Sure, to you it’s just another week at home, the next in many, many, many weeks before Pasadena, the country and the world, bears any sense of normalcy. So, from the comfort of our devices, let’s celebrate these smaller days of great significance that you might not have even been aware of.
Did you know that Tuesday, January 12, for example, is National Pharmacist Day ? And did you know that pharmacies go all the way back to Ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt?
Physicians were also priests in ancient Egypt, divided into two classes: those who remained in the temple and prepared medicines and tinctures, while others actually administered the medicines in person—physicians and pharmacists at the same time.
In Greece and Rome, however, the duties of pharmacists and physicians were separated from one another. This was sometime during the 8th century A.D. In 1683, the city council of Bruges passed a law that forbade doctors from filling medications for their patients.
During the 17th century in the US, Benjamin Franklin designated an apothecary—a precursor to modern pharmacies—to Pennsylvania Hospital, helping to reinforce the practice of keeping the duties of doctors and pharmacists separate from one another. Doctors would tend to the patients medically, and pharmacists would prepare the needed medicines.
Following the Second World War, today’s pharmaceutical industry began to develop and take over the role of making medicines, on a huge industrial scale. Pharmacists would fill prescriptions, making sure that various medicines worked properly with each other.
Maybe your friendly neighborhood pharmacist would like some chocolates on their special day? They sell those at most drugstores, too.
Meanwhile, find yourself bored on Thursday? Shouldn’t you be working? Okay, we’ll let that go for now, because Thursday, January 14, is actually National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day. Your daydreaming is understandable.
Everyone has a personal favorite, too. Ours? Either of the two Lucky Boy locations in Pasadena. We’re talking about a pastrami the size of your head, packed with steaming, hot pastrami, some mustard, a few crunchy pickles, and the whole thing served on a french bread roll cut in half, and it’s still some work to finish. Thursday can’t come fast enough.
The week is whizzing by like a rocket ship, and it’s already Friday, January 15, which, as everyone knows, is National Bagel Day. Historically, National Bagel Day was originally celebrated on February 9th, which, once again you already know, is National Pizza Day. But thanks to a recent initiative by Thomas’ Breads, bagels now have a day of their very own on January 15th.
According to a press release from the Pennsylvania-based Thomas’ Breads, “The new date was registered officially by Thomas’® Bagels in Chase’s Calendar of Events, the nation’s most comprehensive and authoritative reference on special events, holidays, federal and state observances, historic anniversaries and more.
“After years of sharing its national day of celebration with National Pizza Day,” the company said, “the bagel received its own new annual celebration after bagel lovers from across the country “hole”-heartedly (sorry) voted on a new date and selected January 15 as the perfect day to demonstrate “dough-votion” (Sorry again) to the iconic breakfast staple.”
“Choosing between celebrating bagels and pizza felt like a decision that no carb-lover should ever have to make,” said Richard Link, Senior Marketing Director of Thomas’. “We felt it was our duty to bagel lovers everywhere to ‘toast’ up a celebration that’s anything but plain!” Sorry yet again.
Finally, Friday is also National Hat Day.
Hats have, naturally, been around as long as there have been heads. Even ancient man likely realized that he would need something to shade himself from the rays of the hot sun, or keep his head warm in the dead of winter. Not to mention that little matter of personal style.
Back in 1797, the introduction of the top hat reportedly almost caused a riot when it was first doffed by James Heatherington in London, England. As Heatherington strolled through the streets of London, displaying his hat of the top variety, clearly the first of its kind, crowds gathered. Apparently, some people began to push and shove. Heatherington was then reportedly fined for “going about in a manner that frightened timid people.” So, there’s that.
Clearly, there is more to the week than just the week. And now that you know, we’ll look for you at Lucky Boy sometime over the next few days, wearing a rakish chapeau and scarfing down a pastrami bagel.
And yes, today is the first day of the rest of the week.
