This is What’s Trending Today.
Every day seems to be a different “day” on the internet.
For example, August 8 was “International Cat Day.” There were even more pictures of cats on social media than usual.
It was both “International Beer Day,” and “Coast Guard Day” on August 4. Later this month, people will celebrate “Rum Day” (August 16) and “Eat a Peach Day” (August 22). On August 28, if you see someone wearing a bow tie around their neck, it might be because it is “Bow Tie Day.”
In 2014, Money magazine interviewed John-Bryan Hopkins. He is a food writer from Birmingham, Alabama. Hopkins started a website called Foodimentary.
Hopkins said he created different food celebration days for fun, and they caught on. For example, August 2 was “National Ice Cream Sandwich Day.” Did you celebrate by eating a frozen treat made of ice cream and two cookies?
The magazine called these days “fake” holidays. But that may not be fair. Many people enjoy celebrating these days, even though they may not be formally recognized.
In the article, Hopkins said he has the right to change what is being celebrated on any given day. “I might … decide that I don’t like what’s being celebrated that day,” he said. “So I make it a new one.”
Hopkins said he does not usually make days celebrating healthy food. “I like the foods that America really likes,” he said.
Some upcoming food-related holidays celebrate filet mignon and soft-serve ice cream.
This Wednesday was Book Lover’s Day. Many internet users celebrated the calorie-free act of reading. People who wrote on Twitter using the hashtag #BookLoversDay received a smiley-faced emoji reading a book.
Some publications created lists of ways to celebrate the day. Bookish.com’s “10 Ways to Celebrate National Book Lover’s Day” included visiting the library, buying a new bookshelf and re-reading an old favorite book.
The magazine Fast Company reminded people of a story from earlier this year. It listed the five books on Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ summer reading list.
The books included “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance, “A Full Life” by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, and “Born a Crime” by talk show host Trevor Noah. His book is about growing up with a black parent and a white parent in South Africa. Noah was a young boy during the period known as apartheid.
TED Talks reminded readers of their list of 101 book recommendations for the summer. They are broken into categories like: “When you are lying in the sun,” “When you are in the mood for adventure,” and “When you are spending the summer in the city.”
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
What did you do to celebrate Book Lover’s Day? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
sandwich – n. two or more cookies, crackers, or slices of cake with something between them
cookie – n. a sweet baked food that is usually small, flat, and round and is made from flour and sugar
fake – adj. not true or real
calorie – n. a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body
emoji – n. a small digital image used to express an idea in electronic messages
elegy – n. a sad poem or song
