All - Leep Calendar

Hispanity Day is an official holiday in Spain. The purpose of this day is to commemorate the events on October 11-15, 1492, when Christopher Columbus and his crew first sighted land. He made landfall on October 12, 1492, and thought he had found a way to India. It would take time for him to realize he had found an entirely new continent.

Africa

Oct

Independence Day, (GQ)(1968): October 12

06:20 AM | -

Independence Day in Equatorial Guinea marks the anniversary of October 12, 1968, the official day of independence from Spain. Independence Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Oct

Native American Day (US-SD)(1492): October 12

06:20 AM | -

Native American Day is an official state holiday in South Dakota and an alternative to Columbus Day. It celebrates Native American heroes and trailblazers. It is part of a growing movement against celebrating Columbus and instead focuses on the people harmed by the results of discovery, including the genocide of Native Americans, colonialism, and slavery.

Africa

Oct

Pet Obesity Awareness Day, Ntl.: October 12

06:20 AM | -

The second Wednesday of October is National Pet Obesity Awareness Day, raising awareness about the dangers of pet obesity. Like people in first-world countries, as each year passes, more and more pets become obese every year. Obesity is as harmful to pets as it is to people. Pets don't have the intellect humans do and can't regulate their health if they are overfed. This day aims to teach owners how to love their pets through food without killing them with kindness.

Africa

Oct

Ride2Work Day (AU): October 19

06:20 AM | -

National Ride2Work Day is Australia’s largest celebration of commuter riding. Held annually in October, the day celebrates the benefits of riding to work and brings together the communities that support it. The main objective of the day is to normalize the idea of riding to work. It encourages people who have never ridden to work before to give it a go, and it allows regular riders to stay motivated and encourage their workmates to get involved.

Africa

Oct

Take Your Parents to Lunch Day, Ntl.: October 12

06:20 AM | -

National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day encourages parents to visit their child's school and have lunch in the cafeteria. The goal is to learn about what goes into a healthy lunch and for parents and school officials to open the lines of communication so they can work together to provide kids with the most nourishing meals possible. This event can be held any day during National School Lunch Week or throughout the year. Check with your local school to find out when they plan to hold theirs.

Africa

Oct

Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day: October 12

06:20 AM | -

The second Wednesday of October is Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day. Created by Teddies are the Answer, this day reminds us of the joy and happiness a simple teddy bear can bring to people of all ages.

Africa

Oct

USS Cole (YE)(2000): October 12

06:20 AM | -

On October 12, 2000, the USS Cole, a Navy guided-missile destroyer (DDG-67), was hit by an Al Qaida terrorist attack while harboring and refueling in Aden, Yemen. Seventeen American sailors were killed in the attack, and thirty-nine were left injured. The USS Cole bombing was the deadliest strike against a United States Naval vessel in more than two decades. The last major attack against a peace-time US naval ship was the June 8, 1967 attack on the USS Liberty by the state of Israel. Thirty-four died, and 172 were wounded in that 75-minute unprovoked assault; it is covered in-depth in LEEP Calendar. By 2002, US Intelligence would link the attack on the USS Cole to the events of September 11, 2001. The mini-series "The Looming Tower" covers this in detail.

Africa

Oct

Arab American Voter Registration Day, Ntl.: October 13 (est)

06:20 AM | -

Yalla, Yalla Habibi! Today is Arab American Voter Registration Day in the United States, a campaign designed to ensure US citizens of Arab ancestry are registered to vote ahead of the general election. Yalla (which sounds like 'Yella') is Arabic for "let's go." #YallaVote, #MyArabVote As of this writing, in 2020, Arab Americans numbered approximately 4 million in the United States. Currently, most people of Arab descent will identify as either Asian or Caucasian/non-Hispanic in demographic polls, as the US Census in 2020 does not include a separate designation. Arab Americans are a diverse group of people defined by historical and geographic origin: West Asia (aka the Middle East) and North Africa; and the Semitic languages of Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, Eblaite, and Amorite, with the last three, no longer used except in academic circles. In case you're wondering, to be "Semitic" has nothing to do with your religion. It means you come from a cultural group that speaks those languages and is of West Asian, North African, or Persian ancestry. Arab Americans have been part of America's fabric since before the Revolutionary War. The earliest immigrants were merchants and traders, mostly of Sephardic heritage (Jewish), and arriving individually or in small groups until the mid-nineteenth century. That changed in the 1870s, through the early 1900s, with a sizeable Christian migration from areas of the Ottoman Empire. It was a critical growth period in US history. Unfortunately, xenophobia was very much alive in the United States. Alarmed by so many people arriving from overseas that weren't "white Protestant Christians," including a large influx of Jewish immigrants, the Johnson-Reed Quota Act was passed by congress in 1924. It virtually ended immigration from Asian countries, including modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. It was one of three immigration laws between 1917 and 1924 that specifically targeted people based on national origin, non-English literacy, race, and religion. The three laws would have a devastating and deadly effect on many peoples seeking to escape war, oppression, and persecution in the next several decades. With the establishment of Israel in 1948, the law received revisions from 1952 through 1966. Modifications allowed another 80,000 Arabs, mainly from Palestine and Egypt, to arrive in the US. With immigration rules tight, these immigrants tended to be wealthier than most of their countrymen, light-skinned, and Christian. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 ended much of the discriminatory laws used to justify limited immigration to the US of non-Northern European and non-Christian people. From 1967 on, Arab immigrants of the Muslim faith out-numbered those of Christian, and they arrived from areas seeing increased conflict and hardship, predominantly Palestine and Lebanon. By the 1990s, large migrations from Iraq, the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and their cousins: Armenians, Turks, and Persians from Iran and neighboring countries, chose to make the US their new home. As a cultural group in the US, regardless of faith, Arab Americans tend to be highly educated, entrepreneurial, and family-focused, with above-average incomes. In 2002, the last comprehensive poll, 63% of Arab Americans were Christian, 24% Muslim, and 13% were Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, non-religious, or other faiths.

Africa

Oct

Disaster Reduction Day, Intl.: October 13

06:20 AM | -

International Disaster Reduction Day celebrates people and communities worldwide that work tirelessly to reduce human exposure to natural disasters, including preventing human casualties. It seeks to raise awareness of the tools and treatments available to people who have become victims of natural disasters. In 2009, International Disaster Reduction Day moved to its permanent date of October 13. The event first ran in 1989.

Africa

Oct

English Language Day, Intl.: October 13*

06:20 AM | -

The English Project promotes awareness and understanding of the English language's past, present, and future. With knowledge of English, people enrich their lives and expand their opportunities. Today, 25% of the world's population speaks English as a first or second language.

Africa

Oct

Failure Day, Ntl. (FI): October 13*

06:20 AM | -

Finns are known for their dislike and aversion to failure. Still, with the Great Recession heavily impacting the Scandinavian country, many of its people found themselves in an unfavorable state: dependent upon a social welfare system and unable to find a job. For this reason, the first Failure Day occurred in Finland in 2010. Its purpose is to encourage young entrepreneurs to take risks and not be afraid to fail. National Failure Day is an initiative of the Aalto Entrepreneurship Society, a non-profit targeting young businessmen, and Boardman Tulenkantajat, an organization of entrepreneurs. It quickly gained the support of the Finnish government, media, and celebrities, including the creator of Angry Birds and the Chairmen of Nokia and Shell. The movement spread across the country, celebrated on the streets, cafes, and university campuses. Each year events expand throughout the nation, often featuring speeches by prominent entrepreneurs who share their failure stories that formed the stepping stones of their success.

Africa

Oct

Good Samaritan Day (2011): October 13*

06:20 AM | -

Today is one of two Good Samaritan Days each year. Good Samaritan Day is named after the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the New Testament of the Bible, Luke 10:25-37. The first God Samaritan Day was declared in 1964 in New York City after Catherine "Kitty" Genovese was viciously stabbed and murdered. Why does a murder of a single woman deserve a day of remembrance? Nearly 40 people witnessed it and allegedly stood and watched as Catherine was screaming for help and dying. They saw yet did nothing. The day reminds us of the importance of being a good and selfless person and the terror of what happens when we are not. People forgot about the New York murder of Catherine Genovese. Decades later, the same thing happened on Foshan Market Street in Guangdong, China. A young girl named Wang Yue was run over by two vehicles as people stood and watched on October 13, 2011. So many watched, yet none did anything until an older woman named Chen Xianmei came to her aid. This Good Samaritan Day was created by Richard Lutz, appalled by the indifference of the onlookers, as a tribute to Yue's life. It falls on the anniversary of her deadly attack.

Africa

Oct

Goth Girl Appreciation Day: October 13

06:20 AM | -

Goth Girl Appreciation Day, or Goth Chick Appreciation Day as most people in goth culture call it, was declared in 2011 by Ill Will Press and is celebrated by goth chicks everywhere!

Africa

Oct

Herpes Awareness Day, Ntl.: October 13

06:20 AM | -

National Herpes Awareness Day is an initiative of the brand FemiClear. There are two types of genital herpes, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Condoms are the only proven form to mitigate catching genital herpes for the sexually active. Avoiding kissing people with cold sores will lessen the chance of catching versions found outside the genital areas. As one in six people worldwide suffers from this medical condition, we figured it was best to let the CDC explain it. You can access the complete information on their website here: https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/herpes.htm From the CDC: "Genital herpes is a chronic, lifelong viral infection. Two types of HSV can cause genital herpes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. Most cases of recurrent genital herpes are caused by HSV-2, and 11.9% of persons aged 14–49 years are estimated to be infected in the United States (436). However, an increasing proportion of anogenital herpetic infections have been attributed to HSV-1, which is especially prominent among young women and MSM (186,437,438). The majority of persons infected with HSV-2 have not had the condition diagnosed, many of whom have mild or unrecognized infections but shed the virus intermittently in the anogenital area. Consequently, most genital herpes infections are transmitted by persons unaware that they have the infection or who are asymptomatic when transmission occurs. Management of genital HSV should address the chronic nature of the infection rather than focusing solely on treating acute episodes of genital lesions." Header Image: George W. Beran, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Herpes Virus under magnification.

Africa