22 September 16

This is one of several "Elephant Appreciation Days" on various calendars. It is also Hobbit Day, honoring the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Frodo's comrade Samwise Gamgee had a special fascination with elephants, known in Middle Earth as oliphaunts. Sam got to see a huge oliphaunt while he and Frodo were with Faramir in Ithilien, and he quoted an old poem about oliphaunts to Gollum (Smeagol) around the same time.