I am an inquisitive person by nature, especially of the minutiae to be found in our daily lives. I find it fun and sometimes even informative to learn something new and then see where my mind takes it. Today (September 18th 2012) for instance, is not only our son’s thirty-third birthday, but it is also National Cheeseburger Day.
When I heard this on the radio, I had to do some research into the most significant addition to the humble burger since the bun (which in and of itself was the greatest invention since its close relative sliced bread). The cheeseburger's origin dates from somewhere occurred between the late 20's to mid 30's depending on what source you give more credence to. Many adhere to Lionel Sternberger’s claim of inventing the cheeseburger by accident in the late 1920’s when he was a 16 year old fry cook at his father’s “Rite Spot” Drive In. Lionel did not say if it was divine intervention or simply idiot savant-like intelligence that guided his hand in dropping the first piece of American cheese on a sizzling burger, but I do not find this to be more than a yarn by a teenage boy whose only sizzling thoughts lay in girls and not beef. After all, if Lionel Sternberger had indeed invented the cheeseburger, wouldn’t it be called the “Sternburger” ? Then there is the claim of Louisville’s KY’s Kaelin restaurant that has a menu purported to be from 1934 with the cheeseburger on it. Given the level of sophistication of PhotoShop and todays computers, faking a 1934 menu would be easy to do and hard to detect. The only claim I have seen that carries demonstrable legal weight, is that of Louis E. Ballast of the now non-extant Humpty Dumpty Drive In, Denver. In 1935, Mr. Ballast actually trade marked the cheeseburger. Game, set, match to Louis Ballast!
Unfortunately for those reading this, my exploration lead me to discover more holidays than National Cheeseburger Day. I found that every day of the year has at least one unique holiday associated with it. Think of it, three hundred and sixty-five (three hundred and sixty-six on Leap Year) days with at least one thing to celebrate.
Fittingly my birthday falls on Sugar Cookie Day, and I find it hard to believe that there is an International Skeptics Day (January 13th) each year, but there is. Thanks to my daughters, I already knew that March 14th is PI Day (3.14), and I find that Pecan Day and Waffle Day both sharing March 25th proof enough that God does exist. Without the Cold War we can now freely share in and appreciate April 12th as Russian Cosmonaut Day, and let us not forget that on May 9th the world comes together with heads bowed and hearts heavy for Lost Sock Memorial Day (one day after No Sock Day – how ironic is that!). Finally, did you know that January 4th was Trivia Day?
There are a host of holidays out there for almost ever taste. You can find one that suits your spirit at: http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays .
(Author’s note: An official date for National Procrastination Day has not been set yet, apparently they have not gotten around to voting on it.)
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