ends on the last Friday in October (Fall Back). On this day, we move the clock one hour ahead at 2 AM in March or one hour back in October at 2 AM on Friday. The saying, “spring forward, fall back,” is an excellent way to remember. The memory tool works in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. American Benjamin Franklin was the first to propose daylight savings time (DST) in 1784. Modern DST began in 1895. Throughout history, several variations were adopted, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. Not everyone observes DST, which can make setting appointments very challenging. The primary purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight hours for farming, early morning activities (such as children walking to school in the light instead of dark), and saving energy. The closer one lives to the North and South Pole, the longer the period of daylight in the summer months. _______________________ Daylight Savings Above the Equator: United Kingdom, Albania, Adorra, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Holy See, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Western Sahara: Last Sunday of March: Last Sunday, October United States, Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, Saint Pierre & Miquelon: 2nd Sunday, March; 1st Sunday of November Iran: Begins March 21/22; Ends September 20/21 Israel & Palestine: Friday before last Sunday, March; Last Sunday, October Jordan, Syria: Last Friday, March; Last Friday, October Mexico: 1st Sunday, April; Last Sunday, October _______________________ Daylight Savings Below the Equator: Australia: 1st Sunday of October (Spring Forward ); 1st Sunday in April (Fall Back). Brazil: 3rd Sunday in October; 3rd Sunday in February. Chile: 2nd Sunday in August and the 2nd Sunday in May. Fiji & Tonga: 1st Sunday of November; 3rd Sunday of January. Namibia observes the 1st Sunday of September and; the 1st Sunday of April. New Zealand: Last Sunday of September; 1st Sunday of April. Paraguay: 1st Sunday of October; 4th Sunday of March. Samoa: Last Sunday of September; 1st Sunday of April.

Africa

Oct

Fiddlers' Festival & Sea Witch Halloween (US-DE): October 28-30

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Join 175,000 of your closest friends for the Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers' Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It's the biggest Halloween hoedown on the East Coast and features everything from people and dog costume contests to a parade, food, drinks, an oil barrel train for the kids, and of course, the Fiddlers' Championship. Great fun for family and adults alike. Annually on the last full weekend of October.

Africa

Oct

First Responders Day, Ntl.: October 28

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First Response Coalition began lobbying congress to recognize first responders with a day of honor in 2006. Each year congress reaffirms the date through house and senate resolutions. Currently, nearly five million people work as first responders in the United States. Careers include Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue Services, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management, and Public Works.

Africa

Oct

Frankenstein Friday: October 28

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One of the most famous monsters of our times, Frankenstein, is the story of a mad scientist who brings the dead back to life, only to discover that he has created a monster. Frankenstein continues to be one of our most popular and endearing horror stories. Thus, it seems suitable that Frankenstein Friday is celebrated each year on the Friday before Halloween, the most significant masquerade in the country! Not many people know this, but a teenager wrote Frankenstein. Mary Shelley was only 16 when she ran away with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Over the next two years, she gave birth to two children. In 1816, the couple traveled to Switzerland and visited Lord Byron at Villa Diodati. While there, 18-year-old Mary started writing Frankenstein, which was published in 1818 when she was 20.

Africa

Oct

Independence Day, (CZ)(1918): October 28

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Independence Day in the Czech Republic marks the anniversary of October 28, 1918, when the Slavic and Czech people came together to create the nation of Czechoslovakia. Independence Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Oct

Ochi Day (GR)(1940): October 28

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"Ochi!", Greek for "No!" is what the Greeks told Mussolini and his fascist army when Italy tried to invade Greece on October 28, 1940. Ochi, ochi, ochi, Senor Mussolini! The Greeks stood their ground and sent the Italians packing. Consider them the original Antifa (anti-fascists) and as the historical originators of democracy—it's apropos—notably since Mussolini coined the word fascist in 1919 to describe his political party. However you swing it, Ochi Day is a national celebration and includes parades, tributes, and festivities throughout Greece. Image: Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini in Munich, Germany. June 1940. Photo by Eva Braun, US Government Archives.

Africa

Oct

Plush Animal Lover's Day: October 28

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Plush Animal Lover's Day celebrates plush animals. The legend is that it was created in the late 1980s by a collectibles dealer named Royal Selangor and that it was initially Teddy Bears Picnic Day. We can't confirm that. Royal Selangor is a Malaysian pewter manufacturer, actually the largest in the world. They have nothing to do with plush animals but everything to do with pewter collectibles. A BRIEF HISTORY OF STUFFED ANIMALS (PLUSHIES) As for starting this as Teddy Bear Picnic Day, that, too, is problematic. Teddy Bear Picnic Day does exist on July 10. It is a historical anniversary supported by the National Parks Service and Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association, which holds periodic Teddy Bear Picnics to educate children on Theodore Roosevelt and the creation of the National Park System. As there is no historical relevance to the date chosen (October 28), it's hard to believe this is how this day came to be. It is most likely an unofficial event that grew out of custom. But, there is a story here. Where did plushies come from? Ancient Egyptians were the first people to create stuffed toys, most of which were dolls. However, modern stuffed animals were invented in Germany by a woman with poliomyelitis—leg paralysis, named Margarete Steiff. In 1880 Steiff created a company that made small stuffed animals for women who sewed as cute pin cushions. The first was a little elephant that little kids rummaging through their mom's sewing basket reallocated to better use. In 1897 her nephew Richard Steiff joined the company, and, in 1902, they created 100 units of Bear 55PB. These stuffed bears had mohair fur and moveable arms and legs. Steiff brought the bears to the Leipzig Toy Fair, where they enchanted an American businessman who ordered 3,000 units. Within five years, he went from selling 100 bears to nearly one million under the name "Teddy Bear," a name approved by and honoring US president Theodore Roosevelt. Steiff's nephew expanded the line by adding different animals and creating one of the first branding statements: All Steiff animals have a button sewn in the ear. Margarete died in 1909, but her company lives on today. It's known for its stuffed animals and children's clothing.

Africa

Oct

St. Jude's Day: October 28

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There will be few people alive who cannot, at one point in their lives, affiliate with Saint Jude (Judas Thaddaeus), the patron saint of lost causes. We've all been on our knees at some point; it is part of being human. And eventual, we dust ourselves off and soldier on. St. Jude's Day is a day to celebrate all the times you've come back from a setback. Saint Jude was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. October 28 is his feast day in western Christianity and June 19 or August 21 in eastern and Orthodox traditions. WHY SO MANY FEAST DAYS? Have you ever noticed that there seem to be feast days for just about everything in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths? There is a reason for that. The church granted feast days to allow all subjects of the Crown to take a day off. As most worked six days a week, feast days provided a break that landowners and nobility couldn't deny. If they tried, they were going against the church, and that you did not do. In medieval times, there were approximately 60 feast days a year. Add this to 52 Sundays, Christmas, and Easter, and workers received a minimum of 114 days off a year. Contrast that to today. The average American gets 104 weekend days and seven national holidays off work. That's three days less than the commoners of the Dark Ages, just in case you're feeling a little overworked.

Africa

Oct

Statue of Liberty Day (1886): October 28

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Statue of Liberty Day marks the anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty by President Grover Cleveland on Oct. 28, 1886. The statue, one of the most recognizable in the world, was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States; its designer was Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its sculptor, Gustave Eiffel. The woman depicted is Libertas, a Roman goddess. She holds a torch and legal tablet inscribed with the date of the American Declaration of Independence. Upon her feet is a broken chain symbolizing the United States' liberation from England in 1776, though it would take a war and over a decade for it to come to fruition.

Africa

Oct

Tell a Story Day, Ntl. (UK): October 28

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National Tell a Story Day in the United Kingdom corresponds with the multiple-week Scottish International Storytelling Festival, held each year at the end of October in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Africa

Oct

Black Tuesday (1929): October 29

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Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929, is when the stock market collapsed, losing 13% of its value in a single day and sending the industrialized world into a ten-year economic depression. Sixteen million four hundred ten thousand thirty shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange that day, a record. Leading up to Black Tuesday, the stock market fell for nearly six weeks, losing 40% of its value between September 1929 and October 29, 1929. This catastrophic event wiped out the savings of millions of people and ushered in the worst economic period in global history, known today as the Great Depression. And then history almost repeated itself. As early as 2006, warning signs started to appear in the US economy. By 2008 the world entered what would become known as the Great Recession. During this event, millions lost their homes, jobs, and savings. Wages stagnated, and this recession was particularly brutal on white collar, college educated, and knowledge workers, wiping out entire industries while consolidating others. The impact globally of the 2008 economic implosion was even more profound than in 1929. Over a decade later, countries, families, and entire communities are still trying to recover. Just as gains were being made, COVID-19 hit. Nearly three years into that crisis, the world appears to be on the precipice of another major global economic catastrophe due to the pandemic, global warming, conflicts, and inflation.

Africa

Oct

Cat Day, Ntl.: October 29

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Cat lovers unite to celebrate feline friends and raise awareness of the plight of cats in shelters. This day seeks to educate and provide an excuse to indulge in a new toy drenched in cat nip, feed gourmet kitty kibble, and go cuddle crazy with your doting purr balls. Please take this opportunity to donate to your local shelter in their honor. Kibble aside, this is the best way to celebrate and possibly save a life!

Africa