Most of us think of holidays as one of those few days our employer actually pays us to stay home. We all know the big ones: New Year's, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. And yes, some employers are a little more generous but most likely you'll have no more than 7 days a year that you consider a holiday. Depending on your religious beliefs you may add a few more to that annual list, and find that you're up to a dozen or so.
For a day to be considered a "National Holiday" it needs to be declared so by Congress. And then of course we have the "commercial holidays" that we all love, which in effect are simply days that have become popular over the years. We all love them, but for some of us that just isn't enough. Organizations, corporation, and even loosely connected groups of people can "declare" a day for any reason they choose. Some of these days catch on and become popular with the general population, some remain only recognized by their creator, and some fizzle out and become a mere memory after only a year or two.
The point is - Every day, somewhere someone is celebrating something.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

September 23, 2010 ~ Checkers Day

Nope, not the game with red and black game pieces that you need to get from one side of the board to the other to get "kinged"....Today in 1952, Richard Nixon gave his famous "Checkers" speech.  So, it's Checkers Day or "Dogs in Politics Day" as it is sometimes also called.  I'm not really sure why we are so fascinated with the pets of politicians...maybe it makes them appear to be more like the rest of us...normal everyday people.

So, we know that Checkers belonged to the Nixon family but can you name the family that goes with these "first dogs"....
  • King Tut
  • Sailor Boy
  • Bo
  • Millie
  • Fala
  • Feller
  • Grits
  • Heidi
  • Lucky
  • Laddie Boy
  • Charlie
  • Liberty
You can find the answers to these and learn about more white house pets at Presidential Pets Museum.



Posted by Rita Ballantyne at 8:00 AM
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