Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Variety is the name of the game for August 7

We can discern no particular unifying theme for Wednesday, August 7, but there is a wide variety of things to celebrate if you are so inclined.

Wednesday, for example, will be Lighthouse Day, commemorating the day when the Lighthouses Act of 1789 was adopted, creating the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

Wednesday will also be Purple Heart Day because, on August 7, 1782, George Washington created the award that he called the "Badge for Military Merit." This award was revived and repurposed in the 20th Century as the Purple Heart.

On the frivolous side, Wednesday is Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day, an alliterative, tongue-twisting microminiholidayette honoring -- in a less than serious way -- the idiots who package useful things in packages that can't be opened without a PhD in engineering.

In the Muslim world, Ramadan, the month of fasting, is finally at an end. On Wednesday evening, then, Muslims break the long fast by celebrating Eid al-Fitr. Pope Francis has posted Eid greetings on line.

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