Who Knew???

Hug your cat day 4th
In Ancient Egypt, cats were revered and even worshipped as symbols of grace and poise. National Hug Your Cat Day is the perfect opportunity to put your cat on a pedestal and thank her for all those times she has curled up next to you after a long day. Did you know that showing your furry friend some affection is actually healthy for you? Studies have shown that hugs from animals can lower blood pressure and decrease stress.

Gingerbread Day 5th
The term “gingerbread” originally referred to preserved ginger, later referring to a confection made up of honey and spices. Gingerbread is a sweet food that typically uses honey or molasses rather than just sugar and is flavoured with ginger. Gingerbread foods range from a soft, moist loaf cake to something closer to a ginger biscuit. It is believed that gingerbread was first brought to Europe in 992 by an Armenian monk. He lived there for seven years teaching gingerbread cooking to the French priests and Christians until his death in 999. Sources indicate that in 1444, Swedish nuns were baking gingerbread to ease indigestion. In the 17th century, gingerbread biscuits were sold in monasteries, pharmacies and town square farmers markets. During the 18th century, gingerbread became widely available.

Worldwide Day of Giving 15th
Started in 2010 by Reed Sandridge, it’s a day to give whatever you can afford, to a stranger and then share your experience on social media. You can be a part of the Worldwide Day of Giving by doing one of three simple activities!
1. Give a stranger $10 (or similar in local currency!)
2. Volunteer
3. Donate
Then harness the power of social networking to help get at as many people as possible to take part in this year’s event!

Father's Day 18th
Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 (St. Joseph's Day) since the Middle Ages. This celebration was brought by the Spanish and Portuguese to Latin America, where March 19 is often still used for it, though many countries in Europe and the Americas have adopted the U.S. date, which is the third Sunday of June. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the months of March or May. It complements similar celebrations honouring family members, such as Mother's Day, Siblings Day and Grandparents Day.

Zoos and Aquariums Month
National Zoos and Aquariums Month is celebrated annually to honour the role of zoos and aquariums in conservation, education, recreation, and research. National Zoos and Aquariums Month is also intended to promote and encourage more individuals to visit zoos and aquariums.

Rose Month
Roses have a long and colourful history. They have been symbols of love, beauty, war and politics. Did you know that on November 20, 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed a resolution making the rose the national floral emblem at a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

Turkey Lovers Month
When thinking of turkey, most people would have Thanksgiving Day in their mind. Since most turkeys are served up on the dinner table in November, but this celebration emphasizes turkey’s year-round popularity and offers you a whole month to enjoy turkey meals. Alternatively, for animal lovers, you could honour the birds for who they are – sensitive, intelligent, social animals; beautiful individuals who deserve a life other than in the factory farm system. Meet a turkey up close at a sanctuary and maybe you will leave loving them in a way that the National Turkey Federation will never understand.

Accordian Awareness Month
This was established in 1989 to help spread the word about the resurgence in popularity in the accordion and to educate people about the accordion. Were you aware that: A blue-ribbon panel of experts recently named the accordion as the instrument most likely to put a smile on your face when hearing it played. The piano accordion is the official musical instrument of the city of San Francisco and has been since 1990. The accordion is a member of the reed family, not the keyboard family. The first United States-made piano accordion (the ones with the keys on it) was manufactured in San Francisco back in 1907. Castelfidardo, a small town in Le Marche region of Italy, produces most of all the accordions in Italy.

Bathroom Reading Month
Since 1988, the Bathroom Readers’ Institute has led the movement to stand up for those who sit down and read in the bathroom. National Bathroom Reading Month celebrates the 66 percent of Americans who proudly admit to this time-honoured pastime. Since they publish the Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader series and have over 10 million books in print, they seem to know what they’re talking about.

Fruit and Vegetable Month
Dietary Guidelines for Americans set by the USDA recommends we eat more fruits and vegetables than any other food group. In fact, they say that half of your plate at every meal should be fruit and/or vegetable. Every step that you take towards eating more fruits and veggies will help you make sure that your body is performing at optimum levels. What better opportunity than National Fruit and Vegetable Month to add more healthy fruits and vegetables into your diet? The USDA states that people who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic illnesses.

World Doll Day 11th
It all started in 1986, when Mildred Seeley, a well-known doll collector, entrepreneur and prolific author on the subject of doll making, wrote a letter explaining why every second Saturday of June be celebrated as World Doll Day. Hence, the day was established to "celebrate not only dolls, but caring, nurturing love and the people offering it, in general."

Thanks to the following for the information and images:
moviewriternyu.wordpress.com; peterpauper.com; ohhappyday.com;
nationaldaycalendar.com; herahub.com; keepincalendar.com; happyfathersdayimages2017.com; en.wikipedia.org; diecuttindivas.blogspot.co.uk; ngcproject.org; littlezookeepers.co.uk; momtaxijulie.com; baseformula.com;thegardendiary.com; yourdailyvegan.com; gone-ta-pott.com; dvd-ppt-slideshow.com; cptv.org; nebulousexpanses.wordpress.com; nationalwritersseries.org;brubakerinc.com; edutopia.org; fillyourplate.org; timesofindia.indiatimes.com; therussianstore.com