The Complete Guide to August's Obscure Holidays
August closes out summer with a genuinely dense dessert lineup — ice cream sandwiches, banana splits, s'mores, and toasted marshmallows all get their own day within a few weeks of each other — alongside a real mix of history (Vesuvius Day, Presidential Joke Day) and pure whimsy (Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day).
This guide walks through all 62, day by day, with a bit of history or context for each one and a link to the full write-up — complete fun facts, ways to celebrate, and sourcing — on its own page.
Why does August have so many obscure holidays?
August leans hard into frozen and campfire treats as peak summer heat pushes people toward cold desserts and outdoor evenings — ice cream sandwiches, root beer floats, banana splits, and s'mores all land within the same few weeks. The month also carries a handful of genuinely well-documented historical anchors, from the 79 AD Vesuvius eruption to Reagan's unbroadcast 1984 microphone joke.
How to use this guide
Holidays are grouped by date below. Each entry gets a short original write-up — not a repeat of the fact sheet — plus a link to the full holiday page if you want the deeper dive: complete fun facts, ways to celebrate, and sourcing.
August 1
💖 National Girlfriends Day
No documented founder or clear historical origin — it emerged more as a grassroots celebration than a proclaimed holiday. Despite the name, it's built entirely around platonic friendship between women. Full holiday page →
🥧 National Raspberry Cream Pie Day
Raspberries are aggregate fruits, made of many small drupelets each with its own seed. The vast majority of America's raspberry supply comes from the Pacific Northwest, mainly Oregon and Washington. Full holiday page →
August 2
🛋️ National Couch Cleaning Day
Sofas can hold onto dust, skin cells, and dust mites for months between cleanings. Experts recommend vacuuming fabric couches at least once a week and washing removable covers in hot water. Full holiday page →
🎨 Coloring Book Day
The earliest coloring books, originally called “painting books,” appeared in the US in the 1880s for educational purposes, not relaxation. The adult coloring book boom didn't hit until around 2015. Full holiday page →
🍦 National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
The earliest known version was sold by a pushcart vendor in New York's Bowery neighborhood in 1899, for a single cent. Over 100 million are still sold annually in the US today. Full holiday page →
August 3
🥜 Grab Some Nuts Day
Many foods people call “nuts” — almonds, cashews, pistachios — are botanically seeds or drupes, not true nuts at all. Peanuts break the pattern entirely: they're legumes that grow underground. Full holiday page →
🍉 National Watermelon Day
Watermelons run about 92% water, which is why they double as one of the more effective hydration foods of summer. The earliest recorded harvest dates to Egypt more than 5,000 years ago. Full holiday page →
August 4
🍪 National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
Marks the same 1938 accident behind several other holidays on this calendar — Ruth Wakefield expected the chopped chocolate at the Toll House Inn to melt into the dough, and it didn't. Full holiday page →
👭 National Sisters Day
A separate, more recent holiday from National Siblings Day in April. Research from De Montfort and Ulster University has linked growing up with a sister to greater reported happiness and optimism. Full holiday page →
August 5
🩲 National Underwear Day
Entirely unofficial, with no government recognition, and mostly kept alive by retailers running promotions around it. Full holiday page →
🐶 Work Like a Dog Day
The idiom itself dates back to at least the 17th century, meaning genuinely exhausting labor. Plenty of dog breeds were literally developed for work — herding, hunting, guarding, pulling. Full holiday page →
August 6
🥤 National Root Beer Float Day
Invented in 1893 by Frank J. Wisner, a Colorado brewery owner reportedly inspired by the snowy peak of Cow Mountain, which is how the drink got its early name: “Black Cow Mountain,” later shortened to “Black Cow.” Full holiday page →
🦶 Wiggle Your Toes Day
Each human foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Toeprints are as individually unique as fingerprints, though nobody actually uses them for ID. Full holiday page →
August 7
🍓 National Raspberries N' Cream Day
Raspberries belong to the rose family, making this pairing distant cousins with roses on a technicality. Full holiday page →
📦 Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day
Entirely built around shared consumer frustration — tiny items shipped in oversized boxes, products buried under layers of plastic and cardboard. No formal recognition, just a collectively understood annoyance turned into a joke holiday. Full holiday page →
August 8
😊 Happiness Happens Day
Founded in 1999 by the actual Secret Society of Happy People, also known by the alternate name “Admit You're Happy Day.” Full holiday page →
🍃 National CBD Day
CBD was first isolated back in 1940, by American chemist Roger Adams — decades before the modern wellness industry built around it existed. Hemp-derived CBD became federally legal in the US only with the 2018 Farm Bill. Full holiday page →
August 9
📖 National Book Lovers Day
The world's smallest book, “Teeny Ted from Turnip Town,” measures just 0.07 by 0.10 millimeters and can only be read under an electron microscope. There's even a word for the smell of old books: bibliosmia. Full holiday page →
🍮 Rice Pudding Day
Traces back to the Roman Empire, where early versions were sometimes prescribed as a medicinal food. Nearly every culture has its own version, from Indian kheer to Spanish arroz con leche. Full holiday page →
August 10
😴 National Lazy Day
No documented origin, and the entire point is doing as little as possible. Proponents argue a scheduled day of real rest can actually boost overall productivity afterward. Full holiday page →
🔥 S'mores Day
The earliest known published recipe, then called a “Some More,” appeared in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” Full holiday page →
August 11
🍧 National Raspberry Bombe Day
The French term “bombe glacée” dates to the 19th century, describing a frozen dessert built by lining a spherical mold with one flavor and filling the center with another. Full holiday page →
😂 Presidential Joke Day
Marks a specific, real 1984 moment: Ronald Reagan, testing a microphone before a radio address, joked “we start bombing in five minutes” about the Soviet Union — unbroadcast, but leaked and remembered ever since. Full holiday page →
August 12
🤷♀️ Middle Child's Day
Birth-order research links middle children to stronger diplomatic and mediation skills, developed from navigating relationships between older and younger siblings. Full holiday page →
🍟 National Julienne Fries Day
“Julienne” is a specific classical French cutting technique — long, thin matchstick strips, typically about 1/8 inch thick — not just a marketing name for skinny fries. Full holiday page →
August 13
✍️ International Left-Handers Day
Left-handers make up roughly 10 to 12% of the world's population. Tennis and boxing are two sports where lefties are often noted to have a real tactical edge. Full holiday page →
🥩 National Filet Mignon Day
The name is French for “dainty fillet.” It comes from the psoas major, a non-weight-bearing muscle in the short loin, which is exactly why it's so tender. Full holiday page →
August 14
🍦 National Creamsicle Day
Invented by Frank Epperson — the same person behind the Popsicle — when he was just 11 years old. “Creamsicle” is technically a registered Unilever trademark. Full holiday page →
🥤 National Kool-Aid Day
Invented in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in Hastings, Nebraska, originally sold as a liquid concentrate called “Fruit Smack” before the powdered version took over. Full holiday page →
August 15
🪡 National Leathercraft Day
Leatherworking is genuinely one of humanity's oldest crafts, with evidence stretching back to prehistoric times. Vegetable tanning remains a more eco-friendly alternative to modern chemical tanning. Full holiday page →
😌 National Relaxation Day
The concept of dedicated leisure time traces back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Regular breaks are also linked in modern research to measurably higher productivity and creativity. Full holiday page →
August 16
😂 National Tell a Joke Day
The oldest known joke on record dates to 1900 BC Sumeria, and it's a fart joke — proof that some humor genuinely hasn't changed in nearly 4,000 years. Full holiday page →
🥃 Rum Day
Rum production traces to the 17th-century Caribbean, made from sugarcane molasses or fresh cane juice. The British Royal Navy historically issued sailors a daily rum ration, known as a “tot.” Full holiday page →
August 17
🐈⬛ National Black Cat Appreciation Day
Black cats carried opposite reputations depending on where you were — bad luck in medieval Europe, but good fortune in ancient Egypt, Japan, and parts of the UK. Full holiday page →
🛍️ Thrift Shop Day
Buying used clothing reportedly cuts its carbon footprint by 82% compared to buying new. The global secondhand apparel market is projected to hit $350 billion by 2027. Full holiday page →
August 18
🥴 National Bad Poetry Day
The entire premise inverts the usual creative-writing goal — intentionally bad rhythm, rhyme, and reason, aiming for maximum cringe rather than craft. Full holiday page →
✨ Serendipity Day
The word “serendipity” was coined in 1754 by English author Horace Walpole, inspired by a Persian fairy tale called “The Three Princes of Serendip.” Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin is one of history's most famous serendipitous breakthroughs. Full holiday page →
August 19
🥔 National Potato Day
Potatoes were first cultivated by Inca farmers in Peru as far back as 8,000 BC. In 1995 they became the first food ever grown in space, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. Full holiday page →
🍦 National Soft Ice Cream Day
Soft serve is served warmer than hard-scooped ice cream, around 25°F, which is exactly what gives it that smoother texture. Up to 60% of its volume can be air, known in the industry as “overrun.” Full holiday page →
August 20
🥧 National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day
Pecans are the only major tree nut actually native to North America, and the US remains the world's leading producer. Full holiday page →
📻 National Radio Day
Guglielmo Marconi sent the first transatlantic radio signal in 1901, but the first public voice-and-music broadcast is credited to Reginald Fessenden, on Christmas Eve 1906. Full holiday page →
August 21
🧓 National Senior Citizens Day
Formally established in 1988, when Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5847 after Congress requested it directly through a joint resolution. As of 2024, roughly 18% of the US population was 65 or older. Full holiday page →
🍦 National Spumoni Day
Originated in 19th-century Naples, and the name comes from the Italian “spuma,” meaning foam. The traditional pistachio-cherry-chocolate layering happens to mirror the colors of the Italian flag. Full holiday page →
August 22
😇 Be an Angel Day
Built around the “pay it forward” idea — one good deed prompting another, creating a chain rather than a single isolated act. Full holiday page →
🍰 National Pecan Torte Day
A torte, by German definition, typically uses ground nuts or breadcrumbs instead of flour. The pecan tree is officially the state tree of Texas. Full holiday page →
August 23
🪁 Ride the Wind Day
Kites, one of the most direct ways to literally “ride the wind,” were invented in China more than 2,000 years ago. Full holiday page →
🍰 Sponge Cake Day
Its rise comes purely from whipped eggs, not baking powder or soda — a technique that traces back to the Italian Renaissance. Full holiday page →
August 24
🍑 National Peach Pie Day
Peaches actually originated in China more than 2,000 years ago, long before they became a defining Southern American crop. Georgia may be nicknamed the “Peach State,” but California is the actual leading US producer. Full holiday page →
🌋 Vesuvius Day
Marks the 79 AD eruption that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum, though the traditional August date is now disputed — evidence found on preserved victims suggests it may have actually happened in October. Full holiday page →
August 25
💋 Kiss and Make Up Day
No clear documented origin, though the psychology behind it is well established — studies consistently link forgiveness to reduced stress and stronger relationships. Full holiday page →
🍨 National Banana Split Day
Invented in 1904 by 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist David “Doc” Strickler in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, who charged ten cents for it — double the price of a regular sundae at the time. Full holiday page →
August 26
🍒 National Cherry Popsicle Day
The Popsicle itself was an accidental 1905 invention by 11-year-old Frank Epperson, who originally called it an “Epsicle” before his own kids talked him into the name that stuck. Full holiday page →
🐶 National Dog Day
Founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige, the same person behind National Puppy Day, National Cat Day, and National Wildlife Day. Full holiday page →
August 27
✨ Just Because Day
The entire premise is the absence of a reason — no occasion, no justification needed, just spontaneous action for its own sake. Full holiday page →
🦎 Lizard Appreciation Day
There are more than 6,000 known lizard species, and many can regrow their tails as a defense mechanism. The largest, the Komodo dragon, can grow up to 10 feet long. Full holiday page →
August 28
🎀 National Bow Tie Day
Traces back to Croatian mercenaries' cravats during the 17th-century Thirty Years' War. It's a required component of true “black tie” dress, not just an optional accessory. Full holiday page →
🖱️ Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day
No formal origin, purely an internet-era novelty — a personal, non-competitive test of how fast you can drag your cursor around your own desktop icons. Full holiday page →
August 29
🃏 According to Hoyle Day
Honors Edmond Hoyle, whose 1742 “A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist” became the definitive rulebook for the game for over a century. Full holiday page →
🍜 National Chop Suey Day
Despite its strong association with China, chop suey is widely believed to have actually originated in the United States, invented by Chinese American cooks. Full holiday page →
August 30
🏖️ National Beach Day
Most beach sand worldwide is primarily quartz, mixed with varying amounts of shell fragments and volcanic rock. The world's longest beach, Brazil's Praia do Cassino, stretches more than 150 miles. Full holiday page →
🔥 Toasted Marshmallow Day
The modern marshmallow, made with gelatin, only dates to the late 19th century — the original version used actual sap from the mallow plant. Full holiday page →
August 31
🧺 Eat Outside Day
The word “picnic” comes from the French “pique-nique,” first documented in the 17th century. Édouard Manet's “Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe” turned outdoor dining into one of the most famous images in Impressionist painting. Full holiday page →
❤️ National Matchmaker Day
Matchmaking as a profession goes back to biblical times, appearing across cultures well before dating apps existed. Today's dating algorithms function as digital matchmakers, just automated. Full holiday page →
Frequently asked questions
How many obscure holidays are there in August?
62, spread across all 31 days.
What's the most historically grounded holiday in August?
Vesuvius Day (Aug 24) marks the actual 79 AD eruption that buried Pompeii and Herculaneum — one of the best-documented disasters in the ancient world.
Are there a lot of dessert holidays in August?
Yes — National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, National Banana Split Day, S'mores Day, Toasted Marshmallow Day, and several pie and pudding days make August one of the most dessert-heavy months.
Where can I find the full history and fun facts for each holiday?
Every holiday name in this guide links to its own dedicated page with a longer write-up, sourced fun facts, and ideas for how to celebrate.
About this guide
This guide is part of the Obscure Holiday Calendar project — the same database that powers the iOS and Android apps and the individual holiday pages on this site. It exists to give a single, readable overview of an entire month at once, instead of requiring 62 separate page visits.