Tea has been around forever, but iced tea didn’t burst onto the scene and win over America’s hearts and minds until 1904. In that year, visitors to the St. Louis World’s Fair were greeted by exceedingly hot weather. Tea plantation owner and merchant Richard Blechynden, who was present at the fair, took advantage of the situation by selling chilled tea drinks (instead of hot tea) as a cold refreshment. The rest is history. On June 10, we fill our glasses with iced tea (sweetened or unsweetened—that’s your call) and celebrate National Iced Tea Day.
International Dark ‘n Stormy® Day
Sailors and cocktail enthusiasts rejoice, this year on June 9 is International Dark ‘n Stormy® Day. This delicious and potent highball was created in an accidental collaborative effort by a family of Bermudian rum makers and some seasick sailors. Members of the British Navy stationed on Bermuda in the 1920s brewed ginger beer as a remedy for seasickness. Some intrepid sailors began adding a dash of the locally made Black Seal Rum to the ginger beer, transforming a dizzy-tummy remedy into one of the most popular and widely-recognized cocktails to date. So pour yourself a tall glass of Stormy Ginger Beer with a topper of Black Seal Rum and raise a toast to the gifted minds who brought us this liquid masterpiece.
Donald Duck Day
Donald Duck made his cartoon debut in “The Wise Little Hen” back in the summer of 1934. But he wouldn’t meet Mickey Mouse until his second appearance in “Orphan’s Benefit” later that year. From there, it wasn’t long before Daisy Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie were introduced. In spite of their superior diction, they weren’t able to steal the spotlight from Donald. You can’t replace his grumpy, nearly incomprehensible charm, and it’s why the Donald has been in more movies (200+) than any Disney character. So, let’s celebrate on June 9 — National Donald Duck Day!
And his accomplishments don’t stop there. He co-hosted the Oscars in 1958 with a little help from Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, and Jimmy Stewart. Oh, and they named an asteroid after him in 1995. If that doesn’t convince you he’s a force of nature, know that he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We’re not sure how he left webbed foot prints in front of the Chinese Theater, but we’ll gladly roll with it. Well, what do you give to a duck that has it all? His own holiday!