April 26, 2016 – NATIONAL PRETZEL DAY – NATIONAL KIDS AND PETS DAY – NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY – NATIONAL RICHTER SCALE DAY – NATIONAL HELP A HORSE DAY

                                         NATIONAL PRETZEL DAY

National Pretzel Day is observed annually on April 26.  A bag of nice crunchy, salty pretzels or a big, warm, soft, cinnamon pretzel is the question of the day.  Either one is an excellent choice.

There are a few different accounts of the origin of the pretzel.  Most people agree that it does have a Christian background, and they were invented by the monks.  According to The History of Science and Technology, in 610 AD, “an Italian monk invents pretzels as a reward to children who learn their prayers.  He calls the strips of baked dough, folded to resemble arms crossing the chest, pretiola (little rewards).”
Another source puts the invention in a monastery in southern France.  The looped pretzel may also be related to a Greek Ring bread from the communion bread used in monasteries a thousand years ago.  In the Catholic Church, pretzels had a religious significance for both ingredients and shape. The loops in pretzel may have served a practical purpose: bakers could hang them on sticks, projecting upwards from a central column, as shown in Job Berckheyde’s (1681) painting.
For more information, visit the National Day Calendar page for National Pretzel Day.
 

NATIONAL KIDS AND PETS DAY

National Kids and Pets Day is observed annually on April 26th.  
National Kids and Pets Day is both a day to celebrate the bonds children and pets can share and a day remember safety where our pets and children are concerned.
There are many benefits from having a pet in a child’s life. From fostering natural nurturing abilities to developing responsibilities, pets have a life long impact on a child’s development.
It is also important to remember that small children as well as the pets may not know their limitations and should not be left alone with each other. They should always be supervised to prevent injury to both the child and the animal.
OBSERVE
Help kids and pets learn to be good companions to each other. Use #NationalKidsAndPetsDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Coleen Paige, Celebrity Family and Pet Lifestyle Expert, founded National Kids and Pets Day in 2005.  
For more information, visit National Kids & Pets Day .
 

NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY

April 26th is designated as National Audubon Day.  This day is set aside to honor the birth of John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851).
Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter noted for his extensive studies of American birds and his detailed illustrations of the birds in their natural habitats.  Audubon’s greatest work was The Birds of America which is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed.  His work in this book contains more than 700 North American bird species with 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species.
OBSERVE
Grab the binoculars, the bird book and see how many birds you can identify. Use #NationalAudubonDay or #Audubon Day to post on social media.
HISTORYNational Audubon Day is sponsored by the National Audubon Society. For more information visit www.audubon.org.
 

NATIONAL RICHTER SCALE DAY

National Richter Scale Day is observed annually on April 26th.  This day honors the birth of the Richter Scale inventor, Charles F. Richter (April 26, 1900 – September 30, 1985).
Richter was an American seismologist and physicist most famous as the inventor of the Richter magnitude scale, which quantified the size of earthquakes.  While working at the California Institute of Technology, with Beno Gutenberg, Richter first used the scale in 1935.
After the Richter Scale was published in 1935, it immediately became the standard measure of earthquake intensity.  Since 1935, there have been other magnitude scales developed.  Depending on what data is available, different ones are used however most are not as popularly known as Richter Scale.
The United States Geological Service records show that the biggest earthquake since 1900, was in Chili in May 1960.  Measuring 9.5 on the Richter Scale it is known as the Great Chilean Earthquake. 
Following is a link of the ten largest earthquakes: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763403.html
OBSERVE
Use #NationalRichterScaleDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
Within our research, we were unable to identify the creator of National Richter Scale Day.
 

NATIONAL HELP A HORSE DAY

National Help a Horse Day is observed annually on April 26th.  Equine rescues and sanctuaries across the country hold events celebrating the horse.  The events are designed to raise awareness and advocate for abused and neglected horses across the country. 
HOW TO OBSERVE
Use #NationalHelpAHorseDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals founded National Help a Horse Day to bring awareness and promote intervention of abandoned, neglected and abused horses across the country.
For more information and to learns ways that you can help a horse, see:
http://www.aspcapro.org/celebrate-aspca-help-horse-dayhttp://www.aspca.org/blog/national-help-horse-day-bennys-story