National Hangover Day
January 1
The first recorded New Year’s celebration dates back 4,000 years to Babylon, when the first moon after the spring equinox marked a new year. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar created a calendar with Jan. 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor Janus, the month’s namesake. More than 360 million glasses of sparkling wine are consumed every New Year’s Eve in the United States. However, New Year’s Eve is only the second most popular drinking nights of the year. The top night is actually the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Almost 50,000 people in the U.S. get hurt in car crashes on the New Year’s Holiday which includes an average of 430 fatalities. It may be wise to be one of the 30% of American adults who fall asleep before midnight.
National Black Eyed Pea Day
January 1
In the South and Southwest tradition has it that eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings good luck and prosperity in the upcoming 12 months. Since black eyed peas were grown to feed livestock when the Union Army stormed through farms in the South they left behind the peas which became one of the only food sources for Confederate troops. They considered this a blessing and thus the tradition of good luck is associated with the vegetable to start each new year.
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Betsy Ross – Seamstress American Flag – born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Edgar Hoover – FBI – born in Washington, D.C.
