May 16 Sea Monkey Day

Today is May 16 Sea-Monkey Day. Harold von Braunhut invented the “Sea Monkeys” and hatching kits in 1957. Most of us have memories of waiting for our mail order shipment of these magical creatures. The delivery usually contained the small “aquarium-like” hatching kit for them to live and grow in. Sea-monkeys, which are also called “brine shrimp”.

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Sea-monkeys have three eyes and breathe through their feet. Sea Monkeys are a type of “Artemia” (brine shrimp). They got their name because of their monkey-tail look.

One of the most fascinating characteristics of the sea-monkey is its ability to live for years as an egg before hatching. Purchased sea-monkeys only begin to hatch and grow once you’ve added the proper nutrients to the water environment.

Sea Monkeys went into space with astronaut John Glenn on October 29, 1998, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. They returned to Earth after spending nine days in space and the eggs hatched eight weeks later, apparently unaffected by their travels. 

May 15 Chocolate Chip Day

Chocolate Chip Day is celebrated on May 15 and everybody loves chocolate chips. They are available in numerous sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually less than 1 cm in diameter. Today, 25% of all the cookies baked in the United States are chocolate chip.

Chocolate chips are a required ingredient in chocolate chip cookies, which were invented in 1937 when Ruth Graves Wakefield of the Toll House Inn in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts added cut-up chunks of a semi-sweet Nestlé chocolate bar to a cookie recipe.

Chocolate chips are very popular as a baking ingredient in the United States and the chocolate chip cookie is regarded as a quintessential American dessert. Chocolate chips are also available in Europe, Australia, and other parts of the world. 

May 15 Nylon Stocking Day

Nylon Stocking Day is observed across the country each year on May 15. The stocking has come to represent a large number of different concepts, from femininity to sexuality.

Chemical company DuPont’s introduction of nylon in 1939 began a high demand for stockings in the United States. As nylon stockings were inexpensive, durable and shear, up to 4 million pairs would be purchased each day.

On February 11, 1942, as America entered World War II, DuPont ceased production of nylon stockings and switching their focus to the manufacture of parachutes, airplane cords and rope. This created a mass shortage followed by a black market for stockings. At the end of World War II, DuPont resumed production of the stockings but could not meet the demand leading to nylon riots in American stores. In time, DuPont was able to increase its output.

Stockings worn before the 1890s were made of woven cloth such as cotton, linen, wool or silk. Before the 1920s, women’s stockings were worn for warmth. As hemlines of women’s dresses rose in the 1920s, women began to wear stockings over their exposed legs. These 1920s stockings were sheer, made first of silk or rayon, followed by nylon after 1940. 

May14 Buttermilk Biscuit Day

May14 is Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Biscuits appeared in the USA prior to Civil War. Alexander P. Ashbourne patented the first biscuit cutter in 1875. In 1931, Ballard and Ballard patented these refrigerator biscuits.

Biscuits became popular when people realized, that their hardness, compared to sliced bread, worked better to wipe up gravy on the plate. This evolved into a well-known meal, biscuits and gravy.

Biscuits are made using baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. A typical buttermilk biscuit recipe contains flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter, and buttermilk. They are often referred to as a “quick bread”, indicating they do not need time to rise before baking. While being made, the dough is beaten and folded to incorporate air, which expands while baking, causing the biscuit to rise. 

 

May 14 Dance like a Chicken Day

Today May 14th is Dance like a Chicken Day. The Chicken Dance is a tradition at weddings, children’s discos and family events.

Werner Thomas, a Swiss accordion player, wrote the basic melody for the Chicken Dance song in the late 1950s. In 1963, he began performing it at his restaurant. The people who bravely stood up and danced along often used sporadic movements that reminded Thomas of ducks and chickens. By the time the Chicken Dance arrived in America in the 1970s, it had transformed into a set of movements with repeated "beak", "wing", and "tail" movements.

Although we may not like to admit it, we all have rocked the Chicken Dance at least once or twice in our lives. This goofy dance is a popular favorite at kid’s birthday parties, bat mitzvahs, weddings, and beyond. 

May 13 Apple Pie Day

Apple Pie Day is observed annually on May 13th. America’s favorite dessert. It was invented in Europe sometime during the 14th century. The ingredients in the recipe included apples, spices, raisins, figs, pears, and saffron which was all enveloped in a pastry crust.

The dish was also commemorated in the phrase "for Mom and apple pie". The phrase “as American as apple pie” has been around for more than 100 years.

Teddy Roosevelt was impressed to have a taste of home when he was an American apple pie while traveling in Africa. Soldiers during World War II were often quoted they were fighting “for Mom and apple pie.” In 1970, advertisers used the patriotic connection with a commercial jingle “Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet.”

To celebrate National Apple Pie Day, bake a delicious apple pie or pick one up at your local bakery to share with your family and friends. 

May 13 Frog Jumping Day

Frog Jumping Day is observed on May 13, Frog Jumping Day, a fun day to jump like a frog. Frogs have great jumping capabilities and are the best jumpers among all vertebrates given their size.

In 1865, Mark Twain’s first short story, Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog was published. Later, he changed the name and published it as The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. This same story also had a third title, The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.

In Calaveras County, California an annual Frog Jumping contest takes place since 1849. It attracts tens of thousands of attendees each year, who try to beat the record jump of 21 feet and 5 3/4 inches, set in 1986. Everyone should try at least to jump like a frog on that day or even to set up regional contests. 

May 12 Nutty Fudge Day

Each year on May 12th, Nutty Fudge Day tempts you to indulge in smooth chocolate fudge filled with crunchy nuts.

The earliest recorded evidence of fudge dates back to a letter written in 1886 by Emelyn Battersby Hartridge of Vasser College in Baltimore, USA. Other stories include a college lecturer in Virginia who was teaching toffee making but the temperature wasn’t high enough, resulting in fudge. Another story is that fudge was accidentally invented when a baker was trying to make caramel.

In the late 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers. Fudge is still made in some of the original shops there today.

In Europe, fudge is usually made just from sugar, cream and butter while American-style fudge also contains chocolate. Just add in some crunchy nuts and there’s your nutty fudge! Easy to make but hard-to-resist, nutty fudge is best enjoyed with friends.

May 12 Odometer Day

Odometer Day is observed each year on May 12 by learning a little bit about the odometer. Odometer Day celebrates the invention of the odometer which was invented by William Clayton in 1847. An odometer is an instrument that indicates the distance traveled by a vehicle. It may be electronic, mechanical or a combination of both.

Odometer comes from the Greek words hodos meaning path or gateway and metron, meaning measure. In some countries, an odometer is called a mileometer, milometer or tripometer. Odometers were first developed in the 1600s for wagons and other horse-drawn vehicles to measure distances traveled.

Developed by Arthur P. and Charles H. Warner of Beloit, Wisconsin, the first odometer for automobiles appeared in 1903 and was patented as the Auto-Meter. 

May 11 Twilight Zone Day

Always observed on May 11. The television show The Twilight Zone was created, written and narrated by Rod Serling. It premiered on October 1, 1959. The episodes were wildly popular, stretched the imagination, and captivated viewers. The show aired from 1959-1964.

Beloved by children, teenagers and adults alike, the cult classic TV show The Twilight Zone has affected entire generations of people, prompting them to take a closer look at life and various phenomena and take nothing for granted, thanks to its unique combination of science fiction, mystery, and thriller/horror themes.

Twilight Zone Day is mysterious, weird, surreal and perhaps a little scary. We can think of many other adjectives, but I think you get the picture. Every once in a while, you have a day like this. And, today is designed to be that day. 

May 11 School Nurse Day – Wednesday of Nurses Week

The Wednesday between May 6 and May 12 of each year is School Nurse Day, a day to celebrate and thank all school nurses that take care of children when they are at school. The unofficial holiday was created in 1972 by the National Association of School Nurses, based in the United States.

Everyone has been to see the school nurse at least once in their lives, be it for a genuine illness or just to get a sneaky note to get out of school early. It is easy to forget, though, just how important she is to the well beings of ourselves and our fellow school friends. What would we do when we injure ourselves or are feeling unwell at school without the school nurse and her blessed sick notes? To let her know that we don’t take her efforts for granted, there is a special day once a year where we can celebrate her in style: School Nurse Day!

This holiday is celebrated all around the world, and pupils and teachers everywhere are given the opportunity to express their gratitude for the love and care the nurses give them on a daily basis. Here’s to those hard working nurses, and to the good health they help bring.

The day aims to recognize school nurses and acknowledge their role in the educational setting. 

May 10 Shrimp Day

Annually celebrated on May 10, it is National Shrimp Day. Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood and this is the day to celebrate this delicious seafood. 

Popular North America Shrimp Dishes:

Seafood Gumbo:

Shrimp Cocktail:

Shrimp DeJonghe:

May 9 Butterscotch Brownie Day

Butterscotch Brownie Day is observed annually on May 9. Butterscotch brownies, also known as “blondies,” are delicious baked goodies that date back to the 19th century. Recipes for these soft, chewy bars most likely evolved from medieval gingerbread cake recipes.

The first non-chocolate brownie-like recipes were soft cakes that were made by the Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians.

To make butterscotch brownies, you need flour, baking powder, salt, butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and butterscotch. Popular add-in ingredients include walnuts, pecans, butterscotch pieces, chocolate chips, Nutella, banana, or cranberries. You can also choose to add a topping like chocolate Irish cream frosting or drizzled caramel.

Brownies without the chocolate have been around for a long time. Recipes in cookbooks from the 1740s - 1940s had a variety of recipes for blonde brownies in them. Many of these recipes included using brown sugar and butter, the key ingredients in butterscotch. 

Enjoy this recipe for Butterscotch Brownie.