18-19 September 26

Ahoy mateys! Weigh anchor for International Talk Like a Pirate Day on the morrow! I've just learned that one part of the phrase "nattering nabobs of negativism" (used by Spiro Agnew in 1969 to refer to anti-Nixon politicians) has its roots in pirate-speak where "nattering" equals "talking." My tie shows several symbols related to buccaneering. 

The history of this Day is tied into an incident from a racquetball game in 1995 where an injured player yelled "Aaarr!," and they decided to celebrate pirate-speak on the birthday of one player's ex-wife.

17 September 26

Today's "Norton" tie celebrates the 167th anniversary of the self-declaration of Emperor Norton I of the United States, who was born in England in 1818 or 1819. On 17 September 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton, of San Francisco, declared himself Emperor. As related by Wikipedia, "Although he had no political power, and his influence extended only so far as he was humored by those around him, [Norton] was treated deferentially in San Francisco, and currency issued in his name was honored in the establishments he frequented. Though some considered him insane or eccentric, citizens of San Francisco celebrated his regal presence and his proclamations, such as his order that the United States Congress be dissolved by force and his numerous decrees calling for a bridge crossing and a tunnel to be built under San Francisco Bay. Norton's orders were ignored by the Army, and Congress likewise continued without any formal acknowledgement of the decree." Joshua Norton died in 1880 and his grave bears the inscription "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico."

14 September 26

 Today is National Coloring Day, so I'm wearing crayons.

13 September 26

 Today we're celebrating grandaughter TR's fourth birthday! Her favorite colors are pink and "pur-pur." I offered her four ties with those colors and she chose this one, with pink and purple stripes and diamonds. We had a great meal and party together!

11 September 26

September is always National Piano Month and also Classical Music Month. My tie is always musically appropriate.

8 September 26

A few weeks ago my EKU friend Philip Gump alerted me to September 8 as Star Trek Day, celebrating the premier episode "The Man Trap" on this date 60 years ago! My tie shows planets and galaxies and comets all in close proximity, which is how the travels of the USS Enterprise made us think about space. I am not sure how early my family began watching Star Trek, but I know we saw many of the original episodes on our black-and-white television.  (The series was filmed in color but that didn't arrive in our home until about 1970.) It was exciting to see the adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Scotty, "Bones" McCoy, Lieutenant Uhuru and the rest of the crew on their "five year mission" to boldly go where no one had gone before. Please live long and prosper!

6 September 26

6 September 2026 marks the 534th anniversary of the day Christopher Columbus sailed from the Canary Islands, his last port before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It also marks the 504th anniversary of the return of one of Magellan's ships to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth, and the 406th anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim's "Mayflower" from Plymouth, England. A few great events in sailing history!

My tie shows compasses used for navigation. Perspicacious son Ben  noticed that one of the compasses has the letter "O" diametrically opposed to "W," where we would usually see "E." I immediately suggested that it must represent a German compass, where east is der Osten. Images of German compasses confirm that!

4 September 26

Today is "Wear Something Teal Day," a promotion for awareness of ovarian cancer treatments and research. I chose my Pennsylvania tie with its colors that fit somewhere between cyan and teal (although Google Lens calls it plain blue). It's also National Wildlife Day, honoring the life of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin (1962-2006).

2 September 26

Today is National Blueberry Popsicle Day! My colorful tie shows lime, cherry, lemon and blueberry flavors. The tie's label (from Save the Children) says it was designed by "Merrick, Age 4." We have a few Otter Pops on hand in the freezer -- but today there are only grape, lime and orange.

30 August 26

Today (30 August) I'm honoring two special days for pacifists (who generally get very little to celebrate among national holidays, etc.). In 1928, on 27 August, the international community signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact, an international treaty that declared war illegal. You may say that its effects are nonexistent, but its passage represents a moment when people actually agreed that violent altercations are nonsensical. Also worthy of note is today's event in 1139 when European leaders at the Second Lateran Council (under the leadership of Pope Innocent II) outlawed the crossbow, intending to end war for all time. My tie's design shows the peace symbol and a single peace dove.

28 August 26

It's National Bow Tie Day again! I continue to need Beth's help to get this kind of tie suitably arranged. My collection is quite limited but I do enjoy the chance to wear these small accessories.

27 August 26

I learned from Alexa that Blogger Day is celebrated on August 5. I missed it! So I'm making up for that today. I've tracked my daily-ish neckties for 18 years on my tie blog. This unique, self-referential tie features a QR code that leads to the "Tied Up Today" page! It was admired/scanned by several people at the University of Kentucky Medical Center today.

24 August 26

August 24 is always International Strange Music Day. The point is to try to listen to some music outside your regular comfort zone -- new artists, unfamiliar instruments/styles/rhythms, etc. My tie shows children cavorting on music staves, and they are clearly happy to enjoy the music.

From the National Day Calendar site: "Studies prove that different genres of music affect the mind and body in different ways. For instance, smooth jazz is known to relax the body. Pop music helps to improve endurance. Metal music provides a stronger sense of identity. Of all the types of music, classical has the most positive effects. Classical music fights depression, sparks creativity, relieves pain, and supercharges brainpower. However, one study showed hip hop improved the flavor of cheese."

"Besides different genres of music, there are other kinds of music. There’s music made by whistling, blowing into a kazoo, or banging pots and pans together. Some music is just downright bizarre, like clucking chickens and deep-sea creature sounds."

Here's a page that plays eight hours of whale music.

23 August 26

I am declaring today Colorful Lizards Day! I'm celebrating with my multicolored lizards tie, not seen since October 2022. Our lunch today is at Olive Garden, where it's true that we're all family. On this date in 1617, one-way streets were opened in London; it's also National Sponge Cake Day.

16 August 26

My tie today honors the recent birthday of Charles Hutton (1737-1823), a British mathematician who invented contour mapping in 1774. He was working to calculate the volume of Schiehallion, a mountain in Scotland, as part of an experiment to determine the average density of the earth. His maps showing the relative ground elevations formed the basis for topographical maps like the one featured on my tie -- surveying the Camel Hump Knob region in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, near Sevierville, TN.

Today is also the birthday of our son-by-inclusion David Haskins, and it's National Tell A Joke Day. The National Day Calendar offers no rationale for this celebration, but gives this sample: What happened to the comedian on August 16 during National Tell A Joke Day? Everyone stole his punchlines!