Need something to celebrate?

Here are some fun days to celebrate in July!

 

 

July 4 – Independence Day

Independence Day, also referred to as the Fourth of July or July Fourth, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, and were no longer part of the British Empire.The Congress actually voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States.

• Hometown happenings… Schertz is proud to host the 4th of July Jubilee, one of South Texas’ largest tributes to freedom and the men & women who serve in the armed forces! Complete with live musical entertainment, a downtown parade, ‘Let Freedom Run’ 5K, kid’s carnival, hand-made crafts, and festival food, Jubilee offers something for the whole family. And what would the Fourth of July be without the rockets red glare? Schertz is proud to be the home of the only annual Star Spangled Spectacular…the perfect way to end a celebration. Mary O. Photography & Design has been attending this event since 2006!

July 5 – National Bikini Day

Since July 5, 1946, women have been hitting the beaches and poolsides in bikinis. National Bikini Day marks the anniversary of the invention of the revealing two-piece bathing suit.

Named after the Bikini Atoll where the United States conducted atomic tests, the two piece bathing suit made its debut in Paris. French designer Louis Reard wanted to name revealing bits of fabric “atom”.

Sunbathers were wearing modest two-piece suits by World Wart II in the United States, but they hardly revealed the amount of skin the bikini revealed on July 5, 1946. While Europe enthusiastically donned the bikini after a long and arduous world war, American’s sense of decency kept them from accepting the bikini until the 1960s.

July 15 – National Ice Cream Day

National Ice Cream Day is observed each year on the 3rd Sunday in July and is a part of National Ice Cream Month. This day is a fun celebration enjoyed with a bowl, cup or cone filled with your favorite flavor of ice cream.

Thousands of years ago, people in the Persian Empire would put snow in a bowl, pour grape-juice concentrate over it and eat it as a treat. They did this when the weather was hot and used the snow saved in the cool-keeping underground chambers known as “yakhchal”, or taken from the snowfall that remained at the stop of mountains by the summer capital.

It is believed that ice cream was first introduced into the United States by Quaker colonists who brought their ice cream recipes with them. Their ice cream was sold at shops in New York and other cities during the colonial era.

Ben Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson enjoyed ice cream.
1813 -First Lady Dolley Madison served ice cream at the Inaugural Ball.
1832 – African American confectioner, Augustus Jackson, created multiple ice cream recipes as well as a superior technique to manufacture ice cream.
1843 – Philadelphian, Nancy Johnson, received the first U.S. patent for a small-scale hand-cranked ice cream freezer.
1920 – Harry Burt puts the first ice cream trucks on the streets.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Enjoy National Ice Cream Day by sharing some with your family and friends! Post on social media using #NationalIceCreamDay.
• HISTORY – In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month and established National Ice Cream Day as the third Sunday in the month of July.

July 17 – World Emoji Day

July 17 recognizes World Emoji Day and many of the world’s symbolic icons for digital calendars. Now before the emoji, there were emoticons. Emoticons (emotion + icon) were actually developed as an expression of emotions in the cold hard texts that were devoid of it.

Emoji, a Japanese expression, roughly means “picture word” and was developed in 1990 by Shigetaka Kurita. While working for NTT Docomo, a Japanese telecom company, Kurita design these picture words as a feature on their pagers to make them more appealing to teens.

When Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, an emoji keyboard was embedded to nab the Japanese market. While not intended for U.S. users to find, they did and quickly figured out how to use it.

Every year new emojis (both emoji and emojis are acceptable plural forms of the word) are developed. The emojipedia.org keeps track of all the emoji updates across all platforms and operating systems. There are over 1800 emojis covering much more than just emotions. From transportation, food, an assortment of wild and domesticated animals to social platforms, weather and bodily functions emojis virtually speak for themselves.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Emoji (1)Send them to your friends. Seeif they Heartit! Use #WorldEmojiDay to share on social media.
• HISTORY – In 2014, Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge created World Emoji Day. The date of July 17 has been intrinsic to the iconic red and black Apple calendar emoji since its launch in 2002.

 

July 20 – National Lollipop Day

July 20th, National Lollipop Day, is an annual observation of this popular and flavorful treat.

Ever delightful and sweet, lollipops have been satisfying the sweet tooth for generations and possibly for centuries. They may have been a way to preserve nuts and berries in honey during prehistoric times. Much later when sugar was plentiful, lollipops appeared 16th century Europe.

In the United States, confectionaries and medicine shops as early as the 1860s sold lollipops in various forms, but it wasn’t until 1908 that George Smith gave lollipops an official 20th-century story. He gets credit for inventing the modern style lollipop and in 1931 trademarked the name which he claims came from his favorite racing horse, Lolly Pops.

They range from the small size, which can be purchased by the bag full and are also given away at banks, barber shops and parades, to the very large ones that are made out of candy canes twisted into circles.

• LOLLIPOPS IN POP CULTURE – 

1934 – In the movie Bright Eyes, Shirley Temple sang the song “On the Good Ship Lollipop”.

1939 – The Wizard of Oz brought us a world of characters, including the Lollipop Guild. Armed with a giant spiral sucker, The Lollipop Guild welcomed Dorothy to the Land of Oz.

1969 – How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop. The Tootsie Pop (the trademark name for Tootsie Roll’s lollipop) commercial debuted on U.S. television. The 60-second commercial included a boy, cow, fox, turtle, owl and the narrator.

1973-1978 -The lollipop-loving detective, Kojak, from the TV series of the same name, softened the tough guy while at the same time, toughened up the lollipop.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Enjoy a lollipop today to celebrate. Post on social media using #NationalLollipopDay.
• HISTORY – National Lollipop Day is sponsored by the National Confectioners Association.

 

July 22 – National Parent’s Day

National Parents’ Day honors all parents on the fourth Sunday in July.

In May we celebrated mothers, and in June we celebrated fathers. It follows that in July we can bring all our parents together and show them some appreciation all at once. Parents play a vital role in the lives of children. From the day we are born, parents are our protectors, teachers, providers and role models. As families, they are the core of our communities. On National Parents’ Day, we honor all parents do every day to raise up their children in a world that is constantly changing and challenging.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Spend some time with your parents or visit someone who was like a parent to you. Post on social media using #NationalParentsDay and encourage others to join in.
• HISTORY – National Parents’ Day was established in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed a Congressional Resolution into Law (36 U.S.C. § 135) for: recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.” The bill was introduced by Republican Senator Trent Lott.

 

July 22 – National Hammock Day

On July 22 relax in the shade and enjoy the summer day as it is National Hammock Day.

A hammock, used for swinging, sleeping or resting, is a sling made of fabric, rope or netting, which is suspended between two points such as posts or trees.

Developed by natives of Central and South America for sleeping.
Were later used aboard ships by sailors for comfort and to maximize space.
Early hammocks were woven out of the bark of trees.
Hammocks are a symbol of summer, leisure, relaxation and simple, easy living.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Use your own or borrow a hammock to celebrate. Post on social media using #NationalHammockDay.
• HISTORY – Within our research, we were unable to identify the origin of National Hammock Day.

 

July 29 – National Lipstick Day

National Lipstick Day is recognized annually on July 29. For some women, lipstick is the only makeup requirement. Whether sheer and light or dark or bright, July 29 is a day for all kinds of lipstick.

Throughout the ages, controversy has surrounded lipstick. British Parliament banned it in 1770 calling it a devilish attempt to trick men into marriage. They likened it to witchcraft. Lipstick has been known to contain poisonous materials.

It is said Sarah Bernhardt created a scandal by applying “lip rouge” in public. Queen Victoria considered it impolite, yet Winston Churchill thought it was an excellent morale booster during WWII and George Washington supposedly was a lipstick wearer.

Lipstick can change with moods or with the scenery. Need a little boost to your attitude? Punctuate it with your lipstick.

• HOW TO OBSERVE – Flaunt your favorite color, pucker up and share the photos on social media using #nationallipstickday.
• HISTORY – In prior years, National Lipstick Day celebrations have occurred on an annual basis with no declaration. As of 2016, beauty blogger, entrepreneur and International Businesswoman, Huda Kattan was named the modern day founder of National Lipstick Day by a Proclamation from National Day Calendar’s Registrar. Follow Huda on Instagram for expert beauty tips and use #nationalipstickday.

For more National Days… Consult the National Day Calendar!