This week on the blog, we have a new style of post: fun facts to theme your cards for the month of October. Please give this post a like (hit the button at the end of the post), if you enjoyed it. If you did, our wonderful Volunteer-Coordinator Lois, who wrote this blogpost, will put together another series of fun facts for the following month: November!
It's October... and that means it's Fall season! Thank you Pamela for making these lovely festive cards for the seniors!
Happy October everyone! The name October has been derived from the Latin “Octo” which means eight because October was the eighth month of the year, according to the Roman calendar. Today, of course, we use the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, and October is now the tenth month of the year.
We are able to have a project like Letters Against Isolation because on October 1, 1896, free rural mail delivery began in the United States.
In terms of expenditure, Halloween is second only to Christmas.
In terms of food (mostly), October is celebrated as National Pizza Month, National Pasta Month & Italian-American Heritage Month (the three really do go together). At 18M strong, Americans of Italian descent are our nation’s fifth-largest ethnic group. October also is American Cheese Month, Popcorn Month and Cookie Month.
October also is Adopt a Rescue Dog Month!
Do you Like flowers?
The flower of October is the Marigold. As its name suggests, the flower has golden blooms which match the color of autumn leaves. Marigolds symbolize fierce love, passion and creativity.
October has given us many accomplished individuals, among them….
The founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, Juliette Gordon Low, was born on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia. She was 52 years of age when she founded the Girl Scouts, proving we’re never too old to do something wonderful! Today, the organization serves millions of girl members and alumnae. Low was an ardent believer in the potential of all girls and the importance of fostering their individual growth, character, and self-sufficiency.
Happy birthday to many US Presidents!
Although nearly half of all presidential first ladies were born during the summer months, more United States presidents have been born in October than in any other month.
Speaking of U. S. Presidents, Harry S. Truman was the first president whose public address from the White House was telecast. It was broadcast on October 5, 1947.
Oscar-winning month
"The Hunt For Red October," with Sean Connery, is the only film with 'October' in its title ever to win an Oscar. (The film won for best sound editing.)
Some fun/unique days celebrated in October….
1st Homemade Cookie Day (Does this bring back some fond memories of childhood?)
2nd Send a Smile Day
3rd Techies Day (celebrating the important role technology has played in shaping our world today)
4th Golf Lovers Day
5th Do Something Nice Day (help make the world a kinder place)
6th Mad Hatter Day (named after the character in the 1951 Disney film Álice in Wonderland,” today is a day to be completely silly)
7th Frappè Day (Despite its French name, this drink was invented by the Greeks.)
8th Fluffernutter Day (A sandwich on white bread consisting of peanut butter & marshmallow fluff…so gooey & good, it is the quintessential specialty sandwich of Massachusetts. Invented during WW I, it was originally known as the “Liberty Sandwich.”)
9th Chess Day (Chess is said to be a game for intellectuals!)
10th Angel Food Cake Day (Good by itself, but even better dripping with fresh fruit & whipped crème! The first known recipe was published in 1878.)
12th Canadian Thanksgiving Day (Canadian’s do not celebrate it in Nov as the U.S. does.)
14th Dessert Day (Do we really need an excuse?)
18th Chocolate Cupcake Day (Did you know the cupcake dates back to 1796?)
22nd Color Day (Color can affect our mood, productivity & behavior. In Scotland, for example, blue lamp posts are used to help curb violence, while in Japan, they’re used to dissuade people from committing suicide by train. BTW, both are proven strategies!)
Also, National Nut Day (Keep in mind some people have nut allergies.)
26th Pumpkin Day (After you carve a pumpkin, you can roast the seeds for a delicious snack!)
29th National Cat Day
31st Knock-Knock Joke Day (This type of joke originated from a 1929 children’s game known as “Buff.” Got any good knock-knock jokes? Today’s the day to share them!)
If you want to find more topics to write about, say the flower of the month as an example, you can always Google the name (in this case "marigold") and you just may find some useful, fun facts about marigolds that you can incorporate into your writing. It's always fun to learn new things. Best of luck!
Are you in need of more inspiration? Click here to view the full collection of letter writing and decoration inspiration blog posts!