February – 2023 Holidays and Observations
Happy February! Don’t think the shortest month is short on holidays and observations!
Below you’ll find some month, week, and daylong celebrations/observations (mostly US based). These are holidays/observations related to the content of this site that we’ve selected to highlight. Maybe we missed some, maybe we added some you don’t think apply.
If you’d like to know some Food/Drink/Travel related holidays, we have a list of those too over at our sister site, Grecobon.
Which observations will you be making note of this month?
Monthly Celebrations
National Enrolled Agents Month
Enrolled Agents represent and advocate for taxpayers all year. During this month we recognize the contributions of these professionals. Tax time isn’t fun for anyone, Enrolled Agents provide us, the tax payer, with assistance and representation for even the most minimal tax concerns.
There are more than 53,000 Enrolled agents nationwide. Each are extensively trained in their field.
National Black History Month
Honoring the achievements and contributions of African Americans throughout history, Black History Month is also known as National African American History Month. Other countries celebrate Black History as well but during different months. February was chosen in the United States in part because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.
Notable Black Americans in the fields of Science, Technology, and Math include George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie M Daly, Katherine Johnson, Vivien Thomas, Dr. Warren Washington and many more. Read this Article of 10 Black Innovators Who Have Made an Impact in STEM.
National Library Lovers Month
Libraries truly are a magical place. Within these walls you can travel to any place in time, explore other worlds, and immerse yourself in any situation. Libraries also provide the use of free internet for anyone who needs it for job applications, student research, genealogy research, or just general web browsing, like reading our blog posts….
Stop by your local library this month and check out a new book. Renew your membership if it’s been a while. This is also a great time to see what other services your local library has like children’s programs, adult learner programs, and more. They all need our support now more than ever.
Free and Open Source Software Month
Open Source Software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. February recognizes this cooperative approach to free software. Users with computer programming knowledge may alter code within open source software to fix glitches, improve the design, or add features. Programmers who do this are required to release their source code on altered versions of software to continue with the idea of the open source concept.
Do you use any Open Source Software? Some of our favorite include Libre Office and G.R.A.M.P.S. Geneaology Software.
Weeklong Observations
International Networking Week
Making connections can be an essential growth potential for many businesses and employees within those businesses. The first week of the month is a week to look at those connections and make more. See where we can help each other out and succeed together.
National Secondhand Wardrobe Week
Taking place the second week of the month (second week, secondhand….) is Secondhand Wardrobe Week. Not only is this great for your wallet but it’s great for the planet. In a world of fast fashion, we tend to forget that what goes out of style almost always finds its way back in. See what’s available at a secondhand store near you!
Daylong Celebrations/Observations
February 1 – National Get Up Day
Whenever we fall, we need to pick ourselves up and keep going. Today is a reminder of the importance of doing just that.
February 3 – National Women Physicians Day
February 3rd is the birthday of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell. In 1849, she became the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. Dr. Blackwell paved the way for women to follow in her footsteps. This day celebrates women physicians everywhere and encourages more and more women to enter the field of medicine.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell – By Joseph Stanley Kozlowski – Upstate Medical University, New York, Library, Public Domain, Link
February 7 – National Periodic Table Day
The first periodic table was published on February 7, 1863 by John Newlands. At that time there were 56 elements known. They were divided into 11 groups based on similar properties they possess. The periodic table we know today looks quite different than the one Newlands published. This was due to many contributions and corrections since Newlands’ original publication and many discoveries over the years.
February 9 – National Cut the Cord Day
More and more people are cutting the cord and getting rid of cable. With the ease and choice in streaming services these days, it seems cable television will soon be a thing of the past. If you are considering cutting the cord be sure you have the right high speed internet connection, that you’ve done the research to see which streaming platform best works for you, and that your televisions will support any device(s) needed in order to watch.
February 10 – National Home Warranty Day
Warranties protect the vital components of our homes. From appliances, to technology, to the roof and everything under it, all of these items benefit from the protection of a warranty. Take some time today to check the status of the warranty covered items within and around your home. You want to make sure everything is in working order or anything that needs repairs is done so during the duration of the warranty.
February 11 – National Inventors’ Day
This day honors the geniuses who create today and those who will create in the future. Lights, cars, the screen you’re reading this on all came from a spark in someone’s brain at one point in time. Someone was working on the idea of everything long before it made its way into our lives.
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Plato
February 12 – National Clean Out Your Computer Day
Like any room in our house, our computer needs to be cleaned out often as well. Cleaning out your computer helps it to run effectively. This is a good time to look for duplicates, resize image files that might be too big, and delete files that are no longer needed or move them to another storage solution.
February 13 – Safer Internet Day
Identity Theft, cyberbullying, fraud, and human trafficking are all very negative consequences of internet use. Unfortunately in this world there always have been bad people looking to take advantage of others and today is no different. Safer Internet Day reflects upon those who work to provide us with the resources to keep ourselves safe online.
February 18 – National Battery Day
We all own at least one item that is or can be powered by batteries. From our phones to watches to flashlights and so many more devices. Check on your battery operated devices today, do you need to replace any? This is a good time to research newer rechargeable and more environmentally friendly batteries. For batteries that are no longer usable, see how to best recycle them in your community.
February 22 – National Supermarket Employee Day
An extremely important part of our supply chain, supermarket employees are essential to our daily lives. Regardless of what job they perform at the store, the work of these employees helps our grocery stores run each and every day.
I (Lora) have worked for two different grocery stores during my 20s. At one store I mostly worked register but whenever help was needed in a department I always volunteered. The variety made my shifts move a bit quicker. For the other store I mostly worked in the office, but also worked on registers, climbed ladders to change the large sign alongside of the street (pre digital sign days), stocked products, and even spent one day in the meat room wrapping fish. These were two of my most favorite jobs I held at any given time.
Grocery store employees and other retail workers are a special kind of employee. I’ve always said that everyone needs to work retail once in their life. Thank your local supermarket employee today.
February 29 – National Time Refund Day
This is a day that only occurs once every four years. Is this a day to get some projects done you normally wouldn’t have time for? Catch up on reading, go out for a special dinner, volunteer with a local organization, the possibilities are endless.
And that’s February.
For more celebrations this month, you can check out one of our favorite sites – National Day Calendar.
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