26 April 26

Today - 26 April - is a wild mixture of occasions: National Pretzel Day, National Richter Scale Day, National Dissertation Day, and World Intellectual Property Day. My tie's design mixes up flowers, stripes and scallops.

Among the billions of people born on this day: Carol Burnett (1933), David Hume (1711-1776), Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951), John James Audubon (1785-1851), Frederick Law Olmstead, Sr. (1822-1903).

31 August 23

Please make anything out of this tie's design that you like. I see flowers, scallops and stripes. I like it for its nice mix of colors and shapes.

9 September 21

It's Chrysanthemum Day in Japan! My tie shows its own version of a flower festival, including scallops and stripes.

29 April 20

Eleven years ago, while searching for events related to 29 April, I uncovered the fact that in 1770 -- 250 years ago today -- Captain James Cook entered some waters near Australia and named the place Botany Bay. Upon reading that factoid I recalled that one of my ties was labeled "Botany 500," and so I've honored "Botany Bay Naming Day" several times by wearing this tie. Its design is a somewhat-chaotic mix of flowers, stripes and scallops. My neckwear rationale can be somewhat chaotic.

17 October 19

This tie's mixed-up design of stripes and flowers and scallops is very suitable for a collage of birthdays on 17 October: Irene Ryan, American actress (1902-1973); Arthur Miller, American playwright (1915-2005); Rita Hayworth, American actress (1918-1987); Tom Poston, American actor (1921-2007); Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (1930-2003); Robert "Evel" Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (1938-2007); Gary Puckett, American vocalist (1942); Margot Kidder, Canadian American actress (1948); Mae Jemison, 1st African American woman in space (1956); Kevin Clash, puppeteer (Elmo on Sesame Street) (1960); Eminem, American rapper (1972). And a host of others!

27 February 18

Today I'm wearing a variegated tie to honor this wide variety of people born on this date:

• Emperor Constantine the Great (272-337) 
• Singer Marian Anderson (1897-1993) 
• Medical scientist Charles Best (1899-1978) 
• Writer John Steinbeck (1902-1968) 
• Actor Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) 
• Consumer activist Ralph Nader (1934) 
•  NBA Basketball great James Worthy (1961) 
• Singer Josh Groban (1981)

23 March 16

We are now several days into Spring, so here's a tie where the flowers are bursting between the scalloped stripes.

29 April 14

On this day in 1770, Captain James Cook visited and named Botany Bay, Australia. This is my only tie bearing that label.

29 April 13

On this date in 1770, Captain James Cook visited and named Botany Bay, Australia. We assume that he saw flowers and shells there. This is my only tie labeled "Botany 500."

09 November 10

According to the "Holiday Insights" Web site, today is Chaos Never Dies Day. "It's a day to recognize the chaos in your life. You can best celebrate this day, by recognizing that chaos never dies. Rather, it's a way of life." I chose one of my most chaotic ties, mixing flowers and stripes and scallops. Its repeating pattern may seem anomalous when representing chaos, but that's OK if I wear my huge Mexican sombrero.

29 April 09

On this date in 1770, Captain James Cook visited and named Botany Bay, Australia. This is the only tie in my collection labeled Botany 500.

31 July 08

Very obscure event, included by Wikipedia: On July 31, 1703 - Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers. This tie mixes flowers, stripes and scallops, which is bizarre.