All - Leep Calendar

World Pistachio Day celebrates one of the world’s oldest nuts, the Pistachio. Pistachios originated in the Middle East. They are mentioned in the Old Testament (Genesis 43:11). In Persia (Iran), pistachio trade and ownership of pistachio groves meant riches and high status. Legend has it that pistachios were a favorite of the Queen of Sheba, who demanded all her land’s production for herself and her court. Through the conquests of Alexander the Great (334-323 BC), the nut reached Greece. Later, under the rule of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (First Century AD), the nut was also introduced into Italy and Spain. During the 1880s, imported pistachios were popular in the USA, especially with Middle Eastern immigrants. The pistachio received further distribution through vending machines installed in underground train stations, bars, restaurants and other common locations. “A dozen for a nickel” soon developed into a familiar slogan. The first commercial crop of pistachios produced in the United States was harvested in 1976. California comprises 98.5% of the total US production, representing more than $1.16 billion to the California economy and more than $15 million to the states of Arizona and New Mexico.

Africa

Feb

Read a Fairy Tale Day: February 26

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Read a Fairy Tale Day seeks to remind us of the delightfully happy endings found in fairy tales. You know, those stories where everything works out? The goblins and witches are banished, the boy always gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after. Fairy tales have been around since 1300 BC, that is tales of mythical creatures in ideal situations. However, the type of story we generally associate with the fairy tale originated in Europe and in the Middle East. At first these were oral stories passed down from generation to generation. During the Renaissance period, with the advent of the printing press, they proliferated. Why this day was chosen instead of February 24 is unknown. February 24, 1786 is the day Wilhelm Carl Grimm was born, part of The Brother's Grimm with his brother Jacob. Together they became synonymous with fairy tales. Which is the best-selling fairy tale of all time? Prior to Disney, that would be One Thousand and One Nights, which is a compilation of stories gathered over several centuries including Scheherazade, Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. One Thousand and One Nights is actually the perfect example of East meets West in folklore, and possibly why it has remains popular throughout the world. Everyone of every culture can relate. And boys like them as much as girls. The stories of Aladdin, Ali Baba and Sinbad were created during 17th & 18th Centuries by Europeans traveling or living in the Middle East, most notably Antoine Galland, who translated the original stories from Arabic into French; Scheherazade and others in the book were written during the 12th and 13th centuries, derived from oral legends common to Western Asia. One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of stories that took centuries to compile and required input from nearly every major culture to create the timeless fairy tales generations continue to love. Celebrate Read a Fairy Tale Day. Grab your magic carpet, kiss a frog and ride off into the sunset with the one you love.

Africa

Feb

Anosmia Awareness Day: February 27

06:20 AM | -

Imagine if you couldn't smell anymore. That is what Anosmia is, the inability to smell. Some people are born with Anosmia and others acquire it through accident, disease or misadventure. It has a profound impact on many areas of life. Without smell, taste is difficult. Smell is used for pleasure as well as a warning against danger. Currently 6.3 million people in America suffer from Anosmia. Anosmia Awareness Day seeks to educate the public about this condition and provide resources for those who have it. This event first ran in 2012.

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (DO)(1844): February 27

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Independence Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Dominican Republic from Haitian occupation, February 27, 1844. This is a national holiday in the Dominican Republic.

Africa

Feb

Kahlua Day, Ntl. (1936): February 27

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Kahlúa (translation “House of the Acolhua people”) is a coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur first produced in Mexico by Pedro Domecq in 1936. The liqueur is often drunk alone or in coffee or as a topping for desserts like ice cream, cheese cake and flan. The most popular cocktails for Kahlúa are: B-52, Baby Guinness, Black Russian, Mudslide, White Russian, Espresso Martini, Caribbean Mudslide and Kodiak. Though we cannot confirm it, we suspect today is National Kahlúa Day to mark the anniversary of its creation in 1936.

Africa

Feb

NGO, World Non-Government Organization Day: February 27

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An NGO is any organization that it is citizen based, independent from government influence and is not-for-profit. Doctors without Borders is one well known example. An NGO can be large or a small grassroots initiative operating at a community level. This day was created specifically to Celebrate, Commemorate and Collaborate the contributions of NGOs and the people who serve them. This event first ran in 2010.

Africa

Feb

No Brainer Day: February 27

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National No Brainer Day is an unofficial event in the United States, and in LEEP’s opinion, should be a salute to technical writers and their profession. Perhaps the best way to celebrate it is to look at how you communicate with others when teaching a concept. Is there a way to simplify the instructions? Can you make it a ‘no brainer’. It is far more difficult to write simply than detailed. Any professional advertising copywriter will tell you that. Hats off to the professional technical writers out there who make instructions a no brainer for us all…when we read them! December 1959 is the first time the common saying “no brainer” was used. It was included in a cartoon, published in the Long Beach Independent to describe the amount of effort it took to learn the game of Gin. Today it has come to mean something is very easy and you don’t need a brain to figure it out. On the opposite end, it can also mean really stupid. Personal note from Laura: Crafting instructions into a ‘no brainer’, (also known as technical writing at a 3rd grade level), isn’t as easy as it sounds. Not to say that a third grader doesn’t have a brain. In technical writing, that’s the benchmark of education attainment professionals strive to hit in order to make instructions understandable to the largest segment of the population. Technical writing, which I took at university, is the only writing course I have ever received a poor grade in, (I think I got a D). Technical writing is not a no brainer. No matter how hard I tried, I could not write below a 6th grade level! Personally, that’s what I believe No Brainer Day should be about, a salute to Technical Writing Professionals. Since there is no other purpose to it, that is how we’re categorizing it.

Africa

Feb

Polar Bear Day, Intl.: February 27

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International Polar Bear Day is set aside each year to raise awareness to the plight of the polar bear. Activities of celebration include turning down the heat at schools and offices to ‘live like a polar bear’ for a day. Also teaching special classes on the Polar Bear or visiting the Polar bear exhibit at your local zoo. Climate change and industrial enterprises in the arctic circle have had a devastating affect on the natural habitat of the polar bear. The sea ice is disappearing and many polar bears become stranded or starve to death. This day is an effort to affect change, save the polar bear and bring awareness to the impact the activities of man have on the environment.

Africa

Feb

Retro Day, Ntl.: February 27

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It's a day to celebrate the great things from days gone bye. Retro Day was created in 2018 to help upcoming generations experience life before the Internet and smartphones. Yes, there really was a world before all this! Annually on February 27.

Africa

Feb

Customized Wheel & Tire Day, Ntl.: February 28

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It's all about the wheels on your ride! National Customized Wheel and Tire Day is a day to take pride in your custom wheels or try an upgrade on your car. This is one type of self expression that is creative and practical.

Africa

Feb

Floral Design Day (1914): February 28

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The original idea behind Floral Design Day marked the celebration of Carl Rittner's birthday, the founder of Rittners School of Floral Design Mr. "R" as his students affectionately called him, founded The Rittners School of Floral Design in Boston over sixty years ago, and was a pioneer in floral art education. Through the years, his humor, patience and wealth of floral industry knowledge have had a marked impact upon thousands of students from all over the globe. It was particularly meaningful when Gov. Weld of Massachusetts proclaimed Floral Design Day as part of Mr. Rittner's special birthday celebration. The holiday celebrates floral design as an art form. Floral design spans thousands of years in diversity and style, reflecting various social, religious, and cultural trends. It plays an important role in social interactions, in decorating and establishing and maintaining relationships. The floral industry is a multibillion dollar industry that brightens which peaks during Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines' Day and Mother's Day.

Africa

Feb

Peace Memorial Day (TW)(1947): February 28

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On February 27 and 28th, 1947, Taiwanese students rose up against Republic of China's government. A massacre ensued with somewhere between 18,000 and 28,000 killed by the government. This anniversary marked the beginning of the White Terror in Taiwan and was central to its independence movement.

Africa

Feb

Public Sleeping Day: February 28

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Public Sleeping Day could be cast as a silly holiday that simply makes fun of people who fall asleep in public. Or, this day can be used to focus attention on a very serious problem: homelessness. Since there is no sponsor or event originator, it is really up to you on how you want to mark it. Personal note from Laura: I lived in Los Angeles until July 2014 where 1 in 14 people are homeless. The city has the dubious distinction of having the largest homeless population in the United States. Like a lot of people, I got hit hard with the Great Recession and lost everything, having broken up with my fiancé, left my job for an opportunity overseas and returned just as everything crashed. It was so bad that at three times between November 2008 and April 2010 I found myself within 3 days of being homeless. It terrified me. I was even looking at ways to convert the backseat of my car into a bed. For me, a new freelance job came in just in time and I avoided it, but thousands of others don’t. Last week I walked down to my local Vons and saw a young woman about 32 sleeping in her Mustang Convertible in the parking lot. The grocery store parking lots are a favorite place for those with cars and no homes to park in Los Angeles. That was last week, February 2014. Rather than making this a silly holiday I’d like to suggest that people take the chance to use this day to look around. You’ll see them, the homeless, who have to sleep during the day because it’s too dangerous at night. They’re under overpasses, trees in the park, behind dumpsters and on the beach. They’re everywhere, and it is perhaps one of the saddest commentaries on our society. We’re the richest country in the world, yet millions of our citizens live on the streets. Let's make Public Sleeping Day count by seeking ways to end homelessness in the United States.

Africa

Feb

Science Day, Ntl.(IN)(1928): February 28

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In 1986 the government of India designated February 28 each year as National Science Day to celebrate Sir CV Raman’s 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for the Raman Effect. The effect was announced on February 28, 1928 and describes how photons scatter based upon the type of material used in disperse them. This translates to higher or lower energy use depending upon the material used. It is a processed used by chemists and physicists to analyze various materials through Raman Spectroscopy.

Africa