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July Dates
A Sticky Celebration
Lollipop. Sucker. Lolly. Sticky pop. Whatever you call them, Lollipop Day falls on July 20. Scientists tell us that even early humans enjoyed these treats, licking and
From Scotland to the World Depending on your musical tastes, you may or may not enjoy Bagpipe Appreciation Day on July 27. This quintessentially Scottish instrument is traditionally used for almost any occasion. There are over 200 different types of bagpipes, and varia- tions have been played for centuries in parts of Russia, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Scotland ’ s Great Highland Bagpipes have earned the most renown. A piper blows air into a blowpipe, which inflates a bag made of elk or sheepskin. Another pipe, a chanter, is held in the piper ’ s hands and is played like a flute. Also rising from the main bag are drone pipes that produce constant bass or tenor notes, providing background to the chanter ’ s melody. The music is
sucking on honey on a stick. The term lollipops wasn ’ t used until 1931 when George Smith, owner of the Bradley Smith confectionary company, named a stick candy after his favorite racehorse, Lolly Pop. Some dispute this origin, however, because in England the word lolly means “ tongue ” and pop means “ slap, ” so some think that the word lollipop , meaning “ tongue slap, ” may have originated in England.
unmistakable, and you may appreciate it even more after a glass of scotch. It may not be a coincidence that July 27
A Canned Classic Over the past 87 years, Spam—Hormel ’ s renowned meat product in a can— has transformed from a mere food into a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. On July 5, 1937, it was first introduced to the world as Hormel Spiced Meat, but shortly thereafter, Ken Daigneau entered the name Spam into a naming contest and won $100 for his efforts. Since then, over nine billion cans of
Spam have been sold. Spam was popular from the moment of its inception. Within one year of its introduction, 18 percent of all American households were enjoying the canned meat. However, it was during World War II that Spam really took off, as it was part of American army rations. Perhaps it is thanks to those American soldiers that the biggest consumers of Spam are residents of tiny islands that served as American military outposts: Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The average Guamanian eats 16 cans of Spam a year. We may never know why Spam has become so popular, but the Smithsonian has taken the lead in immortalizing it. Two cans of Spam, one bearing the original packaging and another with an updated design, have been added to the museum ’ s exhaustive collection. It may satisfy Spam ’ s devoted followers to know that their favorite canned meat product is a work of art.
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