Yesterday Saturday, January 24, 2026.
January 24 features 14 observances: Beer Can Appreciation Day, Change a Pet’s Life Day, Global Belly Laugh Day, International Day of Education, International Mobile Phone Recycling Day, Macintosh Computer Day, National Compliment Day, National Just Do It Day, National Lobster Thermidor Day, National Peanut Butter Day, National Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day, Quilt Shop Day.
Scroll down to explore the meaning behind each one.
Beer Can Appreciation Day marks January 23, 1935, when the first successful canned beers—Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream Ale—went on sale in Richmond. This milestone came from a partnership between the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company and the American Can Company, which created a special interior lining that stopped metal from altering the beer’s taste. The day recognizes how beer cans made beer easier to ship, helped keep it fresh by blocking light and air, and reduced waste through repeated recycling.
Change a Pet’s Life Day was created in 2009 by Hill’s Pet Nutrition to encourage shelter adoption and bring attention to pets waiting for homes. The day promotes adoption, fostering, and volunteering, recognizes the work of rescue professionals, and encourages pet owners to improve their pets’ lives through good nutrition, regular exercise, and social time.
🐶 Discover all the pet-, cat– and dog-related national days and celebrate your furry friends every day of the year! 🐾🎉
Global Belly Laugh Day promotes the physical and emotional benefits of laughter. It was founded in 2005 by Elaine Helle, a certified laughter yoga teacher who wanted laughter recognized alongside observances honoring love and gratitude. The day encourages laughter to reduce stress and strengthen social connections. At 1:24 p.m. local time, participants are invited to raise their arms and join a worldwide wave of positivity.
😊 A similar celebration, National Smile Day, takes place on May 31, spreading positivity and the joy of a simple smile!
International Day of Education was established in 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly through a resolution led by Nigeria and supported by 58 other member states. First observed in 2019, the day recognizes education as a basic human right, a public good, and a shared responsibility. Its purpose is to strengthen political commitment and funding for inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education worldwide, highlighting education’s role in peacebuilding, sustainable development, and gender equality.
International Mobile Phone Recycling Day highlights the environmental damage caused by electronic waste. It was established in 2015 by the Jane Goodall Institute as part of its “The Forest Is Calling” campaign. The observance draws attention to how smartphone production, particularly the mining of minerals such as coltan in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, contributes to deforestation and the destruction of primate habitats. Its purpose is to encourage people to recycle unused phones or keep devices in use longer, reducing the need for new raw materials, protecting wildlife like chimpanzees and gorillas, and lowering toxic pollution in soil and water.
Macintosh Computer Day marks the 1984 introduction of the Macintosh 128K by Steve Jobs and Apple Inc.. The observance recognizes how this computer changed personal computing by bringing the graphical user interface and the mouse into everyday use, allowing people without technical training to interact with computers in a more visual and intuitive way.
National Compliment Day encourages people to notice and acknowledge the good they see in others, helping strengthen connections and lift morale, especially during the winter months.
💞 It is different from Pay a Compliment Day on February 6 and World Compliment Day on March 1.
National Just Do It Day first appeared in 2015, although its original founder is not known. While it shares its name with Nike’s well-known slogan, created in 1988 by Dan Wieden, the observance has no official link to the brand. The purpose of the day is to encourage people to stop postponing tasks or goals and take immediate action on things they have been putting off. Observed in mid-January, it aligns with the point when New Year’s resolutions often lose momentum, offering a reminder to shift from planning to doing.
National Lobster Thermidor Day recognizes a classic French dish made with lobster meat cooked in a rich, creamy sauce, typically flavored with cognac and mustard, then returned to the shell and baked. The date refers to the dish’s first known presentation on January 24 in the early 1890s at the Paris restaurant Maison Maire. The recipe was created to align with the premiere of Thermidor, a play by Victorien Sardou, which takes its name from a month in the French Revolutionary calendar.
National Peanut Butter Day recognizes peanut butter’s nutritional value, as a source of protein and healthy fats, and its popularity around the world. The observance is closely tied to key moments in its early development, including patents by Marcellus Gilmore Edson in 1884, John Harvey Kellogg in 1895, and Ambrose Straub in 1903. Each of these innovations improved texture, safety, and large-scale production.
National Talk Like a Grizzled Prospector Day was created in 2008 by Chris Jepsen. The date commemorates the 1848 gold discovery by James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill, which set off the California Gold Rush. Inspired by themed speech days like Talk Like a Pirate Day, the observance focuses on the rough language associated with 19th-century gold miners, using expressions such as tarnation and hornswoggled.
Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day also called Local Quilt Shop Day* (Fourth Saturday in January), was established in 2011 by the Fabric Shop Network, an international organization representing independent quilt and fabric shops. The observance draws attention to the economic importance of small retailers and to quilt shops as creative gathering places where quilters can learn new skills, exchange ideas, and connect with others.
National Days to Explore
Today | Tomorrow | December | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | Food Days
National Days in January
January 1 | January 2 | January 3 | January 4 | January 5 | January 6 | January 7 | January 8 | January 9 | January 10 | January 11 | January 12 | January 13 | January 14 | January 15 | January 16 | January 17 | January 18 | January 19 | January 20 | January 21 | January 22 | January 23 | January 24 | January 25 | January 26 | January 27 | January 28 | January 29 | January 30 | January 31
If you are looking for a printable National Days Calendar, checkout my Etsy shop to see all 2026 designs.
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